La Grande Synagogue

The presence of a Jewish community if Aquitane can be traced back several centuries. This increased considerably after the promulgation of the decree of the Alhambra (March 31, 1492) by which the Catholic Monarchs decided to expel the Jews of the Iberian Peninsula. Fleeing persecution by the Inquisition, many of them decide to move beyond the Pyrenees, forming communities often active and successful in the south-west France. The Jewish community flourished in Bordeaux for centuries, providing some important names in the fields of literature, arts, commerce and politics.

During the creation of the Central Consistory of Napoleon, a regional Consistory was created in Bordeaux in 1808. A year later, a large synagogue was founded on Causserouge Street. Designed by the architect Arnaud Corcelle, it is loosely based on oriental architecture. The nerve center of the Jewish quarter, this monumental building was the victim of a terrible fire in 1873.

This loss made the representatives of the community determined to build a new sanctuary, whose implementation was entrusted to the architect André Burguet and, after his death to the architects Charles Durand and Paul Abadie. Work began in 1877 and was completed in 1882. On Sept. 5, the Great Synagogue of Bordeaux was inaugurated.

During the German occupation, the synagogue was pillaged and served as a place of internment for Jews who failed to escape in time. Nearly 1,600 families were imprisoned before being deported to the camps of Dachau and Auschwitz-Birkenau.

References:

• sandpcentral.org

Address

Rue du Grand Rabin Joseph Cohen 6, Bordeaux, France

Details

Founded: 1877
Category: Religious sites in France