The Synagogue is located at Via dell’Aquila, number 3, in Reggio Emilia.
Historical Notes
The Synagogue of Reggio Emilia is one of the symbolic places of Jewish memory in the city.
It stands in the heart of the ancient Jewish ghetto, established in the second half of the 17th century and bordered by Via Caggiati, Via della Volta, Via dell’Aquila, and Monzermone, in accordance with the segregation policies that affected most Italian cities. A first temple existed in this area as early as 1672, built by the local Jewish community to provide a place of worship within the ghetto, as mandated by the ducal authorities.
The current synagogue was built between 1857 and 1858 based on a design by architect Pietro Marchelli (1806–1874), a key figure in Reggio Emilia’s neoclassicism.
Leggi tutto
The construction took place at a significant historical moment: a few years later, with the unification of Italy (1861), Italian Jews would achieve civil emancipation and the possibility of leaving the ghetto, finally gaining full citizenship rights. The synagogue, therefore, represents a bridge between the long period of segregation and the new prospects of social and political integration.
During the twentieth century, the Jewish community of Reggio Emilia, large and culturally active until the 1930s, was severely affected by the racial laws of 1938 and by Nazi-Fascist persecution. Many members were deported and never returned.
Riduci
After the war, the synagogue increasingly assumed the value of a place of memory, as well as of worship, becoming a point of reference for the city during moments of commemoration and reflection on the Holocaust. Today, the building no longer hosts regular religious services, but is open for events, celebrations, and guided tours, especially on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The Architecture
The synagogue features a sober and balanced neoclassical façade, a testament to Pietro Marchelli, who skillfully adapted the monumental language of classicism to simple, functional forms for a place of community worship.
Leggi tutto
Riduci
The façade is punctuated by columns and pilasters, culminating in a triangular tympanum, following a pattern typical of 19th-century religious architecture, but reinterpreted with restrained elegance and without excessive decoration.
The rectangular interior is enriched by the presence of lateral women’s galleries, once intended for women according to Jewish tradition, which contribute to the sense of verticality and solemnity of the space.
The central axis leads to the Aron ha-Kodesh, the sacred shrine containing the Torah scrolls, located on the eastern wall and highlighted by a 19th-century decorative scheme combining stucco and pictorial motifs. The interior decorations reflect the eclectic taste of the 19th century, with ornamental inserts that, though simple, contribute to a serene and solemn atmosphere.
The prayer hall also preserves some original liturgical furnishings, testifying to the vitality of the Reggio Emilia Jewish community until the mid-20th century. The choice of a sober yet solemn neoclassical style is part of a period in which many Italian Jewish communities, emancipated or in the process of emancipation, sought to build synagogues that reflected dignity, social recognition, and urban roots.
Today, the Reggio Emilia synagogue is not only an architectural monument, but above all a place of civic memory. Its presence in the heart of the former ghetto brings to life the history of the Jewish community, from the period of segregation to Nazi-Fascist persecution, up until the return to democratic life.
In recent decades, the building has been used as a cultural center for exhibitions, conferences, concerts, and educational activities, becoming an integral part of the city’s fabric and a tool for interreligious and intercultural dialogue.