Sinagoga di Pitigliano: A Historic Jewish Synagogue in Italy
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.6
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Italy
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- Unclassified
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Synagogue
On this page6 sections
History
Sinagoga di Pitigliano is a Jewish synagogue in Italy, built in 1598 in the Romanesque style by the Jewish community that had settled in Pitigliano after the mid-sixteenth century. The settlement developed under the protection of the Orsini, an influential Italian aristocratic family. The synagogue stands in the historic Jewish quarter, where narrow lanes and arches formed the setting for communal life.
Foundation and Jewish tradition
The building may have replaced an earlier oratory. Leone di Sabato, a Jewish resident and weaver, contributed to its construction, while an interior plaque attributes its foundation to Judah, son of Shabtai. The synagogue follows the Spanish rite, a Jewish liturgical tradition historically associated with Sephardic practice and its ritual customs.
Restoration and decline
The synagogue underwent several major repairs and alterations. A roof collapse led to restoration in 1756, and in 1835 the facade received Rococo stucco decoration. Further work took place in 1931. Use declined as the Jewish population diminished, and the synagogue saw little use after 1948 before closing in 1956. A landslide later damaged the building, which remained vacant until a municipal restoration recovered the place of worship in 1995 after nearly ten years of work.
Commemorative plaques record visits by Grand Duke Ferdinand III in 1823 and Grand Duke Leopold II in 1829. Another plaque refers to Leopold II, later Holy Roman Emperor, who visited in 1773. The synagogue is now used infrequently because a minyan, the quorum required for certain Jewish communal prayers and practices, usually cannot be assembled. An adjacent museum forms part of the site’s heritage presentation.
Remains
Building and interior
The synagogue is entered through a broad rounded portal that opens into a small courtyard. This entrance reflects the building’s stated Romanesque character, a medieval European style associated with substantial masonry, rounded arches, and simple geometric forms. Inside, much of the furnishing dates from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The entrance arch, the stairway to the women’s section, and the commemorative plaques are among the elements that retain earlier features, while other parts belong to later restorations.
Inscriptions and associated objects
The entrance door carries an inscription whose words refer to Exodus 25:8 and Psalm 118:19–20: “And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst. Open for me the gates of righteousness. This is the Lord’s gate.” The interior plaque naming Judah, son of Shabtai, also remains part of the synagogue’s historical furnishing.
An eighteenth-century Hanukkiah, a nine-branched lamp used during Hanukkah, associated with the synagogue is displayed at the Italian Synagogue in Jerusalem. The Torah ark, the cabinet used to house Torah scrolls, was removed in 1948 and sent to Israel; it is now in the synagogue at Carmiel. Archives of the Jewish University were found among the synagogue’s rubble in the mid-twentieth century and are held at the Roman headquarters of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, the national umbrella organization representing Jewish communities in Italy.
