Religion

8 Oldest Synagogues in the

World
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Syngogues are some of the most beautifully designed buildings in the world.
They are also some of the oldest houses of worship as Judaism is one of the
world’s oldest religions originating over 3,500 years ago. Due to the religion’s old
age, Jewish people may have been building synagogues as far back as the 4th
century BCE. These old ruins are believed to be synagogues because of the text
found on inscription stones. In this list are the oldest synagogues that are still
standing. All of these buildings contain at least some of their original structures
and all are still used as either synagogues, Jewish history museums, or both.
8. Dubrovnik Synagogue
 Year Established: c.1352
 Location:  Dubrovnik, Croatia
 Still in Use:  Yes as a museum and place of worship on special occasions

photo
source: Wikimedia Commons
The Dubrovnik Synagogue is believed to be the oldest Sephardi Synagogue in
the world and the second oldest continuously existing synagogue in Europe. The
synagogue was built sometime in the mid-14th century, but was not legally
declared a synagogue until 1546. After the Jews were expelled from Spain in
1492, many of them traveled east and ended up in the city of Dubrovnik, where a
small Jewish community already lived.
The Baroque style interior decoration of the synagogue dates back to 1652 and
has been preserved over the years. Although Dubrovnik was occupied by the
Italian and German army during World War II, the synagogue managed to
survive. Today, it is owned by the small local Jewish community and mostly used
as a museum.

7. Córdoba Synagogue
 Year Established: 1315
 Location:  Córdoba, Spain
 Still in Use:  Yes
 photo source: Wikimedia Commons
The Córdoba Synagogue was built sometime around 1315 and is the only
synagogue in Andalusia (southern Spain) to survive after Jews were expelled
from Spain in 1492. At the time the synagogue was built, the Jewish Quarter of
Cordoba was an independent city within Cordoba. The synagogue was designed
by local architect Ishap (Isaac) Moheb in a style that was popular for the time
period.
After the Jews were forced to leave Spain, the Catholic Church seized the
synagogue and plastered over its Hebrew frescoes. Until the 1880s, the building
was used for various purposes such as a hospital and a shoemakers’ guild. In
1885, after a building collapsed revealing the original frescoes, the building was
declared a national monument and has been restored several times.
6. Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona (Sinagoga
Major de Barcelona)
 Year Established: c.13th century – building dates back to 3rd or 4th century
 Location:  Barcelona, Spain
 Still in Use:  Yes as a museum and place of worship for special occasions

photo source: Wikimedia Commons

The building structure of the Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona dates back to
around the 3rd or 4th century and no one knows for sure if the building was being
used as a synagogue at this time. What is known is that the building was being
used as a synagogue by at least the 13th century when King James I of Aragon
authorized the enlargement of its height.
The synagogue remained in use until 1391 when Barcelona’s Jewish population
was largely massacred with the survivors fleeing the city, converting, or hiding
their religious heritage. After this, the building was used for many different
purposes including a storehouse and fabric dying facility. It was re-opened in
2002 as a museum and synagogue for festive occasions.

5. Altneuschul (Old-New Synagogue)

 Year Established: 1270
 Location:  Josef, Prague, Czech Republic
 Still in Use:  Yes
 photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Altneuschul, commonly called the Old-New Synagogue of Prague, is the oldest
extant synagogue in Europe. It has been in continuous use as a synagogue since
it was first built in 1270 and has served as the main house of prayer for the
Prague Jewish community for more than 700 years. According to legend, some
of the stones used to build the synagogue come from the Temple of Solomon in
Jerusalem.
The synagogue is also reportedly home to the Golem (an animated
anthropomorphic being) of Prague, which was raised by Rabbi Judah Loew ben
Bezalel in 1580 to protect his people during a period of high antisemitism. Rabbi
Loew removed the magic from the Golem and sealed him in the attic, which is
believed to be what saved the synagogue from Nazis’ destruction.
4. Scolanova Synagogue
 Year Established: c.1200
 Location:  Triani, Italy
 Still in Use:  Yes – reestablished as a synagogue in 2006

photo
source: Wikimedia Commons
The Scolanova Synagogue in Triani, Italy was first built sometime in the
13th century. It was used for over century as a synagogue until 1380 when a wave
of antisemitism overcame the city and Scolanova and three other synagogues
were seized by Christians. The four synagogues of Triani were turned into
churches and the remaining Jewish population was forced to convert to
Christianity – Scolanova Synagogue was renamed Santa Maria in Scolonava.
The building was largely unaltered and used as a church until after WWII. In
2006, the church was desacralized and converted back into a synagogue and
was recently repaired in 2015. Today, the synagogue is used by the small Jewish
community still living in Triani.

3. Santa María la Blanca (Originally Ibn Shushan

Synagogue)
 Year Established: c.1180
 Location:  Toledo, Spain
 Still in Use:  Yes as a museum
 photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Santa María la Blanca is one of the buildings that claims it is the oldest
synagogue building still standing in Europe. According to an inscription on a
beam, the building was erected in 1180. It was constructed in the Kingdom of
Castile – a Christian territory – and built by Islamic constructors for Jewish use,
which makes its architectural style unique. It is considered a symbol of the
cooperation that existed among the three cultures that populated the Iberian
Peninsula during the time.
The synagogue was turned into a Catholic church and sometime after 1405.
Today, it is owned and maintained as a museum by the Catholic Church,
although there have been requests made in recent years by the Toledo Jewish
community to turn the synagogue back over to them.
2. Alte Synagoge (Old Synagogue)
 Year Established: c.1094
 Location:  Erfurt, Germany
 Still in Use:  Yes as a museum of Jewish history
 photo source: Wikimedia Commons
The Alte Synagoge of Erfurt, Germany is believed to be the oldest synagogue
building still standing in the world. The oldest parts of the building date back to
the late 11th century. The synagogue was used by the Erfurt Jewish community
until the Erfurt Massacre of 1349, when the Jewish population was killed or
driven from the area. After this, the building was turned into a storehouse and
later altered for various uses.
The building’s history was largely forgotten until the late 1980s when architectural
historian Elmar Altwasser began to research its past. Restoration efforts began in
1998 and the synagogue was reopened in 2009 as a museum of Jewish history.
It houses a collection of medieval coins and jewelry that were buried in the
Jewish Quarter before the 1349 massacre.

1. Ben Ezra Synagogue (El-Geniza Synagogue)

 Year Established: c.882
 Location:  Cairo, Egypt
 Still in Use:  Yes as a museum/tourist attraction

photo source: Wikimedia Commons

The Ben Ezra Synagogue is considered to be the oldest synagogue in the world
and also the longest serving. A synagogue has stood on the site since at least
the 9th century and served as the place of worship for Egypt’s Jewish community
until a mass exodus to Israel in the 1950s. Throughout its history, the synagogue
has been rebuilt.
The original building was torn down around 1012 after Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim
bi-Amr Allah ordered the destruction of all Jewish and Christian places of
worship. The synagogue was rebuilt between 1025 – 1040 and then completely
rebuilt one more time in the 1890s. Like nearly all of Egypt’s synagogues, Ben
Ezra is a tourist attraction and museum today.