European Jerusalem › Jewish Sacral Monuments › The Old and the New Jewish Temple
The Old and the New Jewish Temple
The Old and the New Jewish Temple
Sephardic Jews who were expelled by the Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand II of Aragon (along with the Spanish Muslims) in the late 15th century found new sanctuary across Europe.
Location: Old Town
Ottoman sultans granted them civil rights, equal opportunity, freedom of trade and protection. Thus a group of Sephardic Jews arrived to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sarajevo at the beginning of the 16th century. With them, they brought Haggadah (now known as the Sarajevo Haggadah), a priceless illustrated handwritten manuscript of the Passover. This is one of the oldest Sephardic Haggadahs in the world.

The two temples are located in Il Kortijo – Sijavus-Pasha’s Quarter, near Bascarsija.

Old Jewish Temple (Il kal Grandi/Grand Temple or Il kal vjezu/Old Temple) is now an annex to the Sarajevo Museum. It was built in 1580. After the fires in 1697 and 1788 (Prince Eugene of Savoy’s Raid) which caused great damage to the Old Temple, it was renovated in 1909. Electricity was brought to the temple, and a new stone façade and new roof built. It was again severely damaged during the Second World War. Today, this valuable cultural and historical building is a home to the Jewish Museum. It is a three-nave building with the front area used for preaching, and lateral naves with upper floors used as the women''''s section.

New Temple (Il kal muevus) was built in 1820, next to the Old Temple due to an increased number of believers. Today, it is an artistic gallery. In addition to these two Jewish sacral monuments, there is the New Grand Jewish Temple (today known as Bosnian Cultural Centre) and the Ashkenazi Synagogue, the only synagogue serving sermons nowadays, and the seat of the Jewish Municipality in Sarajevo.

Other related objects
Sarajevo Haggadah
Sarajevo Haggadah Sarajevo Haggadah is an illustrated Jewish handwritten manuscript originating from medieval Spain. It was created as a wedding gift, but the author remains unknown.
Ashkenazi Synagogue
Ashkenazi Synagogue Ashkenazi Synagogue is located on the left Miljacka River bank. It was built in 1902, a decade after the arrival of the Ashkenazi Jews to Sarajevo, according to Karl Pařík’s design in pseudo-Moorish style.
Jewish Cemetery with a Chapel at Borak
Jewish Cemetery with a Chapel ... Above the Kovacici settlement, at Borak, there is an old Jewish cemetery with a chapel. Ever since 1620, Sarajevo’s Sephardic Jews have been buried here. The oldest tomb monument dates back to the first half of the 17th century.
Templ
Templ Templ (New Temple; today Bosnian Cultural Centre www.bkc.ba) is located in Branilaca Sarajeva Street. It was built in 1930 in pseudo-Moorish style according to the design of Rudolf Lubinski.