Description of the attraction
One of the oldest preserved synagogues in Europe is located in Cordoba, in the old Jewish quarter of Hoderia. According to an inscription on one of its walls, the synagogue was built in 1315 under the leadership of Isaac Moheb, although some scholars tend to believe that the foundation of the building was laid much earlier.
This building has a complicated history. After the beginning of the expulsion of a large Jewish community from the country in 1492, a hospital was housed in the building. Almost a century later, in 1588, the synagogue was converted into the Catholic chapel of St. Crispin. In 1884, during the renovation work on the walls of the building, inscriptions in Hebrew dating from 1350 were discovered. The synagogue was then declared a National Historic Landmark in 1885.
The building is square in plan. To get inside, you first need to go through the patio, which contains a pond that serves for washing your feet. Entering the building, we immediately find ourselves in a prayer room for men 6 meters high, at the eastern wall of which there is an arch-cabinet, where the Torah scrolls were previously kept. There is an arch on the western wall of the building, which rests on a console - this is the place reserved for reading the Torah. A staircase at the east wall leads to the second floor, which housed rooms for women. All walls of the building are decorated with openwork patterns and beautiful stucco moldings, made in the Mudejar style, arched windows are positioned so that the greatest amount of light penetrates into the premises.
