The BCRC Blog

Our son Ben and his husband Julian visited the 3 remaining medieval synagogues of Spain. In Toledo, two of the eleven medieval synagogues are still standing. The Ibn Shoshen Synagogue (left), built in 1180, was built in an architectural style influenced by the Islamic buildings that surrounded it. In the 14th century, it was converted into a church. The Samuel Halevi Abulafia Synagogue (right) was a private synagogue built by Abulafia, the treasurer and advisor to King Pedro I. It is dominated by a soaring open hall oriented toward a triple-arched Torah niche. Click here for more information.

In Cordoba they visited the Synagoga de Cordoba (below), built 1314-15. It was used until the expulsion order in 1492. It is located in the area known as the Jewish Quarter and is described on its web site as "a magnificent example of Mudeja architecture highly influenced by Arab culture". It is the only remaining testament to Jewish religious architecture still preserved in the city.

Click here to see a photo album with more pictures.