Judaism as Flowers
The Materialized Ideology of the New Synagogue of Szeged
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5000727 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ágnes Ivett Oszkó (0009-0006-8848-4100, Budapest History Museum), Dóra Pataricza (0000-0001-9707-4468, Åbo Akademi University) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 482-505 |
| Publication date | 2023-10-20 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Material Religion (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1743-2200 • E-ISSN: 1751-8342 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17432200.2023.2285567 |
| OpenAlex | W4390813870 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 3 |
The greatest architectural monument of Szeged's Jewish community is the New Synagogue (1900-1903), designed by Lipót Baumhorn (1860, Kisbér-1932, Budapest). He designed twenty-six synagogues in the former Hungarian Kingdom and was known as the most successful synagogue architect in Europe. In Szeged, his most special buildings are the synagogue, the community's headquarters, and the Jewish cemetery's ceremonial hall. During the synagogue's construction, Baumhorn worked closely together with Dr. Immánuel Löw (1854, Szeged - 1944, Budapest), rabbi and scholar, who applied his immense knowledge in the decoration of the synagogue. Löw belonged to the Neolog denomination of Hungarian Judaism and designed the synagogue garden as an organic part of the building, presenting the flora of both Israel and Hungary. The Neolog movement brought a transformation in the sacred spaces of the synagogue, moving of the bimah to the Eastern end of the synagogue, introducing the use of an organ and a choir, and defining towers on the outside. The synagogue and its garden stand alone on the global stage, thanks to its extraordinary botanical decoration system that is both distinctively designed and rich in symbolic meaning, drawing inspiration from motifs found in the Hebrew Bible, all due to the remarkable botanical expertise of the rabbi, representing a unique and materialized fusion of Neolog Jewish ideals, Hungarian heritage, and architectural excellence. In our study, we present Szeged's new synagogue and its synagogue garden from an architectural and cultural-historical point of view, summarizing the emergence of Jewish ideas in the turn-of-the-century architecture and the transformation of the use of spaces
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Excellence · Hebrew · Judaism · Theology · Vitality · Classics · History · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Law · Philosophy
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |