THE SHUTTERS OF THE GREAT ORGAN IN PERPIGNAN CATHEDRAL

Since 2022, under the aegis of the State (Direction régionale des affaires culturelles d'Occitanie), a vast restoration project has been underway to restore the visibility and value of these works.
The technical, heritage and scientific work has enabled us to gain a better understanding of how these giant paintings were created and their material history. The two frames measure 12.6 metres high and 4.3 metres wide, or more than 83 m² each: an ensemble that is probably without equal in the Western world.

Painted in 1504, the shutters of the great organ in the cathedral of Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Perpignan are among the most spectacular pictorial ensembles of their kind in Europe.
Their artistic quality, original liturgical function, age and monumental size make these works exceptional in more ways than one. Initially fixed to the organ case, the shutters unfolded according to the rhythm of the liturgical calendar, orchestrated by the organ builder.
the rhythm of the liturgical calendar, orchestrating a dialogue between music, architecture and the sacred image. Painted in tempera on canvas, the panels are richly polychrome on the main surface and grisaille on the reverse.

This double visual effect reinforces both their spiritual and artistic value.
In the 19th century, the shutters were dismantled, moved and then fixed to the walls of the cathedral, above the door known as the "Bethlehem door", where they became difficult to read and their importance was gradually forgotten.