"It is incredibly beautiful, isn't it?" said Patricia Couvet, who recently took over as director of the Contemporary Art Center –Delme Synagogue in the region of Moselle. From the outside, the dome and the façade adorned with arcades and small columns give the place an exotic, orientalist feel. Inside, it follows the conventions of the "white cube" − the kind of immaculate neutrality that is favored by many contemporary artists. At a time when local authorities are looking to offer former places of worship a new lease on life − and to prevent them from falling into disrepair − the transformation of this synagogue stands as a successful example. The center's sophisticated programming attracts around 8,000 visitors a year – a modest but not insignificant number for this unremarkable town of about 1,000 residents.

Built in 1881 during the German annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, the synagogue was blown up by the Nazis and later rebuilt in a Spartan manner due to a lack of resources. The original large neo-Moorish dome, inspired by the great synagogue of Berlin, was replaced by a smaller dome. In the 1970s, worship services grew less frequent, and the number of worshippers began to dwindle. In 1981, a century after its construction, the Jewish Consistory of Moselle (the regional Jewish religious authority and the property owner) decided to close it. For 10 years, various transformation projects came and went without result. Then, in 1993, the municipality signed a 99-year lease to convert the former sanctuary into a center for contemporary art.

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