2-370-716 - Samuel Magal/Sites & Photos/Heritage Images

Stone fragment, Synagogue of Samuel ha-Levi, Toledo, Spain, 2007. The Synagogue was financed and founded in 1357 by Samuel ha-Levi Abufalia, treasurer to King Pedro II of Castile. It was taken over by the Christian religious order of Alcantara after the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492. In the 18th century the building became a sanctuary dedicated to the Transito de Nuestra Senora (Transit of Our Lady - meaning the assumption of Mary into Heaven). Today it is known as the Sinagoga del Transito and houses a museum devoted to the Jewish culture of medieval Toledo.