Rieti. Monumental Organ of San Domenico

The Pontifical Organ Dom Bedos-Roubo Benedict XVI is in the church of San Domenico in Rieti which has been restored since 1994.

The church had been used by the French as military headquarters and robbed of every possible décor in the Napoleonic era.

The organ pipes are famous because they were twisted and were removed from the church by boys.

They used them as pifferi (reed pipes) and played them in the street.

The new organ was built by Bartolomeo Formentelli inspired by two French masters who wished to be remembered in the name of the instrument.

The instrument is installed at the end of the nave and it is 14 meters high, around 9,5 meters wide and deep.

It consists of 4054 pipes and 57 registers on 5 keyboards and pedal boards.

Many of the pipes are engraved with the name of someone who has paid a small contribution for its creation.
 
 


Written by:
Benedicta Lee

Born in Rome from an Italian mother and American father, she works as a freelance communications manager and designer in the tourism sector, a career and interest which she is pursuing with a...

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