Tomar Synagogue
There is evidence of a Jewish community in Tomar as early as the 14th Century. The Jewish link in Tomar would have started with the Order of the Knights Templar.
The Synagogue in Tomar is the oldest surviving Synagogue in Portugal and the best preserved in Europe. It was built in the early part of the 15th Century and is the only one in Portugal from this period to have been fully preserved. Today having been bought by a Jewish Miner, Samuel Schwartz, in 1923, restored and donated to the state in1939, it is home to a small Jewish museum, ‘Museu Luso-Hebraico’.
Here you can see 13th -14th century tombstones, as well as sacred items which have been donated by Jewish communities from around the world.
The original main entrance, which faced east towards Jerusalem, was a Gothic pointed arch. Inside the Synagogue are 4 pillars, representing the ‘four mothers of Israel’, Leah, Rachel, Rebecca,and and Sarah. The pillars support the ceiling of 12 Arches, representing the ‘twelve Tribes of Israel’
The synagogue was in use until 1496 when King Manuel I of Portugal ordered the Jews to either convert to Christianity or to leave Portugal. It then stopped being a house of worship and the next year it was sold. Ironically it later became a prison which at least gave the Jews protection during the expulsion……. they were safe inside!
After Samuel donated the Synagogue to the Portuguese state, he and his wife were granted Portuguese citizenship which protected them during the Second World War.
The Synagogue is just a short walk from the Praça da Republica in Tomar.
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