Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

The Scuola Canton in Venice was built between 1531 and 1532, with parts dating from 1672 (ark), and 1736. This Baroque stone building still serves as a synagogue.

The Spanish synagogue is one of the two functioning synagogues in Venice. It was built in 1580 and was restored in 1635. It is a clandestine synagogue meaning that the exterior was not allowed to appear as a place of worship. The synagogue is still open today for services.

The Scuola Grande Tedesca was built in 1528 by German Ashkenazi Jews making it one of the oldest synagogues in Venice. The temple is on the fourth and fifth floors of the five-story building that today is home to the Jewish Museum in Venice.

The Scuola Greca in Corfu is a Romaniot synagogue from the 17th century. This stone building still serves as a synagogue.

The Scuola Italiana in Venice was first built in 1575 and rebuilt in the 18th century. This Baroque stone building still serves as a synagogue.

The Scuola Levantina in Venice was built between 1538 and 1561, with some parts dating from 1680. This Mannerist stone building still serves as a synagogue.

The exterior of the church, with its rounded construction and curves is mainly romance. The interior is late-Roman, with dome vaults and brick imitation. The 13th century church was built during the transitional period from Romanesque to Late Romanesque.

While admiring the scenery of Transylvanian fortified churches, the traveler should not miss the small town of Sebeş. In its center the fortified church bears the imprints of the past with dignity. The monument was built in the 12th century by Saxon colonists, was destroyed during the Mongol invasion 1241-1242 and later on rebuilt in Gothic style, fortified and provided with a defence wall. In the second half of the 14th century, a period characterized by a flourishing economy, an impressive chancel was constructed. For almost 40 years, starting mid 15th century, Sebeş was under Ottoman domination. In the centuries that followed, agriculture lost its importance and the town became a center for craftsmen, who diligently brought a great contribution to the church’s enhancement. However, WWI ended Sebeş’s prosperity. The bells were confiscated, melted and turned into ammunition. They could only be replaced as late as 1925.

Seckau Abbey is a Benedictine abbey which was founded in 1140 by Adalram von Waldeck. It became a bishop's abbey in 1218 and its church became a cathedral. In 1782, during the reign of Joseph II, the abbey was dismantled. The abbey was purchased by the congregation of Beuron in 1883 after the German Benedictines of Beuron Abbey were forced into exile due to the Kulturkampf policy. It was erected as an abbey in 1887 and became famous for its liturgical research. The National Socialist authorities confiscated it in 1940 and transformed it into a national institution of political education (Nationalpolitische Erziehungsanstalten, Napola or NPEA). The monks returned at the end of 1945.

The Second Orthodox Synagogue in Košice is an Ashkenazi synagogue completed in 1899 by architect Ján Balog. The synagogue was restored in 1999-2000. This brick synagogue in the Neo-Moorish style is under reconstruction.