(JHE) — The imposing Great Synagogue in Lille has been re-dedicated with a gala ceremony following a large-scale renovation begun in 2019.
The news site La Voix du Nord ran a video of the event held Sunday (January 23):
Government officials including Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, Regional Council President Xavier Bertrand and Mayor Martine Aubry joined Jewish leaders including the chief rabbi of France and representatives of other faiths for the ceremony.
Listed as a historic monument since 1984, the synagogue was built in 1891 and designed in Romano-Byzantine style by the architect Théophile-Albert Hannotin. A massive arched stained glass window dominates its stone facade, with a bulbous upper form that is echoed inside by decorative work over the ark.
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Restoration work began in 2019, with the €1.5 million costs largely financed by the Lille municipality –the City of Lille owns the building, though it has long been managed by the Association Cultuelle Israelite (ACI), or Jewish Cultural Association, which also mounted a crowd-funding campaign.
The restoration included exterior work — facade, roofs and stained glass, as well as renovation of the interior.
Read about the inauguration on La Voix du Nord
Read about the restoration at its kickoff, in a 2019 article in The Times of Israel