Maribor Synagogue

Maribor Synagogue
Maribor Synagogue
Religion
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism
Status	Museum
Location
Location	Maribor, Slovenia
Geographic coordinates	46°33′24.34″N 15°38′51.92″E / 46.5567611°N 15.6477556°E
Architecture
Type	Synagogue
Completed	late 13th century
Website
	www.sinagogamaribor.si

Maribor Synagogue (

medieval Jewish community in Maribor, among the most prominent in the Eastern Alps

-area.

History

First mentioned in 1354, the synagogue is thought to have been built sometime in the late 13th century.

ritual baths stood outside the walls on the Drava riverbank.^[2]

At points throughout its history, the synagogue served as a temporary seat of the

Catholic church, the Church of All Saints (Slovene: Cerkev Vseh Svetnikov). The former rabbi's residence to the west of the main building became a curate office, while another, smaller building on the eastern side housed the sexton

.

In 1785, during the anticlerical reforms of Joseph II, the church was confiscated, deconsecrated, and converted into a military warehouse. It served in this capacity until 1811, when it was sold to private owners for use as a merchant storage, a wine cellar, a brush factory, an art studio, and an apartment house, which it remained until the 1980s.^[1]

Following several years of renovations, taking place from 1992 until 2000, including a reconstruction of the late Gothic sanctuary, the building opened in 2001 as a museum and cultural-exhibition venue devoted to the history of the Jewish community of Maribor, and of Slovenia.^[1] The site was initially administered by the Regional Museum of Maribor.^[3] Since 2011 it is an independent public institution under the name od Center of Jewish Cultural Heritage Synagogue Maribor.^[4] Since 2015 the synagogue is labeled a Cultural monument of State significance in Slovenia.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Janez and Anja Premk, Mariborska sinagoga, ZRC SAZU, Ljubljana 2015
^ "City Guide: Main Square". University of Maribor. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011.
^ "Profile of the Synagogue". Center of Jewish Cultural Heritage Synagogue Maribor. sinagogamaribor.si. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
^ "Sinagoga Maribor". Center judovske kulturne dediščine Sinagoga Maribor.
^ "Register of cultural heritage in Slovenia".