The Synagogue Status Quo Ante from Târgu Mureș (also known as the Great temple, Big temple or the Great synagogue), located at No. 24, Aurel Filimon street (previously known as No. 21 Școlii street, entrance at No. 23), is the religious and cultural centre for the small Jewish community in the city of Târgu Mureș and its environs. It was originally constructed during the
Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
period, in 1899–1900, in an eclectic architectural style.
In 2004, the synagogue Status Quo Ante from Târgu Mureș was added to the list of historic monuments for Mureș County, under registration code MS-II-mB-15544
Jewish community in Târgu Mureș
The presence of Jews in Târgu Mureș is recorded as far back as 1682. Over the next few decades, the Jewish community in the city grew very quickly, such that by the time Transilvania, under Austro-Hungarian control, was known as Grand Principality of Transylvania, it was second in size only to the one in Alba Iulia.
By around 1785 or so, the Jewish community in Târgu Mureș had just one wooden synagogue to congregate in, which could fit between 150 and 200 people. By 1870, the community grew to around people.
The Jewish population played an important role in the development of the city. Jews would be found amongst a wide range of professions – editors, merchants, industrialists, bankers, doctors and small scale artisans. A youth school was founded in 1880, which moved in 1890 into a house on Horia street. During the 19th century, and as part of the
Schism in Hungarian Jewry
The Schism in Hungarian Jewry ( hu, ortodox–neológ szakadás, "Orthodox-Neolog Schism"; yi, די טיילונג אין אונגארן, Transliteration, trans. ''Die Teilung in Ungarn'', "The Division in Hungary") was the institutional division ...
, a majority of the community moved away from Orthodox Judaism, and adopted the ''Status Quo Ante'' appellation, which was specifically used by some Jewish communities in Transylvania, as well as other parts of what was then the Kingdom of Hungary.
The size of the Jewish population continued to grow through the first part of the 20th century, up until the start of World War II, passing 2755 in 1910 and 3246 in 1920 respectively, to a peak of 5693 in 1941. By the time of the
Interwar period
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...
, the community was operating two synagogues: the Great Synagogue on Școlii street, and another one on Brăilei street, for a total seating capacity of 1200.
The Second Vienna Award and the annexation of northern Transylvania into Hungary in September 1940 was catastrophic for the Jewish community in the city. By 1944, the city had attracted many refugees from the smaller cities and villages in the area, and the population was estimated to be around 8000, representing approximately 16% of the population of Târgu Mureș. The Hungarian administration, under instructions from admiral Miklós Horthy (who was at the time regent of the Kingdom of Hungary and an ally to the Third Reich), moved the Jewish population into a ghetto installed in an ancient brick factory.
Between 27 May and 8 June 1944, under orders received from
Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...
. Almost none of the 7550 deported Jews survived.
After the end of World War II, most of the survivors of the Shoah moved to Israel. The remaining Jewish community in Târgu Mureș was greatly reduced – in a 1977 census, only 646 Jewish citizens were counted in the entire Mureș County. By the start of the 21st century, the population was further reduced, and was no bigger than 200 in Târgu Mureș.
austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
period, in an eclectic architectural style, following plans provided by the Viennese architect Jakob Gartner, of Moravian descent. The builder of the building was a notable mason and entrepreneur, Pál Soós. The start of construction of the synagogue at the end of the 19th century signaled, for the "
Status Quo
is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...
" Jewish community of Târgu Mureș, a definitive detachment from the Orthodox Jewish community in the rest of Transylvania.
The synagogue was inaugurated in 1900 by rabbi Dr. Joachim Wilhelm, in the presence of leaders of the local Jewish community: Adalbert Burger (president for the community) and Mendel Farcas (vice-president). The inauguration celebrations took 3 days and 3 nights.: /ref> A marble plaque, placed in the entrance hall, is marked with the names of principal donors to the construction.: ''Situl Sinagogii din Tg. Mureș'' /ref> The synagogue continues to be known to this day under the familiar name ''Sinagoga de pe ulița Școlii'' (the synagogue on School Lane) also in Hungarian language, Hungarian ''Iskola utcai Zsinagóga'', despite the eventual change of name for the street, and change of address for the synagogue.
In 1998, with funding provided by the Federation of the Jewish Communities in Romania and by various private donors, a renovation was started, reaching eventual completion in 2000. Significant work was performed, including reinforcing the walls and foundations, interior and exterior restoration, closely matching and following the original architectural designs and paint. Most of the efforts to raise funds, oversee and complete the restoration, and rehabilitate the synagogue, were performed by the president of the community, Bernath Sauber, and by his secretary, Sándor Ausch. The building was re-inaugurated in 2000, supported by international donations totalling more than US $95000 (including a donation of 30000 Swiss Franks, and support from the Friends of Targu Mures trust in Glasgow).
According to the publication ''Seventy years of existence. Six hundred years of Jewish life in Romania. Forty years of partnership FEDROM – JOINT'' (Sixty-six years of existence. Six centuries of Jewish life in Romania. Forty years of partnership FEDROM – JOINT) edited in 2008, by the Federation of the Jewish Communities in Romania, which contains a list of all of the synagogues in Romania, the synagogue Status Quo Ante from Târgu Mureș is marked as being in service.
The current synagogue sports 552 seats, 314 on the lower level and reserved for men, and 238 on the upper level, reserved for women.
The Synagogue's Architecture
The eclectic architecture presents itself as a mix of styles. The exterior displays
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
(such as the
rose window
Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...
s) and
Moorish
The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a distinct or se ...
elements, such as scalloped profiles or domes which borrow from Islamic architecture. As part of the last restoration, the building was repainted in an apricot color, with all of its ornaments and window frames painted in white.
The synagogue is possessed of a large, octagonal, central tower, with small
rose window
Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...
s on each of its sides, and topped by a
roof lantern
A roof lantern is a daylighting architectural element. Architectural lanterns are part of a larger roof and provide natural light into the space or room below. In contemporary use it is an architectural skylight structure.
A lantern roof wil ...
, as well as two smaller, octagonal, towers, topped by onion domes at each of the two corners of the facade. Each tower is topped with a
Star of David
The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles.
A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorative ...
.
The entrance to the synagogue is a gate with three arcades, separated by twin columns and backed by pillars. Underneath the entrance, sits a Gothic central rosette with an inscription, quoting the Hebrew Bible in Hebrew: "My house is a house of prayer, for all the people" (
Book of Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah ( he, ספר ישעיהו, ) is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and the first of the Major Prophets in the Christian Old Testament. It is identified by a superscription as the words of the 8th-century BC ...
56–7).
Roses decorate the two towers, at the facade's corners, on the first floor. The doorways on the ground floor for the two towers open to stairs, allowing women exclusive access to the second floor's seats.
The interior of the synagogue continues in the eclectic style, remaining "luxurious, but in good taste". The architectural forms are brought into relief in the profile of the various arches, the consoles, the various tracery and carved, coloured, elements. The style shows inspiration from roman, gothic and baroque architectural styles and elements, and follows patterns found in Catholic churches built during the same period. The interior is richly decorated, both in shape and in an abundance of colors: the railing for the women's gallery, built out of cylinders separated by geometric motifs, whites inside colored circles on a green background, four rose marble columns, cylindrical on an octagonal base, supporting the cupola from its sides, painted in green, yellow and orange parts on a blue and red background, the central '' bimah'' surrounded by a railing in two shades of green.
The rustic wooden benches for the faithful are located opposite the Torah ark in four rows, at the rear of the synagogue, one row on each side of the Bimah and in front of it.
Opposite the entrance is a square apse (the Torah Ark) where the Torah scrolls are enclosed, in a semi-circular space supported by two columns, and topped by a bulb dome. Attached to the gate of the Ark, a plaque recalls the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The inscription (in Hebrew) reads:
"Our city counts 5,943 martyrs. The stones of the walls themselves, and the whole of the Jewish people mourn the extermination of our parents and our dear loved ones who were asphyxiated and burned at
Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...
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See also
*
Schism in Hungarian Jewry
The Schism in Hungarian Jewry ( hu, ortodox–neológ szakadás, "Orthodox-Neolog Schism"; yi, די טיילונג אין אונגארן, Transliteration, trans. ''Die Teilung in Ungarn'', "The Division in Hungary") was the institutional division ...
*
Status Quo Ante Synagogue (disambiguation) ''Status Quo Ante Synagogue'' may refer to:
* Status Quo Ante Synagogue (Trnava), Slovakia
* Status Quo Ante Synagogue (Târgu Mureș), Romania
* Rumbach Street Synagogue, Budapest, Hungary
See also
* '' Status quo ante (disambiguation)''
* Sch ...
