Tomar Synagogue, the best preserved in Portugal

What it is and why it matters

The Tomar synagogue is the oldest surviving one in Portugal and the only early-Renaissance Jewish temple left in the country. It was built in the mid-15th century in the city's old Jewish quarter, at the height of the community's expansion, by tradition on the orders of Prince Henry. It functioned for barely a few decades: in 1496 King Manuel I decreed the expulsion or forced conversion of the Jews and the synagogue was closed.

It then had many lives. From 1516 it was a public prison, then a Christian chapel under the name of the hermitage of São Bartolomeu, and later a hayloft and storehouse. It was declared a National Monument in 1921. In 1923 it was bought by Samuel Schwarz, a Jewish engineer born in Poland, who cleaned and excavated it and in 1939 donated it to the State on one condition: that a Luso-Hebraic museum be opened in it. Hence the Abraão Zacuto Luso-Hebraic Museum, named after the astronomer, mathematician, physician and rabbi born in Salamanca in 1450 who worked for King João II.

What you see

A single square room, small and intimate, with three aisles covered by brick vaults resting on four columns. The columns are said to represent the four matriarchs, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, and the twelve corbels from which the vaults spring to allude to the twelve tribes of Israel. In the corners there are eight clay jars set into the walls, which served to improve the acoustics. Beside the room the remains of a ritual bath, the mikveh, were found.

The museum gathers gravestones, inscriptions and objects from the Jewish presence in Portugal. The complex reopened in 2019 after two years of works, with an interpretation centre.

Hours and closures

Open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays:

• April to September: 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 18:00.
• October to March: 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00.

Closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Allow for the midday break when planning your morning.

Price

The council does not publish an admission price in its listing. Recent visitors report that no entry fee is charged and a donation is welcome; confirm at the door or at the tourist point.

How long and how to get there

Half an hour is enough. The synagogue is at Rua Dr. Joaquim Jacinto 73, in the historic centre of Tomar, a few minutes' walk from Praça da República and the church of São João Baptista. Leave the car in the car parks beside the River Nabão and walk through the old town, with its flat streets.

Accessibility and children

The room is small and fills quickly with groups. If you are in a wheelchair, ask the council or the tourist point about access beforehand. With children, the visit is short; you can tell them the story of the jars for sound and of the building that was a prison and a hayloft before becoming what it was again.

To complete the day

The visit fits between the Convent of Christ, at the top of the city, and a stroll through the centre. If you have the afternoon to spare, the Pegões aqueduct is a few minutes away by car.