Image Details

The synagogue’s second story. Simplified drawings of the facade at Chorazin illustrate two possible synagogue designs. In the central part of the building—over the nave or central aisle—is raised to form a two-story-high nave. In the version at left, the roof continues over the side aisles, possibly accommodating a second-story gallery over the side aisles; these galleries would overlook the central nave. In the drawing at right, the side walls supporting the roof rest on the tops of the columns in the main hall. Not shown in this version are the clerestory windows that probably would have penetrated the second story wall, bringing light into the nave below. The design at left would have permitted a separate women’s section on the second floor; however, some scholars believe now that separation of Jewish men and women in synagogues—practiced today by Orthodox Jews—did not occur until after the eighth century.