Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Jewish cemetery at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, attested as early as 1400, served the local Jewish community, which was then important, as evidenced by a synagogue and a "street of the Jewry". In 1500, the expulsion of the Jews from Provence by Louis XII led to his abandonment until the French Revolution. At that time, the community reformed and reused the cemetery, with burials until 1910.

The site, rectangular in shape, is surrounded by a wall of more than two metres erected in 1847, partly financed by the municipality. His monumental portal bears a Hebrew inscription of Psalm 118:17: "I will not die, I will live, and I will tell the works of the Lord." The tombs, aligned along the walls, date mostly from the 19th century, the oldest (1821) belonging to Liote Millaud, and the most recent (1910) to Esther Baze.

Disused in 1977, the cemetery was listed as a historic monument on April 17, 2007, for its heritage value. It illustrates the history of the Comtadin Jews, marked by periods of exile and return, as well as their gradual integration after the Revolution. The enclosure wall and graves, simple or monumental, reflect Jewish funeral practices of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Located 300 metres from the Glanum Mausoleum, on a wooded road leading to Lake Peiroou, the cemetery is now communal property. Its state of conservation and its inscription make it a unique place of memory in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, linked to the Provencal Jewish heritage and regional history.

External links