|
|
July 14, 2006
A city of culture, art and history
Avignon was a Jewish centre in medieval times, despite the many
restrictions imposed.
EDGAR ASHER ISRANET
The southern French city of Avignon has a rich and colorful history.
It has the distinction of being the seat of the papacy from 1309
to 1377. Even after the papacy left, the city still belonged to
Rome and it was not until 1791, during the French Revolution, that
the city lost its independence and was reincorporated with France.
Avignon lies slightly more than 100 kilometres northwest of Marseilles,
the first former French capital, and is an ideal centre for visiting
some of the finest scenery that Provence has to offer, such as the
Ardeche and Tarn Gorges and the extraordinary plain of the Camargue,
with its unusual wild life reserves. Historic cities, such as Arles,
Orange, Nimes and Montpellier are all within easy reach of Avignon
when making day trips. The city itself is surrounded completely
by a three-mile medieval wall, which has many original gates into
the old city area. Around the outside of the wall are plenty of
car parks. Cars can be driven into the old city but this is not
recommended.
Avignon is a city of culture, with much live theatre and music.
In July, a big cultural festival and major art exhibition takes
place in the Palace of the Popes. The palace is one of the most
popular monuments in the country and is visited by more than 600,000
visitors each year.
The St-Bénézet Bridge is the source of the world-famous
song "Sur le Pont d'Avignon." One end of this 12th-century
bridge starts very close to the Palace of the Popes, but it ends
abruptly in the middle of the Rhone River. Raging flood water destroyed
the bridge in the 17th century, leaving only four of the 18 arches
that made up the original structure.
When the bridge was first built, it was the only safe access to
the city and served as a link between Avignon and Villeneuve-les-Avignon
on the other side of the river. It was here, at Villeneuve-les-Avignon,
that the cardinals built themselves 15 luxurious houses, reflecting
the incredible wealth and influence that the city had attained.
There is easy and safe access to the remaining part of the bridge
- and from the part of the structure that ends mid-stream is an
outstanding view of the old city and the Palace of the Popes.
The Jewish connection to Avignon is recorded as far back as 1221,
when the first synagogue was built on the site of the present neo-classical
building, which was constructed around 1846. There is still one
physical connection with the original building to be seen today,
a 13th-century oven used to bake matzot for Passover.
It is known that there were several Jewish communities in France
by the end of the fifth century. On the whole, the Jews of the time
were offered protection by the French monarchy, but, as the kingdom
of France expanded and began to incorporate the cities of the southern
part of the country, near to the Mediterranean, the position of
the Jews under its power began to deteriorate.
The Jews who escaped from the French kingdom found refuge on the
opposite bank of the Rhone River, which flows outside the walls
of Avignon. At that time, this area of Jewish sanctuary was not
yet a possession of the French kingdom. The "second Rome,"
as Avignon became known in the 14th century, entered a period of
unsurpassed building. The Avignon popes were happy to allow Jewish
refugees to help construct a three-mile protective wall and rampart
that surrounded the city and also help in the building of a huge
papal palace, which today is the largest existing piece of Gothic
architecture in the world.
The Jews of Avignon were known to have worked in trades and crafts
such as building, tailoring, dyeing and bookbinding.
Jewish doctors were also well respected for their professionalism
and were able to practise under the patronage and protection of
the French popes. However, Jews were still required to wear a rouelle,
or wheel, as a special badge of identification.
The population of Jews in the city was about 1,000 and they nearly
all lived in a very small area near the papal palace, measuring
only about 100 square yards.
With the ending of the French papacy at the close of the 14th century,
Jewish fortunes began to decline. Without their protectors and patrons,
Jews were excluded from the trades and professions, with the exception
of being allowed to be moneylenders or trade in secondhand goods.
The limited areas where the Jews were allowed to live in Avignon,
and other southern French towns, were grossly overcrowded. Expansion
was only allowed upwards and many buildings in the Jewish parts
of the city were up to eight stories high.
Avignon Synagogue was destroyed by fire in 1845. A year later, a
new building, the present one, was constructed on the same site.
The interior is designed on the round with the bimah in the centre.
In a room behind the main synagogue can still be seen the original
matzah oven, which the synagogue's rabbi, Moche Amar, shows with
pride to all his visitors.
Today, there are an estimated 3,000 Jews living in the Avignon area.
Most of the Jews come from North Africa, although there are some
who are able to trace their genealogy back to the time when their
antecedents were known as "the popes' Jews.' "
^TOP
|
|
