Sofia Synagogue

Infobox religious building
building_name=Sofia Synagogue


caption=
location=flagicon|Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria
geo=
religious_affiliation=Orthodox Judaism
district=
functional_status=Active
leadership=Rabbi Bechor Kachlon
website=http://www.sofiasynagogue.com/
architecture_type=
architecture_style=Moorish Revival
facade_direction=
year_completed=1909
construction_cost=
architect=Friedrich Grünanger
capacity=1,170
length=
width=
width_nave=
height_max=31 metres
dome_height_outer=
dome_height_inner=23 metres
dome_dia_outer=
dome_dia_inner=19 metres
materials=

The Sofia Synagogue ( _bg. Софийска синагога, "Sofiyska sinagoga") is the largest synagogue in Southeastern Europe, one of two functioning in Bulgaria and one of the largest in Europe.

Constructed for the needs of the Bulgarian capital Sofia's mainly Sephardic Jewish community after a project by the Austrian architect Friedrich Grünanger, it resembles the old Sephardic synagogue in Vienna and was officially opened on 9 September 1909 in the presence of Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria. The first preparations for the synagogue's construction date to 1903, while the construction itself had begun on 13 November 1905.

One of the architectural monuments of Sofia, the synagogue, located in the very centre of the city near the Central Market Hall, can accommodate 1,300 worshippers. The Sofia Synagogue's main chandelier weighs 2 tons and is the largest in the country.

Despite the building's size, the services are normally only attended by some 50 to 60 worshippers due to the "aliyah" of most of Bulgaria's Jews to Israel and the secularity of the local Jewish population.

The architectural style is essentially Moorish Revival, with elements of the Vienna Secession and, in the facade, Venetian architecture. The main premise has a diameter of 20 m and is 31 m high. It is topped by an octagonal dome. The interior is richly decorated, featuring columns of Carrara marble and multicoloured Venetian mosaics, as well as decorative woodcarving. The entire building takes up 659 m².

Since 8 May 1992 the Sofia Synagogue also houses the Jewish Museum of History, which includes the Jewish Communities in Bulgaria and the Holocaust and the Salvation of the Jews in Bulgaria expositions. A souvenir shop is also in operation.

References and external links

* [http://www.sofiasynagogue.com/ Sofia Synagogue website] bg icon en icon