"The Orange Choregies Choregies d'Oranges The Choregies d'Oranges are held July beginning with at the beginning of August of each year. Profit in for visit the town of Orange, splendid. 50 km, 40 min. to see the site of the chorégies See the site of the town of Orange, registered with the World Inheritance The Choregies d'Oranges are the oldest French festival today since they go back to 1869. But they knew, with the passing of years, to preserve all their originality: by the name that they carry, resulting from the Greek “choreos”, which thus attaches them to the graeco-latin tradition; by the place in which they are held each summer: a perfectly preserved Ancient Theatre, of a capacity of reception of 8600 people and which has the privilege to have preserved its “Wall”, guarantee of exceptional accoustics; by the lyric and musical vocation that they gave each other and which enables them to be with the head great French festivals and to have an undeniable international reputation. The Ancient Orange Theatre is one of most beautiful French monuments the, testimony of the Roman time. It is the only building of the kind having preserved its acoustic wall. Its dimensions are imposing: 103 meters from length, 37 meters in height, 1,80 meter thickness. The scene is 65 meters long, with however an optimal use with 47 meters. The depth oscillates between 12 and 16 meters. After the fall of the Romain Empire, the monument was abandoned like place of spectacle. In 1562, it was even transformed into refuge for the population. It is only at the beginning of the XIXe century that one undertook undertook to restore it and that one reconstituted the steps of them. The first representation took place in 1869 with an opera of Mehul, “Joseph”. The vocation of the Ancient Theatre then consisted in promoting the French dramatic authors of the time and turning over to the sources of the great tragedies gréco-Romans. The lyric and musical vocation of the Ancient Theatre will become dominating in 1971, with the creation of the “Chorégies News”, which was an immense success at once. All the great names of the lyric art occurred there, conferring on this ideal scenic place an international prestige which does not have, since, ceased being confirmed each year.