The Synagogue of Casale Monferrato.
The Synagogue of Casale Monferrato, which was built in 1595, is particularly known for its exquisite Baroque interior with walls and ceiling embellished with elaborate painting, carving and gilding. It is located in the traditionally Jewish quarter of Casale Monferrato, which in the eighteenth century became the city’s ghetto.
As in most early modern European synagogues, the synagogue was entered not directly from the street, but via a courtyard: both for reasons of security and to comply with laws requiring that the sound of Jewish worship not be audible by Christians.
Casale Monferrato is one of the few synagogues that survive in Piedmont, which once had many. Others in, or close to, Monferrato and the Langhe include the Biella Synagogue, the Vercelli Synagogue, and those of Asti, Alessandria, Chieri,Carmagnola, Cherasco, Moncalvo and Trino Vercellese.
The synagogue is listed as a National Monument of Italy.
The archives include historical documents relating to the story of Jewish life in Casale and Monferrato, a collection of wedding contracts (ketubot) written on parchment and often richly decorated with drawings and symbols, the community registers, and a range of books printed between 1600 and 1900.
