Sinagoga de Tomar-Portugal - Synagogues on Waymarking.com

This ancient place of worship, which ended in the late fifteenth century, now houses the Museu Luso-Hebraico Abraão Zacuto. The building is a National Monument since 1921.
The Synagogue of Tomar was built in the mid-fifteenth century, and represents a "unique document of the Israeli presence in Portugal." It was built at a time of great growth of the Jewish community, driven by the protection of Prince Henry. However, with the expulsion of the Jews ordered by D. Manuel, in 1496, the Synagogue was closed a few years later turned into a city jail. In the seventeenth century would be known as the Chapel of St. Bartholomew and transformed into a place of worship cristão.Mais late as the nineteenth century would be transformed into storage. Only in the twentieth century,the building, purchased by Dr. Samuel Schwarz, was recovered and delivered to their origins.Later, the synagogue was restored, and it suited the museum Luso-Hebrew Abraham Zacuto. After so long the Synagogue returned to their origins.
The origin of the Jewish community to take probably dates back to early fourteenth century, when people settled here in the nation (as this minority was then known) to the service of the Order of the Temple and, later, its successor, the Order of Christ. Rapid population growth along the fifteenth century, prompted the creation of a Jewish quarter, with closing doors between sunset and sunrise. These ports would be located in the western and eastern ends of this street, which was renamed the Jewry Street, specifically at intersections with Mill Street and Right, respectively. The situation of the Jewish quarter, near the center of economic and social as a town, is very demonstrative of the importance the community took Nabantino in society. In fact, it is estimated that the Jewish population to Tomar walked in the middle of the fifteenth century, at about 150 to 200 individuals and have come to reach a significant proportion of 30 to 40% of the total inhabitants of the village, following the arrival of the Spanish Jews, expelled in 1492.
It is in this context that it provides the foundation of the synagogue in the mid-fifteenth century, motivated by the growing number of faithful. The construction was made by order of Prince Henry, it seems that protected the Jewish community of the village, a fact that is not unlike that exercised the office of Master of the Order of Christ. However, the existence of this temple would be ephemeral, as early as 1496, with the forced conversion of Jews to Christianity imposed by D. Manuel I, the Jewish quarter of town, like all others in the kingdom, is abolished, and also closed its synagogue. The street name is then moved to New Street, moving many of the New Christian (Jewish converts to Christianity) to other roads, while Christian-old was being installed in the houses left vacant.
The space of the synagogue then went from 1516, to be used as a jail. Between the end of the sixteenth century and the beginning of the century, after the necessary works, the building was place of Christian worship, as the Chapel of St. Bartholomew. After its desecration in the nineteenth century, the ancient temple was used as a haystack, serving in 1920, during the visit of a group of Portuguese archaeologists cellar and grocery store. The following year the building was classified as a national monument, was acquired in 1923 by Dr. Samuel Schwarz. This Polish Jew, researcher at the Hebrew culture, bore cleaning and excavation works, donating the building to the state in 1939, under the condition that a museum be installed here Luso-Hebraic.
The Synagogue of Tomar is the only Jewish temple proto-renaissance currently existing in the country. The room for the worship takes place in an area of square plan, with the lower floor to the exterior, divided into three naves with three legs, presenting a typology similar to other Sephardic synagogues fifteenth. The ceiling, arched brick edges, is supported by four elegant columns, capitals of workmanship with geometric and vegetal, corbels and soaked the walls. The arrangement of these elements contains a symbolic meaning: the twelve corbels symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel, while the four columns represent the four matriarchs -Tradução de Português para InglêsSarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel. These last two matriarchs are the daughters of Laban, which explains why the capitals are equal in two different columns and in the other. For acoustic effects are placed, embedded in the wall corners, eight clay jars upside down, which communicate with the living room through holes. The door facing east, in broken bow, lance outside, was the main gate of the temple. The entrance is now on a modest rectangular port range, facing north. This space has some similarities to the crypt of D. Afonso, Count of Ourém Church in that city, particularly as regards the acoustic system and the treatment of inner space. After a few digs at the site, found a rectangular room, adjoining the main building, for the mikvah, the ritual bath of purification of women.
The museum collection includes books and articles of Jewish worship and tradition, and even displayed some gravestones from various locations around the country and attesting to the importance of Jewish culture in Portugal. This collection of tombstones, highlights included a funerary stele from Faro, alluding to the death in 1315 of Rab Ioseph, Nabantino Jew, and the tombstone of 1308, which marks the founding of the second synagogue in Lisbon.

Status: Active house of prayer Denomination/Group: Orthodox Address: Rua dos Moinhos Tomar, Santarem Portugal 2300 Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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