An example of the restoration of a Monastic Churches with acoustic pots: L’Abbaye des Anges of l’Aber-Wrach (Britany)

• Published in: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 2017-05, Vol.141 (5), p.3774-3774
• Main Authors: Valiere, Jean-Christophe, Bertholon-Palazzo, Benedicte, Barone, Nadia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0001-4966; 1520-8524
• DOI: 10.1121/1.4988291

“L’Abbaye des Anges” is a Franciscans Convent founded in 1507 in far-western France, close to Brest. The small church of this convent (2320 m3) contains in its liturgical choir’s walls about 110 acoustic pots, which is about 21 pots per cubic meter, by far the largest such installation in France. The archeological study shows that the pots have been inserted during the construction. It has also been proved by x-ray analysis that the pots were probably produced by potters close to l’Aber-Wrach, in Lannilis, where pottery tradition is attested from antiquity to the 20th century. The pots were obviously designed for exclusive acoustic use, as shown by their lack of glaze and their rounded shape which cannot be put properly on a table. Seven kinds of pots have been found with frequencies uniformly distributed between 150 and 300 Hz, unlike to what can be usually observed elsewhere in France. This frequency range corresponds to male singing voices (Baritone-Tenor). This suggests a rational choice as well concerning the musical point of view but also concerning acoustics. The owner would like to restore the church including all the acoustic pots.