Festival d'Orgues de Narbonne

An exceptional organ heritage

The Festival d'Orgues de Narbonne showcases a rare musical heritage: the historic organs of the three most beautiful religious buildings in the city. The Cathédrale Saint-Just-et-Saint-Pasteur, a jewel of southern Gothic architecture with a vault reaching 41 meters high, houses a monumental organ that offers incomparable acoustics. The Basilique Saint-Paul, a UNESCO World Heritage site on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route, and the Église Saint-Sébastien complete this trio of exceptional venues.

Concerts throughout the year

Unlike many festivals concentrated over a few days, the Festival d'Orgues de Narbonne unfolds its program throughout the year. The summer highlight, in August, features recitals and "Encounters around Sacred Musical Art" combining conferences and exceptional concerts in the cathedral. Concerts are also scheduled during the European Heritage Days in September and during the Christmas season in December. Each event is an opportunity to discover or rediscover the rich sound of Narbonne's organs.

The organ in dialogue with other instruments

The festival's program is not limited to solo organ recitals. The concerts explore the rich possibilities of instrumental dialogue: organ and trumpet, organ and oboe, organ and violin, organ and voice... These ensembles reveal the full sonic palette of the instruments and offer the public varied musical moments, from Baroque to contemporary. Renowned national and international organists take turns at the keyboard, making the Gothic vaults of the cathedral resonate with works by Bach, Buxtehude, Franck, and Messiaen.

The association Les Orgues de Narbonne

The association Les Orgues de Narbonne is the driving force behind this festival. Founded by organ music enthusiasts, its mission is to "highlight the organs of Narbonne by organizing organ festivals, concerts, an organ competition, and conferences." Beyond the musical programming, the association is committed to raising public awareness of this majestic instrument and to the preservation of Narbonne's organ heritage, in collaboration with the Diocese of Carcassonne and Narbonne and the City of Narbonne.