Synagogue of El Tránsito facts for kids

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The Synagogue of El Tránsito (Spanish: Sinagoga del Tránsito) is a famous building in Toledo, Spain. It's also known as the Synagogue of Samuel ha-Levi. This historic place has been a synagogue, a church, and is now a museum. It was built in 1357 by Don Meir Abdeil. The synagogue was part of the palace of Samuel HaLevi, who was a very important treasurer for King Peter of Castile.

After Jewish people were expelled from Spain in 1492, the synagogue became a church. Later, in the early 1800s, it was used as military barracks during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1910, it became a museum, now called the Sephardic Museum. People love this building for its beautiful stucco decorations, its Mudéjar style, and its special gallery for women.

The Ark of the synagogue, where Torah scrolls were kept.

History of the Building
Architecture of the Synagogue
Images for kids
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History of the Building

A statue of Samuel ha-Levi.

Building the Synagogue

The synagogue was built around 1357. It was paid for by Samuel HaLevi, a powerful Jewish leader. His family had worked for the kings of Castile for many years. They included wise scholars and experts in kabbalah, a Jewish mystical tradition.

This synagogue was in Toledo's old Jewish quarter. It was connected to Samuel Abulafia's house and was meant to be his private place of worship. It also served as a yeshiva, a school for Jewish religious studies.

Some people think King Peter of Castile allowed the synagogue to be built to thank Samuel for his loyal service. The king might also have wanted to make up for the persecution of Jews during the Black Death in 1348.

During the 14th century, it was usually against the law to build new synagogues in Spain. It's still debated why this one was allowed. One reason might be Samuel's close relationship with King Peter of Castile. Another idea is that it was a private building, so the rules might not have applied. Sometimes, people could also pay a fee to get around the ban. Newer evidence suggests the synagogue was built on top of an older one. This would mean it wasn't seen as a "new" building, which was a clever way to follow the rules.

Sadly, Samuel later lost the king's favor. He was arrested in 1360, accused of corruption, and died after being tortured.

During the terrible Massacre of 1391, the Jewish quarter in Toledo was attacked. However, the synagogue itself was saved.

Becoming a Church

After Jewish people were expelled from Spain in 1492, the synagogue was turned into a church. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella gave it to the Order of Calatrava, a military and religious order. They changed the building into a church dedicated to Saint Benedict.

The church got its name "El Tránsito" from this time. This name refers to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. In the 17th century, its name changed to Nuestra Señora del Tránsito. This was because of a painting inside by Juan Correa de Vivar that showed the "Transit of the Virgin."

Used as Military Barracks

During the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800s, the synagogue was used as military headquarters. Soldiers lived and worked there for a short time.

Becoming a National Monument and Museum

In 1877, the building became a national monument. This meant it was protected by the government. Around 1910, work began to turn it into the Sephardi Museum.

In 1964, a special order officially created the Museo Sefardi, located in the Synagogue of Samuel ha-Levi. Four years later, in 1968, it was renamed the National Museum for Hispanic-Hebraic Art. The building is still a museum today and is very well preserved.

Restoring the Building

After being a church and military barracks, the building needed a lot of repairs. The first major restoration started in 1879. Workers cleaned and fixed the Torah ark, which held the sacred scrolls. They also repaired many decorative screens and removed some Hebrew inscriptions.

Later, in 1884, a new architect, Arturo Mélida y Alinari, took over. He focused on fixing the roof, the outside walls, and making the building stronger. The building fell into disrepair again before becoming part of the El Greco Museum in 1911. This led to another big restoration project. Old scaffolding and partitions from the women's gallery were removed. The wooden church choir and parts of the inside were restored. A library was added to the lower part of the gallery. This library is now an important center for Hebrew studies.

Architecture of the Synagogue

Samuel ha-Levi built this synagogue with the king's permission. He ignored the rules that said synagogues had to be smaller and plainer than churches. The main prayer hall is a rectangle, about 23 meters (75.5 feet) long and 9.5 meters (29.5 feet) wide. It has a very high ceiling, about 12 meters (40 feet) tall.

The inside is decorated with colorful Nasrid-style stucco, which is a type of plaster decoration. It also has beautiful arches and a huge wooden ceiling called an artesonado. You can see Hebrew inscriptions praising the king and Samuel, as well as Arabic writings and quotes from Psalms. There are also Christian symbols mixed with Islamic and Jewish designs. The ha-Levi family's coat of arms is also part of the decoration.

Arabic inscriptions are around the prayer room, mixed with flower patterns in the stucco. They are written in Kufic script and include positive messages about God, common in Islamic buildings. Along the prayer hall are large frames made of larch wood, decorated with carved, colorful ivory. The original floor was made of mosaics, but only some parts remain. Many windows let in light.

Women and men sat separately during services. A special gallery on the second floor was for women. This gallery is along the southern wall and has five wide openings looking down towards the Torah ark. The ark, called the hekhal by Sefardic Jews, had a new design. It featured a large front with three vertical panels, a special pattern called sebka, and decorative edges with plant designs.

The design of El Tránsito influenced other synagogues built in the 14th century. For example, the Córdoba Synagogue has a similar three-panel ark design and Mudéjar architecture.

Unlike the highly decorated inside, the synagogue's outside was simple. It was built with brick and stone and had little decoration. The walls were plain, with a special aljima window (two horseshoe arches) above the entrance door. This made the synagogue look like a normal building from the outside. Only its tall roof made it stand out a little from the buildings next to it.

The eastern wall inside has the most decoration. It is made of cedar wood and divided into six parts. The top half has arches, and the center has intricate patterns. It's believed that Samuel imported the wood from Lebanon to copy King Solomon's temple.

Mudéjar Style

The El Tránsito Synagogue is a great example of the mudéjar style. This style mixes Islamic and Christian art and architecture in medieval Spain. Its outer design shows the high social status and power of Samuel ha-Levi.

Ha-Levi often visited the court of the Nasrid dynasty in Granada, at the palace of the Alhambra. He likely spoke Arabic. Because of this, many believe he was inspired by the Alhambra's architecture and copied it for his synagogue.

Around the same time, Muhammad V built the Alhambra. King Peter of Castile also restored the Alcazar of Sevilla, a historic fortress with Nasrid and Mudéjar designs. Muhammad V and Peter of Castile were sometimes allies. They may have shared their architects and artists to build their grand palaces. As the king's treasurer, ha-Levi traveled between Seville, Granada, and Toledo while his synagogue was being built. He also worked with the king's builders and architects on construction costs. So, he probably used the same talented people and design ideas.

The mix of Islamic architecture with the Castilian coat of arms is important. It shows that Ha-Levi worked well with the main religions of the time. The fact that Samuel was trusted to use the Castile seal shows his power and how much King Peter of Castile relied on him.

Hebrew and Arabic Inscriptions

The Arabic inscriptions in the Synagogue are decorative. They are readable but are not from the Quran. They are placed away from the Eastern wall, which is the main focus, and higher up. They were also meant to show good relations between different faiths. For example, one says: Bi'l ni'mah wa-bi'l quwah wa bo'l karamah, which means "by (or in) grace, power, generosity, salvation."

The Hebrew inscriptions, however, come from Psalms. One mentions Ariel, which refers to Jerusalem. The Hebrew inscriptions around the coat of arms say:

Of the graces of the Lord let us sing and of the works of the Lord according to what he has bestowed on us and hath done great things with us...instituting judges and ministers to save his people from the hand of Enemies and oppressors

And there is no King in Israel, he hath not left us without a Redeemer

He is the bulwark tower, which since the day of the exile of Ariel None like him has risen in Israel

For the Name and the glory and the praise

Known is his name in Israel since the day he dwelt on his land and stood before Kings

To him who stands in the breach

And seeks the good of his people

Head of the exile of Ariel,

The select of the leaders.

The crown and the great man of the Jews

To him peoples come from the ends of the Earth

....He is the ruler of the land

The great tamarisk

Fort of strength and greatness

He ascended in the degrees of greatness in accordance with his praise, and great and holy

Will he be called

The right pillar upon which the House of the Levite (Halevi) and the House of Israel are set

And who can count his praises?

His virtues and his deeds

Who can recount

And who will attain to complete praise

Diadem of rule Prestige of Dignity

He stands at the head of the order

Exalted among the exalted of the Levites of God Samuel Ha-Levy

The man raised on high

May God be with him and let him go up

He found grace and

Favor in the eyes of the great eagle, the great one, the man of war and the man of the middle

The fear of whom has fallen on all peoples

Great is his name among the nations

The great King, our shelter and our lord the King Don Pedro

May God aid him,

And increase His might and his glory

And guard him as the shepherd of his flock

The King has made Him great and exalted him

And raised his throne above all the ministers....

And without him shall no man lift up his hand or his foot

And the nobles bowed themselves to him with their face to the ground....

Through all the land is he known among

The peoples heard

His fame has been heard through all the kingdoms,

And he has been to Israel as a savior"

Also on the Eastern wall, above the blind arches, is a special plaque about Samuel HaLevi. It's hard to read the exact date because it's old. But experts figured out the year by using Hebrew letters that also stand for numbers. The letters טוב ליהודים add up to 5122 in the Hebrew calendar, which is 1357 in the Gregorian calendar.

The exalted pious prince of princes of Levi…has exceeded in all deeds by building a house of prayer for the Lord God of Israel… and he commenced building this house in the year (1357)

Below the Coat of arms of Castile and León is another Hebrew inscription. It praises the synagogue's beauty. It mentions Bezalel, a person from the Bible chosen to build the Tabernacle. This compares Samuel ha-Levi to Bezalel.

And its atriums for those attentive to the perfect Law/and its seated places for those who sit in His shadow/of such a type that those who see it must almost say: The design of this [temple]/ is like the design of the work by Bezalel/Walk, nations, and enter through its doors/And look for God, since like the house of God it is, like Bethel"

In the prayer room, just below the ceiling on all four walls, there is this inscription:

An inscription surrounding the Coat of arms of Castile and Leon.

"See the sanctuary now consecrated in Israel

And the house which was built by Samuel with a pulpit of wood for reading the law

With its scrolls and its crowns all for God

And its lavers and lamps to illuminate
And its windows like the windows of Ariel"

Some experts think these inscriptions also refer to another famous Samuel, Samuel ibn Naghrillah (993-1056). He was an important Jewish leader in the Middle Ages. Both Samuels were proud of their family history as Levites.

Motifs and Symbols

Islamic plant patterns, like those found in the synagogue.

The starry sky on the synagogue's frieze (a decorated band) represents heaven. The floor, with its plant patterns, stands for Earth. This design shows the separation of heaven and Earth. It also connects to Jerusalem. In Jewish belief, Jerusalem is the highest place on Earth, making it the closest to heaven.

Inside the synagogue, there is a stucco carving near the top of the wall and also lower down that represents Jerusalem. This symbol of Jerusalem comes from the Genesis creation narrative. The way the stucco and inscriptions are placed reminds people of the Alhambra palace. Samuel wanted visitors to "read" the architecture and art like a book, just like in the palaces and mosques of al-Andalus.