Maribor Synagogue ( sl, Sinagoga Maribor) is a former
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
and current museum in the city of
Maribor
Maribor ( , , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is also the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, th ...
,
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
. Located in what was the center of the medieval Maribor
ghetto
A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...
''Židovska ulica'' ("Jewish Street"), it is one of the oldest preserved synagogues in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, and one of only two left in Slovenia; the other being the
Lendava Synagogue
Lendava Synagogue ( sl, Sinagoga Lendava, hu, Lendvai Zsinagóga, german: Synagoge von Lindau) is a former synagogue, currently a museum. It is located in the small town of Lendava, Slovenia, close to the Hungarian border. It was built in the 1 ...
( sl, Sinagoga Lendava). It once functioned as the centre of the
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
Jewish community in Maribor, among the most prominent in the
Eastern Alps-area.
History
First mentioned in 1354, the synagogue is thought to have been built sometime in the late 13th century.
[Janez and Anja Premk, Mariborska sinagoga, ZRC SAZU, Ljubljana 2015] Located next to the
city walls
A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...
, it was part of a complex that included a
Jewish cemetery
A Jewish cemetery ( he, בית עלמין ''beit almin'' or ''beit kvarot'') is a cemetery where Jews are buried in keeping with Jewish tradition. Cemeteries are referred to in several different ways in Hebrew, including ''beit kevarot'' ...
, rabbinical residence, and
Talmudic school. A fortified tower nearby - part of the walls themselves - was known as the ''
Židovski stolp'' ("Jewish Tower"), while a building housing
ritual baths stood outside the walls on the
riverbank.
At points throughout its history, the synagogue served as a temporary seat of the
Supreme Rabbinate of Styria, Carinthia and Krain. In 1497, the Jews of Maribor were expelled, scattering all over Europe, especially
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. After the expulsion, the synagogue was in 1501 turned into a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
church, the Church of All Saints ( sl, Cerkev Vseh Svetnikov). The former rabbi's residence to the west of the main building became a
curate
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...
office, while another, smaller building on the eastern side housed the
sexton.
![Inside of synagogue in Maribor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Inside_of_synagogue_in_Maribor.JPG)
In 1785, during the anticlerical reforms of
Joseph II
Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 unt ...
, the church was confiscated, deconsecrated, and converted into a military warehouse. It served in this capacity until 1811, when it was sold to private owners for use as a merchant storage, a wine cellar, a brush factory, an art studio, and an apartment house, which it remained until the 1980s.
Following several years of renovations, taking place from 1992 until 2000, including a reconstruction of the late Gothic sanctuary, the building opened in 2001 as a museum and cultural-exhibition venue devoted to the history of the Jewish community of Maribor, and of Slovenia.
The site was initially administered by the
Regional Museum of Maribor. Since 2011 it is an independent public institution under the name od Center of Jewish Cultural Heritage Synagogue Maribor. Since 2015 the synagogue is labeled a Cultural monument of State significance in Slovenia.
See also
*
History of the Jews in Slovenia
The history of the Jews in Slovenia and areas connected with it goes back to the times of Ancient Rome. The present-day small Jewish community of Slovenia ( sl, Judovska skupnost Slovenije) is estimated at 400 to 600 members, with the Jewish com ...
*
Lendava Synagogue
Lendava Synagogue ( sl, Sinagoga Lendava, hu, Lendvai Zsinagóga, german: Synagoge von Lindau) is a former synagogue, currently a museum. It is located in the small town of Lendava, Slovenia, close to the Hungarian border. It was built in the 1 ...
References
External links
14th-century synagogues
Buildings and structures in Maribor
Former synagogues in Slovenia
History museums in Slovenia
Jewish Slovenian history
Synagogues preserved as museums
Synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
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