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Synagogue of Casale Monferrato

Coordinates: 45°8′8.7″N 8°26′59″E / 45.135750°N 8.44972°E / 45.135750; 8.44972
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Synagogue of Casale Monferrato
The synagogue interior, in 2016
Religion
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism
RiteNusach Ashkenaz
Ecclesiastical or organisational status
StatusActive
Location
LocationVicolo Salomone Olper 44, Casale Monferrato, Province of Alessandria, Piedmont
CountryItaly
Synagogue of Casale Monferrato is located in Piedmont
Synagogue of Casale Monferrato
Location of the synagogue in Piedmont
Geographic coordinates45°8′8.7″N 8°26′59″E / 45.135750°N 8.44972°E / 45.135750; 8.44972
Architecture
Architect(s)
  • unknown (1595)
  • Giulio Bourbon (1968)
TypeSynagogue architecture
Style
Completed1595; 1968 (restoration)
MaterialsBrick
Website
casalebraica.org (in Italian)
[1]

The Synagogue of Casale Monferrato is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at Vicolo Salomone Olper 44, in the Jewish quarter of Casale Monferrato, Province of Alessandria, in the region of Piedmont, Italy. Built in the Piedmontese Baroque and Mannerist styles, the synagogue was completed in 1595.

Partially devastated by Nazis during World War II, the synagogue fell into neglect. In 1968, the synagogue was restored and partially preserved as a Jewish museum. The synagogue was recognized as an Italian national treasure in 1969. The synagogue and museum are a magnificent example of Piedmontese Baroque architecture.[2]

History

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The synagogue was built in 1595 and is particularly known for its exquisite Baroque interior with walls and ceiling embellished with elaborate painting, carving and gilding. It is located in a narrow alleyway in the traditionally Jewish quarter of Casale Monferrato, which in the eighteenth century became the city’s ghetto. The plain building houses a clandestine synagogue, giving no indication of its purpose as a Jewish house of worship.

As in most early modern European synagogues, the synagogue was entered not directly from the street, but via a courtyard: both for reasons of security and to comply with laws requiring that the sound of Jewish worship not be audible by Christians.[3]

The Casale Monferrato synagogue is one of the few synagogues that survived in Piedmont, which once had many.[4] Others in or close to Monferrato and the Langhe include the Biella Synagogue, the Vercelli Synagogue, and those of Asti, Alessandria, Chieri, Carmagnola, Cherasco, Moncalvo and Trino Vercellese.[5]

In 1941, the synagogue was vandalized in the context of the Fascist persecution of Jews during World War II.[6]

The synagogue is listed as a National Monument of Italy since the restoration works carried out in 1968.[7][8][9]

The museums

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The Jewish Art and History Museum, also known as the Museum of Silverware (Museo degli Argenti), was designed by Giulio Bourbon and is located in part in the former women’s gallery of the synagogue. On display are precious silver ceremonial objects and embroidered textiles, as well as artefacts related to Jewish festivals and domestic life.[10]

The Museum of Lights (Museo dei Lumi) occupies an underground room formerly used for baking matzot and houses a growing collection of menorahs created by contemporary Jewish and non-Jewish artists including Elio Carmi, Emanuele Luzzati, Aldo Mondino, Gabriele Levy, Marco Porta, Tobia Ravà, Antonio Recalcati and David Gerstein.[11][12][13]

Archives

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The archives include historical documents relating to the story of Jewish life in Casale and Monferrato, a collection of wedding contracts (ketubot) written on parchment and often richly decorated with drawings and symbols, the community registers, and a range of books printed between 1600 and 1900.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Oratorio Israelitico Synagogue in Casale Monferrato". Historic Synagogues of Europe. Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. n.d. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "Casale Monferrato Synagogue" (moving panoramic images of the synagogue interior). Synagogues360. 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  3. ^ Krinsky, Carol Herselle (1996). Synagogues of Europe. Dover. pp. 345–348 – via Google Books.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Dorfman, Rivka; Dorfman, Ben-Zion (2000). Synagogues without Jews. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society. pp. 22–29, 305–306.
  5. ^ "Festival internazionale di cultua ebraica: 'Un percorso culturale tra le sinagoghe in Piemonte'". OYOYOY (in Italian).
  6. ^ Klein, Shira (January 18, 2018). Italy's Jews from Emancipation to Fascism. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-33580-5 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Kurunsky, Samuel. "The Jews of Casale Montferrato: The History of a Vital Community Rediscovered". Fact Papers on the Technological and Artistic Contributions of the Jews to the Evolution of Civilization. Hebrew History Federation.
  8. ^ "Sinagoga di Casale Monferrato". My Jewish Italy (in Italian). Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  9. ^ "Sinagoga - Complesso museale ebraico di Casale Monferrato". Ministero della Cultura (in Italian). Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  10. ^ 'The Jewish Art and History Museum: Collections', Casale Monferrato Jewish Museal Complex
  11. ^ The Museum of Lights: Introduction, Casale Monferrato Jewish Museal Complex.
  12. ^ ‘The Museum of Lights: Conversations with five artists’, Casale Monferrato Jewish Museal Complex.
  13. ^ 'David Gerstein, giunto da Tel-Aviv, accende la Hanukka di Casale', Il Monferrato, 29 November 2010.
  14. ^ 'The Archive' Casale Monferrato Jewish Museal Complex.
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