The Synagogue is in the historical centre of Ivrea, under the castle walls, where the Jewish ghetto was officially instituted in 1725. The current building from the 19th century was obtained by adapting a pre-existent structure, it has two anonymous facades, East towards via Peana and West on Via Quattro Martiri, that camouflage themselves perfectly in the urban fabric, not making it possible to identify the existence of a place of prayer from the outside. Even the access door, framed with a simple stone frame and located in via Quattro Martiri, blends in with the shops. Only the semi-circle window, made more precious thanks to the coloured glass with bright blue and red tones, towards via Peana, suggests the presence of a building with an intended use that is different from residential.
In the building there are two distinct synagogues: a smaller one, established as a winter temple, that still remains available to the Jewish community, and the larger rectangular one, transferred to the Municipality of Ivrea in 1980 in exchange for the restructuring of the entire complex. The large synagogue, covered by a tall arched ceiling, has columns and pilasters along the perimeter walls. The coffered decoration with ornamental acanthus leaves and marble imitation remind of other canavese public and religious buildings, however the distributional organisation is significantly different. The prayer area still has benches arranged in two parallel rows, which were destined to men according to Jewish tradition, and the gallery, reserved to women. In the wall in front of the entrance you can find the tevà, a platform from which the Holy Scriptures were read and public prayers were recited, and the aròn, a sacred cabinet where the Torah scrolls were kept. In the small synagogue an imposing Torah Ark from the 19th century, in carved wood, golden and decorate after the death of Carlo Alberto.
Culture Department
Ivrea Municipality