Ancient Pipe Organ Resurrected After Centuries of Silence

Sat Sep 13 2025 15:29:00 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A historic pipe organ, believed to be the oldest in the Christian world, has been restored and played after 800 years, bringing life to Jerusalem’s musical heritage.

Researchers hailed a remarkable revival as the oldest known pipe organ in the Christian world, dating back to the 11th century, was restored and played in Jerusalem's Old City. Musician David Catalunya performed a liturgical chant, marking the end of nearly 800 years of silence for this instrument, originally buried by Crusaders to protect it. The organ, now housed at the Terra Sancta museum, showcases ancient craftsmanship features, and its restoration is set to inspire the creation of replicas for churches across the globe.

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, 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 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 remained until 1906, when workers constructing a new Franciscan hospice for pilgrims in Bethlehem uncovered it in an ancient cemetery. Archaeologists unearthed 222 bronze pipes, a set of bells, and other artifacts 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,” remarked Koos van de Linde, an organ expert involved in the restoration. “The hope of the Crusaders who buried them — that the moment would come when they would sound again — was not in vain.”

A team led by Catalunya began their work in 2019 to create a replica of the organ. Along the way, they discovered that some of the ancient pipes still functioned as they had hundreds of years ago.

Organ builder Winold van der Putten combined these original pipes with replicas crafted following ancient methods derived from close study of the originals. This preserved half of the organ, which still features guiding lines made by the original craftsmen and engravings indicating musical notes.

Alvaro Torrente, director of Madrid’s Instituto Complutense De Ciencias Musicales, described the discovery as comparable to “finding a living dinosaur, something we never imagined we could encounter, suddenly made real before our eyes and ears.”

Researchers plan to complete restoring the entire organ and create copies for churches worldwide, ensuring this historical music is accessible to all. “This exceptional information allows us to reconstruct the manufacturing process, enabling us to build pipes exactly as they were made about a thousand years ago,” stated Catalunya.