The Faint Traces of the Jewish Mystical Tradition: The Kabbalah in 15–18Th-Century Architecture

This article investigates the influence of the Kabbalah on Jewish architecture and synagogal art. Due to the destruction of the Eastern European kabbalist-related architecture and the preservation of only two indisputably “kabbalist” synagogues, the Abuhav and the Ashkenazi Ari Synagogue in Safed, Israel, secondary research that includes literature, religious texts, and historical photographic documentation analysis was undertaken. This allowed the identification of the elements of architecture, paintings, and sculptures that could be inspired by the Kabbalah or potentially created according to its rules and recommendations. However, it is impossible to unambiguously indicate the Kabbalah as the primary source of inspiration neither for architectural forms nor artistic representation in the interiors of synagogues. Because of the metaphysical orientation of its believers and the difficulties following the representation of abstract ideas by formal solutions, the outcome of the research proved, in most cases, the lack of any direct kabbalistic influences on architecture.