ANCIENT MENORAH MOSAIC

A late 3rd century CE mosaic of a menorah, exhibited in the Museum of Archaeology Plovdiv, is the only visible remain from Plovdiv's ancient synagogue.

Perhaps the most spectacular remains of this early Jewish presence in Bulgaria is the ancient synagogue in Philippopolis, modern-day Plovdiv. Philippopolis was a major city on the road connecting Constantinople with Central Europe. It emerged as a large cosmopolitan centre, a patchwork of nationalities and religions that outshone other large cities of the colourful Roman Empire. 

The synagogue of the Philippopolis Jews had a splendid mosaic floor, with intricate geometrical motifs as well as lions, birds, panthers and menorahs. It was constructed in the 3rd century CE, but would be destroyed and rebuilt several times over the next several centuries. 

The trials and tribulations of the Philippopolis synagogue illustrate how easily the fate of the Jews changed under the Romans. The Roman Empire was tolerant towards the various faiths and religions, but with an important caveat. Regardless of what gods they venerated, its subjects had to respect the imperial cult, which deified whoever emperor happened to be in power at any given time. Obviously, this created a problem for both Judaism and Christianity. On the other hand, unlike Christianity, Judaism had the status of Religio licita, a "tolerated religion." In the 4th century, when Christianity gained momentum as an official religion, the pressures being put on Jews intensified, yet official attitudes could change like the breeze. Emperor Theodosius I , who in the late 4th century made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire, officially ordered the governor of Moesia, in present-day northern Bulgaria, not to persecute Jews and not to demolish their synagogues. 

The Philippopolis synagogue is proof of these changing attitudes. When Theodosius died, his sons Arcadius and Honorius ruled the eastern and the western parts of the empire respectively. Anti-Jewish sentiment was on the rise. During their reign, the Philippopolis synagogue was destroyed for the first time, either as a result of antisemitism, or when the Huns conquered and ravaged the city in 441-442. 

The synagogue would be rebuilt and then destroyed yet again a century later.

It was discovered in the 1980s, during the construction of a block of flats. Its most spectacular mosaics were moved to the archaeology museum. When the archaeological survey ended, the block's construction continued.