Synagogue of Rome
| Great Synagogue of Rome | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Basic information | |
| Location | Rome, Italy |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Rite | Italki and Spanish |
| Country | Italy |
| Status | Active |
| Website | tempiomaggiore.roma |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) |
Vincenzo Costa Osvaldo Armanni |
| Completed | 1904 |
The Great Synagogue of Rome (Italian: Tempio Maggiore di Roma) is the largest synagogue in Rome.
The Jewish community of Rome goes back to the 2nd century B.C when the Roman Empire had an alliance of sorts with Judea under the leadership of Judah Maccabeus. At that time, many Jews came to Rome from Judea. Their numbers increased during the following centuries due to the settlement that came with Mediterranean trade. Then large numbers of Jews were brought to Rome as slaves following the Jewish–Roman wars in Judea from 63 to 135 CE.
The present Synagogue was constructed shortly after the unification of Italy in 1870, when the Kingdom of Italy captured Rome and the Papal States ceased to exist. The Roman Ghetto was demolished and the Jews were granted citizenship. The building which had previously housed the ghetto synagogue (a complicated structure housing five scolas (the Italian-Jewish term for synagogues) in a single building was demolished, and the Jewish community began making plans for a new and impressive building.
Commemorative plates have been affixed to honour the local Jewish victims of Nazi Germany and of a Palestine Liberation Organization attack in 1982.
On 13 April 1986, Pope John Paul II made an unexpected visit to the Great Synagogue. This event marked the first known visit by a pope to a synagogue since the early history of the Roman Catholic Church. He prayed with Rabbi Elio Toaff, the former Chief Rabbi of Rome. This was seen by many as an attempt to improve relations between Catholicism and Judaism and a part of Pope John Paul II's programme to improve relations with Jews. In 2010 Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni hosted a visit from Pope Benedict XVI, while Pope Francis visited the synagogue on 17 January 2016.
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