The Great Synagogue

         The Great Synagogue stands in Lermontovsky Pros­pect. The Great Synagogue is the main centre of the Jew­ish Religious Community of St Petersburg. At the end of the 19th century it was one of the largest religious com­munities in the city. About 25 thousand people belonged to the Jewish Religious Community.

          In 1879 the board of the Jewish Community of St Pe­tersburg bought a plot near the Bolshaya Masterskaya Street. Now this street is called Lermontovsky Prospect. The building for the Great Synagogue was erected bet­ween 1883 and 1893. The architects Ivan Shaposhnikov, Lev Bakhman and Alexey Malov designed this building. The construction cost more than 500 thousand roubles.

          The building of the Great Synagogue was constructed at the expense of the Jewish Community of St Peters­burg. The design of the building was created according to the forms of old Hebrew architecture. This structure is distinguished by its serene and solemn character. The centre of the façade is emphasized with a monumental rhyzalite, intersected with the arch portal of the en­trance. The entrance is decorated with the twinned col­umns. The tetrahedral tower with cut angels rises over the building. This tower is crowned with a spherical dome.

         The interior of the Great Synagogue is notable for its austere and elegant decoration.

         The praying hall was restored many times. It accom­modates about 1200 praying people.

         The Great Synagogue was never closed. Even during the blocade of Leningrad the services were held there.

         Now the services are held every day in the Great Syn­agogue.

Vocabulary

accommodate - предоставлять помеще­ние, размещать

arch portal - арочные ворота

austere - строгий

belong - принадлежать

board – правление

community - общи­на

distinguish - отли­чать, выделять

emphasize - выде­лять, подчеркивать

entrance - вход

Hebrew - (древне) ев­рейский

intersect - пересе­кать

jewish - еврейский

notable - примеча­тельный

plot - участок земли

pray – молиться

restore - восстанавли­вать

rhyzalite - ризалит

serene - спокойный

solemn - торжествен­ный

spherical - сфериче­ский

synagogue – синагога

tetrahedral - че­тырехгранный

twinned columns- сдвоенные (пар­ные) колонны