Synagogue (Dijon)
The synagogue of Dijon is a church from the 19th century.
history
After the last expulsion of the Jews at the end of the 14th century, Dijon had almost no Jewish inhabitants for several centuries. It was not until 1790 that the district administration decided to improve the living conditions for Jews in such a way that emigration to other areas and thus economic damage to the city and surroundings could be avoided and a return to Dijon became attractive again. In the course of industrialization and the expansion of the railway lines in the 19th century, many Jewish parishioners in Dijon achieved great prosperity and good relations with the administration, which already in 1841 provided three rooms in which church services could be held.
In 1869 the Jewish community received the land on which the synagogue was to be built from the city free of charge. The foundation stone was laid on September 21, 1873, and the synagogue was inaugurated on September 11, 1879. The designs for the centrally located and widely visible neo-Moorish building came from Alfred Sirodot , who stylistically based himself on the synagogue in rue de la victoire in Paris. But Sacré-Cœur is also named as a model. The 39-meter-high building, crowned by a dome and adorned with four slender towers, was decorated by the sculptor M. Schanoski from Dijon. Twelve stained glass windows showed the biblical tribes of Israel .
A destruction during the Second World War could be prevented by Félix Kir ; the synagogue was used as a department store during the German occupation until 1944. Several Jews from Dijon managed to escape the Germans; part of the community returned to Dijon after the end of the war. It was enlarged from 1962 by immigrants from North Africa and more recently by Russian emigrants. In 2000 the building was closed due to its dilapidation. An appeal for donations is currently being made to collect the amount needed for the restoration of the magnificent dome.
Web links
- Some construction data
- History of the Jews in Dijon (PDF file; 257 kB)
- Jewish Encyclopedia
- Numerous pictures
- Construction details
Coordinates: 47 ° 19 '2.7 " N , 5 ° 2' 41.6" E