Portuguese Synagogue of Amsterdam

The Portuguese Synagogue of Amsterdam, known to the community as the Esnoga, is recognizable by the massive, heavy buttresses that support its exterior walls. Completed in sixteen seventy-five, the building was designed by architect Elias Bouman to mirror the biblical Temple of Solomon. It served as a landmark of the prosperity and prominence of the Sephardic Jewish community, who arrived in Amsterdam after fleeing the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal. When the doors first opened, this was the largest synagogue in the world.