Synagogues: The Architecture Series with Dr. Samuel Gruber Part 2- Synagogue of Siena, Italy

The Synagogue of Siena, located only a few steps from the Piazza del Campo, stands in the heart of the ancient Jewish Ghetto of Siena, where Sienese Jews remained confined until 1859. In 1571, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo I de Medici, extended the restrictive measures already in place in Florence to the state of Siena, where Jews had been present since the 12th century. Despite the limitations and the heavy restrictions imposed, the Jewish community of Siena increased, coming to include over 400 members, and its activities contributed significantly to the economic and cultural growth of the city. In 1786, the magnificent Synagogue was inaugurated with a solemn musical ceremony. Today, it remains the centre of worship for the local Jewish community, and it stands out as one of the few examples present in Tuscany of architecture between the Rococo and Neoclassical Periods. The synagogue, still used today for religious services by the local Jewish community, houses ancient Torah scrolls, silver furnishings, and ritual vestments of great value, displayed in the room adjacent to the prayer hall. The ancient gallery for women, arranged on two floors, looks out upon the synagogue and is set behind wooden grates with floral motifs; this intimate, evocative space is no longer used during services, but it completes the visit to the synagogue and houses a collection of texts, images, prayer books, and objects that exemplify the most significant aspects of the centuries-old Jewish presence in Siena. Follow up links: https://www.museisenesi.org/en/museo/... https://jguideeurope.org/en/region/it... https://www.jewishsiena.it/?lang=en https://synagogues-360.anumuseum.org.... Samuel D. Gruber, Ph.D, accomplished researcher, author, curator and consultant, is the founder and managing director of Gruber Heritage Global (GHG) - a cultural resources consulting firm. For more than 35 years, he has been a leader in the documentation, protection, preservation, and presentation of Jewish cultural heritage sites around the world. He has written two books about synagogue architecture; American Synagogues: A Century of Architecture and Jewish Community (2003) and Synagogues (1999), and has contributed numerous chapters, articles, and conference papers to other publications. Since 2008, he has written a popular blog, "Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art and Monuments." Dr. Gruber has a B.A, in Medieval Studies from Princeton University, and an M.A, M.Phil. and Ph.D. Degrees from Columbia University in Art History and Archeology with a specialization in the history of architecture. He is a Rome Prize winner and Fellow of the American Academy of Rome and has received numerous research grants and has participated in many grant-funded team projects. Dr. Gruber has taught in the Jewish Studies Program at Syracuse University since 1994 and has given courses at Binghamton, Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, and Temple Universities and LeMoyne College where he has taught about medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Jewish art and architecture; Holocaust art and memory; and the history of plastics. Dr. Gruber lives in Syracuse, NY where he is an active member of Temple Concord, is past president of the Preservation Association of Central New York (PACNY), and is active in local art, history, and architecture efforts.