Vilnius Kenesa

The Vilnius Kenesa (Lithuanian: Vilniaus kenesa) is a Qaraite Jewish congregation and synagogue, or kenesa, located at 6 Liubarto Street, in Žvėrynas, one of the neighborhoods of Vilnius, in the Vilnius County of Lithuania.

Vilnius Kenesa
Lithuanian: Vilniaus kenesa
The façade of the kenesa, in 2007
Religion
Affiliation	Judaism
Rite	Karaite Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Kenesa (1923–1941) Profane use (1949–1988) Kenesa (since 1993)
Year consecrated	1923
Status	Active
Location
Location	6 Liubarto Street, Vilnius, Žvėrynas, Vilnius County
Country	Lithuania
Location of the kenesa in Vilnius
Geographic coordinates	54°41′19″N 25°15′20″E
Architecture
Architect(s)	Mikhail Prozorov
Type	Synagogue architecture
Style	Historicist Moorish Revival
Groundbreaking	1908
Completed	1923
Specifications
Dome(s)	One
Materials	Brick
[1]

History

Designed by Mikhail Prozorov in the Historicist and Moorish Revival styles, the synagogue was completed in 1923.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Its windows have a Moorish Revival–style decor on the exterior.^[2]

In 1949 the Kenesa was nationalized and a club, an archive and flats were established in it.^[2][3] On 23 September 1988 the Kenesa was returned to the Karaites community.^[2][6] In 1989–1993 the Kenesa was reconstructed and original interior plan with its decor elements were restored.^[2][6]

Gallery

• 
  Interior of the Kenesa in 1927
• 
  Interior plan of the Kenesa, 1912
• 
  Side-view plan of the Kenesa, 1911
• 
  Lithuanian Post stamp with the Kenesa, released in 2014

See also

• Judaism portal
• Lithuania portal

• History of the Jews in Lithuania
• Lithuanian Jews