Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The cemetery of the Portuguese Jews of Bordeaux, located in the course of the Marne River, was acquired in 1724 by David Gradis, president of the Portuguese Jewish community, for 6,300 pounds. This land, a former medieval fief of Sainte-Croix, was bequeathed to the community four years later. The first burials date back to 1724-1725, such as that of Machaelle Lamegue or Ishac Peres, but the cemetery, saturated since the 1760s, was partially expropriated by the Ministry of War. The bones were then transferred to the cemetery of the course of the Yser, still active today.

This cemetery illustrates the history of the Portuguese and Spanish Jews fleeing the Iberian Inquisition from 1492. Bordeaux, the major port of the modern era, offered them an exceptional status under the kings of France: freedom of worship and commercial rights in exchange for taxes. These communities, often from the maritime or triangular trade, became part of Bordeaux society, as evidenced by the epitaphs in Hebrew, Portuguese or Spanish, and the Jewish symbols (the star of David, the seven-branch candlestick) engraved on the tombstones.

The management of the cemetery was subject to strict rules: until 1787, every burial required permission from the city hall jurats and a tax of 6 pounds, according to the "Roy's declaration" of 1736. Closed in 1911 after hosting nearly 800 graves, the site was renovated from 2001 by the Israel Heritage Association of Aquitaine. Today, although disused, it remains the property of the Jewish Consistory and retains its characteristic rectangular slabs, called matzevah.

The cemetery of the course of the Marne is just one of the three Bordeaux Israeli cemeteries, along with those of the course of the Yser (still in operation) and of the rue Sauteyron (closed in 1805). These places reflect the diversity of local Jewish communities: Portuguese, Avignonnais (from Comtat Venaissin), and later Ashkenazes. Their presence in Bordeaux is part of a broader history, marked by figures such as Aristides de Sousa Mendes, Portuguese consul who saved 10,000 Jews in 1940, or influential families such as the Gradis, major players in trade and religious life.

The sober architecture of tombs, aligned in rows, and multilingual inscriptions recall the cultural mix of these populations. In the 18th century, Bordeaux had about 327 Portuguese Jewish families, often converted to Christianity under the pressure of the Inquisition, but buried according to their rites in dedicated cemeteries. These spaces, although discreet, were symbols of identity resistance and coexistence, as evidenced by the great synagogue of Bordeaux, with oriental motifs inherited from this history.

External links