(9 Sep 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem, Mideast – 9 September 2025
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Julia Frankel, Associated Press:
"I’m standing now in St. Savior’s Monastery in the old city of Jerusalem, where we’ve just listened to a little bit of history. What researchers say is the oldest organ in the entire Christian world was played here today after 800 years of silence. That represents the culmination of years of effort by a team of musicologists and experts from Spain and Jerusalem."
2. Various of David Catalunya, project director, playing an 11th century liturgical chant called Benedicamus Domino Flos Filius
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Julia Frankel, Associated Press:
"This organ is from the 11th century, when they say the Crusaders brought it to Bethlehem and later buried it there to protect it from the Turks, in the hopes that one day it would be played again. And today was that day."
4. Wide of Bethlehem Organ
5. Various of Bethlehem Organ
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Julia Frankel, Associated Press:
"We heard project director David Catalunya perform a liturgical chant on the original pipes from the 11th century organ."
7. Zoom out of of Catalunya playing
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Julia Frankel, Associated Press:
"Researchers hope to finish restoring the entire organ. The original will be housed here in the Terra Sancta Museum. And then they hope to create copies to put in churches across Europe and the world in the hope that many people will be able to hear the music of the original organ."
9. Franciscan priest moving the keys of organ
. Various of organ
11. Wide of organ
STORYLINE:
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.
A team of four researchers, directed by Catalunya, set out in 2019 to create a replica of the organ. But along the way, said Catalunya, 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, some of which were illuminated by close study of the original pipes.
AP Video by Moshe Edri
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/20afe02349b24b99bb3160777363e94a
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in September 14, 2025, 6:07 pm.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
