There are five synagogues in the Russian capital. All of them are beautiful and unique in their own way. But the Moscow Choral Synagogue is special. It is the oldest and largest of all Jewish temples in the city. The Chief Rabbinate of the country is located here. There is also a Jewish orphanage and a yeshiva religious school.
Why is the synagogue called a choral? This is another feature of the temple. During services, prayers are sung by a small choir of professional cantors. Visiting the Moscow Choral Synagogue will also be interesting for non-Jews. The rich interior decoration of this prayer house is striking. The cathedral is also interesting from the outside. Its facade is somewhat reminiscent of a museum, as it is decorated with classical columns. And the dome makes the synagogue look like an Orthodox church. Only it is not the cross that crowns him, but the Star of David. The halls are reminiscent of a Catholic cathedral. What exactly is a synagogue? Why is she sointeresting? Read about it in our article.
Moscow Choral Synagogue: address, how to get there
This main Jewish temple is located on Ivanovskaya Gorka, in the Basmanny district of the capital. There are beautiful views from a small hill. Therefore, the temple has another name - "the synagogue on the hill." The exact address of the prayer house is Bolshoy Spasoglinishevsky Lane, 10. From the large silver dome and columns decorating the entrance, you can’t immediately determine that the Moscow Choral Synagogue is in front of you. How to get to the place, you can tell the locals. It is very close, literally two hundred meters from the Kitay-Gorod metro station. You can also get to the synagogue from the Yugo-Zapadnaya metro station. But the first option is better. You should, leaving the Kitai-Gorod metro station, go in the opposite direction from Ilyinsky Square. Bolshoy Spasoglinishevsky lane, where the synagogue is located, is parallel to Lubyansky passage, where the metro station and ground transport stops are located.
History of the Jewish community in Moscow
The capital of Russia has long been inhabited by people of different nationalities and religions. But the Jews were allowed to live and work in Moscow only by the reformer Tsar Alexander II. Therefore, they began to settle here only from the second half of the nineteenth century. Near the place where the Moscow Choral Synagogue is now located, in Zaryadye, on the Glebovsky Compound, there was a cheap hotel, as they say now,hostel. Jewish merchants who came to the capital on business liked to settle there. After the removal of the Pale of Settlement by Alexander II, this area slowly turned into a ghetto. The size of the Jewish community has become so large that one should have thought about building a prayer house.
The ups and downs in connection with the construction of the synagogue
A petition was filed for the construction of a Jewish temple and permission was received. Architect S. Eibuschitz designed the building. The chairman of the community, L. Polyakov, purchased a land plot for him. On May 28, 1887, the foundation of the temple was laid. It is known that in the eastern wall there is an ampoule with a document about this event. The building itself was built in 1891.
It seemed that everything was going well, when the unforeseen happened - the king-reformer was killed. Following this, the persecution of the Jews began, and the Pale of Settlement was reintroduced. And then there was an incident with the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. He mistook the dome of the synagogue for the dome of the Orthodox Church and crossed himself. Then he realized his mistake and became furious. The Jews were asked to remove the dome because it "offends the feelings of believers."
The community went for it - after all, synagogues do not have architectural canons. But that didn't help either. The chief procurator of the Holy Synod of Pobedonostsev demanded that the images of the Moses Tablets be removed from the pediment. Then the Moscow Choral Synagogue was completely sealed.
Short "thaw"
To hold services againJews were allowed only after the 1905 Manifesto allowing freedom of religion. The building of the prayer house by that time had fallen into a significant decline. After all, it housed a real school. But the Moscow Choral Synagogue became even more beautiful thanks to the efforts of the architect Roman Klein, who trained under the famous Garnier, the author of the Paris Opera. It was from him that he borrowed the idea of retrospectivism. Light enters freely through large oblong windows.
But this beautiful eclectic building did not function as a synagogue for long. Already in 1922, the Soviet government banned worship. Textilstroy moved into the building. And part of the building was used by the Moscow metro for a reserve mine.
Modern look
In 2001, the Russian Jewish Congress and the community of Moscow, under the patronage of Mayor Yu. Luzhkov, began the reconstruction of the temple. This project, worth over $20 million, included the construction of an orphanage, a yeshiva, and a community center. The silver dome was restored. The composition "Bird of Happiness" (sculptor I. Burganov) was opened near the temple. The hand releasing the dove is complemented by a symbolic small Wailing Wall made of chipped stone.
The Moscow Choral Synagogue itself - the photo shows this - is a domed building resembling a basilica. It has four prayer halls. High vaults, columns and rich decoration immediately create a joyful and solemn mood for the visitor. The ceiling, decorated with carved ornaments, is especially beautiful. The main nave is decorated with the Trees of Knowledge and Life. The snow-white Aron Kodesh is striking, hiding precious Torah scrolls behind a velvet curtain.
Moscow Choral Synagogue: opening hours
Non-Jews can come to the prayer temple, but they are only allowed into the gallery on the second floor. But from a height you can better see the decor of the temple. Photography and video filming is prohibited during worship services. From Monday to Friday, the morning minyan takes place at 8:30, on Saturdays and holidays - at nine. The synagogue is open from morning to evening. After all, it operates an orphanage, a religious school, a kosher restaurant, a library, and social clubs. This is the spiritual and cultural center of the Jewish community of Moscow.
