Synagogue of Modena

This is a well preserved synagogue with a congregation that is still active. To visit you should call ahead and they can schedule a time. Visits are only possible on mornings from Monday to Thursday.

After seeing so many other places of worship in Modena: Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox churches and Muslim places of worship (mosques) of different communities, I was finally able to see the structure, learn about the history of the synagogue and some of the Jewish community. I was sorry to see the interior walls so deteriorated (dark), they make the structure much darker and older than it could be. Overall a nice visit.

The Hebrew temple of Modena, more simply called synagogue, is located in Piazza Mazzini, a few tens of meters from the town hall. It was built by the Jewish community of Modena in 1873, in a suggestive Lombard style. . . . The Jewish temple of Modena, more simply called the synagogue, is located in Piazza Mazzini, a few dozen meters from the town hall. It was built by the Jewish community of Modena in 1873, in a suggestive Lombard style.

Located in the heart of what was the Jewish ghetto from 1638 to 1859, the Synagogue of Modena is one of the largest in Italy, and one of the few to be placed in the historic center, enhanced by the magnificent Piazza Mazzini °°, specially opened. There were many synagogues that stood in the area in those years, a sign of the populous Jewish community that followed the Dukes of Ferrara (more than a thousand faithful at the end of the nineteenth century). The current building was built in 1873, designed by Ludovico Maglietta, and is characterized by the severe façade in neoclassical style - although lightened by fine decorations - which is repeated identically on the left side: entering, in fact, you notice the direction of prayer , which faces east, is different from the north-south one marked by the main facade. On the front are interesting the Hebrew writings and the symbols of the tables of Moses and the Menorah, the seven-branched candlestick. The interior is dominated by a beautiful dome painted by F. Manzini with golden stars in the blue field and is punctuated by the powerful columns that support the large women's galleries. The presence of the Synagogue in Modena in this place is also the symbol of the peaceful integration in the city of all religious minorities.

I took advantage of the FAI day to visit the synagogue. The building itself did not particularly impress me, the information received from the guide and from a member of the Jewish community of Modena was more interesting.