JERUSALEM (AP) — After 800 years of silence, a pipe organ that researchers say is the oldest in the Christian world roared back to life on Tuesday, its ancient sound echoing through a monastery in Jerusalem’s Old City. Composed of original pipes from the 11th century, the instrument emitted a full, hearty sound as musician David Catalunya played a liturgical chant called Benedicamus Domino Flos Filius. The swell of music inside Saint Saviour’s Monastery mingled with church bells tolling in the distance. Before unveiling the instrument Monday, Catalunya told a news conference that attendees were witnessing a grand development in the history of music. “This organ was buried with the hope that one day it would play again,” he said. “And the day has arrived, nearly eight centuries later.” From now on, the organ will be housed at the Terra Sancta museum in Jerusalem’s Old City — just kilometers (miles) from the Bethlehem church where it originally sounded. Researchers believe that the Crusaders brought the organ to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, in the 11th century during their period of rule over Jerusalem. After a century of use, the Crusaders buried it to protect it from invading Muslim armies. There it stayed until 1906, when workers building a new Franciscan hospice for pilgrims in Bethlehem discovered it in an ancient cemetery. Once full excavations were conducted, archaeologists had uncovered 222 bronze pipes, a set of bells and other objects hidden by the Crusaders. “It was extremely moving to hear how some of these pipes came to life again after about 700 years under the earth and 800 years of silence,” said organ expert Koos van de Linde, who participated in the restoration. A team of four researchers, directed by Catalunya, set out in 2019 to create a replica of the organ. Along the way, they discovered that some of the pipes still function as they did hundreds of years ago. Organ builder Winold van der Putten placed those original pipes alongside replicas he created based on ancient organ-making methods. Alvaro Torrente, director of the Instituto Complutense De Ciencias Musicales in Madrid — where Catalunya undertook the project — compared the discovery to “finding a living dinosaur.” Researchers aim to finish restoring the entire organ, with hopes of creating copies for churches across Europe and beyond.
Ancient Pipe Organ Resurfaces in Jerusalem After 800-Year Silence
Ancient Pipe Organ Resurfaces in Jerusalem After 800-Year Silence
A historic pipe organ, believed to be the oldest in the Christian world, has been restored and played for the first time in 800 years at Saint Saviour's Monastery in Jerusalem.
In a remarkable revival, the oldest pipe organ in the Christian world was resurrected after 800 years of silence. The ancient instrument, housed at Saint Saviour’s Monastery, resonated once more under the skilled hands of musician David Catalunya, reigniting its historical significance and echoing its rich past in music. Dating from the 11th century, it was buried centuries ago by Crusaders for protection and rediscovered in 1906. The restoration project hopes to make this ancient music accessible worldwide.
