Their work combines historical sources with cutting-edge technology, enabling precise analysis of the materials, casting techniques, and construction methods of the original pipes. This scientific approach opens a new window into the engineering of medieval sound, offering unique insight into how organs were built and how they resonated during the time of the Crusades.
The story of this discovery is as fascinating as the music now recovered. In 1906, during the construction of the Franciscan hospice Casa Nova in Bethlehem, workers excavating beneath the ancient Christian cemetery unearthed a true liturgical treasure buried since the 12th century: 222 bronze pipes, a carillon of thirteen bells, and various objects believed to have been hidden by the Crusaders before their withdrawal from the Holy Land. These artifacts, of incalculable historical and artistic value, were transferred to the Franciscan Archaeological Museum, where they remained for more than a century with little attention from academic research.
It was Catalan scholar David Catalunya, then a researcher at the University of Oxford, who decided to reopen the study of these pieces after finding documentary references to their existence. His initiative sparked an international project with its scientific base in Madrid and intensive fieldwork in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The performance he gave on the original pipes not only constituted a world premiere but also an intensely emotional experience: hearing once again a “forgotten voice” of the Middle Ages, a sound that had been silent for generations and now reconnects the present with the distant past.
The project’s leaders emphasize that the Bethlehem Organ is not merely an archaeological object. “It is a living heritage capable of transforming our understanding of medieval culture,” notes Álvaro Torrente, director of ICCMU, who compares the discovery to “finding a living dinosaur.” What makes the find exceptional is its remarkable state of preservation, which allows not only the study of its structure and materials but also the restoration of its musical and spiritual function.
The future of this instrument also points toward public engagement and cultural experience. The Bethlehem Organ will become part of the Musical Cloister of the future Terra Sancta Museum of Art and History, a space with international support that aims to become a hub for research and dissemination of the musical and liturgical heritage of the Holy Land. This new venue will not only display the original pieces but also host concerts, educational activities, and immersive experiences in medieval sound.
Through this project, the organ not only regains its voice but also reclaims its role as a bridge between history, art, and spirituality. Its rediscovery invites us to rethink the relationship between past and present, proving how science, music, and international collaboration can bring back to life treasures that seemed condemned to eternal silence. What began as a chance find beneath Bethlehem’s soil has thus become a world-class historical event, capable of inspiring researchers, musicians, and heritage enthusiasts around the globe.
