Great Synagogue of Florence
The Great Synagogue of Florence or the Tempio Maggiore is an important synagogue in Florence .
Jewish community in Florence
The Jewish community in Florence numbers around 2000 people. It has a long history, which probably goes back to Roman times, when a small Jewish community lived in Oltarno, outside the city walls south of the Arno. It is certain that the first synagogue was built in the 13th century.
New synagogue
The new synagogue was built between 1874 and 1882. Architects were Mariano Falcini, Professor Vincente Micheli and Marco Treves, who was of Jewish faith. The construction integrated architectural traditions of Islam and Italy.
Layers of travertine and granite alternate in the structure and create a striped effect like the Siena Cathedral . Old photographs show thick red and beige streaks, but the rich colors of the stone have faded over time, creating a mottled look.
The overall shape of the synagogue is based on the cruciform floor plan of Hagia Sophia . The corner attachments have horseshoe-shaped arched attachments, which in turn are provided with onion hoods of the Moorish type. Three horseshoe arches form the main entrance, above which rise the rows of Ajimez windows, which share a single column with their paired horseshoe arches .
Inside the building, every square centimeter is provided with colored patterns in a Moorish design. The interior mosaics and frescoes are by Giovann Panti. Giacomo Del Medico designed the large arch.
Second World War
During the Second World War, the German Wehrmacht used the synagogue as a vehicle garage. In August 1944, in retreat, Nazi organizations wanted to blow up the synagogue together with Italian fascists. The Italian resistance was able to defuse most of the explosive devices, so that the damage was limited. The synagogue was repaired after the war. It was again repaired after the damage caused by a major flood in 1966.
Replica of the Great Synagogue
The Great Synagogue of Florence served as a model in many cases. A replica is the Eutaw Place Temple built in 1982 by Temple Oheb Shalom, (Baltimore, Maryland) .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Harold A. Meek: The Synagogue. Phaidon Press, London 1995, ISBN 0-7148-2932-3 , p. 198.
- ^ Synagogue of Florence, The. Via Farini 4, Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Glass Steel and Stone ( Memento of the original from March 31, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Tempio Maggiore, The Great Synagogue of Florence, Italy
Coordinates: 43 ° 46 ′ 22.1 " N , 11 ° 15 ′ 59.9" E