Trnava – Synagogue Status quo ante

For the first time, the Jewish community performs in Trnava in written monuments in the 14th century, by means of an inscription on stone tombstones discovered during the dismantling of the Lovčická city gate in 1862, but the presence of Jews in this shopping centre can be assumed earlier. A linguistically and religiously isolated but alive community was formed, with its own administrative and judicial powers, which had its mayor and synagogue in the 16th century, their rights and obligations to the majority population arising from a treaty with the city. In 1539, however, due to some questionable kidnapping and murder of a child, king Ferdinand I ordered Trnava to expel all Jews forever, and this order was repeated in 1686 by emperor Leopold I.The medieval Jewish ghetto somewhere between today's Pavlínská and Dolnopotočná streets disappeared without a trace, but the "eternal times" lasted until 1783, when Joseph II. He granted equal rights to religions by a patent. General restrictions on the number of Jews in towns, their economic activities, property ownership or access to education were lifted, and the Jewish community in Trnava grew so much that in 1855 Rabbi Simon Sidon moved from nearby Cífer. In the years 1891 - 1897 a synagogue of the religious community Status Quo Ante was created according to a project by the Viennese architect Jakub Gertner. Representing a two-tower building near the orthodox synagogue, it represents a typical Jewish sacral architecture combining historicizing and oriental elements. The building, which was used as a warehouse in the second half of the 20th century, was damaged in 1986 by a fire, but it still preserved fragments of the painting and a gallery for women carried by cast-iron columns. Holocaust victims are commemorated by the memorial in front of the entrance, built after World War II. Since 1994, the synagogue has been a part of the Ján Koniarek Gallery in Trnava and serves as the Centre for Contemporary Art.

Source: http://www.vitajtevtrnave.sk/sk/register/synagoga-nabozenskej-obce-status-quo-ante

Contact information:
Present use: Centre for Contemporary Art.
Address: Halenárska street no. 2, 917 01 Trnava
Telephone: 033 / 55 11 659
E-mail: info@gjk.sk
Wweb: http://www.gjk.sk