Main entry:

Gruber, Samuel.

Title & Author:

Synagogues / Samuel D. Gruber.

Publication:

New York, NY : Metro Books, ©1999.

Description:

120 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 31 cm

Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (page 118) and index.
Introduction: The nature of synagogues -- Form and function -- What makes a synagogue? -- In the beginning -- The synagogue in the ancient world -- Tucked away -- Synagogues in the Middle Ages -- Emerging elegance -- From Renaissance to emancipation -- Prosperity -- Synagogues in the Muslim world -- Unexpected worlds -- Synagogues in India and East Asia -- Glory -- Emancipation and reform -- Recovery -- Postwar synagogues -- Freedom -- Synagogues in America.

Summary:

For almost two thousand years, the synagogue has been the focal point of Jewish life and identity. This gloriously illustrated volume traces the history of the synagogue and follows the long and proud history of the Jewish people through the spread and development of synagogue art and architecture throughout the ages and across continents.
Architecturally, the synagogue has been the most prominent of Jewish buildings. As the ceremonial center of Jewish life, it has also been the locus for Jewish art.
The selection of synagogues in this volume represents the glory and dramatic sweep of Jewish history: from the ancient stones of the remains of the synagogues at Beth Alpha and Dura Europos to the elaborate, cathedral-like synagogues of nineteenth-century Vienna and Berlin. From simple wooden Polish synagogues to the modern architectural wonders of the United States, synagogue architecture expresses the diverse experiences of the Jewish people at different times and in different communities.
Synagogues is far more than a look at stunning architecture; it's a journey through the history of the Jewish people, through ages of despair, when medieval European synagogues were hidden away from those who would destroy them; and ages of triumph, such as the golden age of the ancient Muslim world, when synagogues were erected in Aleppo, Syria, and Fez, Morocco. Jewish houses of worship turn up even in unexpected corners of the world, such as Cochin, India, and Hong Kong, China.
This beautiful volume is also a history of architecture through the ages and around the world, as synagogue builders adopted local styles and adapted them for their own use. Synagogues portrays both the sumptuousness of classical architecture and today's sleek, spare works. Dramatic photographs capture the sweeping interiors of these houses of worship, while more intimate shots focus on the small details that make each of those interiors truly individual.
A breathtakingly gorgeous volume, with spreads showing the interiors and exteriors of these places of holiness, Synagogues offers a glorious armchair tour of these houses of worship around the world.

ISBN:

1567997422
9781567997422

Subject:

Synagogues History.
Synagogue architecture History.
Architecture synagogale Histoire.
Synagogue architecture
Synagogues
Synagoge.

Form/genre:

History

Holdings:

Location: Library main 204683
Call No.: BM653 .G78 1999
Status: Available