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Origin and history

The medieval necropolis known as the Field of the Jews, located in Ennezat in Puy-de-Dôme, is a Jewish cemetery active between the 13th and 14th centuries. Its creation was linked to the establishment of a Jewish community attested as early as 1263, the last mention of which dates back to 1394, a year corresponding to the royal edict of expulsion of Jews from France. Several funeral steles were still visible in the seventeenth century, confirming its prolonged use despite the absence of the community after its forced departure.

Archaeological excavations revealed a structured cemetery, with no apparent clustering of graves, with approximately 700 graves dug in a substrate with both vertical and regular walls. This care of burials reflects the importance of funeral rites in Jewish tradition. Fossified structures, probably buildings linked to funeral practices (such as a mortuary house or a purification site), were also identified on the site.

The site, registered with the Historic Monuments in 2009, covers an area delimited by the cadastral plots AC 8, 16, 19, 20, 140, 139, 195 and 196. Its state of conservation and its location (15 Allée des Marronniers) make it a rare testimony of medieval Jewish communities in Auvergne, a region where their presence, although documented, left few such explicit material traces.

The accuracy of its location is considered "a priori satisfactory" (note 6/10), and the site remains an object of study to understand the spatial organization of Jewish necropolises in medieval Europe. No information is available on its current accessibility to the public or on any associated services (visits, exhibitions).

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