Synagogue Architecture and Medieval Books Module 8 done
Synagogue Architecture
Every Jewish community needed a place of worship called a synagogue.
The word "synagogue" comes from a Greek term related to assembling.
The design of synagogues was governed by a few rules found in the Talmud.
Jewish congregations adhered to these rules despite restrictions on residence and land use.
Ideally, a synagogue's focal point would face Jerusalem (to the southeast from Prague).
Synagogues contained carefully handwritten scrolls of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
These scrolls were held in a chest known as a Torah ark when not in use.
The ark was located at the building's focal point.
Scrolls were carried ceremoniously to the center of the synagogue when removed from the ark.
Elders of the congregation would mount a low platform (bimah) and place the scrolls on a reading table.
Being called to read to the congregation was considered an honor.
No one was allowed to live above the synagogue.
Religious activity was to have pride of place.
Women would not occupy the same part of the building as men to avoid distracting the men from prayers.
Animals and other unclean things were not allowed to defile the synagogue interior.
The Altneushul: A Gothic Synagogue
The Altneushul in Prague is an important late medieval synagogue also known as the Old New Synagogue, because the city later gained a newer New Synagogue. Altneushul is known in Yiddish.
It seems to have originally been a small rectangular building erected in the thirteenth century.
Later in that century, the original synagogue was enlarged.
Both construction stages were apparently designed and built by Christians.
Jews were either formally or tacitly excluded from building craft guilds.
An architect who also worked on churches seems to have been in charge.
Ornamental details are similar to those of a local church, suggesting the architect was Roman Catholic.
Medieval Books
More medieval books survive from the Middle Ages than any other artistic medium.
Recording and disseminating information was slow and laborious in the Middle Ages.
Monastic libraries housed most books, and all books were copied by hand, usually by monks.
This process was essential to the preservation of knowledge.
Hand-made books of the Middle Ages are referred to as manuscripts.
Books containing artistic decoration are called illuminated manuscripts.
Manuscripts that survive from the European Middle Ages are generally religious books that reflect the canon, doctrine, and practices of Christianity, though there are Jewish and Muslim books as well.
Codex vs. Scroll
Altneushul Interior and Practices
During religious services in the Altneushul, each man read at his own pace and discussed religious doctrine.
Books were placed on desks during reading and stored inside the desks with prayer shawls.
Seats in the Altneushul either face the bimah or are arranged around it.
The current neo-Gothic seats reflect the original arrangement.
This arrangement ensures everyone is close to the bimah where the Torah portion is read.
Congregation members faced each other during prayer, enhancing the sense of community.
This differs from practices in Roman Catholic churches where clergymen led congregants who stood one behind another.
Lighting fixtures are important in synagogues because each man must read the essential texts.
The Altneushul has small windows, possibly for customary, structural reasons, or to prevent vandalism.
Artificial lighting was needed and provided by candlesticks and hanging lamps, but the current lamps are post-medieval.
The bimah was often made of wood with a railing.
The reading desk on the bimah faced the ark.
In the Altneushul, the bimah is a delicate metal construction from the late fifteenth century that allows members of the congregation to easily see the reader.
Both the entrance and the pointed gable over the ark have carved decoration showing vines and fruits.
The ark is often concealed by a handsome curtain.
The Altneushul is a rectangle about 26 feet wide and 45 feet long.
It is composed of six bays arranged in two aisles, each with three bays.
Two slender octagonal pillars in the center of the building allow the interior to be wider.
Leaf forms adorn the capitals.
Rib vaults cover each bay.
Unlike four-part, X-shaped ribs in many Gothic vaults, the Altneushul has an extra, fifth rib, probably for stability.
The same design is seen in some secular and Christian buildings of the time.
The bimah stands between the octagonal pillars in the center.
The ark on the eastern wall terminates the principal axis of the interior.
Plan and Rituals
The Altneushul's plan is not that of a church, as Jewish rituals and customs differed from those of Roman Catholics and they had no need for a nave, side aisles, chapels, and a transept.
Instead, the plan is more similar to secular buildings and chapter houses.
A meeting room plan was useful for a synagogue where men meet to read and discuss religious doctrine.
Jews and Christians generally avoided imitating each other's religious architecture.
In simpler buildings, a single room sufficed for both religions.
Because members of both religions used the same builders, components and ornamental details often resemble each other.
The Altneushul has only plant decoration, as Jews at that time did not allow images of human beings within a religious context.
Women's Role
Evidence suggests that in early centuries, women were either excluded from synagogue activity or accommodated in annexes.
By the fourteenth century, a first women's annex was built at the Altneushul with small windows that opened to the main room.
This allowed women to hear the prayers but not see or be seen by the men.
In the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, additional annexes were built to accommodate increasing numbers of women.
In the late Middle Ages, the high saddle roof and brick gable were added, making the synagogue more prominent.
Loss and Survival
Despite the horrors of the Second World War, the Altneushul and several later synagogues in Prague have survived.
The Pinkas Synagogue from the late fifteenth century is now a memorial with the names of over 77,000 Czech Jews who were deported and murdered painted on its walls.