The Stupava Synagogue is a former Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Hlavná ulica, in Stupava, in the Malacky District of the Bratislava Region of Slovakia. The synagogue was completed in 1803 and was used as a place of worship until World War II. The building, still standing, has been repurposed as a cultural center. The congregation worshiped in the Ashkenazi rite.[1]

Stupava Synagogue
The former synagogue, now cultural center, in 2020, after renovation
Religion
AffiliationJudaism (former)
RiteNusach Ashkenaz
Ecclesiastical or organisational status
Status
  • Inactive (as a synagogue);
  • Repurposed
Location
LocationHlavná ulica, Stupava, Malacky District, Bratislava Region
CountrySlovakia
Stupava Synagogue is located in Slovakia
Stupava Synagogue
Location of the former synagogue in Slovakia
Geographic coordinates48°16′25″N 17°16′25″E / 48.27348°N 17.27348°E / 48.27348; 17.27348
Architecture
TypeSynagogue architecture
StyleBaroque Revival
Completed1803
MaterialsConcrete
[1]

Architecture

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Completed in 1803, the rectangular building is made of massive walls with simple Baroque Revival windows and has a saddleback roof. An external staircase, attached diagonally to the western facade, gives access to the women's gallery. Several oval ventilation openings in the gable are typical for the local architecture of the region.

The interior consists of the main prayer hall with a vestibule and study-room to the west. Above these is the women's prayer room. The prayer hall is of the nine-field (nine-bay) type, In these halls the vaulting rests on four tall pillars and on corresponding wall pilasters. The columns and the pilasters are situated in equal spacing and dividing the roof-area into nine equal fields. In these synagogues the bimah is a free-standing podium or a bower situated within the central field between the pillars.[2] The former Stupava Synagogue and the Old Synagogue in Bardejov are the only two surviving buildings of this type in Slovakia.

Nothing remains of the original furnishing, though the bimah-platform has been preserved and the position of the Holy Ark is still visible and marked by a niche in the wall.[3]

Restoration of the dilapidated building began in 2008 and the building is used for cultural purposes of the Slovak Jewish community.[4]

See also

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Back of building before renovation

References

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  1. ^ a b "Synagogue in Stupava". Historic synagogues of Europe. Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. n.d. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  2. ^ Piechotka, Maria; Piechotka, Kazimierz (2015). Landscape With Menorah: Jews in the towns and cities of the former Rzeczpospolita of Poland and Lithuania. Warsaw, Poland: Salix alba Press. p. 75. ISBN 978-83-930937-7-9.
  3. ^ Borský, Maroš (2005). Synagogue Architecture in Slovakia Towards Creating a Memorial Landscape of Lost Community (PDF). Dissertation an der Hochschule für Jüdische Studien (Thesis). Heidelberg, Germany. pp. 134–135. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  4. ^ "Stupova Syangogue". Slovack Jewish Heritage. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
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