Oldest synagogues in the world
Encyclopedia
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s have been discovered in archaeological digs. Some synagogues have been destroyed and rebuilt several times on the same site, so, while the site or congregation may be ancient, the building may be modern. Still other very old synagogue buildings exist, but have been used for many centuries as churches, mosques, or for other purposes. And some very old synagogues have been in continuous use as synagogues for many centuries.
General
- The oldest synagogue fragments are stone synagogue dedication inscriptions stones found in middle and lower EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and dating from the 3rd century BCE. Some of these stones are considered sacred to some peoples. - The oldest synagogue building yet uncovered by archaeologists is the Delos SynagogueDelos SynagogueThe synagogue of Delos, Greece, is the oldest synagogue known today, its origin dating between 150 and 128 BCE. The building’s most recent use is widely agreed to have been an assembly hall for Jews or Samaritans. However, the first use for the building is more controversial...
, a possibly SamaritanSamaritanThe Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group of the Levant. Religiously, they are the adherents to Samaritanism, an Abrahamic religion closely related to Judaism...
synagogue that dates from at 150 to 128 BCE, or earlier, and is located on the island of DelosDelosThe island of Delos , isolated in the centre of the roughly circular ring of islands called the Cyclades, near Mykonos, is one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece...
, GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. - The Jericho Synagogue, the oldest, securely dated, mainstream Jewish synagogue in the world was built between 70 and 50 BCE at a royal winter palace near JerichoJerichoJericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
.
Algeria
- Synagogue of Tlemcen was built around 1392 when Rabbi Ephraim ben Israel Al-Naqava (Enquaua), a Spanish refugee who was the son of the author of Menorah, settled in Agadir, he obtained permission for Jews to settle in the city of Tlemcen, where he built a synagogue.
Egypt
- Stone synagogue dedication inscriptions stones found in middle and lower Egypt (see above), and dating from the 3rd century BCE, are the oldest synagogue fragments found anywhere in the World.
Libya
- Slat Abn Shaif SynagogueSlat Abn Shaif SynagogueThe Slat Abn Shaif Synagogue in Zliten, Libya is a historic synagogue and Lag Ba'omer pilgrimage site for Libyan Jews. It is over 900 years old.-External links:*...
, in Zliten, Libya, was built around 1090 and is over 900 years old.
South Africa
- The Gardens ShulGardens ShulThe Gardens Shul, formally, the Cape Town Hebrew Congregation, founded in 1841, located in the Cape Town Botanical Gardens, in the Gardens neighborhood of Cape Town, is the oldest Jewish congregation in South Africa....
, established 1841, is the oldest congregation in South Africa. Its 1863 building, which is still standing, may be the oldest synagogue building in the country. Rabbi Osher Feldman is the Rabbi of the Gardens Shul.
Afghanistan
- In Herat, Afghanistan, the Yu Aw Synagogue still stands. Researchers date the Synagogue to 1393 C.E.
India
- In Kochi, the South Indian State of KeralaKeralaor Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, Paradesi SynagogueParadesi SynagogueThe Paradesi Synagogue is the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations, located in Kochi, Kerala, in South India. It was built in 1568 by the Malabar Yehudan people or Cochin Jewish community in the Kingdom of Cochin...
is believed to be built in 1568. It is the oldest Jewish synagogue in India.
Iraq
- A rabbi in the American army found an abandoned, dilapidated synagogue in Mosul dating back to the 13th century. It is located two miles northeast of Mosul, across the Tigris River, in a city called Nineveh. Nineveh was the city of the prophet JonahJonahJonah is the name given in the Hebrew Bible to a prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th century BC, the eponymous central character in the Book of Jonah, famous for being swallowed by a fish or a whale, depending on translation...
; The Nineveh Synagogue was constructed by Daud Ibn Hodaya al-Daudi, Exilarch of Mosul. There is record of a second Synagogue, in Mosul, as early as 990 C.E. when the Gaon of Sura, Semah ibn Yitzhak, mentions "Sahl Aluf ibn Aluf our representative in Mosul", in 1170 Benjamin of Tudela notes that there are about 7,000 Jews in Mosul. In later years, when Petachiah of Regensburg visited Mosul, Nineveh was in Ruins.
Israel
- In Israel, archaeologists have uncovered many ruins of synagogues from 2000 years ago, including several that were in use before the destruction of the Temple in JerusalemTemple in JerusalemThe Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
. The ruins of the small synagogue at the top of MasadaMasadaMasada is the name for a site of ancient palaces and fortifications in the South District of Israel, on top of an isolated rock plateau, or horst, on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. Masada is best known for the violence that occurred there in the first century CE...
is one of the most well-documented; it dates from the time of the Second TempleSecond TempleThe Jewish Second Temple was an important shrine which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem between 516 BCE and 70 CE. It replaced the First Temple which was destroyed in 586 BCE, when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon...
. - One of the oldest synagogues currently in use is the Ari Ashkenazi SynagogueAri Ashkenazi SynagogueThe Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue is located in Safed, Israel. Built in the sixteenth century, the synagogue is named after Rabbi Isaac Luria, , who was known as the Ari , an acronym for Adoneinu Rabbeinu Isaac . He was a great kabbalist who arrived in Safed in 1570...
in SafedSafedSafed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
, which dates from the 16th century CE. - There are synagogues in Jerusalem located on the sites of far older synagogue buildings but, because the older buildings were destroyed by non-Jewish rulers of the city, the present buildings are reconstructions. The Karaite Synagogue in Jerusalem is the oldest of Jerusalem's active synagogues, having been built in the 8th century. It was destroyed by the Crusaders in 1099 and Jews were not allowed to live in the city for 50 years. In 1187 SaladinSaladinṢalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
restored the site to the Karaite Jews who promptly rebuilt the synagogue. It has been active continuously since its foundation, except during the Crusades and Jordanian occupation of the city from 1948. In 1967, the Israeli government returned the synagogue to the Karaite community, who finished renovating it in 1982.
Jordan
- In JerashJerashJerash, the Gerasa of Antiquity, is the capital and largest city of Jerash Governorate , which is situated in the north of Jordan, north of the capital Amman towards Syria...
, JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, the remnants of a synagogue dating from Late AntiquityLate AntiquityLate Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
have been found.
Palestinian territories
- The Shalom Al Israel synagogueShalom Al Israel synagogueThe Shalom Al Yisrael Synagogue, , dates to the late 6th or early 7th century CE and was discovered in Jericho in 1936.-History:...
in JerichoJerichoJericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
dates to the Byzantine period, and is frequented on the beginning of every Hebrew calendar month for prayers and services.
Syria
- The 2nd and 3rd century CE Dura-Europos synagogueDura-Europos synagogueThe Dura-Europos synagogue is an ancient synagogue uncovered at Dura-Europos, Syria, in 1932. The last phase of construction was dated by an Aramaic inscription to 244 CE, making it one of the oldest synagogues in the world...
is better preserved than other, older synagogues that have emerged from archaeological digs. It is often called the world's oldest preserved Jewish synagogue. - Jobar SynagogueJobar SynagogueThe Jobar Synagogue is a 2,000 year-old synagogue located in the suburb of Jobar, Damascus. It was built in commemoration of the biblical prophet Elijah, and has been a place of Jewish pilgrimage for many centuries...
, described as "2,000 years old."
Turkey
- Sardis SynagogueSardis SynagogueSardis Synagogue is a synagogue located in the province of Manisa Turkey. Sardis was under numerous foreign rulers until its incorporation into the Roman Empire in 133 BCE. The city served then as the administrative center of the Roman province of Lydia. Sardis was reconstructed after the...
was built by Babylonian Jews who were invited to Sardis by Seleucid King Antiochus III (223-187 BCE). The Jews of Sardis are mentioned by Josephus Flavius in the 1st century CE, who refers to a decree of the Roman proquestor Lucius Antonius from the previous century (50-49 BCE): "Lucius Antonius, the son of Marcus, vice-quaestor, and vice-praetor, to the magistrates, senate, and people of the Sardians, sends greetings. Those Jews that are our fellow citizens of Rome came to me, and demonstrated that they had an assembly of their own, according to the laws of their forefathers, and this from the beginning, as also a place of their own, wherein they determined their suits and controversies with one another. Upon their petition therefore to me, that these might be lawful for them, I gave order that their privileges be preserved, and they be permitted to do accordingly."1 (Ant., XIV:10, 17). It is generally understood that "a place of their own" refers to the synagogue serving the local Jewish community of Sardis. Josephus Flavius also mentions the decree of Caius Norbanus Flaccus, a Roman proconsul during the reign of Augustus at the end of the 1st century BCE, who confirms the religious rights of the Jews of Sardis, including the right to send money to the Temple of Jerusalem. (Ant., XVI:6,6)
- Priene SynagoguePriene SynagogueThe Priene Synagogue is an ancient synagogue discovered by archaeologists in Priene, Turkey.The synagogue was discovered by archaeologists Theodor Wiegand and Hans Schrader in the western residential area in 1895–98. The synagogue dates to the 2nd century AD and was built into an older Hellenistic...
, it was in ancieny city of PrienePrienePriene was an ancient Greek city of Ionia at the base of an escarpment of Mycale, about north of the then course of the Maeander River, from today's Aydin, from today's Söke and from ancient Miletus...
where was a city in IoniaIoniaIonia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest İzmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements...
.
Australia
- The Hobart SynagogueHobart SynagogueThe Hobart Synagogue, in Hobart, Tasmania, is remarkable both for being the oldest synagogue building in Australia and for being a rare example of the Egyptian Revival style of synagogue architecture. The Egyptian Revival building was constructed in 1845...
(1845) is the oldest surviving synagogue building in Australia. - The Sydney Jewish Community (Great Synagogue (Sydney)Great SynagogueGreat Synagogue or Grand Synagogue may refer to:* Sardis Synagogue, Manisa, Turkey - The complex was destroyed in 616 AD by the Sassanian-Persians....
) is the oldest congregation. - The East Melbourne Synagogue (1877) is the oldest continuously-active synagogue in Australia.
General
- The oldest synagogue in Western Europe uncovered in an archaeological dig to date is the Ostia SynagogueOstia SynagogueThe Ostia Synagogue is an ancient synagogue located in ancient Ostia Antica, the seaport of Imperial Rome. It is one of the oldest synagogues in the world, the oldest synagogue in Europe and the oldest mainstream Jewish synagogue yet uncovered outside of Israel...
in the ancient Roman port of OstiaOstia AnticaOstia Antica is a large archeological site, close to the modern suburb of Ostia , that was the location of the harbour city of ancient Rome, which is approximately 30 km to the northeast. "Ostia" in Latin means "mouth". At the mouth of the River Tiber, Ostia was Rome's seaport, but, due to...
, in ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The present building, of which partial walls and pillars set upright by archaeologists remain, dates from the 4th century CE. However, excavation revealed that it is on the site of an earlier synagogue dating from the middle of the 1st century CE, that is, from before the destruction of the Temple. - The Ancient Synagogue of BarcelonaAncient Synagogue of BarcelonaThe Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona is believed to be an ancient synagogue located in the centre of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It has been described as one of the oldest synagogues in Europe. After many centuries of use for other purposes, the building re-opened as a synagogue and museum in 2002...
, built in the 3rd or 4th century, has been described as the oldest synagogue in Europe. It was used as a synagogue until the massacre of the Jews in Barcelona in 1391, then used for other purposes until it was rediscovered and restored in the 1990s. - The Köln SynagogueRoonstrasse SynagogueRoonstrasse Synagogue, located in Cologne, Germany, is one of the five pre-Nazi synagogues of the locality, which was destroyed on November 9, 1938 during nation-wide attacks on Jewish interests when Germany was under Nazi rule. The synagogue was subsequently rebuilt during the 1950s...
in CologneCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany has been excavated 2007/2009 and dates clearly pre Carolingian (bef. 780/90). There is at the moment some strong evidence that it dates back to the early 4th century when emperor Constantine in 321 issued a privilege for the Cologne Jews. - The Erfurt SynagogueErfurt SynagogueThe Erfurt Synagogue in Erfurt, Germany, was built c. 1100. It is thought to be the oldest synagogue building still standing in Europe. It is planned to permanently house the Erfurt Treasure and is currently undergoing renovation.-History of the building:...
in ErfurtErfurtErfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
, Germany, which was built c. 1100, and is currently undergoing renovation, is thought by some experts to be the oldest synagogue building still standing in Europe. - Santa María la BlancaSanta María la Blanca300px|thumb|Interior of Santa María la Blanca.Santa María la Blanca is a museum and former synagogue in Toledo, Spain. Erected in 1180, it is disputably considered the oldest synagogue building in Europe still standing...
, built in Toledo, SpainToledo, SpainToledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
in 1190, has long been regarded as the oldest synagogue building in Europe still standing. It was consecrated as a church upon the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in the 15th century, but no major renovations were done. While still a consecrated church, it is no longer used for worship and is open as a museum. - The oldest active synagogue building in Europe is the Alteneu Shul (Old-New Synagogue) in PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, which dates from the 13th century (probably 1270). The Altneu Shul was the pulpit of the great Rabbi Yehuda Loew, (the Maharal), and his creation, the golemGolemIn Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
of Prague, is rumored to be hidden within the synagogue. - The Plymouth SynagoguePlymouth SynagogueThe Plymouth Synagogue is a synagogue in the city of Plymouth, England. Built in 1762 it is a Listed Grade II* building and the oldest synagogue built by Ashkenazi Jews in the English speaking world. -History:...
, in PlymouthPlymouthPlymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, England, is the oldest synagogue built by Ashkenazi JewsAshkenazi JewsAshkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
in the English speaking worldAnglosphereAnglosphere is a neologism which refers to those nations with English as the most common language. The term can be used more specifically to refer to those nations which share certain characteristics within their cultures based on a linguistic heritage, through being former British colonies...
.
Albania
- Vlora Synagogue was Albania's only Synagogue - a Sephardic Synagogue. It was built around 1500 C.E. by a community of 609 Jewish Families fleeing the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions. Shabbatai Tzvi was exiled to a nearby town where there were no Jews, UlcinjUlcinjUlcinj is a coastal resort town and municipality in Montenegro. The town of Ulcinj has a population of 10,828 of which the majority are Albanians...
, he died in 1675 C.E.
Austria
- The "Synagogue of St Stephens Parish" was built in Vienna around 1204 C.E; The first Jews lived in the area near the Seitenstettengasse; from around 1280, they also lived around the modern-day Judenplatz where they built another Synagogue around the same time. The center of Jewish cultural and religious life was located in this area of Vienna from the 13th to the 15th century, until the Vienna Gesera of 1420/21, when Albert V ordered the annihilation of the city’s Jews. Proof exists of a Jewish presence in Vienna since 1194. The first named individual was Schlom, Duke Frederick I's Münzmeister (master of the mint).
Belarus
- The Great Synagogue of Hrodna was built from 1576 to 1580 by Santi Gucci, who designed a Wooden synagogue at Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe's invitation.
Bosnia
- "Il Cal Grande Esnoga, a Sephardic Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter known as "el Cortijo" was built in 1587 C.E. The first Sephardim to arrive in Sarajevo arrived in 1565 during the Spanish Inquisition.
Croatia
- The Dubrovnik SynagogueOld SynagogueOld Synagogue can refer to:* Old Synagogue , New Zealand* Old Synagogue , England* Old Synagogue , Croatia* Old Synagogue , Germany* Old Synagogue , Poland* Old Synagogue , Poland...
in Dubrovnik, Croatia is the oldest Sephardic Synagogue still in use today in the world and the second oldest synagogue in Europe. It is said to have been established in 1352, but gained legal status in the city in 1408. Owned by the local Jewish community, the main floor still functions as a place of worship for Holy days and special occasions, but is now mainly a city museum which hosts numerous Jewish ritual items and centuries-old artifacts.
- The Split Synagogue was built in roughly 1500 C.E. Located on Zidovski Prolaz, or the Jewish Passage, is the second oldest continuously operational Sephardic Synagogue in the world. It was built into the western wall of Diocletian’s palace by Jews escaping the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal. In 1573 C.E. a Jewish Cemetery was approved and built on Marjan Hill, which overlooks the town of Split. Jews arrived in Dalmatia, during the early centuries of the Christian era, with the conquering Roman armies. Romans established the city of Salona just behind Split, in the 1st Century, where Jewish traders and craftsmen settled. Archaeological excavations have discovered artifacts of Jewish origin dating from this period and clues to the existence of a Synagogue dating back to the time of DiocletianDiocletianDiocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
who was Roman Emperor from 284 to 305 C.E.
Czech Republic
- The Alteneu Shul (Old-New Synagogue)(see above), in Prague, in the Czech Republic, which dates from the 13th century (probably 1270), is the oldest active synagogue building in Europe.
France
- Synagogue d'Avignon was built in 1221. In 1221, the Jewish community was transferred to an enclosed quarter in the parish of Saint-Pierre, around the Place Jerusalem. The Jewish ghetto was closed off by three doors (the only one of which remaining is the portal of the Calandre) and the inhabitants were under the protection of the pope. The Synagogue was built just after the move in 1221. The Jewish Quarter was originally northwest of the Place du Palais but was moved due to burnings and harassment.
- The Synagogue of CarpentrasCarpentrasCarpentras is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It stands on the banks of the Auzon...
has been built in 1367. Today, only the underground parts (mikveh, bakery, butcher's) remain, as the synagogue was rebuilt in the 18th century. - The Synagogue of Lunel is attested by Benjamin of Tudela in 1170.
Germany
- The Köln SynagogueRoonstrasse SynagogueRoonstrasse Synagogue, located in Cologne, Germany, is one of the five pre-Nazi synagogues of the locality, which was destroyed on November 9, 1938 during nation-wide attacks on Jewish interests when Germany was under Nazi rule. The synagogue was subsequently rebuilt during the 1950s...
(see above), in Cologne, Germany, excavated in 2007/2009, dates from pre Carolingian (bef. 780/90 CE). - The Erfurt SynagogueErfurt SynagogueThe Erfurt Synagogue in Erfurt, Germany, was built c. 1100. It is thought to be the oldest synagogue building still standing in Europe. It is planned to permanently house the Erfurt Treasure and is currently undergoing renovation.-History of the building:...
(see above), in Erfurt, Germany, which was built c. 1100, is thought by some experts to be the oldest synagogue building still standing in Europe.
Greece
- The Delos SynagogueDelos SynagogueThe synagogue of Delos, Greece, is the oldest synagogue known today, its origin dating between 150 and 128 BCE. The building’s most recent use is widely agreed to have been an assembly hall for Jews or Samaritans. However, the first use for the building is more controversial...
(see above), a Samaritan synagogue on the island of Delos, Greece, is the oldest synagogue building yet uncovered by archaeologists anywhere in the World and dates from at 150 to 128 BCE, or earlier. - The Kahal Shalom SynagogueKahal Shalom SynagogueThe Kahal Shalom Synagogue is a Sephardic synagogue in La Juderia, the Jewish quarter of the city of Rhodes on the Greek island of Rhodes. It is the oldest synagogue in Greece today.-History:...
on RhodesRhodesRhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
(1577) is the oldest surviving synagogue building in Greece.
Italy
- The Ostia SynagogueOstia SynagogueThe Ostia Synagogue is an ancient synagogue located in ancient Ostia Antica, the seaport of Imperial Rome. It is one of the oldest synagogues in the world, the oldest synagogue in Europe and the oldest mainstream Jewish synagogue yet uncovered outside of Israel...
, in the ancient Roman port of Ostia, is one of the oldest synagogue sites in Europe dating from the 1st Century.
- The Bova Marina SynagogueBova Marina SynagogueThe Bova Marina Synagogue is the second oldest synagogue uncovered in Italy and one the oldest in Europe.The synagogue is located in Bova Marina, Calabria. Bova Marina means, "by the sea", in Italian. Only the Ostia Synagogue is older. The remains of the Bova Marina synagogue were unearthed in 1983...
site in Bova MarinaBova MarinaBova Marina is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 120 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 30 km southeast of Reggio Calabria...
, CalabriaCalabriaCalabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
. This site was discovered 1983. The remains of this ancient synagogue has been dated to the 4th Century.
- The Scolanova SynagogueScolanova SynagogueThe Scolanova Synagogue is a synagogue in Trani, Italy. It was built as a medieval synagogue, confiscated by the church during a wave of antisemitism around the year 1380, and converted for use as a church known as Santa Maria in Scolanova...
built around 1200 and seized by the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and converted into a church in 1380. In 2006 it was again rededicated as a synagogue.
- The Ferrara SynagogueFerrara SynagogueThe Ferrara Synagogue is a synagogue located in Ferrara, Italy.The synagogue is the sole surviving synagogue is the only surviving representative of the several synagogues that once flourished in Ferrara. It is located in the historic Jewish community building of 1421 at 95 via Mazzini, which once...
built in 1421. The last surviving synagogue in the FerraraFerraraFerrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
region of Italy.
- The Spanish Synagogue (Venice)Spanish Synagogue (Venice)The Spanish Synagogue is one of the two functioning synagogues in the Venetian Ghetto of Venice, northern Italy. It is open for services from Passover until the end of the High Holiday season.-History:...
located in the Venetian GhettoVenetian GhettoThe Venetian Ghetto was the area of Venice in which Jews were compelled to live under the Venetian Republic. It is from its name in Italian , that the English word "ghetto" is derived: in the Venetian language it was named "ghèto".-Etymology:...
of VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. Founded in the 1490s by Spanish Jews.
- The Italian Synagogue (Venice)Italian Synagogue (Venice)-History:The Italian Synagogue was built in 1575 to serve the needs of the Italian Jews, the poorest group living in the Venetian Ghetto. As such, it is the smallest, and the most simple of the five synagogues. Like the other four synagogues in Venice, it was termed a scuola , rather than sinagoga...
located in the Venetian GhettoVenetian GhettoThe Venetian Ghetto was the area of Venice in which Jews were compelled to live under the Venetian Republic. It is from its name in Italian , that the English word "ghetto" is derived: in the Venetian language it was named "ghèto".-Etymology:...
of VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. Founded in 1575.
- The Padua SynagoguePadua SynagogueThe Italian Synagogue of Padua is the only synagogue still in use of the several that flourished in the university town of Padua from the Renaissance through World War II.The Italian Synagogue was built in 1584....
located in PaduaPaduaPadua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
and built in 1584.
- The Synagogue of Casale MonferratoSynagogue of Casale MonferratoThe Synagogue of Casale Monferrato, which was built in 1595, is particularly known for its exquisite Baroque interior with walls and ceiling embellished with elaborate painting, carving and gilding. It is located in Vicolo Salmone Olper, an alleyway in the traditionally Jewish quarter of Casale...
built in 1595 in PiedmontPiedmontPiedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
.
Macedonia
- The Polycharmos Synagogue, of Stobi, Macedonia, was discovered in 1974; it was adjacent to a Christian Church. The Synagogue site, itself, has an archaeological record of two (2) older Synagogues under the foundation of the Polycharmos Synagogue dating to the 4th century B.C.E.
Netherlands
- The Portuguese Synagogue (Amsterdam) - on December 12, 1670, the Sephardic Jewish community of Amsterdam acquired the site to build a synagogue and construction work began on April 17, 1671, under architect Elias Bouwman. On August 2, 1675, the Esnoga was finished.
Poland
- The fifteenth-century Old Synagogue (Kraków)Old Synagogue (Kraków)Old Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Kazimierz district of Kraków, Poland. It is the oldest synagogue building still standing in Poland, and one of the most precious landmarks of Jewish architecture in Europe...
is the oldest surviving synagogue building in Poland.
Portugal
- Belmonte synagogue, according to an inscription stored in the Synagogue of Tomar, was built around 1270 C.E. Belmonte is the spiritual centre of Crypto-Jewry, a place where an entire community of Conversos kept large parts of their faith intact and, 500 years after the Alhambra Decree was issued, returned to Judaism en masse.
- Great Synagogue of Lisbon was built by Yosef ben Yehuda Ibn Yahya ha-Zaken in around 1240 C.E. It was destroyed in an earthquake in 1755.
- The Synagogue of Obidos is located in the old Jewish Quarter and dates to the 7th Century C.E where a Jewish community was re-established after the Visigoths seized the village in 5th Century C.E.. Obidos was liberated in 1148, by the Jewish vizier, Yaish ibn Yahya; in return for its liberation King Afonso Henriques I rewarded Yaish ibn Yahya with a nearby town and annointed him "Lord of Unhos, Frielas and Aldeia dos Negros".
- Synagogue of TomarSynagogue of TomarThe Synagogue of Tomar is the best preserved of the medieval synagogues of Portugal. It is located in the historic centre of the city of Tomar, and houses a small Jewish Museum....
is located in the historic centre of the city of Tomar, and houses a small Jewish Museum. The synagogue of Tomar was built in 1438 by the thriving Jewish community of the town. Today, the museum holds Judaica, fine art, several medieval Jewish gravestones, important architectural fragments from other buildings, including an inscribed stone from 1307 believed to have come from the Lisbon Great Synagogue (destroyed in the earthquake of 1755) and a 13th-century inscribed stone from the medieval synagogue in Belmonte.
Romania
- The 1671 Great SynagogueGreat Synagogue (Iaşi)The Great Synagogue of Iaşi was built in 1671 and is the oldest surviving synagogue in Romania. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Monuments....
in IaşiIasiIași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
, is the oldest surviving synagogue in RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.A great place to visit!
Russia
- Grand Choral SynagogueGrand Choral SynagogueThe Grand Choral Synagogue of St. Petersburg , sometimes called the St. Petersburg Synagogue, is the second largest synagogue in Europe. It was built between 1880 and 1888, and consecrated in 1893. Poet Osip Mandelstam called the Petersburg Synagogue a "lavish, outstandish seductress".-Permit from...
in St. Petersburg was begun in 1880 and completed in 1888. - Volgograd SynagogueVolgograd SynagogueVolgograd Synagogue was a historic synagogue that was destroyed, rebuilt, and is undergoing restoration. It serves the Jewish community of Volgograd, Russia.-History:The synagogue was originally built in 1898 by the Jewish community of Tsaritsino...
was built in 1898. - Moscow Choral SynagogueMoscow Choral SynagogueThe Moscow Choral Synagogue is the main synagogue in Russia and in the former Soviet Union. It is located in central Basmanny District at 10, Bolshoy Spasogolinischevsky Lane, close to Kitai-Gorod Metro station. Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt is the spiritual head of this Synagogue.-History:The...
, completed in 1906, is the oldest synagogue in Mosocw.
Spain
- Calatayud (Calat al-Yehud, "Castle of Jews") was built around 1270 by Aharon ibn Yahya, destroyed, then rebuilt by a relative "Don Yosef ibn Yahya ha-Zaken".
- The Main Synagogue of Barcelona (see above), built in the 3rd or 4th century, has been described as the oldest synagogue in Europe.
- Santa María la BlancaSanta María la Blanca300px|thumb|Interior of Santa María la Blanca.Santa María la Blanca is a museum and former synagogue in Toledo, Spain. Erected in 1180, it is disputably considered the oldest synagogue building in Europe still standing...
(see above), built in ToledoToledo, SpainToledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
in 1190, has long been regarded as the oldest synagogue building in Europe still standing. - Synagogue of CórdobaCórdoba SynagogueCórdoba Synagogue is a historic edifice in the Jewish Quarter of Córdoba, Spain built in 1315.The synagogue was built in Mudéjar style by architects led by Isaac Moheb. It consists of a courtyard, accessed from the street, which leads to a hallway, followed by the prayer room. On the eastern side...
, built in 1305, located in the Jewish Quarter of CórdobaCórdoba, Spain-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy... - Puente La Reina Synagogue, in Navarre, is documented in 1315 C.E. The town was wholly owned by Knights Templar from 1142 until their expulsion in 1359.
- Synagogue of Sahagun was located on Calle Santa Cruz; it was built around 1260 C.E.
- Zaragoza had two Jewish quarters: the old one, which was within the Roman walls, and the new one, which was on the other side of Coso street. Zaragoza Synagogue was authorized for construction, in the NEW Jewish Quarter by Prince Juan of Aragon in 1382. On Coso street, there are remains of Jewish baths from 1226, and a large synagogue, built around 1229 CE, once stood where the Real Seminario de San Carlos now stands.
Slovenia
- The Ljubljana Synagogue, according to Johann Weichard Valvasor's "History of Carniola" published in 1689, was constructed in 1213 along the Jews Path Zidovska steza on Jew Street Zidovska ulica; this implies the possibility of a Jewish presence in Slovenia as early as the 1100s. Rabbi Israel ben Ptaxja Isserlein, born in Regensburg 1390 C.E., arrived in Ljubljana in 1427 and stayed until 1445.
- The Maribor SynagogueMaribor SynagogueThe Maribor Synagogue is a former synagogue and current museum in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. Located in what was the center of the medieval Maribor ghetto at 4 Židovska ulica , it is one of the oldest preserved synagogues in Europe, and one of two only left in Slovenia...
(a/k/a Marburg Synagogue) was built in the 13th century. Located at Zidovska ulica 4 in the Jewish Square Zidovski trg, it is the second oldest Synagogue in Europe. The first documented evidence of a Jewish presence in Slovenia dates to the 13th Century C.E. when Yiddish and Italian-speaking Jews migrated south from Austria.
Ukraine
- Golden Rose Synagogue (Lviv)Golden Rose Synagogue (Lviv)The Golden Rose Synagogue, known also as the Nachmanowicz Synagogue, or the Turei Zahav Synagogue was a synagogue in Lviv, Ukraine. The Golden Rose Synagogue was the oldest synagogue in Ukraine....
, 1582, a standing ruin as of 2009. - Golden Rose Synagogue (Dnipropetrovsk)Golden Rose Synagogue (Dnipropetrovsk)The Golden Rose Synagogue is a synagogue on Kotsyubinskiy Street/Sholom Aleichem street in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine.-History:...
, originally constructed in the late 1850s, restored in 1999.
United Kingdom
- Jew's CourtJew's CourtJews' Court is the Oldest synagogue in the British Isles. A Norman building on Steep Hill in Lincoln, immediately above Jew's House, it is dated to between 1150 and 1180...
, Lincoln is "probably the only standing medieval synagogue in England". - Bevis Marks SynagogueBevis Marks Synagogue----Bevis Marks Synagogue is located off Bevis Marks, in the City of London. The synagogue, affiliated to London's historic Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community, is the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom still in use...
in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, built in 1701 is the oldest synagogue building in the United Kingdom still in use. - The Plymouth SynagoguePlymouth SynagogueThe Plymouth Synagogue is a synagogue in the city of Plymouth, England. Built in 1762 it is a Listed Grade II* building and the oldest synagogue built by Ashkenazi Jews in the English speaking world. -History:...
(see above), is the oldest surviving Ashkenazi synagogue in continuous use in the English speaking world. - Garnethill SynagogueGarnethill SynagogueGarnethill Synagogue is the historic cathedral synagogue of Scotland. It is located in Garnethill, Glasgow.The synagogue was designed by John McLeod and Nathan S. Joseph and built in 1879-81....
, built 1879-81, is the oldest synagogue in Scotland.
General
- The Touro SynagogueTouro SynagogueThe Touro Synagogue is a 1763 synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, that is the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States,the oldest surviving Jewish synagogue building in North America, and the only surviving synagogue building in the U.S...
in Newport, Rhode IslandNewport, Rhode IslandNewport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, is the oldest Jewish house of worship in North America that is still standing. It was built in 1759 for the Jeshuat Israel congregation, which was established in 1658.
Canada
- The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of MontrealSpanish and Portuguese Synagogue of MontrealThe Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal also known as Shearith Israel is a Montreal synagogue, located on St. Kevin Street in Snowdon, which is the oldest Jewish congregation in Canada. The Congregation traces its history back to 1760 and was formally established in 1768...
is the oldest congregation in Canada. - The 1863 building of Congregation Emanu-El (Victoria, British Columbia) may be the oldest synagogue building in Canada.
United States
- Congregation Shearith IsraelCongregation Shearith IsraelCongregation Shearith Israel, often called The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, is the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. It was established in 1654....
, 1654, is the oldest congregation in the United States, although its present building dates from 1897. - Touro SynagogueTouro SynagogueThe Touro Synagogue is a 1763 synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, that is the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States,the oldest surviving Jewish synagogue building in North America, and the only surviving synagogue building in the U.S...
in Newport, Rhode Island, the building of which commenced in 1759, is the United States' oldest synagogue and began services in the current building in the year 1763; the congregation was founded in 1658. President KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
called Touro Synagogue "one of the oldest symbols of liberty". - Congregation Talmud Torah Adereth El (located on Easts 29th Street in Manhattan) has been operating services from that location since 1863. The congregation was founded in 1857. It has the distinction of being the oldest Synagogue in New York running services from the same location
Recife, Brazil
- The Kahal Zur Israel SynagogueKahal Zur Israel SynagogueKahal Zur Israel , located in Recife, Brazil, was the first Jewish congregation in the New World. It was established by immigrants from the Netherlands and joined by New Christians who were already living in the colony. There is now a museum on this site of the oldest synagogue site in the...
in RecifeRecifeRecife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, erected in 1636, was the first synagogue erected in the AmericasAmericasThe Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. Its foundations have been recently discovered, and the twentieth century buildings on the site have been altered to resemble a 17th century Dutch synagogue.
Jamaica
- The first synagogue, a Sephardic Synagogue, was built in Port Royal in approximately 1646, but was destroyed during the earthquake of 1692. Another Synagogue, Neveh Shalom Synagogue, was established on Spanish Town's Monk Street in 1704
Barbados
- Nidhe Israel SynagogueNidhe Israel SynagogueThe Nidḥe Israel Synagogue is currently the only synagogue situated in Bridgetown, Barbados. It also holds the distinction of being one of the oldest synagogues in the western hemisphere and a Barbados National Trust property.- History :...
in BridgetownBridgetownThe city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael...
, BarbadosBarbadosBarbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
: one of the oldest Synagogues in the Americas, standing since 1654, restored and used by the Jewish community in Barbados to this day.
Argentina
- Sinagoga de la Congregación Israelita Argentina in Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
: the oldest Synagogue in Argentina, standing since 1897 to this day.
Suriname
- Wooden, later brick synagogue Beracha ve Shalom ("Blessings and Peace") at JodensavanneJodensavanneJodensavanne was an attempt to establish an autonomous Jewish territory in Suriname, South America.Jodensavanne is located in Para District, about 50 km south of the capital Paramaribo, on the Suriname River....
, SurinameSurinameSuriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
, built between 1665 and 1671. Destroyed in 1832, ruins still exist. - Neveh Shalom SynagogueNeveh Shalom SynagogueThe Neveh Shalom Synagogue is the only synagogue of the Ashkenazi community in Suriname.The Neveh Shalom Synagogue is the only synagogue of the Ashkenazi community in Suriname....
, erection first completed in 1723 and rebuilt in 1842 or 1843, currently the only synagogue in use in Suriname.
Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles
- The Jewish community was founded in 1659. The Curaçao synagogueCuraçao synagogueThe Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue , in Willemstad, Curaçao, is one of the oldest synagogues in the Americas. It is commonly known as the Snoa ....
, congregation Mikvé Israel-Emanuel, built in 1732. When Jews were expelled from the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe the number of Jews in Curacao increased and by 1780 reached 2,000, more than half of the white population. The Curacao community became the "mother community" of The Americas and assisted other communities in the area, mainly in Suriname and St. Eustatius. It also financed the construction of the first synagogues in New York and Newport.
Sint Eustatius
- The Honen Dalim Synagogue, Oranjestad, Sint EustatiusOranjestad, Sint EustatiusOranjestad is a small town of nearly 1,000 inhabitants, and is the capital of Sint Eustatius island in the Caribbean Netherlands.Oranjestad is a historic harbour town...
, built in 1739, burned down by Admiral George RodneyGeorge Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron RodneyGeorge Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782...
after the capture of Sint Eustatius in 1781, partially restored in 2001.