Old Synagogue (Canterbury)

Old synagogue, view from the street

The old synagogue in Canterbury is considered one of the best monuments of the Egyptizing architectural style of its kind ^[1] . The earliest evidence of the existence of a Jewish community in Canterbury dates from 1160. It is known that this community flourished and traded in corn (grain) and wool, and also engaged in banking. Despite the pogroms in 1261 and 1264, the Jewish community flourished until the royal expulsion order issued by Edward I in 1290. The presence of Jews is noted in the street name: Jyvri Lane or Jewish Lane.

It is known that the modern Jewish community existed in Canterbury already in 1720. The current building was designed by an architect from Canterbury, a Christian gentleman named Ezekiah Marshall, and was built in 1846-1848 to replace the building erected in 1763 and subsequently demolished to build a new railway for the Southeast Railway Company. The first stone in the foundation of the synagogue was laid by Sir Moses Montefiore in September 1847. The building is made of Portland cement , which has the appearance of granite. Here stands the central vima , whose columns are decorated with capitals from lotus leaves, and a female balcony, supported by Egyptian-style obelisks. The mikva of the synagogue is described as "a miniature temple with brick trim installed in the garden behind the synagogue." This is the only known Egyptian-style mikveh in the world. ^{[2] [3]} It is known that in medieval times there was a shelter for the Knights Templar . ^[four]

The Old Synagogue currently only serves from time to time as a place of worship conducted by the Jewish Society at the University of Kent. The first Shabbat ministry with the minyan and the reading of the Torah took place in 2011. ^{[1] [5]}