1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 565 The Home of the Organ

Ronan and his mother weren't very knowledgeable about music. Ronan didn't know that the pipe organ was a huge instrument, and Feng Zhen was also unaware that she had become interested in it simply because of a description in a magazine that "the pipe organ has a variety of timbres, and one can rival an entire orchestra." She was completely unaware that it was the world's largest musical instrument.

Fortunately, Provence is the home of the organ.

Many locals can play this complex instrument; in the Luberon Mountains alone, there are at least ten people listed in the Yellow Pages as organ players.

Unfortunately, the Yellow Pages did not mention any organ manufacturers, meaning that if Feng Zhen wanted to experience this instrument in person, she would have to go to a church or monastery.

Ronan has already made a bold statement that he will support his mother's music studies, so there's no reason for him to give up easily.

No matter how difficult it is, you have to find out first.

After lunch, Zoe continued working, while Ronan went to the church in Lourmaran village.

He had only been to this place two or three times and had never noticed whether there was a pipe organ there.

If possible, he would like to ask the priest for help so that his mother could experience it.

This priest was the one who officiated at Ronan and Zoe's wedding. He had a good relationship with the young couple, and Ronan believed that the priest would not stop a brave woman from pursuing her dreams.

The Lourmaran Church is located at the very center of the 'snail shell', and the entire village spreads out in a circle around the church.

Like Lourmaran Castle, it is one of the two most important historical sites in the village, both built in the 13th century.

Before the Lourmaran 'Revitalization' plan, this was one of only two tourist attractions.

Compared to the castle, there are far fewer tourists near the church, and the interior is even more 'quiet'. After all, no tourists would come all the way to Lourmaran for worship, and churches are everywhere; most people would just take a quick look and leave.

For this reason, the government did not start the renovation of the church after receiving funding from the tourism bureau this year.

Ronan entered the church but found no organ.

But he was not discouraged, because every village near Lourmaran had a church, and some villages even had two, such as Bonijo.

He found the priest and asked where the nearest organ was, and the answer he received was incredibly surprising.

“I love the pipe organ, but I’m afraid you’ll have a hard time finding one in the Luberon Mountains,” the priest said regretfully.

"Why?" Ronan asked, puzzled. "Isn't Provence the home of the organ?"

The priest held the Bible in his hand, a kind smile on his face.

"We always assume that it's natural to see pipe organs in Provençal churches, but the truth is that for hundreds of years the Provençal religious authorities couldn't tolerate this instrument, calling it the devil's bagpipes and saying that it played a cursed prelude to hell. In the 4th century, Arles led the way in expelling the pipe organ from the church, and this situation continued until the 9th century. The pipe organ took an important first step and gained a respectable reputation within the religious community. It wasn't until the 14th century that the pipe organ began to appear widely in churches."

Ronan was not good at music, and even less familiar with religious knowledge:

"God, I never imagined there was such a complicated history."

The priest said apologetically:

"Most of the churches in the Luberon region were built around the 13th century, and the Lourmaran Church is no exception. I'm afraid you'll have to leave this area to see the organ in the church."

Not getting the answer he wanted, Ronan bid farewell to the priest with regret.

As he was leaving, the priest made the sign of the cross on his chest.
"May God lay the strings of His grace under your mother's fingers, and may the strings of God resonate throughout Provence."

The priest only knew that Luberon definitely didn't have it, but he couldn't say where it might be.

We'll have to think of another way to find the organ.

Ronan's most devout follower was Thomas, and he planned to ask the rich kid if he had seen it in other churches.

Thomas's stone shop is now in a mess. His father also saw the commercial potential of Lourmaran, but couldn't find a suitable shop for the time being, so he entrusted his goods to his son's shop to sell together.

It will be great once the new commercial street opens; Thomas's wealthy father has already reserved the new shops.

"Your mother actually wants to learn 'God's instrument'? That's so cool!" After hearing Ronan's description, Thomas excitedly put down everything he was doing and focused on talking to him about the organ.

“I’m just interested, but I may not have the opportunity to learn. You know, this instrument has very high environmental requirements. I’ll learn more about it first.” Ronan smiled and shrugged.

Ronan's house and his parents' house couldn't fit this big thing. If Feng Zhen wanted to learn the pipe organ, they would need to find a special place to put it, but this approach didn't seem very feasible.

Where could Ronan find such a large place?
Therefore, the most reasonable way is to "go out" to learn, to go to a place with a pipe organ.

The priest called the organ "the string of God's grace," while Thomas called it "the instrument of God." Although the names were different, it was clear that the organ was very popular among the congregation.

But why doesn't Luberon have any? Ronan was furious.

Thomas nodded and said:

"I understand, I understand. You want your mother to meet with them first to see if it's suitable."

Ronan nodded vigorously:

"That's right, do you know where there's a pipe organ?"

Thomas's enthusiastic reply:

"The Roqueville Cathedral houses the largest pipe organ in Provence, which is over 14 meters tall and has 112 pewter pipes, each weighing 300 kilograms. Every year, an organ music festival is held there, which is attended by music lovers and devout Catholics from all over the world."

The largest pipe organ in Provence is sure to be a major tourist attraction, and now that it's peak travel season, Ronan guesses his mother might not even have the chance to see it.

Even if Ronan were incredibly talented, and he actually managed to get someone to let Feng Zhen make contact, he guessed his mother wouldn't have the courage to play the 'Voice of God' in front of tourists from all over the world.

“Are there any other places? It doesn’t need to be that big, a regular one will do,” Ronan said to Thomas.

Thomas thought for a moment and said:

"The Church of Saint Vincent, located between Aix-en-Provence and Toulon, has an eight-meter-high pipe organ. Marseille Cathedral, Saint Martin Church in Saint-Rémy, Saint-Simmi-Fréan-Carmelo Church in Avignon, and Saint-Cécile Church in Arles also have large pipe organs. These places are quite lively this month."

He continued:
"By the way, you can also take your mother along the 'Organ Route' from Aubané to Allo. Along the way, you can take a guided organ tour, take a break and enjoy some good food. Then, enjoy a welcome drink in Allo, followed by an evening organ concert."

“They all sound good, and very interesting,” Ronan asked awkwardly, “but are there any less crowded places? Preferably places where hardly anyone goes.”

Thomas stroked his chin, thought for a long time, and then said hesitantly:

"It seems there really is such a place."

Ronan provided Thomas with a lot of help last year; without Ronan's Chinese restaurant, his stoneware shop might not have survived until next spring.

Therefore, Thomas was particularly enthusiastic about the pipe organ.

The next day, he personally drove Ronan to find an organ that met his requirements.

The trip was just the two of them, because Thomas wasn't sure if the organ actually existed; he had only heard about it and suggested that the two of them go and check it out first, without disturbing the old man for the time being.

The car left Lourmarin and entered the D7 highway, which is the most frequently used road by locals in Luberon.

After a while, they drove from D7 onto D373. It was Ronan's first time driving this road, but he could roughly tell that they were heading towards X.

After driving for a while, Thomas drove off D373 and onto a muddy country road. Apart from the farmland on both sides, there were no other buildings in sight.

Finally, when the road ahead ended, Thomas pulled the car over to the side of the road and said to Ronan:

"It looks like we'll have to walk the last leg of the journey."

“This place is really remote.” Ronan got out of the car and followed Thomas, who was leading the way.

Last night, he inquired about the price of a pipe organ and was nearly scared to death. A brand new pipe organ costs between 500,000 and 2 million francs, and the construction period would take at least two years. Ronan simply couldn't afford it, so he was incredibly excited about today's trip.

However, even though he hadn't reached his destination yet, Ronan was certain that this trip had been in vain.

No matter how enthusiastic a mother is, she could not travel such a long 'journey of learning'.

Clearly, her connection with the organ ended before it even began.

But since he was already there, Ronan decided to go and take a look.

Thomas hadn't expected the destination to be like this, and explained apologetically:

“I heard someone mention during a prayer that there was a deserted church near Aix with a pipe organ. I didn’t expect it to be so ‘deserted’.”

"Is this near Aix?" Ronan thought of something and started a conversation. "There seem to be many abandoned religious sites near Aix? Why is that?"

Ronan and Zoe's wedding photos were taken near Aix-en-Provence at a monastery called St. Victor, which Hakimi said had been abandoned for over 100 years.

Although Provençal people worship relatively infrequently, churches and monasteries in other parts of the country are well-preserved; I have never seen a church in ruins anywhere.

This was the second abandoned religious site Ronan had discovered near Aix-en-Provence.

Thomas said with great distress:
"During the French Revolution, many 'de-Christianization' activities took place in various places. As the art capital of Europe, Aix-en-Provence had a more avant-garde and daring populace, and the number of religious sites damaged or burned reached double digits."

Ronan sighed with heartache. Although he had no religious beliefs, these were all 'historical artifacts'.

"Was it never renovated afterward? Was it just completely abandoned?"

Thomas shook his head and said:
"Those near the city that could be utilized by the tourism industry have been renovated and rebuilt, but almost all of the remote areas have been abandoned, and no department is willing to pay such a huge expense."

"What a pity," Ronan muttered to himself.

Soon, they arrived at their destination, a church whose exterior was relatively intact, but whose interior was dilapidated.

If it weren't for the cross above providing some psychological comfort, it would really look like a location for filming a horror movie.

In this abandoned church, Ronan finally saw the organ he had longed for.

"I don't know if it will still work." Ronan doesn't understand music theory and can't play, but it doesn't look like there's anything wrong with its appearance.

Thomas was a rich young man who received a little musical education as a child, though not much, but enough to teach Ronan:

"With 25 stops, two keypads and a foot pedal, this should be a medium-sized organ. Although it's not as big as the organs in Marseille, Saint-Rémy, Avignon and Arles, it's big enough for a small concert. However, the model is too old. I've never seen such an old model before."

Thomas called it a medium-sized pipe organ, but Ronan thought it was large enough.

It is at least 4 meters high, with the sound stops laid out like a wall.

"Can you play?" Ronan asked Thomas.

Thomas shook his head:
"No, but I've contacted the authority in charge of this abandoned church, the local cultural heritage bureau. Their people will be here soon, and they should know about the organ."

In 1905, the Law on the Separation of Church and State was introduced, giving the French state ownership of religious sites built between 1905 and 1906. The specific jurisdiction was the Regional Office for Antiquities (DRAC), a branch of the Ministry of Culture in the regions.

To learn about the details of a building that has been abandoned for hundreds of years, you have to contact them. The enthusiastic Thomas made the necessary preparations the day before.

The church was so gloomy and terrifying that Ronan and Thomas waited for the DRAC members outside in the sunlight.

Ronan swore that the church had been abandoned for much longer than the Abbey of St. Victor, and that perhaps no one had set foot here in the more than 200 years since the French Revolution.

Thomas and the other party agreed to meet at 9:30 a.m., but the DRAC people demonstrated the efficiency of the French government very well - it was almost 10:30 a.m. before a gentleman wearing a top hat finally arrived.

Upon meeting Ronan and Thomas, his first words were not an apology for being late, but a complaint—why did they come to this godforsaken, abandoned place?

“Young people these days are crazy. They’re always so curious about places that even rats wouldn’t be interested in. Alright, gentlemen, I don’t care if you’re here to film a movie, hold some kind of religious ceremony, or rent it out for something else. The venue fee is 1000 francs per day. You’re responsible for cleaning the venue yourselves. There’s no room for negotiation, and cash only.” He covered his mouth with a handkerchief, as if worried that there might be some horrible mold.

Ronan burst out laughing on the spot.

If someone had actually managed to rent this place, it wouldn't be so eerie.

“We’re not here to rent the venue,” Ronan replied.

The man looked as if he had seen a ghost:

"Then why did you call me here?"

Ronan pointed in the direction of the church and asked:

"I'd like to know, is the organ inside still working?"

The official spoke with an impatient nasal tone:
"Who knows? You can find someone to try it, but it's an old thing from the 9th century, I guess it makes a sound worse than metal rubbing together."

"The 9th century?" Ronan raised an eyebrow.

Lourmaran's godfather had given him a history lesson: the pipe organ only began to gain a respectable reputation in religion in the 9th century. He was indeed an old man.

Thomas was very disgusted by the official's attitude. In fact, he knew he had come to the wrong place as soon as he stopped the car, but he had no choice but to stay and meet him because he had made an appointment with him yesterday.

Now that we've met, today's itinerary can be concluded.

Thomas gestured with his chin toward Ronan:
"Alright, let's go back. We shouldn't keep this gentleman from taking his lunch break."

"If I go back now, I won't make it to lunch!" the official complained.

The three people split into two groups and walked back the way they came.

Although there was some distance between them, Ronan could still clearly hear the DRAC officials complaining, as if he were born to complain.

"You guys are actually interested in that piece of junk? I've worked at the Cultural Relics Bureau for over twenty years, and this is the first time someone has asked about a pipe organ. I'd almost forgotten there was one in the church."

"But that's normal, isn't it? The church is abandoned, who would care about that pipe organ, except for ghosts!"

"This thing is old and takes up a lot of space. No church is willing to take it in. Everyone uses the new models. Who would like an old-fashioned one?"

Ronan suddenly stopped, turned his head and asked:
"Can a pipe organ be moved?"

He always thought that such a large object was installed during the construction of the church.

“Of course.” The official pulled up his trouser leg, afraid of getting his pants dirty. “This pipe organ was moved from another abandoned church. It took a lot of effort. Those fools thought it would make it easier to rent out the church, but it was all for nothing!”

Ronan suddenly moved closer to Thomas and asked in a low voice:

"You go to the Lourmaran Church every day, don't you?"

Thomas placed his left hand on his chest:
"Yes, I go every day."

Ronan nodded and asked in a lower voice:

"Then you should be very familiar with the environment there. Do you think there's enough space for this pipe organ?"

"Huh?" Thomas's eyes widened in surprise. "You're going to buy it for your mom?"

Ronan said mysteriously:

"It's not just for my mother, but also for other reasons."

(End of this chapter)