Discover Great Synagogue of Rome and the Jewish Museum

In 1870, with the breach of Porta Pia, the Italian Army took Rome, the city was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy and the temporal power of the popes ended. In the nineteenth century, the Jewish Museum of Rome records, the Jews achieved, as in the rest of Europe, full emancipation and equality of civil rights — and from that moment the Jewish Communities were able, after centuries of restrictions, to erect monumental synagogues.

The site chosen was the ghetto itself. It was decided to raise the most imposing synagogue of the city, the Tempio Maggiore, in the very quarter in which for centuries the Jews had been shut in — in the area of the former ghetto, demolished and cleared following the master plan of 1888.

It was built to a competition design. The winners were Osvaldo Armanni and Vincenzo Costa, and the Temple was inaugurated in 1904, the monumental building surmounted by a dome on a square base, clad in aluminium. The interior, in which the placing of the bimah does not exactly conform to the tradition of the "Roman rite", is richly decorated in art nouveau style.

A second synagogue is inside the same building. Wishing to replace the Five ancient synagogues of the ghetto, the Cinque Scole, with a monumental Temple, the Community intended to reserve an oratory for the Spanish rite, officiated in Rome at least since the arrival of the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. In 1932 the Spanish Temple was placed in the same monumental building and in 1948 embellished with the marble furnishings of the Cinque Scole.

The Museum is set inside that complex. Its route reconstructs Jewish life in Rome from the first settlements in the 2nd century before the Common Era; the Community has lived in Rome continuously for 2,200 years, among the most ancient outside the Land of Israel. The works date mainly to the period of the Ghetto (1555-1870) and come entirely from the palace of the Cinque Scole.

It covers 700 square metres in seven rooms. From 1960 the Museum displayed its treasures in a single room; study and cataloguing demanded more space, and a new display was inaugurated in 2005.

The dome is the signature and it is deliberately not Roman. The Jewish Museum of Rome records that the monumental building was surmounted by a dome on a square base, clad in aluminium.

Its design was chosen by competition. The winners of the competition for the design of the new synagogue were Osvaldo Armanni and Vincenzo Costa, and the Temple was inaugurated in 1904.

Inside, the style is art nouveau. The interior is richly decorated in the art nouveau style, and the placing of the bimah, the pulpit, does not exactly conform to the tradition of the "Roman rite" — a liturgical arrangement visible in the plan itself.

A second, older interior is contained within the same walls. The Spanish Temple, placed in the building in 1932, was in 1948 embellished with the marble furnishings of the Cinque Scole, recreating the atmosphere that was breathed in the ancient synagogues of the ghetto, with their splendid marbles and fabrics.

And the siting is an architectural decision before it is anything else. The Community chose to build in the area of the former ghetto, demolished and cleared following the master plan of 1888.

Nothing could be built until the law changed. The museum states it plainly: from the moment of emancipation in the nineteenth century, the Jewish Communities were able, after centuries of restrictions, to erect monumental synagogues. The building is a consequence of 1870 and of the equality of civil rights that followed.

The ground was cleared by a city plan. The Temple went up in the area of the former ghetto, demolished and cleared following the master plan of 1888.

The design was competitive. Osvaldo Armanni and Vincenzo Costa won the competition, and the building was inaugurated in 1904 with its aluminium-clad dome on a square base.

It was conceived to replace five buildings at once. The Community wished to substitute the Five ancient synagogues of the ghetto — the Cinque Scole — with a monumental Temple, while reserving an oratory for the Spanish rite.

That second temple arrived later and brought the old marbles with it. In 1932 the Spanish Temple was placed in the same monumental building, and in 1948 it was embellished with the marble furnishings of the Cinque Scole.

The museum was built twice. From 1960 it showed its treasures in a single room; the study and cataloguing of all the works required a larger exhibition area and a new display, inaugurated in 2005, of 700 square metres in seven rooms.

When is it closed? On Saturday and during Jewish festivals. The museum publishes a calendar of the year's closures; the festival dates change every year, so check it.

What are the summer hours? From 1 April to 30 September: Sunday to Thursday 10:00-18:00 (last entry 17:15), Friday 10:00-16:00 (last entry 15:15).

And the winter hours? Sunday to Thursday: 10:00-17:00 (1-24 October, 6 February-31 March); 10:00-16:30 (25-31 October, 15 January-5 February); 10:00-16:00 (1 November-14 January). Friday 9:00-14:00 throughout, last entry 13:15.

How much does it cost? Full 12,00 EUR; students 6,00 EUR; on agreement 10,00 EUR, plus a 1,00 EUR service commission on online transactions. Not refundable.

Can I visit just the synagogue? No. The ticket covers museum and synagogue together, and entry to the Tempio Maggiore is with a guided visit.

Is there an audioguide? Yes, free with the ticket, by QR code on your own device, in Italian, English, Hebrew, Spanish, German, Russian and French.

Who gets in free? Children under 10; visitors with a disability certificate above 74% and, where not self-sufficient, one companion; ICOM and ICOMOS card holders; members of the listed police and armed services; and accredited journalists.

When was the synagogue built? It was inaugurated in 1904, to the competition design of Osvaldo Armanni and Vincenzo Costa.

Why was it built there? Because the Community chose to erect the most imposing synagogue of the city in the very quarter in which for centuries the Jews had been shut in — the area of the former ghetto, demolished and cleared following the master plan of 1888.

What is the Spanish Temple? An oratory for the Spanish rite, officiated in Rome at least since the arrival of the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, placed in the same monumental building in 1932 and embellished in 1948 with the marble furnishings of the Cinque Scole.

How old is the Jewish Community of Rome? It has lived in the city continuously for 2,200 years, among the most ancient Communities outside the Land of Israel.

How big is the museum? 700 square metres in seven rooms, in a display inaugurated in 2005.

Do I need to book? Not for ordinary entry. Guided visits require compulsory online booking at least 5 days in advance; call 06.68400661 for shorter notice.