Status Quo Ante Synagogue (Trnava)
| Status Quo Ante Synagogue | |
|---|---|
Slovak: Synagóga status quo ante | |
 The former synagogue and memorial plaque | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Status Quo (former) |
| Rite | Nusach Ashkenaz |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status |
|
| Status |
|
| Location | |
| Location | 2 Halenárska Street, Trnava |
| Country | Slovakia |
  Location of the former synagogue in Slovakia | |
| Geographic coordinates | 48°22′41″N 17°35′24″E / 48.3780°N 17.5901°E |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Jakob Gartner |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Style | |
| Completed | 1890s |
| Specifications | |
| Dome(s) | Two |
| Materials | Brick |
| Website | |
| gjk (gallery website) | |
| [1] | |
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
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]
Gallery
-
The Holocaust memorial plate
See also
- Controversy in use of the Trnava Orthodox Synagogue
- History of the Jews in Slovakia
- List of synagogues in Slovakia
References
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c d e admin (April 20, 2023). "Trnava, Status Quo Ante synagogue". Slovak Jewish Heritage. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ "Synagóga Status Quo Ante". www.regiontrnava.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ jhe (December 4, 2016). "Transformations: Trnava Status Quo synagogue, decades of change". Jewish Heritage Europe. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ Borsky, Maros (2005). "Synagogue Architecture in Slovakia Towards Creating a Memorial Landscape of Lost Community" (PDF).
External links
Media related to Synagogue Status Quo Ante, Trnava at Wikimedia Commons
