Sinagoga de Tomar – Museu Luso-Hebraico Abraão Zacuto

About the museum

The Synagogue of Tomar was built between 1430 and 1460 by order of Infante D. Henrique, who maintained close relations with the local Jewish community. It has a square plan and vaults supported by four columns, which symbolise the four matriarchs of Israel, and twelve corbels on the walls, alluding to the twelve tribes. Besides worship, it served the community as a school, assembly hall and court.

With the expulsion of the Jews decreed in 1496, the building was closed and had very different uses: public prison, Christian chapel (the ermida of São Bartolomeu) and later a hayloft, granary, grocery and storeroom. In 1923 the researcher Samuel Schwarz, a Jewish engineer of Polish origin, bought the property and saved it from neglect; in 1939 he donated it to the State to house the Museu Luso-Hebraico Abraão Zacuto, which commemorates the astronomer, mathematician and rabbi from Salamanca who took refuge in Portugal in 1492.

The collection consists mainly of funerary tombstones from various parts of the country, objects of worship and other pieces of Hebrew culture. Excavations carried out in 1985 in an adjoining room revealed water-heating structures linked to a mikvé, the ritual bath for purification. After improvement works, the Núcleo Interpretativo da Sinagoga de Tomar opened on 15 October 2019, presenting the origins of Judaism and the Jewish presence in the town.

Highlights

• 15th-century synagogue, the only one from this period fully preserved in Portugal
• Vaults on four columns and twelve corbels with symbolic meaning
• Collection of Jewish funerary tombstones from various regions of the country
• Remains of a mikvé discovered in excavations
• Interpretation centre on the Jewish presence in Tomar

Permanent exhibitions

• Museu Luso-Hebraico Abraão Zacuto – Collection of Jewish funerary tombstones, objects of worship and other pieces of Hebrew culture, inside the synagogue.
• Núcleo Interpretativo da Sinagoga de Tomar – Space open to the public since 2019 on the origins of Judaism and the Jewish presence in Tomar.

Founded

1939

Operated by

Município de Tomar

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Accessibility information not stated in the sources consulted.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The synagogue is on Rua Dr. Joaquim Jacinto, in the historic centre of Tomar.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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