Synagogue of Tomar

The Synagogue of Tomar was built in the 15th century by Prince Henrique, in the same period as the Order of Christ. The area where it is located was, in times, an exclusively Jewish neighborhood, with a school, assembly and court of the Jewish community. In 1496, with the expulsion of the Jews from Portugal, the building closed and the town's Jewish quarter changed its name to Rua Nova.

Over the centuries it had several roles: jail, hayloft, barn, grocery store, cellar and storage room. In 1923 it was purchased by Dr. Samuel Schwarz, a Polish Jew, who donated the building to the Portuguese State. Today it houses the Abraão Zacuto Luso-Hebrew Museum and is classified as a National Monument. It has a rectangular plan and vaulted roof, based on four columns in the central part and twelve corbels, which represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Other symbols, in addition to the ones built, were incorporated, from donations made by Jews from all over the world.