What some have claimed to be the former synagogue is one of Óbidos' most attractive buildings
It’s not open to the public but it’s a much-photographed building -- what some have claimed to be the former synagogue, standing next to the Church of Mercy. The original building was erected between the 14th and 15th centuries, and was not officially recognized as a synagogue, but rather as a place for Jews to meet and “pray in Hebrew.” It stood in the middle of Obidos’ Jewish Quarter, known to be home to Jewish merchants, scientists and artists. Historians believe that the actual synagogue might have been to the north, but no one has been able to confirm this. Jews were expelled from Portugal in 1496, in order for the king to keep a good relationship with the neighboring kingdom of Spain, which had done the same some years before.
Portuguese Jews went on to establish the first synagogue in New York and one of the most important in Amsterdam.
This building in Óbidos features gothic doors and windows but these are romantic additions from a 20th-century reconstruction. It's one of the town’s most attractive buildings, and to see its interior you need to stay at the connected guesthouse, the Torre de Maneys.