Mediaeval Jewish Chapel - Mediaeval Jewish Chapel

Strange but interesting. Today, of course, it is only historical curiosity as a place of worship, of course, it makes no sense. Not only did I tour, but I also listened to a lecture from a museologist. Already in the Middle Ages, Judaism played a major role. There was a Jewish gate and Jewish quarters and streets in the Castle. They could handle the money well. They had special habits e.g. the mikve = ritual bath. Of course, they made no sense, merely superstition (religion).

History of the Medieval Jewish House of Worship Táncsics Mihály utca 26 in Buda. On the ground floor of the 14th century, the late medieval and Turkish residential quarter of Buda Jewry - the former Jewish street - can be seen. house of prayer built at the end of the 19th century. Divided by a Gothic pillar on the south side, the vaulted prayer hall on the north side, which preserves the framed window of the former place of worship for women, was excavated in 1964 during a monumental research of the building and subsequently restored. As a result of the research, the XVII. century Jewish inscriptions and depictions as well. One of the pictures painted on the wall depicts a bow directed to the sky, the other the star of King David. The text of the bow representation is one of the sentences of Hanna's prayer, in the old Hungarian translation of Károli Gáspár: "Strong people with a bow are corrupted, and the weak are built with power." The star of King David is accompanied by the text of the Old Testament priestly blessing, in the Hungarian translation of Charles: "Bless the Lord, and preserve thee ..." - in the XVII. The age of figures and inscriptions - according to Professor Sándor Scheiber. From the Turkish nature of the Hebrew letters of the texts, he inferred that the house of prayer was a church of the Syrian-Sephardic group of Buda Jewry in the Turkish era. And the content of the inscriptions refers to the justified fear of the Jews in connection with the Christian attacks. In a room south of the gate of the building, one of the significant collections of the Budapest History Museum, medieval and Turkish Jewish tombstones found in Buda, is presented, and a series of plaques on the walls of the house of prayer remind us of the life and history of Buda. After the founding of the city of Buda - in the XIII. from the middle of the 19th century it already had a considerable number of Jews. It was issued in 1251 by IV. King Béla's letter of freedom regulating the legal relations of Jews in Hungary. Understandably, many persecuted Jews in Western Europe were happy to settle in Hungary and its most important city: their practice of religion, their right to elect priests and judges, and their synagogue, and their social and economic status. A XIII. The 19th century Jewish quarter was formed on the western side of today's Szent György utca (then Zsidó utca), next to the Fehérvár gate, formerly called the Jewish Gate. Their cemetery lay at the foot of the place, in the area bordered by today's Pauler-Algút and Roham streets. Several medieval tombs have been unearthed from this cemetery, the earliest of which dates from 1278. not long in Buda. In the letter of liberty, the king guaranteed their freedom of religion, the right to elect priests and judges, and to hold synagogues, and determined their social and economic status. A XIII. The 19th century Jewish quarter was formed on the western side of today's Szent György utca (then Zsidó utca), next to the Fehérvár gate, formerly called the Jewish Gate. Their cemetery lay at the foot of the place, in the area bordered by today's Pauler-Algút and Roham streets. Several medieval tombs have been unearthed from this cemetery, the earliest of which dates from 1278. a The early Jewish quarter ceased to exist in 1360, when King Louis I expelled the Jews out of religious impatience and gave their houses to Christian chiefs. Shortly afterwards, in 1364, the Jews were able to return to Buda again, and it was then that their new residential area was formed on both sides of today's Táncsics Mihály Street. Opposite their first synagogue here (Táncsics M. u. 26.), the Great Synagogue was built in 1461, which was destroyed in 1686. The significant remains of the large-scale, magnificent church were excavated in 1964 by László Zolnay, archaeologist of the Budapest History Museum, at 23 Táncsics Mihály utca. in the garden of the house. The re-exploration and presentation of the building remains buried for technical reasons is included in the General Plan of the Castle District. Until this was accomplished, the "Small Synagogue" exhibition features a reconstruction image of the "Great Synagogue," a fine late Gothic keystone, and the prominent stones of its huge pillars were also placed in the courtyard of this house.

An interesting and spectacular place is worth going into when it is open. This is the oldest surviving synagogue in Buda, dating from the 13th century. It was later the residence of the Jewish prefect. In the exhibition we can see medieval tombstones, the oldest from 1274. We could also see medieval Hebrew inscriptions and murals.

I scored it not as a synagogue, but as a "museum." Interesting is the fact that here is the remains of a medieval "little" synagogue (I didn't know that before), and the guy overseeing the museum is very helpful. But I have to say that the little that can be interpreted as a museum attraction (some tombstones, the hall itself, a few surviving, exciting due to its age, but otherwise a simple medieval figure) is by no means worth the price of an 800 HUF adult ticket .