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FLORENCECITYWALK6.pptxJews and florence
WALK VI
JEWISH PRESENCE IN FLORENCE BEFORE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GHETTO
The Jewish presence in Florence is documented since the Middle Ages;
The first community can be dated around 1437 when Cosimo de’Medici, the Elder, summoned a group of moneylenders to Florence;
The first Jewish nucleus established itself on the left side of the Arno river, in an area that came to be known as Via dei Giudei (Street of the Jews) between Borgo San Jacopo and Via dei Rammagliati. Their loan and pawnshops were developed around the city there were no restrictions on Jewish life.
The establishment of the ghetto in 1571
The creation of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and mainly the ascent to the throne of Cosimo I brought positive changes and privileges to the Jews.
In 1555 with the promulgation of the bull, Pope Paul IV forced Jews to limit their business activities and to live confined in one district.
Ghetto was created in Florence starting in 1570 and its construction continued for several years. The plans were prepared by the architect Bernardo Buontalenti who rearranged the district between what is now Piazza della Repubblica, Via Roma, Via del Campidoglio and Via Brunelleschi.
The two synagogues, Scuola Italiana (Italian School) and Scuola Spagnola or Levantina (Spanish or Levantine School) date from this time.
On the righ, the map of Florence drawn by Buonsignori in 1583 shows the Ghetto as well as the perimeters of the Jewish cemeteries.
the expansion of the ghetto:1721 and Demolition of the ghetto
The Grand Duke Cosimo III forced many Jews, especially the Levantines who had the privilege to live outside the confines of the Ghetto, to move back in.
To provide more space , the houses between what is now Via del Campidoglio and Piazza dell’Olio were modified and included in to the new Ghetto;
This arrangement is documented in the Book of Maps (one of the most valuable documents on Florentine urban history) dated 1721 that includes a brief description of each room and floor plan.
After the Emancipation, voted by the parliament of the Kingdom of Italy shortly after its installation 1861, the Jews moved out of the Ghetto, and they settled in other parts of the city.
The new temple: the synagogue
It was designed in1872 after a long debate among the members of the Council of the Jewish Community;
When Florence become the capital of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, plans were made to remodel the entire city; the city government wanted to transform the old districts and adapt the urban layout to the city’s new role and make it similar to the other European cities;
Many medieval districts, including the Ghetto were demolished;
Three architects were appointed to work on the plan of the new Synagogue: Mariano Falcini, Vincenzo Micheli, Marco Treves;
The plan of the Temple is an eclectic Moorish style;
The exterior is modeled on Arab and Byzantine architecture; the interior is built to a basilica plan with three aisles and an apse;
The outside walls are entirely clad in slabs of travertine and ”pomato rosa” from Assisi, stones with a very close resemblance to the colors of Jerusalem;
The central dome and the two small lateral domes on the towers flanking the façade are covered with copper which recalls the green majolica cladding of the domes of mosques; the floor of the entrance lobby is covered with Venetian mosaics made of marble tiles, arabesque style;
The team of the three architects designed every part of the building, and it was completed in a very short time, from 1874 to 1882.
