Ordino Church Revives Cant de la Sibil·la After Centuries for Christmas Eve
Sopranos perform medieval Mallorcan prophecy song with flaming swords at Sant Corneli church, ahead of midnight mass, in UNESCO-recognized tradition.
Key Points
- Performed 11:45pm Dec 24 at Sant Corneli church by sopranos with flaming swords and cellist.
- Mallorcan version, UNESCO heritage since 2010, last done in Ordino 2-4 centuries ago.
- Singers in black turbans chant 8 stanzas on Last Judgment using melismatic style.
- Aims to become new Christmas tradition blending music, spirituality, and reflection.
Ordino parish church of Sant Corneli will host the Cant de la Sibil·la for the first time in centuries on Christmas Eve, with sopranos Jonaina Salvador and Maria Casado performing the medieval Mallorcan version ahead of midnight mass.
The event is scheduled for 11:45pm on 24 December, organised by the parish's Culture Department as part of its Christmas programme. The sopranos will enter the church holding a flaming sword—dressed in black with turbans—alternating through the eight stanzas of the prophetic song foretelling the Last Judgment. Cellist Ailen Klosko will provide subtle accompaniment from the centre, with the singers positioned on either side for balance, using melismatic techniques where multiple notes extend a single syllable. Elena Pérez will recite the full Judgment texts beforehand in a calm tone.
The church will be adorned with festive decorations and red lighting to create a solemn atmosphere as silence descends near midnight. This rendition draws from the Mallorcan tradition, the only version preserved continuously for centuries and declared UNESCO intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2010. Originally pagan in origin—featuring the Sibyl, a priestess of Apollo—the liturgical drama spread across Europe from the 10th century, shifting from Latin to vernacular languages by the 13th century before falling out of favour after the Council of Trent in the mid-16th century.
Local records suggest the Cant de la Sibil·la was last performed in Ordino's Sant Corneli parish two to four centuries ago. Salvador described it as "musical archaeology" on the right day and in the right place, emphasising the message of the world's end over vocal virtuosity: "Here what matters is the message, which is none other than the end of the world." The Comú plans to preserve the original text, adding it alongside the version performed since 2011 at Andorra la Vella's Santa Maria de la Seu cathedral.
Organisers hope the intimate performance will encourage reflection, blending tradition, music and spirituality into a new fixture of Ordino's Christmas celebrations.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: