Great Synagogue of Rome
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The Great Synagogue of Rome (called Tempio Maggiore in Italian) was built shortly after the unification of Italy in 1870 when the Kingdom of Italy captured Rome from the Napoleanic regime backed Papal States. At that time, Victor Emmanuel II dismantled the Roman Ghetto and granted the Jews of Rome full citizenship. The building which had previously housed the ghetto synagogue (a complicated structure housing five scolas in a single building) was demolished and the community began making plans for a new and impressive building.
Designed by Vincenzo Costa and Osvaldo Armanni, the Synagogue was built from 1901-1904 on the banks of the Tiber River and overlooks the former ghetto area. The eclectic style of the building makes it stand out even in a city known for notable buildings and structures. This attention-grabbing design was a deliberate choice made by the community at the time who wanted the building to be a visible celebration of their freedom and to be seen from many vantage points in the city. The aluminium dome is the only squared dome in the city and makes the building easily identifiable even from a distance.
The Synagogue, which celebrated its centenary in 2004, is more than just a house of worship however and also serves as a cultural and organizational center for la Comunità Ebraica di Roma (the Jewish community of Rome). It houses not only the offices of the Chief Rabbi of Rome but the Jewish Museum of Rome as well. On April 13, 1986, Pope John Paul II made an unexpected visit to Rome's main synagogue - The Great Synagogue of Rome. This event marked the first known visit by a pope to a synagogue since the early history of the Catholic Church. He prayed with Rabbi Elio Toaff, the former Chief Rabbi of Rome. This was seen by many as an attempt to improve relations between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people, and as a softening of the Church's historically critical view of Judaism.
Plates remember the local victims of Nazi repressing on Jews and of a PLO attack in 1982.
On January 17, 2005, thirteen Cantors in conjunction with the Jewish Ministers Cantors Association of America, also known as the "Chazzanim Farband," performed in a cantorial concert for the first time in the 100 year old history of the synagogue. See relations of Pope John Paul II with the Jewish People for more detail
