12-593: The Ostia Synagogue is an ancient former Jewish synagogue and archaeological site , located in ancient Ostia , the seaport of Imperial Rome , in modern-day Lazio , in Italy . It is one of the oldest synagogues in the world, the oldest synagogue in Europe and the oldest mainstream Jewish synagogue yet uncovered outside the Land of Israel . The synagogue building dates from the reign of Claudius (41-54 AD ) and continued in use as
24-441: A propylaeum or monumental gateway featuring four marble columns; and a triclinium or dining room with couches along three walls. There was a water well and basin near the entryway for ritual washings. The main door of the synagogue faces the southeast, towards Jerusalem . An aedicula , to serve as a Torah Ark , was added in the 4th century AD. A donor inscription implies that it replaced an earlier wooden platform donated in
36-451: A mélange of oral narratives is that first synagogues in Kerala were not built until the medieval period. Various Kerala Jews and the scholars who have studied the community believe that the earliest synagogues in the region date to the early 11th century. According to a narrative, a Kerala Jew by the name of Joseph Rabban who accepted on behalf of his community copper plates granting the local Jews
48-402: A possibly Samaritan synagogue that dates from at 150 to 128 BC, or earlier, and is located on the island of Delos , Greece . However, it is uncertain if the building is actually a synagogue and that designation is generally considered untenable. The excavated Jericho synagogue has been cited as the oldest mainstream Jewish synagogue in the world, although identification of the remains as
60-609: A set of privileges by the Hindu King Bhaskara Ravi Varman was also given wood by his Highness for the erection of a synagogue around 1000. While no physical evidence of this and any other similar period building survives, study of the literature, Jewish folksongs, and narratives supports the notion that synagogues likely stood in Malabar Coast towns, places now within the modern-day State of Kerala, from this epoch. A portion of these medieval-period buildings perished when
72-401: A synagogue into the 5th century AD. There is a scholarly debate about the status of the synagogue building in the 1st century AD, with some maintaining that the building began as a house only later converted to use as a synagogue, and others arguing that it was in use as a synagogue from the 1st century. In its earliest form, the synagogue featured a main hall with benches along three walls;
84-584: A synagogue is not certain. It was built between 70 and 50 BC as part of a royal winter palace complex near Jericho . El Ghriba Synagogue in Djerba , Tunisia is said to have been built in 586 BC or 70 AD, which would make it the oldest synagogue still standing and in continuous use in the world. Two of the claimants to be the oldest synagogue structures still standing are the Old Synagogue in Erfurt , Germany, which
96-450: The 2nd century AD, which itself had been replaced by a newer Ark donated by one Mindus Faustus in the 3rd century AD. [REDACTED] Media related to Synagogue of Ostia at Wikimedia Commons Historic synagogues Historic synagogues include synagogues that date back to ancient times and synagogues that represent the earliest Jewish presence in cities around the world. Some synagogues were destroyed and rebuilt several times on
108-516: The eleventh through the 13th centuries perished long ago as a consequence of natural disasters, enemy attacks, or the abandonment of buildings when congregations shifted. These extant synagogues, though altered over time, include not only the oldest found on the Indian subcontinent but in the British Commonwealth. The consensus among historians based on a compilation of limited recorded history and
120-399: The mid 20th century. Owing to the expulsion of nearly all of Egypt's Jews to Israel , the building is no longer used as a synagogue, but instead has been renovated and preserved as a museum. The oldest of India's synagogue buildings can be found in the state of Kerala, where synagogue construction began during the medieval period. Whereas Kerala's first Jewish houses of prayer said to be from
132-460: The same site. Others were converted into churches and mosques or used for other purposes. Evidence of synagogues from the 3rd century BC was discovered on Elephantine island . The findings consist of two synagogue dedication inscription stones and a reference to a synagogue in a papyrus letter dated to 218 BC. The oldest synagogue building uncovered by archaeologists is the Delos Synagogue ,
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#1732854796011144-656: Was built c. 1100 and the Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca in Toledo, Spain , which was built in 1190. However, neither has been used as a synagogue for centuries. The oldest active synagogue in Europe is the Old New Synagogue of Prague in the Czech Republic , built in the 1270s. The Ben Ezra Synagogue of Cairo is the longest-serving synagogue in the world, having continuously served as one from 1025 AD until
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