Via Aeterna
Music Festival of Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay
About Via Aeterna
Via Aeterna: Music at the Heart of Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay
Since 2017, Via Aeterna has offered a unique musical experience in France, combining chamber music and sacred music in exceptional heritage sites around the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel. The festival was born from an initiative by the Bayard group, which in 2016 proposed to René Martin, artistic director of CREA and creator of La Folle Journée in Nantes, to create a major musical event at Mont-Saint-Michel.
René Martin: A Visionary Artistic Director
René Martin, a key figure in the classical music world, designs the Via Aeterna program with two objectives: to attract the general public with popular and accessible repertoires, and to offer discoveries to discerning music lovers. His vision is to create a dialogue between music, architecture, and the spirituality of the places, creating unique moments of grace.
Extraordinary Heritage Sites
Via Aeterna unfolds in sites of rare beauty and spiritual significance:
- The Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel: the Knights' Hall, the refectory, the cloister, and the abbey church host concerts in a thousand-year-old setting
- The Churches of the Bay: the churches and chapels of the towns in the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel become ephemeral concert halls
- The Heritage Sites of Avranches and the surrounding towns complete the musical journey
The Millennium of the Abbey in 2023
The year 2023 was particularly exceptional as it marked the millennium of the construction of the abbey and the abbey church in 1023. The festival celebrated this anniversary with a special program paying homage to a thousand years of spiritual and architectural heritage.
A Program Between Sacred and Universal
The Via Aeterna program covers a wide musical spectrum, from medieval music to contemporary repertoire, including baroque, classical, and romantic. The concerts highlight sacred music, choirs, chamber music, and solo recitals, with an approach of openness and accessibility.
A Festival Supported by Prestigious Partners
Via Aeterna benefits from the support of leading institutional and private partners: the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, the Department of Manche, the Public Establishment of Mont-Saint-Michel, and the Bayard group. This solid institutional foundation allows the festival to offer an excellent program under optimal conditions.
Via Aeterna — edition 2026
Via Aeterna returns in autumn 2026 for a new edition in the heart of Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay, from September 13 to October 4, 2026. Now under the artistic direction of Laetitia Corcelle (soprano and conductor of Ensemble Ô), the festival offers around thirty classical and sacred music concerts in about ten heritage sites in the bay, with a closing day at Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey. The detailed 2026 program was presented during the press conference on May 5, 2026, in Avranches; concert-by-concert details can be found on the official ticketing website.
2026 Edition — from September 13 to October 4, 2026
Via Aeterna returns in autumn 2026 in the exceptional setting of Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay. For this edition, the festival is under the new artistic direction of Laetitia Corcelle, soprano and conductor of Ensemble Ô, who succeeds René Martin.
The festival unfolds itinerantly across about ten communes in the bay (Avranches, Granville, Cancale, abbeys and heritage sites…), with around thirty classical and sacred music concerts, before concluding with a grand day at Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey.
The 2026 program was unveiled during the press conference on May 5, 2026, at Avranches Town Hall. Details of concerts, venues, and schedules are available on the official website and the festival's ticketing platform.
Programme Via Aeterna 2026
The 2026 edition of Via Aeterna takes place from September 13 to October 4, 2026 in the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, under the new artistic direction of Laetitia Corcelle. The festival offers about thirty itinerant concerts in a dozen heritage sites in the bay, before the closing day on October 4 at Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey. First announced concerts (program being progressively unveiled on the official ticketing website):
Saturday, September 13, 2026 — opening concert
- 17h00 — Félicien Brut & the Orchestre de l'Opéra de Normandie-Rouen, « From Piazzolla to Galliano » · Le Barrage, Le Mont-Saint-Michel
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
- 20h30 — Julien Beaudiment & Alexandra Luiceanu, « Badineries » · Église Notre-Dame, Genêts
Thursday, September 24, 2026
- 20h30 — Romain Bockler & the Ensemble Les Surprises, « Bach en famille » · Abbaye de la Lucerne, La Lucerne-d'Outremer
Friday, September 25, 2026
- 18h00 — Raphaël Feuillâtre, « From Bach to Piazzolla: unsuspected affinities » · Église Saint-Vigor, Carolles
- 20h30 — Chœur de chambre Mélisme(s) & Bankal Trio, « Brahms, the Gypsy » · Ancien Haras, Avranches
Saturday, September 26, 2026
- 17h30 — Amel Brahim-Djelloul, « The paths that ascend » · Théâtre, Avranches
The rest of the program (from September 27 to October 4, including the closing day at Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey) is progressively being put online on the official ticketing website.
Highlights Via Aeterna 2026
- Opening concert on Saturday, September 13, 2026 at 17h at Le Barrage du Mont-Saint-Michel: Félicien Brut (accordion) and the Orchestre de l'Opéra de Normandie-Rouen, « From Piazzolla to Galliano ».
- Closing day on Sunday, October 4, 2026 at Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey.
- Itinerant festival in about ten communes in the bay (Genêts, Carolles, Avranches, La Lucerne-d'Outremer…), under the new artistic direction of Laetitia Corcelle.
Prices Via Aeterna 2026
Practical information — Via Aeterna
Practical Information
Concert Venues
Concerts take place in several locations in the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel: the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel (Knights' Hall, refectory), the churches of Avranches, Genêts, and other towns in the bay.
Access to Mont-Saint-Michel
By car: From the A84, follow signs for Le Mont-Saint-Michel. Parking is mandatory at the dam parking lot (paid). Free shuttles to the Mont.
By train: Pontorson - Mont-Saint-Michel station, then bus or shuttle.
Ticketing
Tickets on sale online via the festival's ticketing service. Some concerts sell out quickly, so early booking is highly recommended.
Practical Advice
- The Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel is exceptionally closed to the public on festival concert days
- Wear comfortable shoes (many stairs in the abbey)
- Concerts in the abbey take place in unheated medieval halls: bring warm clothing
- Consult the program for exact times of each concert
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Where does it take place — Via Aeterna
Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel et sites de la baie
Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel, 50170 Le Mont-Saint-Michel