The Synagogue Museum of S. Anna

Type:

Luoghi della cultura; Ente/Istituzione

Category:

History museums

The ancient synagogue of "Scola Grande" dates back to 1247. At first it was dedicated to the Saints Quirico and Giovita but in later years was dedicated to St. Anna. The building, standing apart from the surrounding buildings, is located on Via La Giudea in Trani and is now a living testimony of the Jewish culture that existed in the Apulian town during the Middle Ages. The former synagogue was modified during the Christian period but some of the original parts are still visible; like the external walls, the dome in the octagonal drum and a small eardrum with spire. Today after careful restoration, you can admire the various transformations over the centuries. Besides the primeval ruins of the synagogue, seventeenth century decorations and a eighteenth century crypt are visible. In November of 2009, the section of the Diocesan Museum of Jewish Art in the building was inaugurated. It houses a section with important objects from Jewish culture dating from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries: Jewish tombstones, interesting archival documents, fragments of the Hebrew Bible and parchment fragments and Jewish ritual objects like the mezuzah. These findings are mostly owned by the Archdiocese of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie or come from donations and loans.