Great Italian Synagogue, Padua

Artist Unknown

1548

Photograph of room with ornate columns and pews along both sides, a raised platform on the right side, and several chandeliers.

Founded in 1548, the Italian Synagogue of Padua was moved to its current location by 1603. It was renovated in the nineteenth century and restored again after World War II, when the Scuola Grande, which had become the main synagogue in use, was destroyed by fire. Following the Italian convention, the synagogue is bifocal, with the bimah and ark on opposing sides. Unusually, in this synagogue the two features appear on the long (rather than short) walls. The bimah is believed to have been carved entirely out of wood from a tree that was struck by lightning in the sixteenth century.

Credits

Interior (1548). Olevy / Wikimedia, Synagogue_italienne_de_Padoue.Vue_de_l'intérieur.JPG. Cropped from the original. Licensed under (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

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