A new phase of restoration in Hijar

A new phase of restoration has just been completed at the former synagogue of Híjar, a project of the Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Municipality of Híjar.

Funded by the Government of Aragon, a dedicated team of conservators led by Encarna Ripollés (Albarium)  first installed protective scaffolding and then later removed cement and plaster layers to reveal the original fifteenth-century gypsum render of the Ark wall.  All interventions—cleaning, pigment stabilization, crack filling and reintegration—were carried out with reversible, non-invasive methods.

Dr. Lucía Conte, as the local project leader, has closely collaborated with the conservation team in interpreting the findings.

On the left of the Ark, a horizontal cartouche bears the Psalm 106:3 - “Blessed are they who observe justice” and a partially preserved Psalm 84:5 - “Blessed are those who dwell in my house”.

Immediately above, the inscriptions are crowned with the name "Shaddai"  in richly decorated polychrome letters.

On the right, the careful strappo removal of a mid-sixteenth-century Christian grisaille panel revealed a complete seven-branched menorah.

The grisaille was lifted onto a rigid support and preserved in situ as a testament to the layers of medieval Jewish art and Renaissance Christian imagery that speak to the history of Híjar’s synagogue-turned-church, making the restored Ark wall a vivid testament to centuries of shared heritage.

Find out more about our work with this synagogue here:

Read more about Hijar