Rabbi Isaac Nieto, who came from London, founded the Jewish congregation of Gibraltar in 1724, and Governor Richard Kane granted the site on what is now Engineer Lane. The original synagogue was inaugurated in 1724. A storm destroyed it in December 1766, and a larger building was rebuilt on the same site in 1768. The article names no architect or builder.
A third building was constructed after the Great Siege, and a fire in 1812 required partial rebuilding. The present vaulted ceiling dates from that work. The article describes the style as Regency, sharing features with the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam and Bevis Marks. The facade is a two-and-a-half-story building of domestic scale.
It is an active Orthodox congregation and Gibraltar's principal synagogue. It is listed under the Heritage and Antiquities Act.

Comments