Where the synagogue once stood….

In the fourteenth century, members of the Jewish community were expelled everywhere. They were blamed for epidemics, such as the plague. This also happened in Amberg in 1391. The stay for Jews in Amberg was forbidden. Their synagogue, which had only been built in 1883 in the Jewish Amberg quarter, was torn down. At the beginning of the 15th century, a Catholic church was built on this site, the later Amberg Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), which is mentioned in documents as early as 1398.

Since 1896, the synagogue of the Amberg Jewish Community, which has just under 130 members, has been located in Salzgasse.

Under the sign of the Elector – the Amberg Church of Our Lady

The three-nave, late Gothic Marienkirche was maintained by the women’s congregation “Maria unter dem Kreuz” since 1630. Parish priests only came to the church walls, which structurally resemble the Basilica of St. Martin, for church services. At the end of the sixteenth century, the Frauenkirche also bore the name “Hofkapelle” (court chapel), because it was an electoral claim. During the religious wars the interior was almost completely devastated. In 1864 the church was finally decorated in the neo-Gothic style. Until the fifties of the last century, Hungarians living in the region used the Amberg Frauenkirche for their celebrations. Especially the great acoustics of the chapel and the nave were praised everywhere, which is why there were still some concerts in it.

Today the church remains silent. The building is dilapidated and closed to visitors. The repair is only progressing step by step. The church has simply lost its importance, only on Palm Sunday it forms the starting point for the procession.

It is also part of the parish of Saint Martin, as is the school church.