27/05/2026
The Hidden “Crosses” Inside Prague’s Synagogues
Standing inside the Klaus Synagogue in Prague, Czechia, you can notice something fascinating about the ceiling architecture. The roof is built with vaulted arches — and when one arch intersects another, it naturally creates the shape of a cross.
But in synagogues, crosses belong to churches, not Jewish houses of prayer.
That’s why the Jewish communities and architects went to remarkable lengths to visually soften, cover, or decorate the intersections so they wouldn’t stand out as crosses. You can see this not only here in the Klaus Synagogue, but also in the Altneuschul and the Maisel Synagogue. All of them followed the same architectural sensitivity and tradition.
It’s a small detail — but it says a lot about Jewish identity, aesthetics, and life in medieval and early modern Europe.
