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Judaism
Grande synagogue de Lyon
, France
About
Standing on the right bank of the Rhone in the heart of Lyon, the Grande Synagogue is the city's principal Jewish sanctuary. Its setting along the quai Tilsitt places it among the civic landmarks of the Presqu'ile, woven into the urban fabric of one of France's oldest Jewish communities.
The building was raised between 1863 and 1864 to designs by the architect Abraham Hirsch in the Byzantine Revival style, a manner often chosen by nineteenth-century European Jewish communities seeking to express both an ancient identity and a confident place within civic life. The synagogue was renovated in 2014 and has been a protected monument historique since December 1984.
The congregation follows the Ashkenazi rite, drawing on the liturgy and customs that travelled with central and eastern European Jewry. Daily and Shabbat services, the festivals of the Jewish year, and life-cycle observances continue to mark the rhythm of the community here.
History
Jewish presence in Lyon stretches back centuries, but the modern community took shape after the Revolution and the granting of full civic rights to French Jews. As that community grew through the nineteenth century, the Grande Synagogue was commissioned and built between 1863 and 1864 to provide a worthy gathering place. It has remained the central synagogue of the city ever since, surviving the upheavals of the twentieth century and undergoing a major renovation completed in 2014.
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