Synagogue (Bychau)

Synagogue in Bychau (2012)

Inside view with bima

The synagogue in Bychau , a Belarusian city in Mahiljouskaja Woblasz , was built in the 17th century. The baroque style building is structurally in poor condition.

history

The synagogue dates from the last quarter of the 17th century. Little is known about them. It was rebuilt in the classical style at the end of the 18th century . It is only known that it was no longer used as early as 1919.

It is planned to restore the building and turn it into a museum.

architecture

The synagogue is almost square with internal dimensions of 18 × 16 m. It has three windows on each side, with an oculus on the east side between the two arched windows .

A round tower is integrated into the northwest corner, in which a spiral staircase leads upwards.

Originally the roof was covered by an attic . During the renovations in the 18th century, this was replaced by a high hipped roof.

On the south wall there are still four openings (now bricked up) that indicate earlier additions for the women's prayer rooms. However, all external attachments have been demolished.

In the middle of the room there is still the tower of the supporting bima , in the middle of which the bima stood and which supported the vaulted ceiling.

The Torah shrine filled the middle third of the east wall and was extraordinarily richly decorated.

References

↑ [1] Planned to be used as a museum. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
↑ Maria and Kazimierz Piechotka: Heaven's Gates. Masonry synagogues in the territories of the former Polish - Lithuania Commonwealth. Page 339 ff. Polish Institute of World Art Studies & POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw 2017, ISBN 978-83-942344-3-0 . Detailed description.