Description
In the heart of Asti’s former Jewish ghetto, on Via Ottolenghi, stands the Synagogue, bearing witness to a Jewish presence in the city that has been documented since the fourteenth century.
Although a place of worship already existed on this site in 1601, the building’s present appearance reflects the atmosphere of emancipation that followed the 1848 revolution. The surrounding area had been designated as the Jewish ghetto from 1724 until 1848.
A major transformation took place in 1889, when the Ottolenghi brothers, Jacob Sanson and Leonetto, financed the renovation of the façade. They personally oversaw the project, which was subsequently carried out by the surveyors Carlo Benzi and Felice Momigliano.
Outside, the entrance forecourt still preserves its two original lamps, which were once lit by gas.
Beyond the entrance, the prayer hall reveals the changes made during the nineteenth-century renovation. These include the spacious women’s gallery, three Art Nouveau stained-glass windows and the relocation of the tevah from the centre of the hall to the rear, in front of the Holy Ark.
The tevah is the raised platform from which the Sefer Torah — the scroll containing the Jewish Law — is read and prayers are led.
The Jewish Museum is housed in the former winter prayer room. Its collection includes silver objects, textiles, manuscripts and ceremonial items used in religious worship.
The complex tells more than the story of a religious community. It also bears witness to the important economic and intellectual contribution of Asti’s Jewish population, which helped shape the city into a rich mosaic of different cultures.