High synagogue
The High Synagogue , Vysoká synagoga in Czech , is a synagogue in Prague that was built in 1568.
Building description
The High Synagogue is located in Červená 1 in Prague's Josefov ( Josefstadt ) next to the Jewish Town Hall . The Old New Synagogue is on the other side of the street . These three directly adjacent buildings form the central Jewish buildings of Prague. The High Synagogue is on the first floor. It is an almost square room with a high Renaissance vault, which is characterized by stitch caps and stucco . The central room is clearly structured by pilasters and windows, the bima is in the middle of the room and the benches are arranged around the walls. The interior has best preserved its Renaissance appearance of all Prague synagogues.
On the east wall is an early Baroque Torah shrine from 1691 with the symbol of the thoracic crown and an inscription cartouche in the tympanum. The original color scheme was made visible again during the restoration in 1982. A women's gallery with its own access staircase was built on the south side at the end of the 17th century.
There is a study room on the second floor of the building.
history
The High Synagogue was commissioned by the head of the Jewish community in Prague, Mordechai Maisel . It was completed in 1568 , according to reports by David Gans . The building was built by the Italian builder Pankratius Roder, who was supported by local masons under the leadership of Master Rada. Since it was accessible from the upper floor of the Jewish town hall, it was apparently used for meetings of the council of elders, perhaps also for the rabbinical court . It was closed to the public. The name of the synagogue is derived both from its unusual location on the first floor and from its importance for the leadership of the Jewish community. Mordechai Maisel also donated numerous silver implements and Torah scrolls for the synagogue.
After a fire, a new Torah shrine was built in 1691, the women's gallery with a separate staircase was built and the church was enlarged. The chandelier dates from the 18th century. In 1883 a renovation was carried out by the architect J. M. Wertmüller, who bricked up the entrance to the town hall and built a new staircase. During the rehabilitation of the Jewish town in 1907, the synagogue was incorporated into the building block of the new development and rebuilt. The entrance is now possible from the side opposite the Old New Synagogue, the others were walled up. During the Second World War , the synagogue's original furnishings were destroyed. After the end of the war, the synagogue became the property of the Czechoslovak state. From 1945 to 1950 church services were held here again, then the building was used for exhibitions of the Jewish Museum, mainly synagogue textiles were shown . During several renovations during the communist period, the original paintings and stucco were exposed step by step .
In 1994 the Jewish community got the High Synagogue back and had it renovated. It has served as an everyday prayer house for the rabbinate and community employees since 1995 . Weddings, circumcisions and gatherings on festive occasions also take place here. The women's gallery in the neighboring building was also renewed.
literature
- Arno Pařík: Jewish Prague. Jewish Museum, Prague 2002, ISBN 80-85608-54-5 .
- Arno Pařík: Prague synagogues. Jewish Museum, Prague 2005.
- David J. Podiebrad: Antiquities of Prague's Josefstadt, Israelite cemetery, old-new school and other synagogues Prague: Podiebrad, 1870
- Prague. Olympia travel guide , Olympia Publishing House, Prague 1988; P. 108
Web links
Old New Synagogue | High Synagogue | Jerusalem Synagogue | Klausen Synagogue | Maisel Synagogue | Pinkas Synagogue | Spanish synagogue
Coordinates: 50 ° 5 '23.6 " N , 14 ° 25' 7.1" E