Synagogue in Gouda

A former Baptist church was bought by the Jewish community of Gouda in the year 1798. The building was reused as a synagogue but had to be demolished in 1823 because of structural deterioration. A new synagogue was built on the same site and was consecrated in 1827. The front façade features eclectic architectural elements. This façade is provided with Neo-Gothic pointed arched windows and a Neo-Classical ornamented entrance.
After the Second World War, the Jewish community of Gouda was too small to sustain their own synagogue. The building was sold in 1950 and only the women's gallery remained in the interior of the building. The design of both the original women's gallery and the Torah ark was probably influenced by the designs of the furniture in the synagogue in Leiden. The pointed arched windows, located near the former Torah ark, were walled up to suit the new church organ. In use until WWII, this brick synagogue has been sold after the war and now serves as a church.

About this building

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Other nearby buildings

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Sint-Janskerk

The Sint-Janskerk is also known as the 'Big Church'. The large Gothic building is 123 meters long and therefore the longest church building in The Netherlands. The building itself has a very long history, and it has been used as a church since the 15th century. The church is famous for its stained glass. The building is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, who is the patron saint of Gouda. Red and white, the symbolic colors of the saint, can also be found in the city's coat of arms.

Ontmoetingskerk

The Reformed Church in Nieuw-Lekkerland is the biggest and oldest church in the town. It was built in 1848, but historians are sure that there has been another church before. The architect of the current church was D. Slingerland.