MATERIAL CULTURE

Material Culture

Material Culture

Introduction

Synagogues are gathering homes for community prayer, and gathering. Contemporary Jews sometimes use the word temple as an alternative of synagogue. Style of synagogue differ in design, but they all have some features in general: the ark where the Torah scrolls are held which must face the wall facing Jerusalem and the Ner Tamid, the everlasting flame, must be lit in front of the ark. A synagogue is a Jewish assembly and worship hall for Jews to parry, scripture reading and teaching. The Hebrew term for synagogue is "Beit Knesset" (House of Assembly), rare Beth Tefila (House of Prayer), Yiddish and "school". It is divided into the prayer room and smaller rooms for study. These classrooms are as Beth Midrash (Hebrew: house of the doctrine) refers. In addition to meeting rooms synagogue is also used for other purposes such as Kiddush, lectures, meetings, toilets, etc. (Klinger, 2008)

History

From the sixteenth century, synagogues were developed under the influence of architecture of the Renaissance, largely secular. In the later half of the seventeenth century, the synagogue was the type of defense was built outside the city, with thick walls with buttresses, battlements and loopholes. Until the end of the seventeenth century, in addition to brick, erected wooden synagogues were also about the characteristics of Polish wooden architecture (mansard roofs, porches, arcades).

The design of synagogues

Typically, a synagogue, except that it is slightly larger than rest of the buildings, architecturally it does not deviate from the nature of the construction of nudism synagogue. The only architectural style, which generally does not occur in this part of Europe, and sometimes was used in the case of the synagogues, was a Moorish style. Blending a distinctive style of the nineteenth century often appears in the other based on a different style of the synagogues. (Klinger, 2008)

From the Middle Ages in the architecture of synagogues emerged women's gallery. It was a separate room for women adjacent to the main hall and separated from the wall called mechica, or in the larger synagogues located in the gallery on the first floor, from which women could watch the whole interior. According to the recommendations of the religion, it was caused because of the concern for the men praying, prayer, because while nothing could distract their attention. According to tradition, symbolism and layout of the synagogue comes from the Temple in Jerusalem, where they remained until today only a fragment of a wall called the “ailing Wall ". It remains one of the most beautiful ancient synagogues which can be viewed at Capernaum on the shores of Lake Galilee. It is also the oldest known synagogue, which appears among the ornaments Star of David.

Church Architecture

The word Church is used to describe a building used for public religious services, usually devoted to the worship of the Christians. When the practice of Christianity emerged from the catacombs to develop, build and grow the first congregations that met in houses, began to build the ...