Fortress synagogues are synagogues built to withstand attack while protecting the lives of people sheltering within them.
Fortress synagogues first appear in the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth in the sixteenth century at a time of frequent invasions from the east by Ottoman, Russian and Walachian troops. The Old Synagogue (Przemyśl) is a typical example. The region also had fortified churches, of which St. Andrew's Church, Kraków is a surviving example.
The Old Synagogue (Krakow), a rare, surviving Fortress synagogue, was rebuilt in 1570 with an attic wall featuring loopholes and windows placed far above ground level, features borrowed from military architecture. It has been altered many times since. Walls were thick masonry, with heavy buttressing to withstand assault. Like other fortifications, the synagogues were often built on hills. The Husiatyn Synagogue is another example of a surviving, sixteenth century Fortress synagogue.
Read more about Fortress Synagogues: See Also
Famous quotes containing the words fortress and/or synagogues:
“The absolute has moved into the fortress of the absurd.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.”
—Bible: New Testament Matthew 6:2-3.
The Sermon on the Mount.