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Synagogue of Tomar, Portugal

Tomar, 07/02/2011

Rare example of medieval Jewish temples and art pre-Renaissance Portuguese Synagogue of Tomar is the only one this time, still architectural fully preserved in Portugal. It was built in the mid fifteenth century specifically for the religious function, which shows the financial status of the Jewish community living here, its strength and prosperity

The building's architecture, simple and Eastern influences (plant almost quadrangular domes of edges based on four columns, capitals decorated with vegetal and geometric motifs, and addorsed twelve corbels to the walls), is full of symbolism (built arround 1430-1460).

It has ended its purpose by 1496, because of the expulsion of the Jews by the King Manuel I.

In 1921, following a visit (1920) of members of the Association of Portuguese Archaeologists, it was classified as a National Monument.
In 1923, Samuel Schwarz, a Polish Jew mining engineer arrived in Portugal six years ago, acquired the Synagogue of Tomar, recovering from a state of disrepair it was in, and donated it to the Portuguese State (1939) under condition of instal a museum: the Portuguese-Hebrew  Abraham Zacuto Museum.

The patron of the Museum, Abraham Ben Samuel Zacuto (1450-1515), a native of Salamanca, Spain, was an astronomer, mathematician, physician and rabbi. His Jewish background forced him to take refuge in Portugal, in 1492, where King II John has put Abraham Zacuto at his service. He was the author of the Astronomical Tables,replica watches valuable tool for the enterprise of portugueses discoveries.  King Manuel kept his services of Portugal before the expulsion of the Jews (1496).