Obj. ID: 40009
  Architecture  Chabad Synagogue in Saratov, Russia

A “military” prayer house existed in Saratov already in 1845, but in 1858 it was shut down. For the next several decades, the Jews of the city petitioned for opening a synagogue, and the 1896 petition lobbied by the crown rabbi of Tsaritsyn (today Volgograd) was granted. The synagogue at 63 Gogolia St. was built in 1897 and was an impressive building with a dome above the entrance. Initially, Litvaks and Hasidim prayed under one roof, but in 1902, the Hasidic community (52 members) received permission to pray separately in a rented house (Tsyganskaia St, today Kutiakova St.).

The synagogue was severely damaged in the pogrom of October 19–20, 1905.

In 1907, the community completely reconstructed the synagogue in the NeoMoorish style and erected a prominent dome above the prayer hall. The interior was likewise designed in the Neo-Moorish style and organized according to the “choral mode of worship,” with the bimah placed in front of the Torah ark.

The synagogue was closed by the Soviet authorities in 1939 and later rebuilt as a factory.

The Chabad community demolished the remains of the old building and constructed a replica of the Neo-Moorish synagogue of 1907 according to preserved photographs. However, the interior arrangement is very different from the original prayer hall. The inauguration of this synagogue took place in 2022.