Sinagoga di Cherasco

The synagogue of Cherasco is an eighteenth-century ghetto synagogue preserved on the upper floor of a building in the former Jewish quarter. Its unadorned exterior contrasts with the richly decorated prayer hall and original furnishings inside.

Why it matters

The synagogue belongs to the distinctive group of Piedmontese synagogues established within existing buildings while Jewish communities lived under restrictions. Its unusually complete furnishings preserve the history and religious life of Cherasco's Jewish community.

What to notice

The prayer hall has four tall windows with Hebrew inscriptions, eighteenth-century mirrored wall sconces and wooden chandeliers. At its centre stands an octagonal tevah, a raised reading desk of carved and painted wood. On the east wall, the Torah ark is framed by twisted half-columns beneath a coloured-glass rose window. A women's gallery overlooks the square hall.

Context and history

Cherasco's Jewish community grew in the eighteenth century around the ghetto building that housed the synagogue. The furnishings date from this period. The community declined in the twentieth century, and the synagogue later underwent a three-year restoration supported by the Fondazione De Benedetti Cherasco 1547 and the Jewish Community of Turin. The foundation now cares for the town's Jewish heritage.