Grande synagogue de Lyon
Encyclopedia
The Grande synagogue de Lyon is a synagogue
located at 13 quai Tilsit in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon
. This neo-Byzantine place of worship was built from 1863 to 1864. It was classified as a monument historique
in 1984.
of Lyons were few, and their community was originally attached to the Consistory of Marseille
. As the Jewish population increased, a communal rabbinate was formed on 11 November 1849. The first place of worship, located in a rented hall in the rue Écorche-Bœuf (now called rue Port-du-Temple), was replaced at the end of its lease, for a flat in the rue Bellecordière; then on 25 June 1850 a new temple was inaugurated in the rue Peyrat (now rue Alphonsus Fochier).
On 23 October 1857, Emperor Napoleon III, by decree, created a regional Consistory which gathered communities in the departments of Rhone, Loire, Isère, Ain, Jura, Saône-et-Loire and Doubs. On 24 June 1858, the first regional Chief Rabbi
took office and, on 5 December of the same year, the Consistory received its charter.
On 4 May 1858, a new temple opened on the Place Bellecour
in a rented hall, but the community wanted to build a synagogue that could properly represent the community. On 5 December 1859, the Consistory solicited to Senator and prefect of Lyon Claude-Marius Vaïsse
a land to build a synagogue. On 3 September 1860, the city of Lyon proposed to the community a plot of land in the Jardin des Plantes and the Montée des Carmélites
in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon
. The construction commission, specially created on 6 March 1861 to manage the construction project of the synagogue, issued a negative opinion about the location proposed by the mayor, and suggested the area of Customs located on quai Tilsitt, which was refused.
On 6 March 1862, Joseph Kippenheim was elected president of the consistory. He proposed a temporary place of worship, namely the Salle des Monnaies. On 28 March 1862, the city offered a plot of land in the Quai Tilsit, the old salt warehouse, which had 19 feet (5.8 m) of facade and a 759 square-meter area, in exchange of land of the Jardin des Plantes, through a 25,000-franc cash payment. The work was entrusted to the young Jewish architect Abraham Hirsch (1828–1913) who later became the official architect of the city of Lyon. The work cost about 1,175,000 francs, and on 10 April 1862, the Presbytery issued bonds for that amount.
On 20 May 1863, the laying of the cornerstone took place, and the official inauguration with civilian and military authorities, and representatives of other religions, took place on 23 June 1864.
On 10 December 1943, while the evening worship was started since twenty minutes, the celebrant intoned the Lekha Dodi hymn and, as wanted by the tradition, he and the faithful turned toward the door to welcome the Shabbat. At this time, two hand grenade
s were thrown in the synagogue by people who managed to escape by car. The fact that there were only eight minor injuries can be explained by the position of the faithful at the time of the attack. The attackers were never identified.
On 13 June 1944, the French militia entered the synagogue and arrested everyone who was present. The secretary of the consistory and the prime minister of the synagogue were arrested, and the caretaker, his wife and housekeeper. All those arrested that day were first interned at Fort Montluc, then were transferred on 30 June to the Drancy internment camp
, and were deported to Auschwitz on 31 July 1944.
In his testimony of 12 April 1945, Eugene Weill mentioned that when he went to the synagogue September 2, 1944, the day of liberation of Lyon, "the synagogue [is] in a dreadful state, the hall of the temple served as local of drinking militia, the plaques of soldiers killed during the War, served as targets, the Torah scrolls also, there are still sockets on the ground, lamps, chairs and benches have been ransacked, prayer books scattered."
At the Liberation, Rabbi David Feuerwerker became the Chief Rabbi of Lyon (1944–1946). It abolished the use of the organ in the synagogue during Shabbat and holidays. It celebrated, among others, the marriage of the parents of future and current Chief Rabbi of Lyon, Richard Wertenschlag.
The Grande synagogue de Lyon, like the Notre-Dame de Fourvière
built at the same time (opened in 1870), enjoyed many technological advances in the late nineteenth century. The building was deteriorating rapidly and infiltration of water under the arches and in the aisles threatened to detect the stones of the building. The first part of the work cost 400,000 euros. For this, the Consistory, under the chairmanship of Marcel Dreyfus, asked the City of Lyon, as well as other territorial, regional and departmental collectivities. He also asked the generosity of donors and the product of multiple auctions.
At the meeting of 14 January 2008, the City Council awarded a grant of 90,197 euro, which corresponded to 50% of roofing and 50% of repairs to the facade on the rue Tilsit. This resolution was confirmed by the meeting of 23 June 2008 which approved the agreement on objectives and resources and defined the respective obligations of the City of Lyon and the Association of Jewish worship as well as the procedure for granting the subsidy.
The regional Chief Rabbi is currently Richard Wertenschlag and the rabbi of the synagogue is Isaac Elhadad. The Hazzan
(cantor), which provides a reading of the Torah, is Gilles Kahn.
A small vestibule
, open to the court by three arches, provides access to the prayer room with three wooden doors. This large rectangular room is divided into three parts: the central nave
of the building height, and on each side the aisles, which are lower, separated from the nave by twelve columns recalling the twelve tribes of Israel. Each column is topped by a various Corinthian
or composite
styled capital
. On each side, above the aisles as well as above the entrance hall, there is the gallery reserved for women with balustrades of stone columns.
Above the entrance, on the second floor, the organ in wood is damaged and requires extensive restoration. It is the former organ of the Basilica of Saint-Martin d'Ainay, sold in 1864 to the synagogue during its construction.
The synagogue has 320 wooden stalls on the ground floor reserved for men and 235 in the gallery on the first floor for women.
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
located at 13 quai Tilsit in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon
2nd arrondissement of Lyon
The 2nd arrondissement of Lyon is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon.-History:The first five arrondissements of Lyon were created by the Decree of March 24, 1852, which included the 2nd arrondissement.The current mayor is Denis Broliquier....
. This neo-Byzantine place of worship was built from 1863 to 1864. It was classified as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
in 1984.
Building
In the early nineteenth century, the JewsJews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
of Lyons were few, and their community was originally attached to the Consistory of Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
. As the Jewish population increased, a communal rabbinate was formed on 11 November 1849. The first place of worship, located in a rented hall in the rue Écorche-Bœuf (now called rue Port-du-Temple), was replaced at the end of its lease, for a flat in the rue Bellecordière; then on 25 June 1850 a new temple was inaugurated in the rue Peyrat (now rue Alphonsus Fochier).
On 23 October 1857, Emperor Napoleon III, by decree, created a regional Consistory which gathered communities in the departments of Rhone, Loire, Isère, Ain, Jura, Saône-et-Loire and Doubs. On 24 June 1858, the first regional Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
took office and, on 5 December of the same year, the Consistory received its charter.
On 4 May 1858, a new temple opened on the Place Bellecour
Place Bellecour
The Place Bellecour is a large town square in Lyon, France, to the north of the Ainay district. Measuring 312 m by 200 m , it is the largest clear square in Europe, and the third biggest square of France, behind the place des Quinconces in Bordeaux et the place de la...
in a rented hall, but the community wanted to build a synagogue that could properly represent the community. On 5 December 1859, the Consistory solicited to Senator and prefect of Lyon Claude-Marius Vaïsse
Claude-Marius Vaïsse
Claude-Marius Vaïsse was a French politician, former prefect of Lyon, called the "Hausmann lyonnais".- Political career :...
a land to build a synagogue. On 3 September 1860, the city of Lyon proposed to the community a plot of land in the Jardin des Plantes and the Montée des Carmélites
Montée des Carmélites
The Montée des Carmélites is one of the oldest streets of Lyon, dating from Roman times, located in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon. It connects the Saint-Vincent quarter to the Plateau de la Croix-Rousse...
in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon
1st arrondissement of Lyon
The 1st arrondissement of Lyon, France is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon. It is located below the hill of Croix-Rousse and on the north part of the Presqu'île formed by the Saône and the Rhône, the two rivers in Lyon...
. The construction commission, specially created on 6 March 1861 to manage the construction project of the synagogue, issued a negative opinion about the location proposed by the mayor, and suggested the area of Customs located on quai Tilsitt, which was refused.
On 6 March 1862, Joseph Kippenheim was elected president of the consistory. He proposed a temporary place of worship, namely the Salle des Monnaies. On 28 March 1862, the city offered a plot of land in the Quai Tilsit, the old salt warehouse, which had 19 feet (5.8 m) of facade and a 759 square-meter area, in exchange of land of the Jardin des Plantes, through a 25,000-franc cash payment. The work was entrusted to the young Jewish architect Abraham Hirsch (1828–1913) who later became the official architect of the city of Lyon. The work cost about 1,175,000 francs, and on 10 April 1862, the Presbytery issued bonds for that amount.
On 20 May 1863, the laying of the cornerstone took place, and the official inauguration with civilian and military authorities, and representatives of other religions, took place on 23 June 1864.
World War II
The city of Lyon received a large number of Jewish refugees from all over the France. The synagogue was closed only two months during the summer of 1944, after the deportation of the rabbi and his family.On 10 December 1943, while the evening worship was started since twenty minutes, the celebrant intoned the Lekha Dodi hymn and, as wanted by the tradition, he and the faithful turned toward the door to welcome the Shabbat. At this time, two hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s were thrown in the synagogue by people who managed to escape by car. The fact that there were only eight minor injuries can be explained by the position of the faithful at the time of the attack. The attackers were never identified.
On 13 June 1944, the French militia entered the synagogue and arrested everyone who was present. The secretary of the consistory and the prime minister of the synagogue were arrested, and the caretaker, his wife and housekeeper. All those arrested that day were first interned at Fort Montluc, then were transferred on 30 June to the Drancy internment camp
Drancy internment camp
The Drancy internment camp of Paris, France, was used to hold Jews who were later deported to the extermination camps. 65,000 Jews were deported from Drancy, of whom 63,000 were murdered including 6,000 children...
, and were deported to Auschwitz on 31 July 1944.
In his testimony of 12 April 1945, Eugene Weill mentioned that when he went to the synagogue September 2, 1944, the day of liberation of Lyon, "the synagogue [is] in a dreadful state, the hall of the temple served as local of drinking militia, the plaques of soldiers killed during the War, served as targets, the Torah scrolls also, there are still sockets on the ground, lamps, chairs and benches have been ransacked, prayer books scattered."
At the Liberation, Rabbi David Feuerwerker became the Chief Rabbi of Lyon (1944–1946). It abolished the use of the organ in the synagogue during Shabbat and holidays. It celebrated, among others, the marriage of the parents of future and current Chief Rabbi of Lyon, Richard Wertenschlag.
Today
The consistory of Lyon, located in the outbuildings of the synagogue, is the oldest Jewish institution in Lyon and coordinates educational and cultural activities of various synagogues in the Rhone-Alpes-Centre. It is also responsible for many social actions to aid the needy and sick. In Lyon, there are currently about 40,000 Jews and 35 synagogues and shrines which cover all shades of French Judaism.The Grande synagogue de Lyon, like the Notre-Dame de Fourvière
Notre-Dame de Fourvière
The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière is a minor basilica in Lyon. It was built with private funds between 1872 and 1884 in a dominating position in the city. One author makes the possibly questionable statement that: "The reaction to the communes of Paris and Lyon were triumphalist monuments,...
built at the same time (opened in 1870), enjoyed many technological advances in the late nineteenth century. The building was deteriorating rapidly and infiltration of water under the arches and in the aisles threatened to detect the stones of the building. The first part of the work cost 400,000 euros. For this, the Consistory, under the chairmanship of Marcel Dreyfus, asked the City of Lyon, as well as other territorial, regional and departmental collectivities. He also asked the generosity of donors and the product of multiple auctions.
At the meeting of 14 January 2008, the City Council awarded a grant of 90,197 euro, which corresponded to 50% of roofing and 50% of repairs to the facade on the rue Tilsit. This resolution was confirmed by the meeting of 23 June 2008 which approved the agreement on objectives and resources and defined the respective obligations of the City of Lyon and the Association of Jewish worship as well as the procedure for granting the subsidy.
The regional Chief Rabbi is currently Richard Wertenschlag and the rabbi of the synagogue is Isaac Elhadad. The Hazzan
Hazzan
A hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish cantor, a musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.There are many rules relating to how a cantor should lead services, but the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources...
(cantor), which provides a reading of the Torah, is Gilles Kahn.
Architecture
The synagogue is composed of two buildings : the first one with a facade which overlooks on the quai Tilsit and with a 160 square-meter area, and the second one with a 550 square-meter area separated from the first building by a small 120 square-meter courtyard. The access to the building is by the courtyard, through a porch located below the first building, enclosed by a wrought iron gate.A small vestibule
Vestibule (architecture)
A vestibule is a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.The same term can apply to structures in modern or ancient roman architecture. In modern architecture vestibule typically refers to a small room or hall between an entrance and the interior of...
, open to the court by three arches, provides access to the prayer room with three wooden doors. This large rectangular room is divided into three parts: the central nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
of the building height, and on each side the aisles, which are lower, separated from the nave by twelve columns recalling the twelve tribes of Israel. Each column is topped by a various Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
or composite
Composite order
The composite order is a mixed order, combining the volutes of the Ionic order capital with the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian order. The composite order volutes are larger, however, and the composite order also has echinus molding with egg-and-dart ornamentation between the volutes...
styled capital
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
. On each side, above the aisles as well as above the entrance hall, there is the gallery reserved for women with balustrades of stone columns.
Above the entrance, on the second floor, the organ in wood is damaged and requires extensive restoration. It is the former organ of the Basilica of Saint-Martin d'Ainay, sold in 1864 to the synagogue during its construction.
The synagogue has 320 wooden stalls on the ground floor reserved for men and 235 in the gallery on the first floor for women.