Sinagoga de Santa Maria La Blanca (Synagogue of Saint Mary the White), Toledo

The Synagogue of Saint Mary the White, built in the 12th or early 13th century, is considered the oldest synagogue in Europe. It is in the old Jewish quarter, between the Monastery of Saint John of the Monarchs and the Synagogue of El Transito. It is one of three preserved synagogues in Spain, built by Jews in the Mudejar style.

The exact origin of the Sinagoga is unclear. Its Almohad layout similarities indicate it may have been erected over the site of a preexisting mosque. The sponsor of the original synagogue is believed to be Joseph ben Meir ben Shoshan, son of the finance minister of King Alfonso VIII of Castile.

In the Massacre of 1391, also known as the Pogroms (the act of antisemitism and violence against Jews in Spain), the Sinagoga was sacked and taken over by the Catholic Church. The new church was given to the religious-military Order of Calatrava. By 1556 three small apses were added to be chapels. They were in the Renaissance style and are credited to architect and sculptor Alonso de Covarrubias.

The interior arcades of horseshoe arches are held up by a forest of octagonal piers. The capitals are Mudéjar, Corinthian, and Byzantine in style. A scallop-shell arch in the center marks the location of the Torah ark. A courtyard surrounds the synagogue. There is a ritual bath, a Rabbi's residence, and a study hall.