The Orthodox synagogue served the Jewish Orthodox congregation (Unione degli Israeliti Ortodossi di Fiume), mainly made up of members from Russia, Galicia and Bessarabia and numbering 220 congregants in 1930. The land on which the synagogue was built near via Galvani (today Ivana Filipovića Ulica) was purchased from the City of Rijeka for 10,000 Italian Lire on 27 January 1928.

The Orthodox synagogue, a small building with some Art Nouveau elements, was a valuable example of the conceptual architectural style of civil engineers Vittorio Angyal (1889-1952) and Pietro Fabbro, owners of the Rijeka-based Impresa Costruzioni Edili, the same company that also designed the Opatija synagogue. The building was completed in 1932 and many of the original architectural drawings still exist.

Exterior of the Orthodox synagogue of Rijeka ("New synagogue of Orthodox Jews") Rome, Centro Bibliografico dell'Unione delle Comunità Ebraiche Italiane: Archivio Fotografico F.A.C.E. 1930-1950 © Courtesy of UCEI

Drawing for the Orthodox synagogue of Rijeka, 1932 Source: https://cja.huji.ac.il/browser.php?mode=set&id=21064 © Courtesy of The Centre for Jewish Art