Antiquity
Synagogue of Philippopolis
An ancient synagogue uncovered in Plovdiv (Philippopolis).
Story of the place
How to read this place
The ancient Synagogue of Philippopolis is the only ancient Jewish temple found in Bulgaria — its floor mosaics bearing a menorah and the names of its donors.
- Built
- early 3rd c. AD
- Discovered
- 1981
- Only one in BG
- ancient synagogue
A Jewish community in the Roman city
The synagogue was built at the beginning of the 3rd century AD, under the Severan dynasty — a basilica with three naves (a central one 9 m wide and two side aisles of 2.6 m each), oriented south towards Jerusalem. It attests to an established Jewish community in Roman Philippopolis.
Source trail: Wikipedia — Synagogue of Philippopolis ↗Mosaics with a menorah
Two mosaic floors were found, one above the other. The first carries a menorah, a palm branch and geometric motifs, together with a four-line Greek inscription naming the donors. The second, laid after persecutions in the early 5th century, deliberately avoids Jewish symbols.
Source trail: Wikipedia — Synagogue of Philippopolis ↗Found and displayed
The remains were discovered in 1981 during the excavation of an adjacent site. The mosaics were lifted and restored and, since 2016, have been on permanent display at the Plovdiv Archaeological Museum.
Source trail: Wikipedia — Synagogue of Philippopolis ↗Dating
Antiquity
Source trail: Wikipedia — Synagogue of Philippopolis ↗Architect/builder
not identified in the current public source
Source trail: Wikipedia — Synagogue of Philippopolis ↗Current status
Publicly documented archaeological or ancient site within Plovdiv’s urban fabric.
Open map ↗Public Wikidata record
ancient Building
- Type
- synagogue
Traces and evidence
-
Description and historical context for Synagogue of Philippopolis.
Source trail: Wikipedia — Synagogue of Philippopolis ↗ -
Coordinates for Synagogue of Philippopolis.
Source trail: Coordinates (Wikidata) · Synagogue of Philippopolis ↗ -
Media and license for Synagogue of Philippopolis: Synagogue.png.
Source trail: Wikimedia Commons — Synagogue.png ↗
Current status
Publicly documented archaeological or ancient site within Plovdiv’s urban fabric.
Ownership, care and institutions
The public record used here does not identify a traceable ownership or management history. This page therefore shows only verified institutional and source links.
Connected people
No people are linked in the current knowledge base.
Visit and orientation
- Coordinates
- 42.14530, 24.75530 · wikidata_coordinate
- Built/date
- Antiquity
- Architect/builder
- not identified in the current public source
Full event stream
No separate events are linked to this place.
No separate events are present for this place in the current knowledge base; use the public record, sources and description.
Around this place
No other places are linked through the same events.
No separate archive or then/now record is available for this place yet. The main image, coordinates and sources remain published.