The Subotica Synagogue, officially the Jakab and Komor Square Synagogue in Subotica (; ), is a former Neolog

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

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 in

Subotica Subotica (, ; , , ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Central Europe and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Sub ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. Completed in 1903 in the Hungarian Art Nouveau style, the synagogue is the second largest synagogue in

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after the Dohány Street Synagogue in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. The synagogue was built during the administration of the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

(part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

), according to the plans of Marcell Komor and Dezső Jakab, and replaced a smaller and less elaborate synagogue. It is one of the finest surviving pieces of religious architecture in the art nouveau style. The former synagogue was designated a Monument of Culture in 1974; in 1990 it was designated a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia. After a long period of neglect, the former synagogue was renovated and reopened as a concert venue in 2018.

Overview

The synagogue of Subotica is the only surviving Hungarian Art Nouveau Jewish place of worship in the world. Erected by a prosperous Jewish community, with approximately 3,000 members, between 1901 and 1903, it highlighted the double, Hungarian-Jewish identity of its builders, who lived in a multi-ethnic, but predominantly

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

city, which was the third largest of the Hungarian Kingdom and the tenth largest of the Habsburg Empire. The community hired Dezső Jakab and Marcell Komor, not well established in their practice, who would later make a significant imprint on the architecture of Subotica and Palić, the resort town near the city. The architects were ardent followers of Ödön Lechner, the father of Hungarian Art Nouveau-style architecture, and later partisans of this movement, which unified Hungarian folklore elements with some Jewish structural principles and sometimes even Jewish motifs. Besides lending the synagogue a distinct double identity in architectural terms, Jakab and Komor created a new space-conception of synagogue architecture in Hungary and deployed modern steel structure as well as an advanced technique of vaulting. Unlike period synagogues in Hungary that featured a predominantly basilica-like arrangement with a nave and two aisles, with or without a dome, this synagogue achieves a unified, tent-like central space under the sun, painted in gold on the apex of the dome. The women's gallery and the dome are supported by four pairs of steel pillars covered with gypsum with a palm leaf relief. The large dome is a self-supporting, thin shell-structure, formed in the spirit of Hungarian folklore. While many other synagogues utilized light structures, they usually mimicked traditional arches and vaults. The novelty of this synagogue is the sincere display of modern structure and modernity in general, of which Jews have been important advocates and generators. The former synagogue was renovated in a multi-million project, financed mainly by the Hungarian and Serbian governments, and opened in March 2018. The former synagogue is owned by the municipality, and is a tourist attraction and concert venue, available to the small local Jewish community as a synagogue for services and other purposes.

Gallery

Sinagoga-Subotica.JPG, Synagogue during the early half of the 20th century Sinagoga u Subotici, opšti izgled.jpg, Synagogue during the early half of the 20th century Sinagoga u Subotici, 00.JPG, Synagogue before renovation SuboticaSynagogue.jpg, Synagogue exterior (January 2003) Јеврејска синагога у Суботици - април 2008.jpg, Synagogue exterior (April 2008) Wiki.Vojvodina VII Subotica 4599 03.jpg, Synagogue exterior (2020) Синагога у Суботици , детаљ.JPG, Dome Суботичка синагога 12.jpg, Dome interior Wiki.Vojvodina VII Subotica 4599 22.jpg, The main entrance Subotica Synagogue, interior.jpg, Synagogue Interior during renovation Sinagoga u Subotici, Srbija, 016.JPG, Stained glass window inside Wiki.Vojvodina VII Subotica 4599 16.jpg, Stained glass window Wiki.Vojvodina VII Subotica 4727 03.jpg, Menorah lamp Pogled na Subotičku sinagogu iz dvorišta.jpg, Synagogue exterior

References

External links

* {{Cultural Heritage of Exceptional Importance 1890s establishments in Serbia 20th-century synagogues in Europe 7 Most Endangered Programme Architecture in Serbia Art Nouveau architecture in Serbia Art Nouveau synagogues Buildings and structures in Subotica Cultural Monuments of Exceptional Importance (Serbia) Jewish Serbian history Neolog synagogues in Serbia Religious buildings and structures in Vojvodina Synagogue buildings with domes Synagogues completed in 1903 Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Serbia Ashkenazi synagogues Former synagogues in Serbia

Overview

Gallery

See also

References

External links