Synagogue of Colmar

On your slight right, look for a pale rectangular building accented with a reddish stone archway and topped by a wide triangular pediment. Just a short walk from Saint-Matthew Church, this is the Colmar Synagogue at 3, rue de la Cigogne. This neo-classical building is actually the fourth synagogue in the city's history. The previous three met rather grim fates, courtesy of medieval Europe's notorious hospitality. The first was destroyed by fire in 1279. The second and third were confiscated around 1349 during the Great Plague, a period when the local Jewish community was unjustly blamed for the disease, massacred, and ultimately banished from Colmar for centuries.

It was finally during the relatively progressive era of the July Monarchy that the community decided to build this new temple, completing it in 1842. If you look just above the arched wooden doors, you will spot a verse from the prophet Isaiah inscribed in Hebrew. The design holds a few mysteries too. The facade features esoteric symbols inspired by the Kabbalah, an ancient Jewish tradition of mystical interpretation of the Bible. Curiously, it is also the only synagogue in the region boasting its own bell tower.

While we are just admiring the outside, the interior has its own architectural quirks. Above the main hall, a large pyramid made of opaque glass filters the light, carefully tracking the sun's movement to indicate the proper times for daily prayers. That sunlight gently illuminates the aron-ha-qodesh, the sacred ark at the front of the room where the community's handwritten Torah scrolls are safely kept.