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Cultural Sites
HUEZ AND OISANS MUSEUM AND MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
Archaeological excavations: Brandes site.
In the Middle Ages, silver is used to make money. To exploit
a rich silver-bearing vein, an agglomeration – the Argenteria de Brandis – was set up on the Brandes plateau from the XII to the XIV century. For 30 years programmed excavations have brought to light the remnants of permanent settlements, the highest in Europe.
The permanent exhibition “Huez – Alpe d’Huez: how a mountain village became an international tourist resort” presents the history of the village and the development of the resort...
Entry to the Museum : €2, free with VISALP pass and children under 16 years old. Open every day (except Saturday) in July and August, except on Saturday, from 10 to 12 am and 3 to 7 pm.
Guided tours of the archaeological site every Tuesday and Thursday (€1), the church (Tuesday) and the museum (Thursday). Free activities are proposed for children aged 9 to 13.
Huez and Oisans Museum : 33 (0)4 76 11 21 74
musee@mairie-alpedhuez.fr - www.musee-alpedhuez.com
NOTRE-DAME DES NEIGES CHURCH The organ of Jean Guillou GUIDED TOURS – guided tours are organized by the museum (on request for groups), on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm (in winter) and at 6:00 pm (in summer).. Historical reminder, architectural creations (Jean Marol - Architect, Charles Verguet - Carpenter-Coordinator of the works), artistic creations (Arcabas - Stained glasses), creation of the organ (Detlef Kleuker – organ builder, Jean Guillou - organist composer) … FREE ACCESS Museum of Huez and Oisans : CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERTS " THURSDAY CONCERTS " RATES: JULY July 19 8:45pm Carlo Tunesi et Lucca Ratti (4 hands organ) (Italy)
The entrance to this building passes through the choir area reigned over by a monumental organ in the form of an open hand. The painter Arcabas made its 13 stained glass windows illustrating scenes from the gospel according to Saint Mark. Guided tours are organised by the Museum of Huez and Oisans every Tuesdays at 6 PM, and concerts take place every Thursday at 8:45 PM.
The church Notre-Dame des Neiges, built in the end of the 60s, in the process of being registered in the supplementary inventory of ancient memorials, is famous for its origi
nal architecture in the form of tent and its stained glasses painted by the artist Arcabas. On the occasion of the Olympic Games of 1968, the idea had raisen to replace the small wooden chapel of Alpe d’Huez by a bigger church, from where one could see la Meije. At instigation of the Dutch father Jaap Reuten, who was a priest there from 1964 till 1992, the church Notre-Dame des Neiges was finished in 1970, financed by the donations of parishioners and many benefactors. The church is built with simple materials (concrete for the circular skeleton, copper for the roof, wood for the skeleton, translucent glass for the dome).
During the War, Jean Le Boucher, while fighting for the Alpette on August 14th 1944, had made the wish to build a church in honour of Saint Maria. With his help, symbols are put in evidence in the architecture of this modern building realized by the architect Jean Marol.
As a first symbol, God set up his tent in Alpe d’Huez, like Abraham did in the desert; the roof will thus adopt the flexible and round shape of this vast shelter. It’s entrance is situated in the choir, or heart of the building: having crossed the twilight, through a long entry (narthex ) which allows to get used to the darkness and to prepare for meditation, one reaches a well of light in the very centre. This well also represents the mast which supports the tent, the spine of the building. The assembly sits round the well of light in a circle, as round a campfire
The church has a unique organ, the only one of its kind in the World, baptized Christophe-Raphaël, of exceptional quality and richness. It was built in 1978 by organ builder Detlef Kleuker, according to the plans drawn by Jean Guillou, composer and holder of Saint Eustache's organ in Paris.
Situated in the center of the well of light which forms the spine of the building, the organ represents a hand raised up to the sky, drawn by Jean Marol. The pipes of the organ are situated in the fingers of this hand. Its shape is original, because instead of presenting a geometrical and symmetric adaptation of pipes in a deco
rated case, sculpted or not, as almost all the cases made until now, it represents a hand raised up to the sky, with the pipes of some basic notes grouped in the fingers. Furthermore, now the altar was put on the side of the choir, its place in the church allows the public to see the interpreter as on a stage, allowing easy contact, which is extremely rare in organ concerts, as the musician is usually hidden by the mystery of a stand.
The extremely innovative sound composition is due to the organist and the composer Jean Guillou, who wanted to concentrate the whole sound palette of a big cathedral organ (60 to 100 organ stops) in a limited number of registers : Indeed, this instrument contains only 24 stops on two keyboards and a pedal board, but the soloist quality and compatibility of each of them offers tha ability to interprete any organ literature with great pleasure.
With mechanical drive for the organ stops, this instrument is equipped with a sophisticated electronic combiner which allows preselection and memorization of thousand sound combinations, thus allowing the concert performer to play without assistance.
Opened every day from 8:30 am till 7 pm
Tel. 33 (0)4 76 11 21 74
musee@mairie-alpedhuez.fr
http://www.musee-alpedhuez.com
Every Thursday, a concert of classical music (from 12/7 to 16/8) is organised by the association Organs and Mountains in the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Centre. Artistic director: Jean-Paul Imbert, world-famous organist. Organ, violin, trumpet, singing: a beautiful musical season to come!
facilities : 600 places.
Free concert with Visalp pass, for - 18 years and + 70 years
12 € / adult - 6€ / reduced rate (students and 60-70 years)
July 12 8:45pm Carlo Andreassi , organ (Italy)
July 26 8:45pm Cornel Pana, Panpipes, Christian Ciuca, violin,
Jean-Paul Imbert, organ
July 27 8:45pm Organ and Panpipes trainees
AUGUST
August 2 8:45pm Organ trainees
August 3 8:45pm Organ and Choir tution
August 9 8:45pm Organ trainees
August 10 8:45pm Organ and Choir tution
August 16 8:45pm Anthony Skilbeck, organ (England)
Planned program, subject to modifications.
