Experts carrying out restoration work on the apse and elaborate main altarpiece of the Santa Maria la Blanca church in Seville have identified the site, long concealed by the altar, where the Ark had stood when the church functioned as a synagogue in medieval times.
According to José María Rincón, the director of the restoration, the site of the Ark had been concealed by the gilded, wall-sized baroque altarpiece, which was installed in the mid-17th century. The discovery, he said, represents “a unique opportunity to witness an element unseen for 350 years, soon to be veiled once more, likely never to be seen again.” He told local media that the Ark was “in an exceedingly precarious state of conservation.”
The Santa Maria la Blanca church served as a mosque from the 11th century until the Catholic reconquest of the city in 1248. It was then repurposed as a synagogue, in the heart of the medieval Jewish quarter. After the massacre and forced conversion of the Jews in 1391, it became a Catholic church. It underwent many architectural modifications over the centuries, culminating in its Baroque transformation, with the main altarpiece constructed in 1657-1660. It is an ornate structure with twisted columns framing an image of the Madonna and child.
Archaeologists and restorers began work on the altarpiece and apse In November, dismantling the altarpiece for the restoration. The project was organized by the Heritage and Urban Planning Department of the Andalusian regional government.
Ahead of the work, Rincon told local media that he suspected that remnants of the medieval synagogue could come to light. Historians had already supposed that the area now occupied by the main altarpiece had once served as the location of the ark.
The site will again be concealed by the main altarpiece after completion of the restoration.
Watch a YouTube video (in Spanish) detailing the discovery and other aspects of the restoration:
3 comments on “Spain: Remains of the medieval synagogue discovered during restoration of the main altarpiece in the Santa Maria la Blanca church in Seville”
We saw this restoration being done. Our hotel was right next door. Our Jewish tour guide who had showed us Cordoba told us the back story that the priest of this church told him that they could never show the arc because it is a working church. Later the priest suggested if a Jewish group wanted it preserved they should help pay 20,,000 euros for the restoration. Seriously?
A Jewish restoration or historical organization should remove and restore the parts of the arc that were once a Synagogue and place it in a museum for all to see.
It is a pity that there was no translation into English in captions. It would have been useful to have understood what the gentleman was saying.