Festival of Sacred and World Music of Sylvanès

A unique festival in a 12th-century Cistercian abbey

Since 1978, the Festival of Sacred and World Music has transformed the Sylvanès abbey into a major hub for musical encounters every summer. Founded by Michel Wolkowitsky, who arrived in Sylvanès in 1975 in the footsteps of Father André Gouzes, a Dominican and composer of liturgical chants, the festival was born from the conviction that music can be a bridge between cultures and world spiritualities. The 12th-century Cistercian abbey church, with its Romanesque vaults and contemporary stained glass windows, offers incomparable acoustics for listening to vocal and instrumental music.

A program between sacred music and world music

Each edition features around twenty concerts highlighting the essential works of the sacred repertoire — medieval polyphony, baroque music, oratorios, requiems — alongside contemporary creations and musical traditions from all continents. Mongolian overtone singing rubs shoulders with gospel and spirituals, gypsy tunes meet gypsy jazz, Argentine tango dialogues with Sufi chants. This bold programming makes the festival a unique place for musical discovery and sharing.

The Sylvanès Abbey, an exceptional heritage site

Classified as a Historic Monument, the Sylvanès Abbey was founded in the 12th century by Cistercian monks in the wild valley of Cabot, in the heart of Rouergue. Restored since 1978 thanks to considerable investment, it has become a Cultural Meeting Center structured around five pillars: heritage, diffusion, vocal training, artistic education, and intercultural dialogue. The concerts take place not only in the abbey church but also outdoors, from Millau to Combret-sur-Rance, reaching the entire Aveyron region.

A humanist spirit of encounter and dialogue

The festival's constant aim is to create a space for dialogue between the popular and sacred musical cultures of the world, in a humanist spirit of sharing, exchange, and understanding. Beyond the concerts, the festival contributes to the cultural and economic influence of this rural area in southern Aveyron, welcoming thousands of music lovers from all over France and abroad each year.