Versailles Synagogue
Encyclopedia
The Versailles Synagogue is situated at 10, rue Albert Joly in Versailles
in the Department of Yvelines
. It is one of the oldest Synagogues in the Île-de-France
. Built between 1884 and 1886 by the arcitecht Alfred-Philibert Aldrophe
(1834–1895), it was inaugurated in 1886.
and is embellished with Byzantine ornamentation. There is a desire to make an imposing, monument, on whose pediment is a large sefer torah replacing what were hitherto discreet symbols of identity in the city.
The facade of the building is north-facing and never gets the sun, neither do windows to the south which is a facing a wall, this is unusual as synagogues are generally more oriented west-east.
Above the portal are carved in Hebrew Bible verses:
"Blessed are you at your coming and blessed art thou in thy going out" (Deuteronomy 28.6)
"Come in turmoil into the house of God" (Psalm 55.15)
And on top of the building:
"Thou shalt love the Lord" (Deuteronomy 11:1)
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Leviticus 19:18)
The synagogue is still in operation (the rabbi
is Mr. Beldheb) nevertheless, it now follows a Sephardi rite and the present community is mainly from Morocco
. The grandfather of the anthropologist and ethnologist Claude Lévi-Strauss
was a one-time rabbi of this synagogue.
It is possible to visit during certain occasions such as the National Day of Remembrance for victims and heroes of the deportation where it is open to the public.
To the left of the synagogue is the house of the rabbi.
There is also a Jewish section in the southwest corner of Cemetery Gonards. There is a tomb bearing the inscription "THE PROMISED LAND TO ITS MEMBERS". "Promised Land" was a Jewish society founded in Paris under the Second Empire, which met until 1970, whose purpose was to render the last honors to ensure a dignified burial for the poor, to prevent them from ending up buried in a common site. The society had several hundred members who paid originally an annual fee of 15 francs.
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
in the Department of Yvelines
Yvelines
Yvelines is a French department in the region of Île-de-France.-History:Yvelines was created from the western part of the defunct department of Seine-et-Oise on 1 January 1968 in accordance with a law passed on 10 January 1964 and a décret d'application from 26 February 1965.It gained the...
. It is one of the oldest Synagogues in the Île-de-France
Île-de-France (région)
Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
. Built between 1884 and 1886 by the arcitecht Alfred-Philibert Aldrophe
Alfred-Philibert Aldrophe
Alfred-Philibert Aldrophe was a French architect.-Biography:Born in Paris, he worked on the Great Exhibitions held in the city in 1855 and 1867. As the architect of the Consistory of Paris, in 1867 he began construction of the Grand Synagogue of Paris which opened in 1874, and became available...
(1834–1895), it was inaugurated in 1886.
Description
From an architectural standpoint, this Ashkenazi synagogue is classical in style, with massive front ButtressButtress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
and is embellished with Byzantine ornamentation. There is a desire to make an imposing, monument, on whose pediment is a large sefer torah replacing what were hitherto discreet symbols of identity in the city.
The facade of the building is north-facing and never gets the sun, neither do windows to the south which is a facing a wall, this is unusual as synagogues are generally more oriented west-east.
Above the portal are carved in Hebrew Bible verses:
"Blessed are you at your coming and blessed art thou in thy going out" (Deuteronomy 28.6)
"Come in turmoil into the house of God" (Psalm 55.15)
And on top of the building:
"Thou shalt love the Lord" (Deuteronomy 11:1)
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Leviticus 19:18)
The synagogue is still in operation (the rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
is Mr. Beldheb) nevertheless, it now follows a Sephardi rite and the present community is mainly from Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. The grandfather of the anthropologist and ethnologist Claude Lévi-Strauss
Claude Lévi-Strauss
Claude Lévi-Strauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist, and has been called, along with James George Frazer, the "father of modern anthropology"....
was a one-time rabbi of this synagogue.
It is possible to visit during certain occasions such as the National Day of Remembrance for victims and heroes of the deportation where it is open to the public.
To the left of the synagogue is the house of the rabbi.
The Jewish cemetery of Versailles
The Jewish cemetery in Versailles is in the same area as the synagogue (Versailles Rive Droite). It is arranged in terraces on a slope surrounded by greenery, at 3, rue General Pershing, and has about 400 graves. The cemetery which was authorized by King Louis XVI in 1788, is one of the few Jewish cemeteries dating from before the revolution. Most date from the 19th century.There is also a Jewish section in the southwest corner of Cemetery Gonards. There is a tomb bearing the inscription "THE PROMISED LAND TO ITS MEMBERS". "Promised Land" was a Jewish society founded in Paris under the Second Empire, which met until 1970, whose purpose was to render the last honors to ensure a dignified burial for the poor, to prevent them from ending up buried in a common site. The society had several hundred members who paid originally an annual fee of 15 francs.