Christian Herrmann reports on his Vanished World blog that on a visit this week to the former Great Synagogue (Groisse Shul, or Shil) in Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) he discovered that intricate wall paintings have been revealed.
They show detailed renditions of Jerusalem, including a remarkable image of people praying at the Western Wall. Another image shows a man praying in a tallis.
The building, in vul. Barbusa, dates from the mid-19th century and is now used as a carpenter’s workshop.
Although the original purpose of the building is hardly to imagine from inside, fragments of the original ceiling paintings are still visible. I want to show them to my friends. What we discover is incredible: Recently uncovered wall paintings with motifs from the bible.
One enters the carpenter’s workshop of the “Groisse Shil” through the back entrance of the building. The room is filled with dust and noise. I ask a worker if we could see the remains of the painted ceiling on the mezzanine floor. The worker points to the end of the stairs, shaking his head. The stairs are blocked. Apparently they have rented the mezzanine to another company. Then he points to the end of the workshop. We should go there, he says. We think that there is a new staircase to the top, but we’re wrong. We enter a small room – and then we wonder. We see freshly uncovered wall paintings. Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall, a lion, a deer, a praying person. The paintings are beautiful.
Read full post and see the pictures!
Christian says work appears to be going on in the room where the paintings have been revealed — he will endeavor to find out more information and report.
See architectural documentation of the Great Synagogue by Center for Jewish Art