Restoration work at the 18th century synagogue in Siena kicked off on July 22 and will last until the end of November. The restoration will stabilize the vault, replace the existing roof, and restore the sanctuary’s decorations, all damaged in an earthquake in February 2023.
Architect Renzo Funaro, head of the Opera del Tempio Ebraico di Firenze, which coordinates restoration work at the Siena synagogue, told JHE that the work will entail three phases.
The first, which is under way now, “consists of the installation of the scaffolding outside and inside the building, and the reinforcement of the vault from above with carbon fibers to strengthen it,” he said.
The second phase consists of dismantling the existing reinforced concrete roof, which replaced the old wooden roof in the 1970s in previous restoration work, and installing a new seismic-resistant roof. The third part consists in the restoration of the decorations and the vault.
He said the aim was to secure the building and fully reopen it to the public by the end of the year, as promised to the international investors that funded a large part of the intervention. Meanwhile, once the scaffolding is up, parts of the building, including the small Jewish museum, will still remain open to visitors.
Located just off Siena’s expansive central Campo, the synagogue was inaugurated in 1786 as an extension of an earlier one, following the project of Giuseppe del Rosso. Since the earthquake, the vaulted sanctuary has been closed both for prayers and to visitors. In April 2024, the synagogue was listed by Europa Nostra as one of the 2024 Seven Most Endangered Heritage Sites in Europe.
In September 2023, The Jewish community of Florence launched a fundraising campaign to restore the synagogue, seeking a total of €380,000. (The tiny Jewish community of Siena is a branch of the Florence community.) UPDATE: The campaign as of mid-August has raised just over €350,000 and is still open for donations. (Americans can make tax deductible donations here.)
A large part of the needed funding was secured thanks to grants from the Leon Levy Foundation, the David Berg Foundation (through the World Monuments Fund), the Società Israelitica della Misericordia di Siena, the Fondazione Beni Culturali Ebraici in Italia, and others.