Toledo Synagogues

After exploring Toledo Cathedral, I was curious to see Toledo’s synagogues, so we walked over to the Jewish Quarter.

Sinagoga de Santa María la Blanca (Synagogue of Saint Mary the White) is probably the oldest synagogue in Europe. It was built around the year 1180, when Toledo was under Christian rule, by Muslim builders, as a Jewish place of worship. What a perfect example of three cultures cooperating!

The architectural style of the Santa Maria Blanca Synagogue is called mujedár, which refers to Islamic art created for non-Islamic purposes. The interior of the synagogue was a rectangle about the size of a basketball court, with bare white walls. There were four arcades with octagonal white pillars, Moorish arches, and intricate geometric designs. It was both simple and complex, and just beautiful. The synagogue is now a museum owned and operated by the Catholic Church.

We also visited the slightly smaller Sinagoga del Tránsito (Synagogue of the Transit, referring to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven). El Tránsito was built in 1357 by Samuel HaLevi, a prominent Jew who was treasurer for the Christian King of Castile (now Spain). It was also rectangular, in mudejár style, with mostly bare white walls and a beautiful wooden artesonado ceiling. One stunning wall was elaborately decorated with intricate designs in plaster. There were Hebrew and Arabic inscriptions and Christian heraldry (coats of arms), motifs from three different cultures in beautiful combination. The synagogue is now part of the Sephardic Museum, operated by the state.