650-Year-Old Synagogue in South of France Town of Carpentras Gets Renovation
– Local authorities in the city of Carpentras in southern France allocated $1.25 million for renovating the ceiling of the country’s oldest synagogue ahead of its 650th anniversary next year.
The city intends to defray some of the cost through admission fees to exhibitions that it is preparing to put on next year of items connected to the synagogue, including some of its priceless items of scripture – which predate the invention of the printing press, and an exhibit of photographs related to the local Jewish community, the news website France Bleu reported.
Fleeing persecution in 13th-century France, many Jews sought pontifical protection in Carpentras, which was controlled by the Avignon papacy at this time, according to the World Monuments Fund, which supported some restoration in 2001. They established the synagogue shortly thereafter, in 1367.
The building was renovated in the 18th century by the architect Antoine D’Allemand, whose work on the synagogue reflected contemporary baroque décor.
A monumental stairway leads through from the ground floor to the first floor, belying the synagogue’s modest façade. On the ground floor, the ritual baths, or mikvaot, and two bakeries represent some of the building’s oldest retained features.
The 2001 World Monuments Fund-supported conservation work on the synagogue’s interior included cleaning the plaster on the ceilings and walls, and replacing the floor tiles, according to the website Jewish Heritage Europe.
The synagogue is still in occasional use by the small Jewish community in Carpentras, numbering about 200 people.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
