BERKANI DAVID

Lovely Synagogue to visit. To gain access you have to ring the buzzer on the small door to the right of the large Synagogue doors. Fascinating history of the Papal Jews and the Synagogue itself. Well worth a visit.

Very interesting and historic. However, the need for security was an interesting contrast to the open cathedrals nearby. Be sure to check out the challah oven behind the rabbi's desk in his study.

Sign outside reads: The sign reads…. City History - Synagogue The former Jewish quarter was located northwest of the current Place du Palais. In 1221, the Jewish community was relocated to the parish of Saint-Pierre, around what is now Place Jérusalem. This “carrière,” a term given to Jewish quarters in the Comtat Venaissin region, was closed off by three gates, of which only the Calandre gate remains. The inhabitants enjoyed the protection of the Pope. After the Revolution abolished these quarters, most of the houses were destroyed in the 19th century. The synagogue, known as the “escole,” included the temple and rooms necessary for community life: meetings, marriages, butcher shop, bakery, etc. Rebuilt between 1765 and 1767 by Franque and lavishly decorated, it was completely destroyed by fire in 1845. It was immediately reconstructed by the municipality under the plans of the architect J.-A. Jeoffroy, who, unexpectedly, designed a neoclassical rotunda covered with a dome inside.