The Tránsito Synagogue: Built by Permission
Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
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Sinagoga del Tránsito
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275
XP
+100 Spain
= 375 total
1 day
The Tránsito Synagogue: Built by Permission
275 + 100 XP
Samuel ha-Levi was a Jew, treasurer and adviser to Peter I of Castile, and he built this synagogue between 1357 and 1363 — with the king's explicit permission, given in thanks for the loyalty of Toledo's Jews during his fight to recover the city from Henry of Trastámara. It is Mudéjar: a coffered beam-and-collar roof, a prayer hall lit through small arches, and polychrome plaster friezes carrying plant, geometric and epigraphic motifs alongside the arms of the crown of Castile. Excavations in the early 2000s found a bath complex, the Hammam of Zeit, destroyed to build it.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Look up at the par y nudillo roof and then at the plaster friezes, and work out that a synagogue was built in Islamic style by Christian permission
2
of 5
Find the arms of the crown of Castile in the decoration of a Jewish building, and work out why they are there
3
of 5
Find out who Samuel ha-Levi was, what he did for Peter I, and what eventually happened to him
4
of 5
Work out what was demolished to make room for it, found in excavations in the early 2000s
5
of 5
Go through the Sephardic Museum inside and then on to the Santa María la Blanca synagogue down the street
Look up at the par y nudillo roof and then at the plaster friezes, and work out that a synagogue was built in Islamic style by Christian permission
Find the arms of the crown of Castile in the decoration of a Jewish building, and work out why they are there
Find out who Samuel ha-Levi was, what he did for Peter I, and what eventually happened to him
Work out what was demolished to make room for it, found in excavations in the early 2000s
Go through the Sephardic Museum inside and then on to the Santa María la Blanca synagogue down the street
Before you go
Toledo summers are very hot and the Jewish quarter is steep and cobbled.
Finding nearby campsites...
About Castilla-La Mancha
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
275 XP
Spain country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
375 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in Spain.
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