Sinagoga Mare din Chișinău
Great Synagogue from Chisinau

Summary/Abstract: The article highlights little known and unpublished information on the history and architecture of the Great Synagogue in the city of Chisinau, built in the 18th century. It was the reference center of the Jewish Quarter of the pre-imperial Chisinau. During the nineteenth century, it was the largest and, at the same time, the only Jewish religious building with synagogue status in the city. In the 50s of the twentieth century, the Great Synagogue was closed and after that demolished by the Soviet authorities. The main part of the Great Synagogue was occupied by the assembly hall, that had a floor plan that figured a Greek cross inscribed in a square. Four pillars supported nine cross vaults. The space of the hall was lighted by means of two window registers. On the west side, the hall was adjoined by a vestibule flanked by the prayer rooms of the Jewish fraternities: Shomrim-Laboker and the Tailors. The entrances to the synagogue vestibule and to the prayer rooms were protected by a gallery, which ran throughout the entire main facade of the synagogue. The gallery was opened to the street through arches supported by stone pillars. On the second floor of the building, was the compartment for women. A staircase, attached to the side facade of the building, provided the access to this floor. The unique roof with four slopes, which covered the prismatic volume of the Great Synagogue, as well as the particularities of the exterior architectural elements, offered it the appearance of an urban dwelling house specific to the European cities of the 17th-18th centuries.

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