Calvin Auditory
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (January 2016) |
The Calvin Auditorium or Calvin Auditory (
.The auditorium lies directly adjacent to St. Pierre Cathedral in the Place de la Taconnerie. The austere Gothic-style building was constructed in the 15th century, on the site of earlier 5th-century religious buildings, and was originally dedicated to Notre-Dame-la-Neuve.
From 1536, the time of Geneva's Reformation, it became a
Over the years, the building deteriorated. In 1954, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches reached an agreement with the National Protestant Church of Geneva and launched a programme to restore the auditorium, which was completed in 1959. The effort was led by Rev. Dr. Harrison Ray Anderson, Minister of Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, and former moderator of the Presbyterian Church.
Today, following in the tradition established by Calvin, the Auditoire is still used for worship in languages other than French. It hosts the congregation of the Italian Reformed Church, as well as being used by a congregation of the Church of Scotland as its main place of worship every Sunday.[2]
The Organ
In 1963, an organ built by Gruaz, was installed in the Auditoire de Calvin with a two-manual mechanical-action pipe organ.
It was felt during the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth, celebrated in 2009 that a more versatile organ worthy of the setting could be well used in worship and for a wide range of concerts, and attract organists from the world over to the Auditoire.
A project was started by the Association for a New Organ in the Auditoire de Calvin to select and raise funds for a new instrument. After an intensive search, a representative group from the congregations using the Auditoire, advised by François Delor, official organist of the Cathedral of St Pierre in Geneva, selected Bernard Aubertin, a renowned French organ-builder, to build the new organ. Funds were raised through concerts, generous individual donations and support from the
References
- ^ "Human Rights Journeys – Audio tour of Geneva". Humanrightsjourneys.com. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ "Church of Scotland Geneva". Churchofscotlandgeneva.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ "ASSOCIATION A.O.A." Sites.google.com. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
External links
- information from WARC website (accessed February 8, 2007)
- The Church of Scotland, Geneva Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine
- official Geneva tourist information (accessed February 8, 2007)