Girona Synagogue

Former synagogue and now museum in Girona, Spain

41°59′09″N 2°49′31″E / 41.985928°N 2.825331°E / 41.985928; 2.825331ArchitectureTypeSynagogue architectureFunded byTaroç family (14th century)Completed13th centuryMaterialsStone^[1]

The Girona Synagogue (Hebrew: הבית כנסת של גירונא; Catalan: Sinagoga de Girona) is a former Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Carrer de Sant Llorenç,^[a] Girona, in Catalonia, Spain. No longer in use as a synagogue, the building was initially repurposed as a private residence and, since the 1980s, has been part of the Bonastruc Center and Museum (Catalan: Centre Bonastruc ça Porta), a Jewish museum.^[3]^[4]

History

The Medieval synagogue served as the centre for early Spanish Kabbalism, with scholars such as Nachmanides, Issac the Blind and Azriel of Girona using the synagogue as a house of learning. The synagogue was built around the 13th century, with large renovations done in the mid-14th century, mostly funded by the Taroç family. ^{[citation needed]}

Following the Massacre of 1391, the synagogue was desecrated and looted, however in 1415, Ferdinand I of Aragon ordered that the synagogue be restored to the Jews. During the Catalan Civil War the synagogue was partly destroyed, and following the Alhambra Decree of 1492, the synagogue was sold to the canons of Girona Cathedral on 10 July 1492 for the price of 300 pounds.^[5]^[6]^[7] Today the site of the synagogue functions as a museum where archaeological finds and documents related to the synagogues of Girona, are displayed.^[8]

Notes

^ Renamed from Carrer de la Força in 1492.^[2]

References

^ "Last Synagogue in Girona". Historic Synagogues of Europe. Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. n.d. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
^ "The Catalan Route – Girona – Sites and Experiences". Jewish Heritage. European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage. 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
^ "Room 5: The Synagogue" (brochure). Girona: Museu d'Història dels Jueus (The Museum of Jewish History). n.d. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
^ "Material heritage. The archaeological remains". Girona: Museu d'Història dels Jueus (The Museum of Jewish History). 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
^ "Gerona". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
^ Treatman, Ronit. "Back in Girona, after 500 years". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
^ Vivo, Jordi; Planas, Sílvia; Colomer, Joel; Sagrera, Jordi (1 December 2017). "El micvé de la darrera sinagoga medieval de Girona". Tamid. Revista Catalana Anual d'Estudis Hebraics (in Spanish) (12). doi:10.2436/20.1006.01.48.
^ "Patronat Call de Girona". Museu d'Història dels Jueus (The Museum of Jewish History). Nahmanides Institute for Jewish Studies. Retrieved 30 July 2020.