Old New Synagogue in Prague

Monday, 11 July 2022 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Øyvind Holmstad/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Øyvind Holmstad/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Old New Synagogue (Czech: Staronová synagoga), also called the Altneuschul, situated in Josefov, Prague, is Europe’s oldest active synagogue. It is also the oldest surviving medieval synagogue of twin-nave design. Completed in 1270 in gothic style, it was one of Prague‘s first gothic buildings. A still older Prague synagogue, known as the Old Synagogue, was demolished in 1867 and replaced by the Spanish Synagogue.

The synagogue was originally called the New or Great Synagogue and later, when newer synagogues were built in the 16th century, it became known as the Old-New Synagogue. Another explanation derives the name from the Hebrew עַל תְּנַאי (al tnay), which means “on condition” and sounds identical to the Yiddish “alt-nay,” or old-new. According to legend angels have brought stones from the Temple in Jerusalem to build the Synagogue in Prague—”on condition” that they are to be returned, when the Messiah comes, i.e., when the Temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt and the stones are needed.

© flickr.com - Richard Mortel/cc-by-2.0 © Jerzy Strzelecki/cc-by-sa-3.0 © Øyvind Holmstad/cc-by-sa-3.0 © Paljan84/cc-by-sa-3.0 © flickr.com - Dennis Jarvis/cc-by-sa-2.0 © flickr.com - Jim Milles/cc-by-2.0
<
>
© flickr.com - Dennis Jarvis/cc-by-sa-2.0
Nine steps lead from the street into a vestibule, from which a door opens into a double-nave with six vaulted bays. This double-nave system was most likely adapted from plans of monasteries and chapels by the synagogue’s Christian architects. The molding on the tympanum of the synagogue’s entryway has a design that incorporates twelve vines and twelve bunches of grapes, said to represent twelve tribes of Israel. Two large pillars aligned east to west in the middle of the room each support the interior corner of four bays. The bays have two narrow Gothic windows on the sides, for a total of twelve, again representing the twelve tribes. The narrow windows are probably responsible for many older descriptions of the building as being dark; it is now brightly lit with several electric chandeliers. The vaulting on the six bays has five ribs instead of the typical four or six. It has been suggested that this was an attempt to avoid associations with the Christian cross. Many scholars dispute this theory, pointing to synagogues that have quadripartite ribs, and Christian buildings that have the unusual five rib design.

The bimah from which Torah scrolls are read is located between the two pillars. The base of the bimah repeats the twelve vine motif found on the tympanum. The Aron Kodesh where the Torah scrolls are stored is located in the middle of the customary eastern wall. There are five steps leading up to the Ark and two round stained glass windows on either side above it. A lectern in front of the ark has a square well a few inches below the main floor for the service leader to stand in. The twelve lancet windows in the synagogue, which directed light towards the bimah, apparently led members to compare the structure with Solomon’s Temple. The synagogue follows orthodox custom, with separate seating for men and women during prayer services. Women sit in an outer room with small windows looking into the main sanctuary. The framework of the roof, the gable, and the party wall date from the Middle Ages. An unusual feature found in the nave of this synagogue is a large red flag near the west pillar. In the centre of the flag is a Star of David and in the centre of the star is a “Jewish hat.” Both the hat and star are stitched in gold. Also stitched in gold is the text of Shema Yisrael. Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor awarded the Jewish community their own banner in recognition for their services in the defence of Prague during the Thirty Years War. The banner now on display is a modern reproduction.

Read more on prague.eu – Old New Synagogue, visitczechrepublic.com – Old New Synagogue, praguetouristinformation.com – Old New Synagogue and Wikipedia Old New Synagogue (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.








Recommended posts:

Share this post: (Please note data protection regulations before using buttons)

Cape Verde

Cape Verde

[caption id="attachment_153817" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Mindelo, Baía do Porto Grande and Monte Cara © ElsondeMadrid[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa. The islands, covering a combined area of slightly over 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi), are of volcanic origin and while three of them (Sal, Boa Vista and Maio) are fairly flat, sandy and dry, the rem...

[ read more ]

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation

[caption id="attachment_4522" align="alignleft" width="590" caption="© guggenheim.org"][/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1937 by philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim and his long-time art advisor, artist Hilla von Rebay. The foundation is a leading institution for the collection, preservation, and research of modern and contemporary art and operates several museums around the world. The first museum established by the foundation was The Museum of Non-Objective...

[ read more ]

East Harlem in New York City

East Harlem in New York City

[caption id="attachment_239196" align="aligncenter" width="590"] 1381 Madison Avenue © Beyond My Ken/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or El Barrio, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the east and north. Despite its name, it is generally not considered to be a part of Harlem proper, but it is one of the neighborhoods included in Great...

[ read more ]

Downtown Toronto

Downtown Toronto

[caption id="attachment_214648" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Downtown Toronto seen from Toronto Islands © Arild Vågen/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Downtown Toronto is the main central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto (neighbourhoods in Toronto), it is approximately 17 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Street to the northwest, Lake Ontario to the south, the Don Valley to the east, and Bathurst Street to t...

[ read more ]

San Gimignano, Tuscany's medieval Manhattan

San Gimignano, Tuscany's medieval Manhattan

[caption id="attachment_151095" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Vignaccia76/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. Known as the Town of Fine Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, unique in the preservation of about a dozen of its tower houses, which, with its hilltop setting and encircling walls form "an unforgettable skyline". Within the walls, the well-preserved buildings include notable examp...

[ read more ]

The Bering Strait tunnel linking Asia and North America

The Bering Strait tunnel linking Asia and North America

[caption id="attachment_2659" align="aligncenter" width="385" caption="Bering Strait map © worldarchitecturenews.com"][/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]London to New York rail journey on horizon It was first mooted as long ago 1905 by Tsar Nicholas 11, but this week the Kremlin finally gave the green light for a 65 mile (106 km) tunnel linking Asia and North America, taking the epic project a step nearer reality. The conference in Yakutsk was hosted by Yegor Borisov the Governor and the project was ratified by President Medve...

[ read more ]

The European Union: Climate Policy

The European Union: Climate Policy

[caption id="attachment_208812" align="aligncenter" width="590"][/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"](Latest update: 23 August 2022) The European Union's climate policy is a European policy area that aims to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to transform European economies into a low carbon economy. On the one hand, the EU's climate policy aims to reduce its own emissions of greenhouse gases (mitigation), for example through the emissions trading system that has existed since 2005. However, since li...

[ read more ]

Jubilee Park in Brussels

Jubilee Park in Brussels

[caption id="attachment_193108" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Marc Ryckaert/cc-by-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Parc du Cinquantenaire (French for "Park of the Fiftieth Anniversary") or Jubelpark (Dutch for "Jubilee Park") is a large public, urban park (30 hectares) in the easternmost part of the European Quarter in Brussels. Most buildings of the U-shaped complex which dominate the park were commissioned by the Belgian government under the patronage of King Leopold II for the 1880 National Exhibition commemorating...

[ read more ]

Edgartown in Massachusetts

Edgartown in Massachusetts

[caption id="attachment_230550" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Edgartown Harbor © Don Ramey Logan/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Edgartown is a tourist destination on the island of Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States, for which it is the county seat. It was once a major whaling port, with historic houses that have been carefully preserved. Today it hosts yachting events around its large harbour. It includes the smaller island of Chappaquiddick. Edgartown is a part of Massachusetts's 9th con...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Mexico - Cabo San Lucas

Theme Week Mexico - Cabo San Lucas

[caption id="attachment_164402" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Marina © Cristo Vlahos/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Cabo San Lucas, commonly called Cabo in American English, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. Cabo San Lucas together with San José del Cabo is known as Los Cabos. Cabo has been rated as one of Mexico's top 5 tourist destinations; it is known for its beaches, scuba diving locations, balnearios, the sea arch El Arco de Cabo San Luc...

[ read more ]

Return to TopReturn to Top
Headquarters of Host Hotels and Resorts © G. Edward Johnson/cc-by-4.0
Bethesda in Maryland

Bethesda is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It...

© flickr.com - sludgegulper/cc-by-sa-2.0
Fleet Street in London

Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar...

Abraham Lincoln © Alexander Gardner
Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

The Gettysburg Address is a speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication...

Schließen