master thesis

Murals in wooden synagogues in Poland in the 17th and 18th centuries.

In Poland, and likewise in Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine, numerous wooden synagogues were constructed from the 16^th to the 18^th century. They stand out by their very own style. Their fractured, elongated roofs shaped the landscape of those regions for a long time. The interior of those buildings, by contrast, unveiled the most magnificent colours. The walls were ornamented with the elements of the tabernacle as well as with diverse religious writings. The vaults were painted with a variety of animals – such as elephants, bears, storks, camels. Until nowadays, one crucial question, however, remains unsolved: what do they stand for?