The Trakai Kenesa is a former Qaraite Jewish congregation and synagogue, or kenesa, located at 30 Karaimų Street, in Trakai, in the Vilnius County of Lithuania.

Trakai Kenesa
The former synagogue in 2010
Religion
AffiliationKaraite Judaism (former)
Ecclesiastical or organisational status
Status
  • Inactive (as a synagogue);
  • Repurposed
Location
Location30 Karaimų Street, Trakai, Vilnius County
CountryLithuania
Trakai Kenesa is located in Lithuania
Trakai Kenesa
Location of the former synagogue in Lithuania
Geographic coordinates54°38′52″N 24°55′58″E / 54.64778°N 24.93278°E / 54.64778; 24.93278
Architecture
TypeWooden synagogue
StyleBaroque Revival
Completedc. 1800
MaterialsTimber
[1]

Designed in the Baroque Revival style, the wooden synagogue was completed in c. 1800, restored in the 1890s. Built on a rectangular plan and covered with a hipped roof with a small annex, the synagogue was larger than the surrounding houses. The building is a rare example of one of the surviving kenesas of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.[2][a] The building now operates as a Jewish museum.[4]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ A source states that: The synagogue was dismantled at the request of the authorities towards the end of March 1966. The cause for the demolition was ... the regulation of Trocka Street. The former site of the synagogue currently houses garages and warehouses.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Karaite Kenessa in Trakai". Historic Synagogues of Europe. Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. n.d. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  2. ^ The Karaite Kenessa in Trakai. Vilnius. 2007.[self-published source?]
  3. ^ "The Trakai Synagogue". Virtual Shtetl. POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Kalik, Judith (2010). "Trakai". The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Retrieved August 14, 2024.

Further reading

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  • Kobeckaite, H. (2019). The temples of Lithuanian Karaims – kenesas (in Lithuanian). Translated by Monika Matulevičiūtė. Vilnius.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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