WISHLIST
On the high plateaux of the Livradois-Forez, in the heart of the Haute-Loire – “the Midi of the Auvergne” – the village of La Chaise-Dieu, and more particularly the Abbatiale Saint-Robert, represents the nerve centre of the Festival.
The abbey church hosts most of the concerts. It is this place that really characterises this event, not only because of its remarkable acoustics, but also because of the quality of the furnishings and decorations it offers, which bear witness to the richness of religious art through the different eras. One can admire the recumbent marble funeral monument of Pope Clement VI, the famous Danse Macabre, a remarkable set of tapestries, the organ case (early eighteenth century), the 144 wooden stalls, and more.
The origins of the church date back to the eleventh century, when Canon Robert de Turlande founded the first monastery on this site: the Casa Dei, or House of God. Later, in the fourteenth century, Clement VI, by then Pope in Avignon and a former monk of La Chaise-Dieu, decided to finance the general reconstruction of the building, where he was buried in accordance with his wishes.
After the Revolution, the monks were dispersed and left the Abbey; the church itself became a parish church, which saved it from destruction. In 1984, the Communauté Saint-Jean moved to La Chaise-Dieu and revived the thousand-year-old monastic tradition of the Casa-Dei.
A stone rood screen separates the abbey church into two parts, so that several types of seating are available to the public during the Festival concerts. The choir seats and stalls have a direct view and excellent listening quality. In the central nave, the stage is only partially visible through the double door in the centre of the rood screen. The side aisle seats do not have a direct view of the stage. The side and central aisles are equipped with a video system on screens; the quality of listening is uneven and varies according to the seat occupied and the musical programme.
A detailed presentation of the history and heritage of the Abbatiale de La Chaise-Dieu is available on the website of the Association of Friends of the Abbatiale: www.abbaye-chaise-dieu.com
DURING THE FESTIVAL – VISITS TO THE ABBEY CHURCH
During the Festival, visits to the abbey are very limited, due to the constraints of installation and rehearsal outside the concerts themselves. For safety reasons, visits are not allowed on days when the stage is being set up and dismantled.
Please contact the tourist office of La Chaise-Dieu before you come (04 71 00 01 16).
The Festival thanks you warmly for your understanding.