With its tall square dome, the monumental Tempio Maggiore or Great Synagogue in Rome is usually a striking city landmark on the bank of the Tiber River.
These days it is still notable — but for another reason: its exterior is undergoing maintenance and restoration work, and almost the entire building is swathed in scaffolding and protective sheeting. It presents a striking image!
The work is being carried out by REMI, a firm specialising in the maintenance and restoration of cultural heritage.
Almost the entire building is covered up — with the synagogue’s windows and other features traced on parts of the cover. Changing advertisements are also shown on the scaffolding.
Designed by Vincenzo Costa and Osvaldo Armanni, the synagogue was inaugurated in 1904, on the site of the historic (and insalubrious) ghetto where Jews had been forced to live for centuries and which had recently been torn down. A so-called “cathedral synagogue,” it demonstrated by its prominence and grandeur the new-found freedoms won by Jews after full emancipation.
2 comments on “Italy: Rome’s main synagogue, the Tempio Maggiore, presents a striking image swathed in scaffolding and sheeting for maintenance and restoration”
Fabulous