Erected in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century, it is disputably considered the oldest synagogue building in Europe still standing.

It is one of three preserved synagogues constructed by Jews in a Mudéjar or Moorish style under the rule of the Christian Kingdom of Castile.

[8][6] One commonly accepted opinion is that it was erected sometime around 1205, as documents from the time mention a "new", great synagogue located in Toledo.

[8][6][9] Another theory arises from a wooden tablet found in the area that describes a new structure, saying, "Its ruins were raised up in the year 4940" [CE 1180].

[10] Some historians, such as Leopoldo Torres Balbás, note similarities between the plaster work in the aisles of Santa María la Blanca and the convent Las Huelgas de Burgos, which is of a later date, around 1275.

Joseph was the son of a finance minister to King Alfonso VIII of Castile and, upon his death in 1205, his epitaph mentions his having built a synagogue.

[8] As a result of the pogroms of 1391 and the anti-Jewish preaching of Vicente Ferrer, the synagogue was sacked and then appropriated by the Catholic church.

[11] It was officially consecrated as a church in the early 15th century, though sources vary in stating the exact year: some cite 1401,[12] 1405,[13][8] 1410,[14] or 1411.

[18] There are also nuances in its architectural classification, because although it was constructed as a synagogue, its hypostyle room and the lack of a women's gallery make it closer in character to a mosque.

This courtyard served as a place for the people to congregate before and after prayer services and also held the different communal institutions.