Maison sublime, Medieval Jewish house in Rouen, France
Maison sublime is a stone house from the 12th century now buried beneath Rouen's Palace of Justice. The structure retains Hebrew inscriptions on its walls and contains multiple rooms that reveal how medieval Jewish families organized their domestic life.
The house was built around 1100 and stands as France's oldest surviving Jewish structure. It lay hidden for centuries until archaeological digs in 1976 uncovered it beneath the Palace of Justice, revealing a crucial piece of medieval Jewish history.
The Hebrew inscriptions carved into the stone come from sacred texts, showing this was a place where knowledge and faith were lived daily. The markings reveal how residents used their home to practice and share their beliefs.
The site lies beneath rue aux Juifs in Rouen's former Jewish quarter and is reached through underground access. Booking ahead is recommended, as the archaeological space has restricted visitor numbers per time slot.
Rather than being excavated and relocated, the house remains in its original position beneath the Palace of Justice. This choice preserved both the authenticity of the site and its role as evidence of Rouen's medieval Jewish past.
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