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Synagogue of El Tránsito
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Synagogue of El Tránsito
The Synagogue of El Tránsito (Spanish: Sinagoga del Tránsito), also known as the Synagogue of Samuel ha-Levi or Halevi, is a former Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at on Calle Samuel Levi, in the historic old city of Toledo, in the province of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain.
Designed by master mason Don Meir (Mayr) Abdeil, it was built in 1357 in the Mudéjar or Moorish style as an annex of the palace of Samuel HaLevi, treasurer to King Peter of Castile. The synagogue is located in the former Jewish quarter of the city between the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes and the Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca. It is one of three preserved synagogues constructed by Jews under the rule of the Christian Kingdom of Castile.
The building was converted to a Catholic church after the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. It was briefly used as military barracks during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 1800s. It became a Sephardic Jewish museum in 1910, formally known today as the Sephardic Museum.
The building has been added to the list of monuments of Spanish Cultural Heritage (Spanish: Bien de Interés Cultural). It is also known for its rich stucco decoration, Mudéjar style, and women's gallery.
The synagogue was built around 1357, under the patronage of Samuel HaLevi, who was an Abulafia. His family had served the ruling Castilian House of Burgundy for several generations and included kabbalists and Torah scholars such as Meir and Todros ben Joseph Abulafia. Another Todros Abulafia,Todros ben Judah Halevi Abulafia, was one of the last poets to write in the Arab-influenced style favored by Jewish poets in twelfth and thirteenth-century Spain.
Located within Toledo's medieval Jewish quarter, the synagogue is connected to Samuel Abulafia's house by a gate and was intended as a private house of worship. It also served as a center for Jewish religious education or yeshiva.
Some scholars suggest that Peter of Castile assented to the synagogue's construction as a token of appreciation for Samuel’s service as counselor and treasurer to the king. Peter may also have allowed it to compensate the Jews of Toledo for the persecution of Jews during the Black Death in 1348.
Throughout the 14th century, Spanish Regional Councils had sparked a prohibition on constructing synagogues. As to why the construction of this synagogue would have been allowed remains debated, but scholars reason that it was due to Samuel's relationship with King Peter of Castile, or the fact that it was a private home. It may also be that limitations did not apply in Castile to synagogues built in private houses, which was a common way to pass the ban on creating new synagogues in both Christian and Muslim areas. Construction would often be allowed after payment of a fee or bribe. More recent evidence also suggests that the synagogue was built over an older synagogue, thus forming a loophole in the ban since this was perhaps not viewed as a new construction.
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Synagogue of El Tránsito
The Synagogue of El Tránsito (Spanish: Sinagoga del Tránsito), also known as the Synagogue of Samuel ha-Levi or Halevi, is a former Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at on Calle Samuel Levi, in the historic old city of Toledo, in the province of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain.
Designed by master mason Don Meir (Mayr) Abdeil, it was built in 1357 in the Mudéjar or Moorish style as an annex of the palace of Samuel HaLevi, treasurer to King Peter of Castile. The synagogue is located in the former Jewish quarter of the city between the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes and the Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca. It is one of three preserved synagogues constructed by Jews under the rule of the Christian Kingdom of Castile.
The building was converted to a Catholic church after the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. It was briefly used as military barracks during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 1800s. It became a Sephardic Jewish museum in 1910, formally known today as the Sephardic Museum.
The building has been added to the list of monuments of Spanish Cultural Heritage (Spanish: Bien de Interés Cultural). It is also known for its rich stucco decoration, Mudéjar style, and women's gallery.
The synagogue was built around 1357, under the patronage of Samuel HaLevi, who was an Abulafia. His family had served the ruling Castilian House of Burgundy for several generations and included kabbalists and Torah scholars such as Meir and Todros ben Joseph Abulafia. Another Todros Abulafia,Todros ben Judah Halevi Abulafia, was one of the last poets to write in the Arab-influenced style favored by Jewish poets in twelfth and thirteenth-century Spain.
Located within Toledo's medieval Jewish quarter, the synagogue is connected to Samuel Abulafia's house by a gate and was intended as a private house of worship. It also served as a center for Jewish religious education or yeshiva.
Some scholars suggest that Peter of Castile assented to the synagogue's construction as a token of appreciation for Samuel’s service as counselor and treasurer to the king. Peter may also have allowed it to compensate the Jews of Toledo for the persecution of Jews during the Black Death in 1348.
Throughout the 14th century, Spanish Regional Councils had sparked a prohibition on constructing synagogues. As to why the construction of this synagogue would have been allowed remains debated, but scholars reason that it was due to Samuel's relationship with King Peter of Castile, or the fact that it was a private home. It may also be that limitations did not apply in Castile to synagogues built in private houses, which was a common way to pass the ban on creating new synagogues in both Christian and Muslim areas. Construction would often be allowed after payment of a fee or bribe. More recent evidence also suggests that the synagogue was built over an older synagogue, thus forming a loophole in the ban since this was perhaps not viewed as a new construction.
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