SYNAGOGUES
In Piazzetta Primo Levi N.12 there are two Synagogues, even though only one is visible from the street.
The main Synagogue (Tempio Grande) was built by the Architect E. Petiti, after the previous project of the Mole Antonelliana was abandoned. It was inaugurated in 1884 and it is in the Moorish style. The Synagogue has a longitudinal plan and it had rich wooden decorations especially on the caisson ceiling. It represents a typical example of the of the Italian monumental Synagogues of the middle of the 19th Century, when Jews where celebrating their new freedom through huge and magnificent Synagogues.
During World War II (November 20, 1942) the Synagogue was severely bombed by an English airplane aiming to the close Central Railway Station, Porta Nuova, and consequently rebuilt in 1949 with the help of the City of Turin, though in a less ornate style.
The Tempio Grande is now used mainly for High Holidays services and weddings or Bar Mitzvahs.
There is a smaller more intimate underground Synagogue (Tempio Piccolo), where there used to be an oven to bake the Matzah (unleavened bread for Passover). It was built by Architect G. Olivetti and inaugurated in 1972. It has a central plan and walls and ceilings show the original natural brickwork. The beautiful wooden baroque ornaments (18th Century) came from the Synagogue of Chieri.
The Tempio Piccolo is used for weekly and Friday night and Saturday services.
Next to this Synagogue, there is a tiny room which is visited mostly during guided tours of the facilities. The so-called Tempietto Carlo Alberto contains a unique piece of artwork: an Aron HaKodesh (Ark) dating 18th Century once used in one of the three Synagogues of the Ghetto of Turin. What makes this Aron unique is the fact that its beautifully decorated doors were painted black – an uncommon colour – supposedly right after the death of Carlo Alberto of Savoy in 1849.
To arrange a visit, call +39 011 6508332.
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