Keur Moussa Abbey

Keur Moussa was founded in 1961 by monks from Solesmes, and its distinctive contribution has been musical: the Gregorian liturgy here is sung accompanied by the kora, the West African harp-lute, along with balafon and other local instruments, in an adaptation worked out over decades. The monastery also runs a workshop that builds and modifies koras, tuning them to allow the harmonic movement the liturgy needs. The Sunday mass is open and is what most visitors come for.

History

Nine French monks from the Abbey of Solesmes arrived in Senegal in 1961 to found the monastery, which was raised to an abbey on 30 January 1984 under its first abbot, Philippe Champetier de Ribes Christofle, and its church was dedicated two years later (Wikipedia, Abbaye de Keur Moussa).

What to look for

• The sung mass - Gregorian chant accompanied by kora and balafon, on Sundays.
• The kora workshop - instruments built and tuned on site by the community.
• The church - a modest modern building with African decorative work.
• The shop - recordings, fruit products and goat cheese made by the monastery.

When to go

Sunday morning mass is the reason to come and starts early; arriving well before is necessary for a seat. November to May is the dry season. The community keeps monastic hours the rest of the week.

Good to know

This is a working monastery, not a concert venue: the mass is a service and behaviour should reflect that, with no photography during it. Getting there without a car is difficult. Outside Sunday there is little for visitors beyond the shop.

Nearby

Thies is east, and Dakar is about an hour west.

Key facts