A virtuous itinerary among Venetian synagogues: the rediscovery of Verona’s synagogue and Ghetto’s demolition

The celebrations of the 500 anniversary years of the foundation of the Ghetto of Venice (1516-2016) represent a cause of reflexion on the Venetian Jewish community and their heritage.

Venice, in primis, but also Padua and Verona, are seat of Jewish communities and synagogues erected in different historical periods (from the Sixteenth-century Venetian synagogues to the Twentieth-century Veronese synagogue), urban and architectural evidence of the different historical events that affected several Venetian towns.

The recent restoration of some temples of worship (Verona and Padua) allows us to widen the focus of identifying the architectonical elements of the synagogues of ghetto and the Nineteenth century synagogues, suggesting an historical-artistic path connecting the Venetian towns.

Moreover, the research focuses on the events which involved the synagogue of Verona between the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries, thanks to the discovery of some important documents found in the Veronese archives. Indeed, in 1868, thanks to the architect Giacomo Franco, a new grand synagogue was designed, but not finished due to a lack of financial resources.

Between 1924 and 1929 the Veronese Jewish ghetto, placed in the city centre, was partially demolished; Ettore Fagiuoli, a famous and talented Veronese architect, had the opportunity to restructure the building of the synagogue. The prayer hall was modified in its architectural framework both inside, by moving the women’s gallery, and outside, by designing a new monumental facade.