The Vidin Synagogue () is a former

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

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 ...

congregation and

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 ...

, whose ruins are located at Baba Vida Street, in

Vidin Vidin (, ) is a port city on the southern bank of the Danube in north-western Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Romania and Serbia, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin (since ...

, in northwest

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. Designed in the

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

and ''

Rundbogenstil (round-arch style) is a 19th-century historic revival style of architecture popular in the German-speaking lands and the German diaspora. It combines elements of Byzantine, Romanesque, and Renaissance architecture with particular s ...

'' styles, the former synagogue was completed in 1894. A national monument of culture in Vidin, the former

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 ...

synagogue is situated in the Kaleto neighbourhood next to the

Baba Vida Baba Vida () is a medieval castle in Vidin in northwestern Bulgaria and the town's primary landmark. It consists of two concentric Curtain wall (fortification), curtain walls and about nine towers of which three are preserved to their full mediev ...

castle and the banks of the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

. It was the second-largest synagogue in Bulgaria after the

Sofia Synagogue The Sofia Synagogue (, ''Sofiyska sinagoga'') is a Romaniote Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Sofia, Bulgaria. Completed in 1909, the synagogue is the largest synagogue in Southeastern Europe, the third-largest in Europe, ...

. The building was desecrated during

World War II 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 ...

, was in ruins for approximately forty years, subsequently restored, and was repurposed as the Jules Pascin Cultural Centre, named in honour of painter

Jules Pascin Julius Mordecai Pincas (March 31, 1885 – June 2, 1930), known as Pascin (, erroneously or ), Jules Pascin, also known as the "Prince of Montparnasse", was a Bulgarian artist of the School of Paris, known for his paintings and drawings. He ...

, that opened in September 2023.

History

Prior to construction of the current building, an old synagogue existed on the site, constructed with the support of Yakov Jacob Gattegno, a noble. The synagogue was destroyed in 1789 and rebuilt in 1839, with the support of Raphael Ashkenazi, and this building was again devastated by artillery fire during the

Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars ( ), or the Russo-Ottoman wars (), began in 1568 and continued intermittently until 1918. They consisted of twelve conflicts in total, making them one of the longest series of wars in the history of Europe. All but four of ...

. The foundations of the new, current synagogue were laid in 1890 and its construction was funded by merchants from the local Jewish community. The synagogue was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

on 28 September 1894 by

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi () is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir ...

of Bulgaria, Dr.

Moritz Grünwald Moritz Grünwald (also spelled Greenwald; 20 March 1853 – 10 June 1895) was the Chief Rabbi in the cities of Bjelovar, Písek, and Mladá Boleslav, and later served as Chief Rabbi for the Principality of Bulgaria. Additionally, he was a writer ...

. This building was used as a house of prayer, accommodating up to 1,000 worshipers, until World War II, where it was again desecrated. After the

aliyah ''Aliyah'' (, ; ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel or the Palestine (region), Palestine region, which is today chiefly represented by the Israel ...

of the Vidin Jews in the 1950s, the former synagogue was left derelict and then was used for profane purposes. An earthquake in 1976 further damaged the building and it lay in a ruinous state. The Bulgarian government initiated its reconstruction as a concert hall in 1983. However, the project was abandoned with the fall of the communist regime in 1989, leaving the synagogue without a roof. The former synagogue was added to the

World Monuments Watch World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training ...

in 2004. In 2017, the Bulgarian Jewish community transferred ownership to the Municipality of Vidin and in May 2021, ground was broken for the synagogue's full reconstruction using EU and national funds. On 4 September 2023, the former synagogue reopened as a museum and multi-purpose cultural centre dedicated to the Vidin-born Jewish painter Jules Pascin (1885–1930). The opening ceremony was attended by Bulgarian president

Rumen Radev Rumen Georgiev Radev (, born 18 June 1963) is a Bulgarian politician and former major general who has been the President of Bulgaria since 2017. Radev previously served as higher commander of the Bulgarian Air Force. He won the 2016 Bulgarian p ...

Architecture

The synagogue was designed by V. Kitov in an eclectic style featuring a large

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

arch and four corner towers, as inspired by the

Dohány Street Synagogue The Dohány Street Synagogue ( ; ; ), also known as the Great Synagogue () or Tabakgasse Synagogue (), is a Neolog Judaism, Neolog Judaism, Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Dohány utca, Dohány Street in Erzsébetváros (VIIth dis ...

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. Its architecture combines Jugendstil, Romantic Revival, and Neoclassical influences. The altar was built by Vidin-based Czech sculptor Max Werich. Lighting was delivered from

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

and timber was sourced from

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

and Hungary. The synagogue measures , with a maximum height of .

Gallery

Vidin-sinagoga.jpg, An early postcard of the former synagogue, undated Abandoned_Synagogue_in_Vidin_(26844659063).jpg, The abandoned former synagogue, in 2016 Vidin,synagogue5.jpg, Synagogue interior ruins, in 2016 Synagogue_in_Vidin_2017.jpg, Synagogue ruins, in 2017

References

External links

* {{Synagogues in Bulgaria 19th-century synagogues in Europe

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 ...

Cultural centers in Europe Former synagogues in Europe Jewish museums Jews and Judaism in Bulgaria Religious museums in Bulgaria Romanesque Revival architecture in Bulgaria Romanesque Revival synagogues Rundbogenstil synagogues Sephardi Jewish culture in Bulgaria Sephardi synagogues Synagogue buildings with domes Synagogues completed in 1894 Synagogues in Bulgaria Synagogues preserved as museums Rebuilt synagogues Bulgaria, Vidin

History

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References

External links