In Delme, in Moselle, the third life of the synagogue, transformed into a temple of contemporary art

“It’s incredibly beautiful, isn’t it?” is ecstatic Patricia Couvet, who has just taken over as director of the Contemporary Art Center – the synagogue of Delme, in Moselle. From the outside, the dome and the facade adorned with arcades and small columns give the place an oriental flavor. The interior obeys the characteristics of the white cube , that immaculate neutrality so beloved by visual artists. At a time when communities are seeking to give a second life to old places of worship to prevent them from falling into ruin, the reconfiguration of this synagogue testifies to a rather successful transformation. The sharp programming attracts some 8,000 visitors per year, a modest but not insignificant attendance in this unattractive town of a thousand inhabitants.

Built in 1881 during the German annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, dynamited by the Nazis, the synagogue was rebuilt after the war in a spartan manner due to lack of funds. The enormous original neo-Moorish dome, inspired by that of the Great Synagogue of Berlin, was replaced by a smaller dome. In the 1970s, the pace of services slowed. The ranks of the faithful began to thin. In 1981, a century after its construction, the Israelite Consistory of Moselle, which owned it, decided to close it. For ten years, transformation projects continued without any seeing the light of day. Until 1993, the municipality signed a 99-year lease to convert the former sanctuary into a temple of contemporary art.

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