Sinagoga de Córdoba

The Synagogue of Cordoba is a Jewish temple located in Judíos Street in the Jewish quarter of the city of Cordoba. Built in the Mudejar style, it is the only existing synagogue in Andalusia and one of only three that remain in Spain from that period, together with the Synagogue of El Tránsito and the Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca, both in the city of Toledo.

On 24 January 1885 it was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in the Monument category. It forms part of the historic centre of Cordoba, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994. In 2019 it received more than 619,000 visits, making it the second most visited monument in the city of Cordoba.

This temple was built in the year 1315 (5075 in the Jewish calendar), by the master builder Isaq Moheb, according to the foundation inscription preserved inside.

It consists of a courtyard that is accessed from the street and leads to a vestibule followed by the prayer hall. The staircase leading to the women's gallery starts on the east side of the vestibule and is connected to the prayer hall by three balconies decorated with poly-lobed arches. The plaster decoration with Mudéjar motifs has been lost up to a height of about two metres, leaving the brickwork exposed.

The layout of the Cordoba synagogue, like that of other contemporary synagogues, was greatly affected by the restrictions of Christian leaders. These restrictions varied depending on the location of the synagogue and whether the Jews of the community in question enjoyed privileged status. The size of the synagogue had to reflect its humility and inferiority to the Catholic Church, although it depended on nearby Christian buildings in the area. On certain occasions, even the king's favour did not prevent the complications that the local clergy could cause. In April 1250, Pope Innocent IV ordered the bishop of Córdoba to take action against Jews who were building a synagogue whose height was not accepted by the local priesthood.

The Cordoba synagogue has an entrance in the east wall that leads to a small courtyard, the surface area of which is just over 25 square metres. The walls of the courtyard measure 5.5 m on the north and west walls, only 3.5 m on the south wall and 6 m on the east wall, which contains the entrance and is the largest. These dimensions give the courtyard an unusual trapezoidal plan, mainly due to the layout of the nearby streets, which run at an angle.

The entrance to the synagogue, the façade, is located on the north wall of the courtyard and has three openings: a door and two windows. Beyond the façade is the vestibule, which measures seven metres along its north wall, six metres along its south wall, three metres along its west wall and three point four metres along its east wall. This room contains a wooden staircase leading to the women's section. This entrance had the function of both a cloakroom and a maskilta, a small pool for ablutions. The ceiling of the vestibule is made of wood and has a height of 2.3 m. The prayer hall is the largest.

The prayer hall is the largest room in the synagogue, although it is still small compared to most buildings and homes of the period. It is almost rectangular in plan, measuring 6.95 m x 6.37 m, and has a comparatively high ceiling of 11.5 m reaching the gable. It has a coffered ceiling and reaches a height of more than 6 m. On its eastern side is the tabernacle, a space reserved for the Torah and crowned with a large-lobed arch, framed by an alfiz; all around it is decorated with lacquer work. The side opposite the tabernacle has a small niche with a poly-lobed pointed arch, where the altarpiece of Saint Quiteria once stood. The height of the room is remarkable, as it is even higher than other synagogues with a larger surface area.

The women's section of the synagogue is in the gallery above the vestibule; its dimensions and layout are identical to those of the vestibule. The reason why the women's gallery and the vestibule were part of the original building is still unknown. Variations in the structure and ceiling height suggest that this structural part was added later. The women's section contains three wide arches facing the sanctuary, which are decorated with interlacing stucco and latticework, a common feature of Sephardic synagogues. The original material of the latticework is unknown, as it is not made of stucco or wood. The arches are interlaced with elaborate patterns and Hebrew texts. The central arch is different from the outer arches, being unevenly decorated and having a greater height to facilitate entry.

Article obtained from Wikipedia article Wikipedia in his version of 16/08/2022, by various authors under the license Licencia de Documentación Libre GNU.

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