The Central Synagogue of Nazareth Illit and its architectural dialogue with Nazareth's Basilica of the Annunciation

Nazareth, a major Christian pilgrimage center, saw the commissioning of a new Basilica of the Annunciation in 1954. This event catalyzed Israeli authorities to promote a prominent Jewish religious monument nearby, initiating a design process in 1957 for the Central Synagogue of Nazareth Illit (later Nof HaGalil). Both monuments were built by the Israeli firm Solel Boneh and inaugurated in 1968 (synagogue) and 1969 (basilica). The article conducts a comparative study of the inception, design proposals, architectural realization, and integrated artworks of the basilica and the synagogue. It demonstrates the basilica’s influence on the synagogue and highlights shared formal and material strategies. Moving beyond prior treatments of the synagogue as a national landmark, the study argues that modern architecture served as an agent within a local Jewish–Christian competition for monumental dominance, and it illuminates the mid-20th-century search for appropriate religious architectural styles in the Land of Israel.

Naomi Simhony