Synagogue of Biarritz, Religious building in Biarritz, France.
The Synagogue of Biarritz is a Jewish house of worship in the coastal city and features Romano-Byzantine architecture with stone balustrades on its exterior. Inside, the benches run perpendicular to the space, and the main prayer area is anchored by a Héchal at the back.
The building opened on September 7, 1904, and was the final major Jewish place of worship built in southwestern France during that era. The interior furnishings came from an earlier synagogue in Peyrehorade that was sold in 1899, creating a link to older Jewish spaces in the region.
The facade carries the Hebrew year 5664 beside 1904 and the verse from Leviticus XIX-18, "Love thy neighbour as thyself", carved in stone. Services were split between the Portuguese rite of Bayonne and the Ashkenazi rite, the latter for foreign worshippers. The consistory of Bayonne kept the synagogue as its branch, receiving the offerings and carrying expenses on its own budget.
The building is accessible during the warmer months with heightened activity, especially in summer when regular services take place. The best time to visit is Friday evening or Saturday, when the community gathers for worship.
The land was bought on 17 August 1904 for 18,230.45 francs, and the synagogue was inaugurated on 7 September, less than a month later, which shows construction had begun before the sale was signed. Lazare Poliakov, the main donor, required the building to stand next to the Russian Orthodox church.
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