Wikipedia's first sentence called it “best preserved of the medieval synagogues of portugal”. Today it says “former jewish congregation and synagogue”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2020
Synagogue of Tomar is the best preserved of the medieval synagogues of Portugal .1It is located at 73 Rua Dr.2Joaquim Jaquinto, in the historic centre of the city of Tomar , and houses a small Jewish museum. The synagogue of Tomar was built between 1430 and 1460 by the thriving Jewish community of the town. From the outside, it looks no different from the other houses in the street. The current main entrance, facing north, did not exist in the Middle Ages. It was the Gothic pointed arch facing east — the direction of Jerusalem — that used to be the main entrance. Inside, the synagogue is a square hall with three short aisles divided by four pillars supporting Gothic vaulting . The capitals bear geometric and vegetal motifs. Excavations in a building beside the synagogue revealed the remnants of a mikveh (ritual bath). The synagogue was used as such for no more than half a century in the 15th century. In the next four centuries, it changed hands and purpose at least four times: after the expulsion and forced conversions of Portuguese Jews ordered by King Manuel in 1496–97, the synagogue was bought by a private individual who sold it in 1516 with the express purpose that there be installed the prison of the town, which until then was in the castle; the building probably served as a prison from 1516 to the 1550s; in the early 17th century it seems to have been used a Christian chapel (the parish records of the church of St John the Baptist show that a wedding was conducted in 1613 at a St Bartholomew's chapel on New Street); in the 19th century it was turned into a storage house, for hay first and then as a common cellar and grocery warehouse. On 29 July 1921 the building was classified national monument. On 5 May 1923, the then owner of the building, Joaquim Cardoso Tavares, sold it to the Polish scholar Samuel Schwarz, who restored the building and conducted the first excavations. Schwarz donated the building on 27 July 1939 to the Portuguese government with the condition that it be turned into a museum; in return, Schwarz and his wife were granted Portuguese citizenship that protected them during the Second World War. Since 1939, the building has functioned as the small Abraham Zacuto Portuguese Jewish Museum. It hosts several Mediaeval tomb slabs from around the country. Two of its best exhibits are a stone plate from the Lisbon synagogue, dated from 1307 and bearing a greeting inscription, and a notable 13th-century inscription from Belmonte on which the Divine Name is represented by three dots in a manner reminiscent of that in ancient Hebrew manuscripts from the Dead Sea . Other well-preserved, pre-expulsion synagogues can be found in Híjar , Toledo , and Córdoba . Main entrance Interior of the Tomar Synagogue showing the pillars and vaulting "The Synagogue of Tomar, Portugal" .3
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 954892803.
The opening as it stood in 2010
Interior of the Tomar Synagogue The Synagogue of Tomar is the best preserved of the medieval synagogues of Portugal . It is located in the historic centre of the city of Tomar , and houses a small Jewish Museum. Interior of the Tomar Synagogue showing the pillars and vaulting. The synagogue of Tomar was built in the mid-15th century by the thriving Jewish community of the town. From the outside, it does not look different from the other houses in the street. The current main entrance, facing North, did not exist in the Middle Ages. It was the gothic pointed arch facing East - the direction of Jerusalem - that used to be the main entrance to the temple. Inside, the synagogue is a square-shaped hall with three short aisles divided by four pillars supporting Gothic vaulting . The capitals bear geometric and vegetal motifs. Excavations in a building beside the synagogue revealed the remnants of a mikveh (ritual bath for women). With the expulsion and forced conversions of Portuguese Jews in 1496, the synagogue served as jail, church and later as storage house. In the 1930s, the old synagogue was bought by the Polish scholar Samuel Schwarz, who restored the building and donated it to the Portuguese government with the condition that it should be turned into a museum. Since 1939 it functions as the small Jewish Museum Abraão Zacuto ( Abraham Zacuto ), with several mediaeval tomb slabs from the whole country. Among its best exhibits is a stone plate from the Lisbon synagogue, dated from 1308 and bearing a greeting inscription. Other well-preserved, pre-expulsion synagogues can be found in Híjar , Toledo , and Córdoba .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 353579465.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 19 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Museum and former synagogue in Tomar, Portugal The Synagogue of Tomar ( ) is a well-preserved medieval synagogue in Tomar , Portugal .Along with the Synagogue of Castelo de Vide , it is one of two existing pre-expulsion synagogues in the country. It is located at 73 Rua Dr. Joaquim Jaquinto in Tomar's historic city center.Built in the mid-1400s, the building was active as a synagogue only until 1496, when Jews were expelled from Portugal .It now houses the Abraham Zacuto Portuguese Jewish Museum ( ).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1051783717.
The opening as it stood in 2025 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Former synagogue, now museum, in Tomar, Portugal The Synagogue of Tomar ( Portuguese : Sinagoga de Tomar ) is a former Jewish congregation and synagogue , located at 73 Rua Dr.Joaquim Jaquinto, in the historic center of the city of Tomar , in the Santarém District of Portugal .The medieval synagogue was completed in the Gothic style by c. 1460 , and was active as a synagogue until 1496, when Jews were expelled from Portugal .After four centuries of profane use , the building was declared a Portuguese National Monument , restored, and repurposed in 1939 as the Abraham Zacuto Portuguese Jewish Museum ( Portuguese : Museu Luso-Hebraico Abraão Zacuto ), a Jewish museum named in honour of Abraham Zacuto .Historic Synagogues of Europe .Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem . n.d .
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Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “best preserved of the medieval synagogues of portugal”. Today it says “former jewish congregation and synagogue”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
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2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
best preserved of the medieval synagogues of portugal
Now
former jewish congregation and synagogue
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.