The Canton Synagogue is one of five synagogues in the Jewish Ghetto of Venice, Italy. Established only four years after the nearby Scuola Grande Tedesca (1528), it is the second oldest Venetian synagogue. Its origins are uncertain: it might have been constructed as a prayer room for a group of Provençal Jews soon after their arrival in Venice, or as a private synagogue for a prominent local family. Repeatedly remodeled throughout its history, its interior is predominantly decorated in the Baroque and Rococo styles.
The synagogue building seen from the square of the Ghetto Nuovo
The two wooden columns placed on the left-hand side of the bimah. On the lower left corner is the inscription recording the gift of 180 ducats in 1532 for the synagogue's construction
For the observer standing in the square of the Ghetto Nuovo, the little cupola above the bimah is the only visible sign of the presence of the synagogue
The ark
The Venetian Ghetto was the area of Venice in which Jews were forced to live by the government of the Venetian Republic. The English word ghetto is derived from the Jewish ghetto in Venice. The Venetian Ghetto was instituted on 29 March 1516 by decree of Doge Leonardo Loredan and the Venetian Senate. It was not the first time that Jews in Venice were compelled to live in a segregated area of the city. In 1555, Venice had 160,208 inhabitants, including 923 Jews, who were mainly merchants.
The main square of the Venetian Ghetto
Ponte de Gheto Novo
Scuola Grande Tedesca (Great German Synagogue)
Scuola Italiana (Italian Synagogue)