The Great Synagogue is a

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

Sharhorod Sharhorod (, ) is a small List of cities in Ukraine, city located within the Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine. It served as the administrative center of the former Sharhorod Raion until its dissolution in 2020. Population: Sharhorod also has a number o ...

, in the

Vinnytsia Oblast Vinnytsia Oblast (, ), also referred to as Vinnychchyna (), is an oblasts of Ukraine, oblast in central Ukraine. Its capital city, administrative center is Vinnytsia. The oblast has a population of History Vinnytsia Oblast, first established on ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. Built in 1589 in what was then the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

, it is one of the oldest synagogues in Ukraine.

Architecture

The synagogue was built in 1589 as a

fortress synagogue A fortress synagogue is a synagogue built to withstand attack while protecting the lives of people sheltering within it. Fortress synagogues first appeared in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th century at a time of frequent invasion ...

with walls between thick. The main hall was the prayer hall the men. To the north is an extension which was the prayer hall for women. There are further extensions along the walls, of which the ones to the south and east are fairly modern (). Inside the main hall are four pillars, which are decorated with ornamental stucco fragments of the 18th and 19th centuries.

History

Sharhorod was occupied by the

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

between 1674 and 1699. During this time the synagogue was used as a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

. After the Turks were driven out of the region, it was converted into a synagogue again. From around 1930, when Ukraine (and Sharhorod) belonged to the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, the building was used as a storehouse for beverages. In 2012 it was returned to the small Jewish community of Sharhorod.

References

1589 establishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 16th-century synagogues in Europe Fortress synagogues Synagogues completed in 1589 Synagogues in Ukraine Sharhorod {{Ukraine-synagogue-stub

Architecture

History

See also

References