Žemaitijos medinių sinagogų architektūra: tarp praeities ir XXI amžiaus

LTStraipsnyje siekiama pateikti apibendrintus istorinius duomenis apie Žemaitijos miestuose ir miesteliuose stovėjusias medines sinagogas. Pagrindinis tikslas ir uždaviniai: nustatyti šių pastatų statybos laikotarpius, susiejant juos su plitusiomis stilistinėmis architektūros tendencijomis, siekiant sinagogų eksterjerų formose išskirti profesionaliosios ir etninės architektūros bruožus bei mūrinių žydų maldos namų įtaką. Remiantis ikonografine medžiaga, atlikti sinagogų architektūros tyrimus: nustatyti tūrių ir planų tipologinę įvairovę, fasadų ir erdvės struktūros komponavimo ypatumus, atskleisti tipinius, savitus ar išskirtinius bruožus. Reikšminiai žodžiai: Žemaitija, sinagoga, aron kodešas, bima, profesionalioji ir etninė architektūra, barokas, klasicizmas, romantizmas, istorizmas, tarpukaris. [Iš leidinio]

ENIn the towns and settlements of Žemaitija, about 65 to 70 wooden Jewish prayer houses could have been found at different times. The earliest mention in archival sources refers to the Jurbarkas Synagogue. A synagogue is the most important in stitution of Judaism, whose architecture is predetermined by the liturgy of Judaism and the most important functional requirements such as separation of the men’s and women’s sections and installation of places for storing and reading the Scriptures (aron ha-codesh and bimah). The most important room is the men’s prayer hall. The aron ha-codesh must be on the east (Jerusalem) side, with the entrance to the prayer hall in front of it and the bimah in the middle part of the hall. Women’s rooms are arranged on the sides of the hall or in the galleries on the first floor. An important role is played by the six-pointed Star of David and the Decalogue. The structure of the plans and faęades of synagogues and the principles of composing the interior space were predetermined by the liturgy of Judaism and its changes. The forms of the wooden synagogues of all epochs and periods boasted features of Lithuanian ethnic architecture, which were influenced by the local construction materials as well as the architecture of manors and buildings of the neighbourhoods: similar faęade partitioning, wall planking in various directions, trims of openings or decor details, carved decoration elements, etc. In the interiors of synagogues, forms of ethnic architecture could be seen in the wall plank trimming and in primitive polychrome painting. The forms of professional architecture were predetermined by changes in the styles of historical epochs and periods. The interiors were distinguished by the harmony of local traditions with Oriental decor, based on the principles of the religion of Judaism.The most original were Baroque synagogues covered with high three-tiered roofs. The insignificant evolution of synagogue forms began in the Classicist era, and from the mid-19th century onwards, closed staircase and entrance hall annexes emerged, and the main two-storey facades and distinctive two-storey parts of the side facades were formed. That changed the image of the wooden synagogue- it became a vivid semantic mark. The construction of Jewish prayer houses came to an end around 1940. During the Second World War II, most of the old wooden synagogues were destroyed. The surviving Jewish prayer houses, which had lost their original purpose, were badly damaged during the Soviet era or simply demolished. Regretfully, the wooden synagogues of Plungė and Seda collapsed in Žemaitija in the 21st century. To date, only six wooden synagogues built in the 19th through the first half of the 20th centuries have survived in Žemaitija: in Alsėdžiai, Kaltinėnai, Laukuva, Telšiai, Tirkšliai, and Žemaičių Naumiestis. They no longer resemble the former sacral buildings. Research into the synagogue architecture only shows the current state of those buildings, however, does not reflect the evolution of the buildings construction and forms, as most authentic architectural elements have been destroyed. It remains to be hoped that the extant wooden Jewish prayer houses will be preserved and will properly represent the scarce but valuable cultural heritage. [From the publication]