The Synagogue of Castelo de Vide () is a well-preserved medieval

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 ...

in Santa Maria da Devesa,

Castelo de Vide Castelo de Vide () is a municipality in Portugal, with a population of 3,407 inhabitants in 2011, in an area of . History It is unclear when humans settled Castelo de Vide, although archaeologists suggest the decision came from the morphology of ...

, in the

Alentejo Region Alentejo Region () is one of the seven NUTS 2 regions of Portugal. It covers all of the historical Alentejo Province and part of the historical Ribatejo and Estremadura provinces. The greater region is defined within Portugal by the land bo ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. Built in the late 14th century, the former synagogue was repurposed in April 2019 as a

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 ...

dedicated to Castelo de Vide's historical Jewish community. Along with the

Synagogue of Tomar The Synagogue of Tomar () is a former Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 73 Rua Dr. Joaquim Jaquinto, in the historic center of the city of Tomar, in the Santarém District of Portugal. The medieval synagogue was completed in the Go ...

, it is one of two existing pre-expulsion synagogues in the country.

History

The Synagogue of Castelo de Vide was built sometime in the late 14th century. Written documents attest to the existence of Castelo de Vide's Jewish community and

Jewish quarter Jewish Quarter may refer to: *Jewish quarter (diaspora), areas of many cities and towns traditionally inhabited by Jews *Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem), one of the four traditional quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem *Jewish Quarter (), a popular name ...

throughout the 14th and 15th centuries. Though King

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate (), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, as monarch. Manu ...

ordered the

forced conversion Forced conversion is the adoption of a religion or irreligion under duress. Someone who has been forced to convert to a different religion or irreligion may continue, covertly, to adhere to the beliefs and practices which were originally held, w ...

or expulsion of

Portuguese Jews Spanish and Portuguese Jews, also called Western Sephardim, Iberian Jews, or Peninsular Jews, are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardic Jews who are largely descended from Jews who lived as New Christians in the Iberian Peninsula during the fe ...

in 1496,

Marrano ''Marranos'' is a term for Spanish and Portuguese Jews, as well as Navarrese jews, who converted to Christianity, either voluntarily or by Spanish or Portuguese royal coercion, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but who continued t ...

s continued using the synagogue as a religious sanctuary and school until the mid 16th century. The Synagogue of Castelo de Vide is one of two existing preserved medieval synagogues in Portugal. The other is the Synagogue of Tomar. Four pre-expulsion synagogue buildings exist in neighboring Spain:

Híjar Synagogue The Híjar Synagogue, also known as St. Anthony’s Synagogue, is a former Judaism, Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in San Antón Square, Híjar, in the province of Province of Teruel, Teruel, Aragon, Spain. The building was used as a ...

, the

Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca The Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca (), also known as the Ibn Shoshan Synagogue, is a former Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 4 Calle Reyes Católicos, in the historic old city of Toledo, in the province of Castilla-La Mancha, ...

and

Synagogue of El Tránsito The Synagogue of El Tránsito (), also known as the Synagogue of Samuel ha-Levi or Halevi, is a former Judaism, Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at on Calle Samuel Levi, in the Historic City of Toledo, historic old city of Toledo, Spain, ...

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Or ...

, and

Córdoba Synagogue The Córdoba Synagogue () is a historic former Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 20 Calle de los Judíos in the Jewish Quarter of Córdoba, Andalusia. Completed in 1315, with its Mudéjar design attributed to Isaac Makheb, the synagog ...

. All other existing Portuguese synagogues were built after the

Portuguese Inquisition The Portuguese Inquisition (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Inquisição Portuguesa''), officially known as the General Council of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Portugal, was formally established in Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal in 15 ...

ended in 1821. Over the succeeding centuries the synagogue had various uses, including an 18th-century alteration into a private home. The building was restored and its tabernacle rediscovered in 1972. Since April 2019, the building has housed a small museum dedicated to Castelo de Vide's historical Jewish community. The structure is listed as a Building of Public Interest (''Imóvel de Interesse Público'') by the Portuguese government.

Architecture

The synagogue is a small two-story building originally constructed in the late 14th century and altered over time. It is oriented east–west.

Ogival An ogive ( ) is the roundly tapered end of a two- or three-dimensional object. Ogive curves and surfaces are used in engineering, architecture, woodworking, and ballistics. Etymology The French Orientalist Georges Séraphin Colin gives as ...

stone arches frame all of the building's doors. A ''

mezuzah A ''mezuzah'' ( "doorpost"; plural: ''mezuzot'') is a piece of parchment inscribed with specific Hebrew language, Hebrew verses from the Torah, which Jews affix in a small case to the doorposts of their homes. These verses are the Biblical pa ...

'' containing part of the

Shema Yisrael ''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; , “Hear, O Israel”) is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. Its first verse encapsulates the monothe ...

prayer is placed over one of the ground floor doors. Inside the building exists a 15th-century carved stone

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 ...

tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle (), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (, also Tent of Meeting), was the portable earthly dwelling of God used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instru ...

(referred to as a ''hekhal'' by

Sephardic Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

communities) which was rediscovered in 1972 during repairs to the exterior walls. The ark's left scripture pedestal is decorated with seven balls symbolizing the six days of creation and one day of rest.

Gallery

Sinagoga de Castelo de Vide.jpg, 15th century Torah ark

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Castelo de Vide Synagogue 14th-century synagogues in Portugal Buildings and structures in Alentejo Region Former synagogues in Portugal Gothic architecture in Portugal Romanesque and Gothic synagogues Jewish museums in Portugal Medieval synagogues Sephardi Jewish culture in Portugal Sephardi synagogues Synagogues preserved as museums

History

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References

External links