Sinagoga Mare (Great Synagogue), Iasi

The Great Synagogue of Iași, Romania's oldest surviving synagogue, holds a place on the National Register of Historic Monuments. It underwent significant renovations in 1761, 1822, and 1864, partial restoration in the 1970s, and a comprehensive restoration from 2006 to 2018.

Architecturally, the building boasts round-arched windows and two distinct wings: a two-story wing with a barrel-vaulted ceiling and a tall single-story hall topped with a 10-diameter dome and lantern added in the early 20th century. Of the 110 synagogues in Iasi before World War II, the Great Synagogue continues to serve the city's diminishing Jewish community, being one of only two synagogues still in use.

Nestled in Iasi's historic Jewish quarter, the Great Synagogue reflects a time before the Holocaust when the Jewish population made up over half the city's residents. Built in the late 17th century from brick and stone with a fresco-decorated interior, its sanctuary is renowned for the large, wooden aron kodesh (Torah ark) at its center.

Over the centuries, the synagogue has seen numerous reconstructions and restorations, weathering natural disasters, religious intolerance, and political abuse. The garden that once surrounded it is now lost. A halted consolidation project in 2008 left the synagogue covered in scaffolding without waterproofing, leading to its inclusion in the 2014 World Monuments Watch to raise awareness about its deterioration.