Delicate work is under way to consolidate the mosaic marble flooring of the great synagogue in Florence to prevent possible collapse.
Work began on June 1 and is to continue through the month. The Opera del Tempio di Firenze — the body that oversees the repair, maintenance, and restoration of the synagogue said in a statement:
Recent georadar and geoelectrical investigations brought to light the fact that the underlying base of the synagogue was sinking, causing a number of voids beneath various zones of the central floor, with diffuse evidence of subsidence and with possible risk of collapse of several sectors of the pavement.
The flooring of the synagogue consists of cut and shaped slabs of colored marble laid out like a mosaic in geometric patterns, including repeated representations of six-pointed stars of David.
Photographs provided showed empty spaces dicsocvered beneath the flooring level.
The repair work, the statement said, will cover 400 square meters and will involve the injection of expanding resin into three layers of the underflooring to consolidate the various strata in accordance with the subsidence.
The work has been funded and supported by The Fondazione CRFirenze, the World Monuments Fund, the Foundation for Jewish Cultural Heritage in Italy, and the University of Florence.
Here’s a floor plan of the synagogue, showing the mosaic pavement.
The Florence synagogue, a majestic Moorish-style building with the second-largest dome in Florence, was inaugurated in 1882.
The Opera del Tempio statement said the synagogue was still suffering the effect of damage caused in August 1944 when German troops fleeing through the city mined it, blowing up some of the interior columns. Urgent repairs were carried out on the cupola in 2018.
See the Opera del Tempio statement, with pictures