the essential
This will be one of the key events of the summer. The city has circumvented the problem linked to security requirements by offering a unique stroll in and out of the cathedral.
Among the recent events which mark the Ruthenian summer, there is Festivada, the second edition of which will take place from July 11 to 13 at the stud farm, and the mapping projected on the cathedral. If Festivada is not impacted by security requirements in anticipation of the Paris Olympics, this is not the case for mapping, which attracted nearly 70,000 people last summer. This year there is no question of seeing people crowded and motionless on the Place d’Armes… Perhaps a blessing in disguise. Because anxious to preserve summer entertainment in the heart of the town, a question of balance with the stud farm, the elected officials and agents in charge of summer activities have considered another approach. And we can say that it could really appeal to both summer visitors and Ruthenians, three evenings a week (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) from July 18 to August 24.
Sound and music inside from 7:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.…
They first managed to “force” entry into the cathedral. With the understanding of the Drac and the benevolence of Bishop Mgr Meyer, Rodez Cathedral will be one of the rare monuments of this type in France that will offer such a spectacle within it. From 7:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m., in a continuous stroll (about a quarter of an hour) with a maximum of 150 people in the choir, visitors will discover a very fine sound and light show. “I know the cathedral well, and I can assure you that we will discover it like we have never seen it before,” enthuses Régine Taussat, elected official in charge of tourism and very grateful to the various partners for making this unique event possible. “Since the fire at Notre-Dame de Paris, it has become very, very complicated. It’s easier to leave a safe open. We are very lucky, but we have worked hard to do this”.
…and outside from 10:15 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Then, with the large doors of the stone vessel closed, it will be outside, from 10:15 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. A luminous route, starting at the ramparts, and continuing through the north gate, Place Emma-Calvé, the south gate and Place de la Cité, with luminous animation on the ground and original illumination of the bell tower, all to music. Something to delight everyone!
For these two events, it is still Christian Salesses and Vincent Barrès, who had been entrusted with the creation of the mapping, who will be at the helm. This should ensure the success of this event. “which is part of a goal, that of 500 years of the construction of the bell tower”, underlines Régine Taussat. Looking forward to July 18 for the premiere!
Guided tours, workshops at museums…
The public service of the Fenaille and Denys-Puech museums and the Pays d’art et d’histoire Rodez Agglomération has set up a whole series of events for the summer. For both holidaymakers and locals! Both “classic and less classic” as Amandine Branchet, in charge of this “service”, pointed out.
A new visit and a new meeting were presented for the occasion. A visit in the footsteps of Pierre Soulages, inspired by the painter’s words during his life in Ruthenia, with particular attention to the menhir statues, and a “life-size” Cluedo (read elsewhere).
Sensory walks, guided tours of the historic center and the cathedral, the old Chartreuse, and the Fenaille museum are notably on the program. Just like the visit to the Onet-village castle.
Workshops for the whole family will also be organized throughout the summer, whether at the Fenaille museum or the Denys-Puech museum.
To all these events, we must add the spectacular exhibition “Ethiopia, the valley of the stelae”, the exceptional exhibition dedicated to Lucio Fontana at the Soulages museum, but also Festivada, the July 14 fireworks, the Rouergue rally, concerts, exhibitions, gourmet markets… Enough to ensure another lively summer, Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris or not!
