Shaaré Tikvá Synagogue

Shaaré Tikvá Synagogue of Lisbon – Jewish Community of Lisbon

At no. 59 Rua Alexandre Herculano, the Shaaré Tikvá ('Gates of Hope') Synagogue was inaugurated on 18 May 1904 and is the first synagogue built from scratch in Portugal since the forced conversions and official extinction of Portuguese Judaism in 1497. It was the outcome of more than fifty years of effort by Lisbon's Jewish community, formed in the early nineteenth century by Sephardic Jews who came mainly from Gibraltar and Morocco and until then had prayed in modest prayer houses. Lacking official recognition, the community bought the plot in the names of private individuals in 1901, and the first stone was laid in 1902. The design is by Miguel Ventura Terra, one of the leading architects of the day, and the building had to be raised inside a walled garden, because the law did not allow a non-Catholic place of worship to face the public street. Rectangular in plan and facing Jerusalem, in keeping with Jewish ritual, it has been listed as a property of public interest since 2002 and remains the synagogue of the Jewish Community of Lisbon. It can be seen only on guided tours booked in advance, on Mondays and Wednesdays at 14:30 and on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30; identification may be requested and, for security reasons, suitcases and bags are not allowed.

Located at: Comunidade Israelita de Lisboa
Address: Rua Alexandre Herculano, 59, 1250-010 Lisboa
Opening hours: guided tours by appointment only: Monday and Wednesday 14:30, Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 (no tours on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, Jewish holidays or public holidays)
Phone: +351 919 899 637
Coordinates: 38.7203375, -9.1531772
Buses: 773, 706, 709, 774, 758, 720, 738, 727, 19B, 713
Tram: 24E
Metro: Rato (Yellow), Marquês de Pombal (Yellow, Blue)
Opened: 1902 (124 years)