Mikveh (Speyer, Rhineland)

ca. 1120

Photo of a stone stairway descending to an arched alcove with two arched windows above a larger rectangular window. — The mikveh (ritual bath) in Speyer, Rhineland (Germany), was built around 1120, shortly after the construction of the local synagogue, which it abuts. The mikveh was constructed in the contemporary Romanesque style and is almost completely preserved. Like the synagogue, the mikveh was probably built by Christian workmen. The stairway down from the surface to the mikveh is barrel vaulted and leads to a square bathing area, 33 feet (10 m) deep, which is fed by groundwater. This mikveh is one of the oldest preserved in central Europe.

Photo of a stone room with an arched doorway, stone benches and columns, and a stairway. — The mikveh (ritual bath) in Speyer, Rhineland (Germany), was built around 1120, shortly after the construction of the local synagogue, which it abuts. The mikveh was constructed in the contemporary Romanesque style and is almost completely preserved. Like the synagogue, the mikveh was probably built by Christian workmen. The stairway down from the surface to the mikveh is barrel vaulted and leads to a square bathing area, 33 feet (10 m) deep, which is fed by groundwater. This mikveh is one of the oldest preserved in central Europe.

Photo of a rectangular stone and brick pool partially filled with water, with a stairway descending into it and an arched door. — The mikveh (ritual bath) in Speyer, Rhineland (Germany), was built around 1120, shortly after the construction of the local synagogue, which it abuts. The mikveh was constructed in the contemporary Romanesque style and is almost completely preserved. Like the synagogue, the mikveh was probably built by Christian workmen. The stairway down from the surface to the mikveh is barrel vaulted and leads to a square bathing area, 33 feet (10 m) deep, which is fed by groundwater. This mikveh is one of the oldest preserved in central Europe.

The mikveh (ritual bath) in Speyer, Rhineland (Germany), was built around 1120, shortly after the construction of the local synagogue, which it abuts. The mikveh was constructed in the contemporary Romanesque style and is almost completely preserved. Like the synagogue, the mikveh was probably built by Christian workmen. The stairway down from the surface to the mikveh is barrel vaulted and leads to a square bathing area, 33 feet (10 m) deep, which is fed by groundwater. This mikveh is one of the oldest preserved in central Europe.

Credits

Chris 73 via Wikimedia, “Judenbad Speyer 3 First Room view.” Licensed under (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Chris 73 via Wikimedia Commons, “Judenbad Speyer 4 changing alcove in first room.” Licensed under (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Chris 73 via Wikimedia, “Judenbad Speyer 6 View from the first room down.” Licensed under (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.

Synagogue (Worms, Rhineland)

This foundation stone is the only remaining piece of the earliest synagogue in Worms, Rhineland (Germany). Its text expresses gratitude to Jacob bar David and his wife Rachel for having donated the…

View Source

Photo of a wooden architectural panel with a relief of intricate geometric and floral patterning and a line of Hebrew text down the left side.

Decorative Arch, Ben Ezra Synagogue (Fustāt, Egypt)

The Ben Ezra synagogue seems to have received its current name from a legend that the biblical Ezra gave a Torah scroll to the Jewish congregation in Fustāt (Old Cairo). More significantly, it was in…

View Source

Rectangular mounted wooden plaque with two lines of carved Hebrew script.

An Oak Board from a Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt

This oak board, measuring about 4.5 feet (137 cm) by 9 inches (23 cm), dates to eleventh- or twelfth-century Cairo. It was once affixed above a synagogue door and inscribed with the biblical verses…

View Source

Photo of a weathered stone wall with two arched windows, a small circular window, several irrecular patches, and white-plastered brick along the top.

Synagogue (Speyer, Rhineland)

Little remains from the large synagogue built in Speyer in 1104. It appears to have included a Romanesque hall, approximately 35 feet (10.7 m) by 57 feet (17.4 m), with glazed windows and a floor…

View Source

Photo of the bottom part of a stone and brick room with rough, uneven walls and partial columns.

Synagogue (Guildford, England)

The remains of this medieval synagogue in Guildford, a town southwest of London, were discovered in 1995. The structure has been dated to around 1180, making it the oldest remaining synagogue building…

View Source

Photo of a stone plaque with weathered, engraved Hebrew text, mounted into a brick wall.

Mikveh (Worms, Rhineland)

The dedicatory plaque for this mikveh (ritual bath) names Joseph ha-Levi as a donor. The mikveh itself was made of sandstone bricks and plaster. One entered it from a doorway that opened to the…

View Source

Engage with this Source