The building itself was erected in the city of Zhovkva (at that time the Commonwealth, today - the territory of Ukraine) at the end of the 17th century. The first buildings date back to 1625, but it is known that the first wooden building burned down. However, 10 years later it was rebuilt from bricks. The building was renovated in 1692-1698 (mainly during the reign of Jan III Sobieski) according to the design of the court architect Petru Beber. Subsequently, the synagogue repeatedly suffered from fires and was rebuilt, but retained the architectural concept set by Beber. This is one of the largest defensive synagogues in Europe, built in the Renaissance style with Baroque elements. Russia, XIX century.