The Great Synagogue of Constanța is a

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located at 2 C. A. Rosetti Street in

Constanța Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, that is no longer in use. Although it is in an advanced state of decay and has been abandoned, it is the only synagogue that stands in Constanța.

History

The synagogue was built between 1910 and 1914 in a

Moorish Revival Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticism, Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mi ...

architectural style on the site of an earlier synagogue, erected between 1867 and 1872 after a

firman A firman (; ), at the constitutional level, was a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in an Islamic state. During various periods such firmans were collected and applied as traditional bodies of law. The English word ''firman'' co ...

Sultan Abdul Aziz Abdulaziz (; ; 8 February 18304 June 1876) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was overthrown in a government coup. He was a son of Sultan Mahmud II and succeeded his brother Abdulmejid I in 1861. Ab ...

. The first steps were initiated in 1907 by the president of the community, M. Bujes. However the original building application submitted in 1908 was denied due to concerns about the strength of the proposed

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

and galleries. Architect Anghel Păunescu thus replaced the proposed dome with a semi-cylindrical

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosur ...

intended to express the same "seduction of the curved space". In the interwar period, there had been two main synagogues in Constanța: there was also the Sephardic Temple, built between 1905 and 1908 in a Catalan Gothic

architectural style An architectural style is a classification of buildings (and nonbuilding structures) based on a set of characteristics and features, including overall appearance, arrangement of the components, method of construction, building materials used, for ...

, The Sephardic synagogue was heavily damaged during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

when it was used as an ammunition warehouse, further damaged by an earthquake, and was demolished in 1989 under the rule of

Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( ; ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the second and last Communism, communist leader of Socialist Romania, Romania, serving as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 u ...

Condition

As the Jewish population in Constanța declined, the synagogue fell into disuse. Photographs show the synagogue was still in use - and in good repair - as recently as 1996, but once abandoned, the building had been "ransacked of anything not nailed down". The structure of the building is still standing, but is in an advanced state of degradation and is in danger of collapsing. Only three of the four walls are intact, and the roof has partially collapsed. A tree grows in the middle of the sanctuary and most of the stained glass windows have been smashed. Journalists Florin Anghel and Cristian Andrei Leonte blamed local officials and popular opinion for allowing the building to "crumble to the point of collapse", noting that synagogues in other cities were "splendidly renovated and converted into

cultural centre A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Africa * ...

s or

exhibition hall A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

s." Aurel Vainer, president of the

Federation of the Jewish Communities in Romania The Federation of the Jewish Communities in Romania (, FCER) is a cultural association in Romania representing the Jewish community. The FCER has right to one seat in the Chamber of Deputies. History The organisation was originally founded as the ...

, blamed lack of interest for the deterioration of the synagogue. In November 2014, a team of architects from

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

were hired to inspect the building, assess the necessary repairs and estimate costs. In 2019, there was an outcry from the local Jewish community and in Israel after an unauthorized lingerie photo shoot was held in the synagogue and pictures were posted online. In June 2023, the president of the Romanian Jewish community announced that a contract to restore the synagogue had been signed.

Architecture

The synagogue has three levels. The exterior doors and windows display a Moorish influence. Inside, the worship area is divided into three naves with traditional Jewish decorations.CIMEC - Sinagoga Mare din Constanța
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Images

Great Synagogue, Constanța , Sinagoga Mare din Consțanta, Română.jpg Synagoga pohled po vystoupání do patra.jpg Detaliu - Sinagoga.jpg Great Synagogue, Constanța, Sinagoga Mare din Consțanta, Română.jpg, alt=interior in 2010 Velká synagoga boční zeď září 2022.jpg, alt=interior in 2022 Sinagoga Mare din Consțanta, Română ; Great Synagogue, Constanța , interior.jpg Sinagoga Mare din Consțanta, Română; Great Synagogue, Constanța, interior.jpg

References

External links