The Mikvah or Jewish ritual bath at the Hotel de Cheylus

The history of the Jewish people in Comtat Venaissin

In the Middle Ages, the Jewish community was driven out of most European countries and found exile in Provence, more precisely in Comtat Venaissin, which was not part of the Kingdom of France at the time. The Popes, sovereign of the Comtat Venaissin, tolerate their presence but by establishing rules, in particular that of living grouped together in one and the same street, which will therefore involve the creation of Jewish careers, in other words, Jewish streets or neighborhoods.

Like Avignon, Cavaillon, Carpentras and L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Pernes-les-Fontaines is one of the cities that forced Jews to live in quarries. In fact, from 1504 the Jewish community gathered in the city center around the current Place de la Juiverie and Bourg Merdeux until 1569, when they were definitively expelled from Pernes.

The life of the Jewish community in Pernes-les-Fontaines

It was probably between 1504 and 1569 that the Jewish ritual bath at the Hotel de Cheylus was built. This private ritual bath, also called Mikvé, was the only one known in the department until 2016 when a second private Jewish ritual bath was discovered during construction on the current place of Jewry! In the Jewish religion, its waters have a purifying power. To do this, the construction and the waters of the Mikvé must meet very specific criteria.

The first Mikvé is therefore located in the cellars of the former Cheylus mansion. It consists of an arched “L” basin. A staircase of eleven stone steps leads to the pool. The arched height of the basin is 2.25 meters. The water, which comes from a groundwater table, is stabilized at 1.45 meters thanks to an overflow. A second basin, a monolith, collected rainwater and was added to the set to complete the Jewish purification ritual. In 1590, this mansion was bought by the De Cheylus family who gave it its current name.

The first Mikvé was classified as Historical Monuments in 1996, while the former private mansion of Cheylus has been partly registered since 1989.

For more information: L'Écho des Carrières, Bulletin of the Cultural Association of Jewish Pope No. 56 “La Juiverie de Pernes” June 2009 edition, 2013 reissue

Books that evoke the Mikvé of the Hotel de Cheylus

Booklet 'Pernes, the Pearl of Comtat: the Short Guide'

Discover the history of Pernes-les-Fontaines through its coat of arms, its great monuments, its mansions and its most emblematic fountains. A short 30-page guide in A5 format that will allow you to do a quick overview but provides you with the main assets of the city.

On sale at the Pernes-les-Fontaines tourist office/30 pages/2€/Authors: Laetitia Onde-Quiot and Jean-Pierre Segarra/By check or cash/No distance selling

Book 'Pernes-les-Fontaines'

This book offers a valuable summary of the history of Pernes, a village that has gone through wars, plagues and trials without losing its vitality. It takes us through its streets and fountains, to discover monuments, legends and traditions: chapels, mills, bories and ancient hotels that defy time.

On sale at the Pernes-les-Fontaines tourist office/171 pages/7.50€/Authors: Denise Cartoux, Pierre Fayot, Pierre Gabert/By check or cash/No distance selling