Synagogue (Pécs)
The great synagogue in the Hungarian city of Pécs is a Jewish place of worship with a still active community.
history
Jews lived in the city before the Ottoman occupation of Hungary. After their departure in 1692, the townspeople swore that only Catholics would settle in the town. Despite the unfavorable conditions, Jews were able to settle again. A Jewish cemetery was laid out in 1827 and the first synagogue was built in 1843, but it soon became too small.
architecture
The current building was completed in July 1869 and is stylistically based on the Romanesque . The synagogue is based on a design by the architects Frigyes Feszl , Károly Gerster and Lipót Kauser . The facade was restored between 1980 and 1983.
The magnificent interior is still in its original condition. Geometric shapes, floral and fruital elements determine the impression. The ceiling, decorated with stars, is optically separated from the main room by a richly ornamented bronze railing. Under a large canopy made of mighty marble columns is the Torah table and the Book of Tears , which contains the names of 3,022 Jews who were mainly deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp and murdered during the Second World War . The Ner Tamid in the form of a Star of David symbolizes the perpetual presence of God. Here there are also seats for older members of the community, the pulpit and the menorah . There are memorial plaques on the walls with Hebrew inscriptions referring to the last service in 1944. The historically valuable organ comes from the Angster company and was installed in the church in March 1869. To the right and left of the main nave there are so-called "soul candles" in glass containers. On the left side of the main nave there is also a water basin that is used for symbolic ritual cleansing. There is a clock above the water basin that shows the times of Saturday prayer.
The synagogue is attached to a Jewish school that is still active today.
literature
- Rudolf Klein : Zsinagógák Magyarországon 1782–1918: fejlődéstörténet, tipológia és építészeti jelentőség / Synagogues in Hungary 1782–1918. Genealogy, Typology and Architectural Significance . TERC, Budapest 2011, ISBN 978-963-9968-01-1 , pp. 235-240. (not evaluated)
Web links
- Churches ( Memento of September 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
Coordinates: 46 ° 4 ′ 27 ″ N , 18 ° 13 ′ 51.9 ″ E