Sephardic Museum in Toledo: Coexistence of three cultures

The Sephardic Museum of Toledo recovers the memory of the Jews of Spain. They are called Sephardic Jews from the Hebrew word ‘Sephard’ – meaning Spain. The museum is located in a medieval synagogue that was founded by Toledian Jew Samuel ha-Levi, the treasurer of King Pedro I of Castille in the first half of the 14th century. At that time Jews were an integral part of medieval society and some of them had even high positions at the courts of Christian kings. As the relations between Jews and Catholic church deteriorated and the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, the synagogue was transformed into a church. The synagogue and its history attests to the role the Jews played in medieval Spain. The building is an outstanding exapmle of mudejar art that contains many elements of Islamic art and was used both for churches and synagogues alike in medieval post-Islamic Spain. It shows that Spanish culture has roots in three cultures – Christian, Muslim and Jewish.

Context - Jewish Museums and their architecture. Can a building tell a story?

Contemporary Jewish museums have unusual symbolic architecture that communicates their missions, enters into dialogue with the surrounding space and inspires the imagination and emotions of their viewers. They are usually located in the places that used to be centres of Jewish life in the past. Sometimes they are located in old synagogues or remnants of other buildings that once belonged to the Jewish community. They give new life to them and recover the past. There are also museums located in new buildings that are usually designed by world-renowned architects. Their architecture is expressive, full of associations related to Jewish history and culture. Only by seeing the building and by moving in its space visitors can get some basic understanding of what the museum is about. Such architecture can be read like a book! It helps to build the narration of a museum.