The Spanish Synagogue (, , ) is a former

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located in the area of the so-called Jewish Town,

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. The synagogue was completed in 1868 in the Moorish Revival style on the site of the presumably oldest synagogue, Old School (). In 1955 the former synagogue was permanently repurposed as a Jewish museum and is administered by the Jewish Museum in Prague. A small park with a modern statue of

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of Litera ...

by Jaroslav Róna is situated between the synagogue and the Church of the Holy Spirit.

History

The Spanish Synagogue is not the first synagogue at the site. Before it there stood probably the oldest synagogue in Prague Jewish Town, ''Altschul'' (''Alte Schule'', Old School, Old Synagogue). In the second half of 19th century, the capacity of the ''Altschul'' did not suffice. The modernist faction in the community, which renovated it in 1837 for the purpose of moderately reformed services, therefore decided to demolish the synagogue in 1867 and one year later it was replaced by the new, Spanish Synagogue. Its name presumably refers to the style in which it was built, Moorish Revival style, which was inspired by the art of Arabic period of Spanish history (this name was not always prevalent, in the beginnings it was usually called by German-speaking Jews Geistgasse-Tempel, i.e. Temple in Holy Spirit Street). The architectural plans were designed by Vojtěch Ignác Ullmann and

Josef Niklas Josef Niklas (11 March 1817 – 10 October 1877) was a Czechs, Czech architect, builder and pedagogue. In 1873–1874, he was the rector of the Czech Technical University in Prague. Biography Josef Niklas was born on 11 March 1817 in Volyně. He ...

(an imposing interior decoration). In 1935, a functionalistic building, designed by Karel Pecánek, was added to the synagogue. Until

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

it served the Jewish Community as a hospital. The synagogue used the space of the new building as well; there was a vestibule and a winter oratory in it. Since 1935, the appearance of the synagogue has remained essentially unchanged. During the

, confiscated properties of Czech Jewish Communities were stored in the synagogue, e.g. the furniture from other synagogues. Ten years after the war, the synagogue was handed over to the

Jewish Museum A Jewish museum is a museum which focuses upon Jews and may refer seek to explore and share the Jewish experience in a given area. Notable Jewish museums include: Albania * Solomon Museum, Berat Australia * Jewish Museum of Australia, Melbourn ...

and in 1958–1959 it was completely restored inside. In the following year an exposition of synagogue textiles was opened there. In the 1970s the building became neglected and it was closed after 1982. The restoration started only after the Velvet revolution. Completely restored to its former beauty, the synagogue was re-opened with a ceremony in 1998.

Design

The synagogue is two storeys high with a square ground plan. The main hall with a dome is surrounded by three built-in balconies. At the south balcony there is an organ. In the eastern wall there is a great round stained glass window with a central ornament of Magen David (

hexagram , can be seen as a compound polygon, compound composed of an upwards (blue here) and downwards (pink) facing equilateral triangle, with their intersection as a regular hexagon (in green). A hexagram (Greek language, Greek) or sexagram (Latin l ...

), installed in 1882–1883. Underneath it there is a monumental aron ha-kodesh (

Torah ark A Torah ark (also known as the ''hekhal'', , or ''aron qodesh'', ) is an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark is also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' () or ''aron ha-Kod ...

). The most impressive decorative element in the synagogue is a gilded and multi-colored parquet arabesque. Its designers, Antonín Baum and Bedřich Münzberger, were inspired by

Arabic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both Secularity, secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Muslim world, Islamic world encompasse ...

and

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

. The synagogue was decorated according to their design in 1882–1893. The disposition of the synagogue is

reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

– the reading platform, bimah, is situated at the eastern wall, not in the central space as in older synagogues. Benches (not original, but from synagogue in Zruč nad Sázavou) stand in rows (as in a church), not around the walls. The Torah ark is designed in the style of

mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "''qibla'' wall". ...

, and has no curtain ( parochet) today.

In the 21st century

Since the last restoration in 1998, an exhibition about the modern history of Jews in the Czech Republic can be seen there. It begins with reforms initiated by enlightened Hapsburg Emperor Joseph II

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

, which started the 'Jewish emancipation' and the social inclusion of Jews into the larger society. Many personalities, who have contributed to its economy, science and culture, are mentioned here. Traumatic events of the 20th century are also commemorated. The themes of modern times accords well with the relationship between the synagogue and the Reform Jewish Community. The European Cantors Association held the concert for their 11th Annual Convention in the Spanish Synagogue in front of a packed crowd on 19 November 2016. Arranged as a tribute to ECA Convenor, Alex Klein, the concert was led by the Tel Aviv Cantorial Institute Choir conducted by Orthodox Jewish Cantor Naftali Herstik.

Gallery

Stara skola.jpg, ''Altschul'' on the plan of Prague, 1769 Spanish Synagogue in Prague inside.jpg, Interior of the synagogue Praha Spanish Synagogue Dome 01.jpg, Dome above the main hall Praha Spanish Synagogue Interior 01.jpg, Torah ark and bimah File:Spanish Synagogue (Prague).jpg, Spanish Synagogue (Prague)

References

Literature

* Pařík, Arno, Dana Cabanová a Petr Kliment, ''Pražské synagogy = Prague Synagogues = Prager Synagogen,'' 2. vydání, Praha: Židovské muzeum v Praze, 2011, s. 87–97. * Alina Heitlinger ''In the Shadows of the Holocaust and Communism:Czech and Slovak Jews Since 1945'', Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 2006 s.181

External links

"Spanish Synagogue"
Jewish Museum, Prague
"Spanish Synagogue"
Prague tourist guide
Ivan Kalmar. U. of Toronto. ''The Origin of the "Spanish Synagogue" of Prague''
1999, updated June 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Spanish Synagogue, Prague 19th-century religious buildings and structures in the Czech Republic 19th-century synagogues in Europe Ashkenazi Jewish culture in the Czech Republic Ashkenazi synagogues Conservative Judaism in Europe Conservative synagogues in Europe Former synagogues in the Czech Republic Josefov (Prague) Moorish Revival architecture in the Czech Republic Moorish Revival synagogues Museums in Prague Synagogue buildings with domes Synagogues completed in 1868 Synagogues in Prague Synagogues preserved as museums