Synagogue (Endingen)
The Synagogue Endingen is a synagogue in the municipality of Endingen in the Swiss canton of Aargau . It was built from 1850 to 1852 according to plans by Joseph Caspar Jeuch . The strictly classical building has individual Moorish elements and is a listed building as a cultural asset of national importance .
history
From the early 17th to the middle of the 19th century, Endingen and neighboring Lengnau were the only places in Switzerland where Jews could settle permanently. From 1776 to 1866 they had no right of residence outside of these two villages in the Surb valley . In the first half of the 18th century, the Jews of Endingen used a converted warehouse as a school and prayer room. The first synagogue was built in 1764, but it soon turned out to be too small.
With the approval of the cantonal building commission, the Baden architect Joseph Caspar Jeuch was commissioned to convert the existing synagogue. However, the foundations turned out to be too weak to support the masonry of the building to be expanded. For this reason, an almost completely new building had to be planned, which led to a significant increase in costs. After almost two years of construction, the building was inaugurated on March 26, 1852.
In 1952 the exterior was renovated , from 1976 to 1986 a restoration . The interior was restored in 1997/98. Since almost all Jews in Endingen emigrated to the larger cities, the synagogue is now mainly used for cultural events and weddings.
building
The synagogue stands in the middle of the village on a small square. Several features contribute to the strictly classical appearance. These include the gently sloping gable roof , the structure of the façades with pilaster strips and the central projection on the entrance front, crowned by a stepped gable . The front opposite the entrance has a semicircular apse pointing towards Jerusalem . Horseshoe arches above the portals and the upper row of windows are reminiscent of the Moorish style, as do columns and braided ribbon ornaments. The stepped gable, which is adorned with stone tablets of the law , has a clock with a carillon, which is unusual for synagogues. The reason is the lack of a Christian church with a corresponding steeple , because the synagogue is the only place of worship in Endingen.
The interior is a three-aisled hall with five bays and a slightly vaulted ceiling. On three sides, a gallery supported by delicate supports , which is reserved for women, runs around the central nave. Chandeliers above the Almemor illuminate the brightly colored room. The Torah shrine stands in the niche in the apse, which is raised by a few steps. Only in the central nave has the original painting been completely preserved, in the side aisles and on the gallery it was painted over around 1900. The decoration creates the illusion of a stucco vault, which is reinforced by the shadow cast. Wickerwork ribbons and foliage medallions also imitate a stucco decoration and give the impression that it is an oriental building.
literature
- Eduard Guggenheim: The restoration of the synagogues Endingen and Lengnau . Vol. I and II, Zurich 1976.
- Edith Hunziker, Ralph Weingarten: The synagogues of Lengnau and Endingen and the Jewish cemetery . Ed .: Society for Swiss Art History. Swiss art guide, volume 771/772 , series 78.Bern 2005, ISBN 3-85782-771-8 .
- Anna Rapp Buri: Jewish cultural assets in and from Endingen and Lengau . regional culture publisher, Ubstadt-Weiher 2008, ISBN 978-3-89735-493-7 .
See also
Web links
- Endingen synagogue
- Synagogue (Endingen) in the inventory of the canton of Aargau
- Synagogue of Endingen In: E-Periodica
Coordinates: 47 ° 32 '12.4 " N , 8 ° 17' 23.4" E ; CH1903: 664 090 / two hundred sixty-five thousand four hundred sixty-five