The art nouveau influenced Great Synagogue in Antwerp — Belgium’s largest synagogue — has reopened after a years-long process of full-scale restoration. Work included the painstaking cleaning and repair of the sanctuary’s 70 chandeliers, as well as other extensive repairs to both the interior and exterior of the building.
“The great ‘Osten Shul’ is not only a historical monument, it is a Synagogue and therefore a meeting place that is alive and vibrant thanks to the Antwerp Jewish community,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in a speech at the inauguration ceremony Sunday (May 7).
The synagogue has existed for more than 100 years and thanks to this fantastic renovation, it is ready for the next 100 years. The understated, timeless style of this building perfectly reflects long-standing Jewish traditions and customs.
In 2016 the Flemish government awarded €1,643,000 toward the restoration of the synagogue, seat of the orthodox Machsike Hadass congregation, as part of a €4 million grant allocated for the restoration of two synagogues in Antwerp: the Great Synagogue and the Shomre HaDas, or so-called “Dutch” synagogue. The Dutch synagogue was rededicated last year.
The synagogue was designed just before World War I by the Jewish architect Jules Hofman, who incorporated art nouveau touches to the eclectic plan and decoration. But it wasn’t officially dedicated until after war, in 1919.
“Hofman decorated the sandstone facade of the synagogue with the typical basket-shaped windows, graceful columns and two corner towers,” states the Open Monuments web site in an article describing the restoration. “Behind it are the prayer rooms that are bathed in light thanks to the skylights in colorful stained glass.”
The synagogue — damaged in WW2 and also by a fire in 1963 — has been listed as a protected monument since 2003.
In collaboration with the architectural firm Vanhecke & Suls, the PIT construction company started restoration work in 2019. During the process, scaffolding filled the interior for many months.
The renovation of the chandeliers took an enormous amount of time, PIT Project leader Erik Van Waes said. “The three largest chandeliers, which hang above the nave, each have 48 arms and more than two hundred parts. It was a feat,” he said.
In addition to the chandeliers, PIT said “the existing stained glass windows and cupolas showed severe damage, there were no fire safety provisions and the roof leaked in several places.”
Van Waes said the facade was repaired and rejoined where necessary and “the entire facade cleaned and thus restored to its former glory.” The rear facades were also restored.
Inside the building, he said, “the original materials were reused as much as possible: the parquet floor was largely recovered, replaced and supplemented with new strips. All the parquet was sanded and finished with a layer of varnish.”
Watch a video posted on its Facebook page by the construction company PIT Antwerp:
Read Prime Minister De Croo’s speech
Read an article detailing how the chandeliers were restored