An 11th-century Crusader organ, buried for centuries and rediscovered in Bethlehem, has been restored and unveiled at a Jerusalem monastery.
JERUSALEM — After eight centuries of silence, the world’s oldest known Christian pipe organ has been brought back to life inside Saint Saviour’s Monastery in Jerusalem’s Old City.
The instrument, composed of original 11th-century pipes once buried by Crusaders to protect it from invading armies, was rediscovered in 1906 and recently restored by a team of international researchers.
As musician David Catalunya played a medieval chant on the ancient organ, its sound echoed alongside the monastery’s bells — fulfilling the Crusaders’ hope that one day its voice would return.
The restored organ will now be housed at the Terra Sancta Museum, with plans to replicate it for churches worldwide.
