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.