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Status Quo Ante Synagogue (Trnava)

Coordinates: 48°22′41″N 17°35′24″E / 48.3780°N 17.5901°E / 48.3780; 17.5901
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Status Quo Ante Synagogue
Slovak: Synagóga status quo ante
The former synagogue and memorial plaque
Religion
AffiliationStatus Quo (former)
RiteNusach Ashkenaz
Ecclesiastical or organisational status
Status
  • Inactive (as a synagogue);
  • Repurposed
Location
Location2 Halenárska Street, Trnava
CountrySlovakia
Status Quo Ante Synagogue (Trnava) is located in Slovakia
Status Quo Ante Synagogue (Trnava)
Location of the former synagogue in Slovakia
Geographic coordinates48°22′41″N 17°35′24″E / 48.3780°N 17.5901°E / 48.3780; 17.5901
Architecture
Architect(s)Jakob Gartner
TypeSynagogue architecture
Style
Completed1890s
Specifications
Dome(s)Two
MaterialsBrick
Website
gjk.sk
(gallery website)
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The Status Quo Ante Synagogue (Slovak: Synagóga status quo ante) is a is a historic synagogue located in Trnava, Slovakia. Constructed in 1897 for the local Status Quo Ante Jewish community, it was designed by the Vienna-based architect Jakob Gartner in a blend of neo-Romanesque and historicist styles, featuring a distinctive twin-towered façade.[2] The building served the community until World War II, after which it fell into disrepair and was used as a warehouse before suffering fire damage in 1986.[3] Restored in the 1990s and again in 2015–2016, it now functions as the Center for Contemporary Art within the Ján Koniarek Gallery, with a Holocaust memorial at the entrance commemorating the local Jewish victims.[4][2]

History

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The synagogue was built in 1897 to serve Trnava's Status Quo Ante Jewish community, a moderate faction that emerged in the 19th century as an alternative to Orthodox and Neolog (Reform) congregations within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. [5] Trnava had a long Jewish history, with a medieval community associated with scholar Rabbi Isaac Tyrnau, but Jews were expelled in 1539 following a blood libel accusation and were barred from the city for centuries. Settlement resumed in the mid-19th century, and by 1930, the city had 2,728 Jewish residents divided between Orthodox and Status Quo Ante groups.[2] During World War II, most of Trnava's Jews were deported and murdered in the Holocaust, leaving no active community.[2] Post-war, the synagogue was repurposed as a warehouse and damaged by fire in 1986, though fragments of its murals survived.[2]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Status Quo Synagogue in Trnava". Historic synagogues of Europe. Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. n.d. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e admin (April 20, 2023). "Trnava, Status Quo Ante synagogue". Slovak Jewish Heritage. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  3. ^ "Synagóga Status Quo Ante". www.regiontrnava.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  4. ^ jhe (December 4, 2016). "Transformations: Trnava Status Quo synagogue, decades of change". Jewish Heritage Europe. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  5. ^ Borsky, Maros (2005). "Synagogue Architecture in Slovakia Towards Creating a Memorial Landscape of Lost Community" (PDF).
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Media related to Synagogue Status Quo Ante, Trnava at Wikimedia Commons