Spanish Synagogue (Venice)
Orthodox synagogue in Venice, Italy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Spanish Synagogue (Italian: Scola Ponentina; or Italian: Sinagoga Scuola Spagnola) is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, that is located in the Jewish Ghetto of Venice, Italy. Designed by Baldassare Longhena in the Baroque style, the synagogue was completed in 1580, and it is one of five synagogues that were established in the ghetto.[2][3]
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| Spanish Synagogue | |
|---|---|
The synagogue façade, from the square of the Ghetto Nuovo, in 2015 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Rite | |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Synagogue |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Jewish Ghetto, Venice |
| Country | Italy |
  Location of the synagogue in Venice | |
| Coordinates | 45°26′41″N 12°19′32″E |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Baldassare Longhena |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Style | Baroque |
| Established | 1555 (as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1580 |
| Materials | Stone |
| [1] | |
The synagogue is open for services from Passover until the end of the High Holiday season.
History
The Spanish Synagogue was founded by Jews expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in the 1490s who reached Venice, usually via Amsterdam, Livorno or Ferrara, in the 1550s. The four-story yellow stone building was constructed in 1580 and was restored in 1635. It is a clandestine synagogue, which was tolerated on the condition that it be concealed within a building that gives no appearance being a house of worship form the exterior, although the interior is elaborately decorated.[4]
The synagogue's ornate interior contains three large chandeliers and a dozen smaller ones, as well as a huge sculpted wooden ceiling.
Gallery
View towards the ark
Gate on campo delle scole
Holocaust memorial
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_Memorial.jpg)
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