The Synagogue of Carpentras 2023

The second Temple of Jerusalem, demolished in the year 70 by Titus and his Roman army, housed the holy ark and the 7-branched candlestick. It was the center of worship for all the Hebrew people. Then the sacrifices were replaced by prayers, to the prayer room are added the school, the Mikveh (the ritual bath), the village hall, the butcher's shop and the bakery.
The word synagogue means assembly in Greek, and is called in Hebrew Beth Tefillah, the house of prayer, Beth ha knesset house of council, Beth ha midrash the house of study. It is both an assembly of the faithful, a house of the community council, a place of study for adults and teaching for children.

The Jews arrived in Provence from the 1st century. The first texts attesting to their presence, in the lower Rhone Valley, date from the 10th century. In the 13th century, all the towns and many rural towns housed Jewish communities. During the reign of Philippe le Bel (1306), the Jews were expelled from the kingdom of France. Pope Clement VI decided to welcome them to the pontifical lands of Comtat Venaissin. The notion of Pope's Jews was born.
Under papal protection, the Judeo-Comtadins enjoyed relative freedom. Strict legislation regulates their rights. Real oppressive measures are put in place. The two most important are the institution of the ghettos and the limitation of the professional activity of the Jews to thrift and usury. The establishment of ghettos dates back to the 15th century. The Cavaillon ghetto was created in 1453, that of Carpentras in 1461, with the presence of more than 1000 people in a very restricted space, a single street, rue de la Muse.

The synagogue of Carpentras is the oldest active synagogue in France. In 1343 the bishop of the city, Hugues, nephew of Pope Clement VI, granted the Jews of the city the right to build a synagogue. Its construction began in 1367. The Pope also granted the right to purchase land for a cemetery in 1343, in return for an annual fee of six pounds of spices, pepper, ginger or the value in money. . The synagogue was classified as a historical monument in 1924. The restoration of this exceptional building, since the 1950s, continues today and demonstrates the desire to take into account the communities of the past, testimony to the living presence of Judaism today.

The ground floor is the oldest part of the synagogue. Excavations in 1992 brought to light elements from the Roman and medieval periods. In the great room called Jerusalem, the faithful meet in council or for study; it seems that religious services took place there before the construction of the new prayer room upstairs. The interior decoration is a masterpiece of 18th century Rococo religious art with Italianate ironwork. From this room starts a corridor that leads to the mikveh (ritual bath)
On the first floor, the prayer room is where the faithful gather for Shabbat or holiday services. The spirit of its decoration dates mainly from the 18th century. Since the 1950s, various restoration campaigns have succeeded and continue today. Recent restoration work has revealed in the space of the gallery, behind the Teba, a series of mural paintings probably dating from the second half of the 18th century.

The Israelite cemetery of Carpentras, also known as the Jewish cemetery, is the oldest in France, still in operation.

Located at the foot of the Aqueduct, on the road to Caromb, in the Font-Rousse district, the cemetery covers more than 2 hectares. Its origins date back to the 14th century. In 1343 the bishop of the city, granted the Jews of the city the right to build a synagogue and to have a cemetery, outside the city, in return for an annual fee of six pounds of spices, pepper and ginger or silver. At that time it was expressly forbidden to bury Jews from outside the city there. For authorized burials, no monument could be erected and any inscription on the tombs was prohibited. In a peaceful atmosphere, centuries-old trees shelter graves dating from the 18th century. A main aisle and secondary aisles intersect at right angles, lined with pine trees that frame the facade of the depository.

The cemetery is the complement of the Jewish heritage of the Comtat Venaissin.
It was then enlarged by the purchase of an adjacent orchard, probably to plant the vines necessary for the production of kosher wine. In 1675, mulberry trees were planted, the sale of whose leaves provided the money needed for the burials of poor Jews.
It was surrounded by a stone wall following a subscription in 1843, providing for a monumental main portal to the south and a secondary portal to the west along the aqueduct. During this same period, a depository was built for the toilet of the dead and a gheniza, a tomb used to house sacred objects and books. The Israelite cemetery of Carpentras has been listed as a historical monument since April 17, 2007.

The cemetery houses many 19th century burials in excellent condition, bearing the names of families representative of Comtadin Judaism: Alphandéry, Beaucaire, Bédarrides, Carcassonne, Cavaillon, Crémieux, Digne, Lisbon, Lunel, Lyon, Meyrargues, Milhaud, Monteux, Mossé, Naquet, Valabrègue, Vidal-Naquet… These graves are often grouped together in family squares surrounded by wrought iron gates.

15 Place Maurice Charretier in Carpentras

Visits are by reservation on : www.synagoguedecarpentras.fr/reservation/
No tours on Saturday, Sunday, holidays and Hebrew feast days.

Offices every Friday evening (except July-August)

Closing days of the Synagogue
July: 11, 14
August: 8, 9 (afternoon), 11 (morning), 15
September: 26, 27
October: 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 17, 18
November: 1, 11
December: 25

Photos et contenu : Synagogue de Carpentras - AVPCJC
Visite virtuelle : LOCUS3D