Italian Synagogues from 1492 to the Present (original) (raw)
Synagogue Typology in the 19th Century
Synagogues represent the longest surviving sacred building type of the Western Hemisphere with a two and a half thousand year old history. However, architecturally this continuity is more fragmented than the relatively shorter history of churches or mosques as Jewish people migrated frequently and Judaism was almost indifferent to the realm of the visual. Still, some types did develop in places of longer Jewish sojourn—antique and Byzantine synagogue types in Eretz Israel, Iberian synagogues until expulsion in 1492, Ashkenazi types in the Rhineland and Central Europe until medieval eviction and the Eastern-Central European, Polish-Lithuanian-Moravian types until modernity. Modernity, the last period of western (Christian) culture, no longer blatantly contradicted Jewish tradition as was the case in previous epochs and some cultural convergence had taken place. This and Jewish emancipation contributed to the dissolution of the last surviving tradition of Central-Eastern and East European synagogue architecture. Traditional types were replaced in the 19th century by new ones in which link between architectural style, composition of volumes, space conception, structure, decoration and many other facets of architecture were deconstructed. This paper tries to establish a system in this apparently free picking of architectural elements.
The Architectural Origins of the Great Early Modern Urban Synagogue
Leo Baeck InstituteYear Book, 2011
Throughout the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, synagogues across Christian Europe were generally small and, as far as their exteriors were concerned, they adhered to prevailing norms of vernacular architecture, so as to be ‘‘invisible’’ or at least unrecognizable as houses of worship.1 This was not just a defensive measure by Jews in order to avoid unwanted attention but was also a result of the restrictions placed upon the Jewish populace by the government which required that they be inconspicuous. Synagogues are important artifacts of Jewish material culture. Their size renders them immovable and they represent a substantial investment in resources.This either requires a communal investment or a significant sum from a benevolent benefactor. Like any form of art, a statement is made through the production, visibility, and maintenance of synagogue architecture. Therefore a ‘‘great synagogue’’ constitutes a much larger, more pronounced statement. The cultural meaning of a great synagogue can be echoed, and thus reinforced, when aspects of its architectural design are duplicated elsewhere.
Houses of Life. Synagogues and Cemeteries in Italy, edited by Andrea Morpurgo and Amedeo Spagnoletto, is a journey of discovery of the two sacred places par excellence and their evolution over two thousand years of Italian Jewish history. The architecture of synagogues and cemeteries encompasses a multiplicity of implications and meanings: it reveals the complex relationship between a minority and a majority in Italian society; it recounts the progressive construction of a sense of community, the moments of everyday life and the rites of passage that mark the cycle of life; and it stimulates still open debates on the existence or non-existence of a 'Jewish' architecture. The numerous projects, precious documents from state archives and Jewish communities, objects handed down from family to family and prestigious loans weave together stories of cities and humanity with a surprising result. The volume is enriched with numerous contributions from scholars of Jewish history and architectural history who, starting from the earliest archaeological evidence up to contemporary times, demonstrate how synagogues and cemeteries have always been essential spaces for defining Jewish identity.
2019 Early Modern Synagogues in Central and Eastern Europe
Jewish Religious Architecture: From Biblical Israel to Modern Judaism, 2019
Original essay on synagogue architecture with insights into social and intellectual history, visual symbolism, folklore and local customs; includes section on alternative prayer spaces in Hasidism. A Leiden-Boston: Brill publication, edited by Steven Fine.
TRADITION AND INNOVATION IN MOLDAVIAN SYNAGOGUES: STRUCTURE AND DECORATION
Most synagogues in Moldavia are adorned with a wide array of murals. The subjects decorating the ark and its surroundings, as well as those ornamenting the walls and ceilings, reveal two main tendencies: preservation of a tradition common to the Jewish East European visual legacy, and new themes, which found their way into pictorial expressions.
Moorish Revival Synagogue Architecture: Community and Style, Past and Present
2020
The Moorish architectural style, originating in medieval Spain, was revived in the mid-nineteenth century. It became strongly linked with synagogues, first in Germany and then throughout the Western world. My research analyzes why the architects and Jewish communities were so attracted to the Moorish Revival style. During this period, European Jewish communities were tasked with constructing synagogues that could showcase their newfound freedoms as well as their history, culture and aspirations. Many argue that this style was chosen to demonstrate the connection between the communities and their ancient Middle Eastern history.
The Medieval Synagogue of Molina de Aragón: Architecture and Decoration
Arts, 2020
The remains of a medieval synagogue, in addition to numerous fragments of plaster decoration, have been found as a result of the excavation work done at the Prao de los Judíos archaeological site in the town of Molina de Aragón (Guadalajara, Spain). These remains suggest that the synagogue was built in the second half of the thirteenth century and that it was refashioned later in the fourteenth century following the same artistic model of the synagogues of Córdoba and El Tránsito. Based on comparative analysis, this article studies the Synagogue of Molina de Aragón in relation to other medieval Iberian synagogues.
Renovation of the presbytery area in Christian churches: a dialogue between architecture and liturgy
El Mundo de las Catredales. Pasado, presente y futuro, 2021
This contribution analyses the post Vatican II (1963) situation in Italy and important examples of liturgical upgrading; the upgrades include restoration, conservation or new designs, all based on a diversified architectural language inspired by the study and knowledge of history, architecture, art, liturgy, and the synergy between them. The Apostolic Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, one of the four Second Vatican Council documents, was a key reference for transformation projects involving the presbytery and architecture of catholic churches. By continuously updating the sacred space both the Church and sacred architecture have always skilfully addressed different cultural climates and changes in ritual requirements. Throughout the centuries this led to the construction of complex buildings in which spatial and architectural design transformed doctrinal ideas into architecture. The Council held in sixties was a watershed that produced many important changes and in-depth deliberations, conjuring up events of the distant past considered as milestones in the history of architecture and the liturgical evolution of sacred buildings.
Liturgical renovation of modern churches in Rome (Italy
Proceedings of Science and Technology, 2020
At the beginning of the first half of the twentieth century the bond between ars-venustas and cultus-pietas has produced many churches of Roman Catholic cult. It's between the 20s and 60s of the twentieth century that the experiments of the Liturgical Movement in Germany lead to the evolution of the liturgical space, which, even today, we see engraving in modern churches in Rome (Italy). The Council of Trent (1545-1563) constitutes the precedent historical moment, in which the Church recognised the need for major liturgical renovation of its churches. In comparison with this, the Second Vatican Council (1959-65) introduced some radical changes within the church architectural spaces. The observations come from the direct reading of the present architectural space and the interventions already realised in modern churches in Rome. The most significant churches from an historical-artistic point of view were selected (1924-1965). Significantly, although every single architecture is unique for dimensions, architectural language and used materials, a comparison, in order to gather the discovered characteristics and to compare the restrictions regarding the different operations, would extremely effective, as demonstrated below. Since the matter is considerably vast, in this work, only some brief notes regarding the liturgical renovation of the Presbytery area will be outlined.
The term “architecture of Judaism” is very diffi cult to defi ne, and in this form does not appear in the literature. Analyzing the context in which objects are created, and their designers, makes a kind of inexplicable phenomenon. Researchers are more of the opinion that Jews in the Diaspora did not develop any particular architectural form, they derived rather from existing patterns. At the same time these authors often use interchangeably the concept of culture and religion, making it even more diffi cult to defi ne the relevant terms. The aim of this article is to understand better the meaning of “architecture of Judaism” and, looking through the prism of culture and religion and the symbolism ingrained in them, to demonstrate certain universal patterns that are part of the constitutive phenomenon of architecture rooted in religion.
Architecture of the university chapels. The italian case study
Actas del Congreso Internacional de Arquitectura Religiosa Contemporánea
University chapels are evangelization outposts offering the possibility to give evidence on the presence of the Church in places otherwise not reached from the ordinary pastoral action. In most Italian campuses there is no place for worship. Indeed, Italy presents a variegated phenomenology of university buildings and related chapels, understandable looking at their history. The liturgical problem arises noting that university chapels are places of particular relationship with the sacraments, great invitation to meditation and occasions of architectural experimentation. Helped by some international examples, this search means to enrich the historiographical and critical outline of the architecture-liturgy connection.
Exceptionally Jewish: Israeli Synagogue Architecture in the 1960s and 1970s
This article examines three exceptional synagogues designed in Israel in the 1960s and 1970s. It aims to explore the tension between these iconic structures and the artworks integrated into them. The investigation of each case study is comprised of a survey of the architecture and interior design, and of ceremonial objects and Jewish art pieces. Against the backdrop of contemporary international trends, the article distinguishes between adopted styles and genuine (i.e., originally conceived) design processes. The case studies reveal a shared tendency to abstract religious symbolism while formulating a new Jewish-national visual canon.
Contemporary religious architecture. The state of the art
Architectures of the sacred: Memory and Project, 2009
ABSTRACT As the coordinator of this I International Conference on Contemporary Religious Architecture «Architectures of the sacred: Memory and Project», I believe it is my turn to make a general introduction. The purpose is that all of you who are not acquainted with the subject of this conference may be able to frame properly all of the speeches to be heard during the next three days. For this reason, my paper will provide you with a general scenario. I believe that this is the easiest way to understand the topics to be discussed and to get a reasonable idea of the debates held during the next three days. I have divided my paper into three sections. First of all, I will introduce some key concepts which should be borne in mind before stating to talk about religious architecture. Next, I will review what has happened so far in this field. And, finally, I will mention the work lines being currently followed. Obviously, I cannot deepen the knowledge on each of these sections due to lack of time, but I hope that I will manage to mention their most relevant notions.