Oldest Active Synagogue in France

The Synagogue of Carpentras was founded in 1367 and is recognized as the oldest active synagogue in France. The Jewish community of Carpentras developed under papal protection in the Comtat Venaissin, where Jews maintained a continuous communal presence despite periods of restriction and segregation. Although the synagogue’s present appearance reflects extensive eighteenth-century rebuilding and enlargement, its religious history is rooted in the medieval foundation of 1367. The building contains prayer spaces, ritual facilities and architectural elements that reflect centuries of Jewish life in Provence. It is protected as a historic monument and remains a place connected to Jewish worship and heritage. For JWR, the qualifying metric is the earliest securely documented foundation year of a synagogue in France that is still active; this is why the title must retain the word “Active.”