Première Nuit Cathédrale – FIAT LUX

The Gothic Age was marked by the builders? desire to bring light into the cathedrals of northern France. The pointed arch, which freed builders from the technical constraints of Romanesque architecture, allowed the sanctuary to be bathed in light that was both brighter and, thanks to the stained glass windows, softer. Light will be at the heart of this opening evening, which aims to be both educational and didactic.

Program
The public is invited to bring along a tea light candle, which can be purchased from local retailers. Lit during the evening, the candle symbolizes the presence of Beauvaisians around the cathedral. Members of the public are invited to place the candles on the site to form a monumental "800". The candles collected at the end of the evening will be melted down and reused for redistribution in the form of wax seals on the closing night.

Starting at 8pm, an equestrian procession, led by some forty Camargue mares and their foals, and manadier Renaud Vinuesa, will set off from the Château de Bongenoult, in the commune of Allonne, one of the extraction sites for the stones used to build Saint-Pierre de Beauvais, to the cathedral square.

From 9.30pm, the "narrative recital" begins.

Installed at the top of the steps leading to the south portal, pianist Vanessa Wagner performs a recital of sacred and secular works (Saint-Saëns, Bach, Chopin?), interrupted by the interventions of narrator Calixte de Nigremont, who tells the story of the construction of Saint-Pierre Cathedral.

10:15pm: street arts company Transe Express presents its show ? Maudits Sonnants", an aerial show in which a celestial carillon rises above the audience, with carillonneurs, drummers and circus trapeze artists.

11pm: At the end of the show, the public is invited to continue to the museums that are still open, some of which have scheduled events as part of the ?Nuit des Musées? event.