When a visitor enters the Saint-Étienne Cathedral in Toulouse and sees the grand-orgue, he is immediately struck by the height at which the case is set - eighteen metres! It seems as fragile as a swallow's nest clinging to a wall. In fact, it is not the sculpted stone bouquet that supports this twelve-ton instrument but metal beams fixed securely in the wall. The history of the organ in the Saint-Étienne Cathedral began in 1612 with the construction of the case, inside which the organ builder Antoine Lefebvre installed an instrument with 28 stops. In 1677, it was repaired by Jean de Joyeuse, who had created the organ in Auch Cathedral. Sixty years later, the builder Monbrun added an echo keyboard before Lépine made his contribution in 1761. In 1772 it was the turn of Micot, before he handed over to Rabiny in 1787. Both extended the instrument, bringing the number of stops to forty-five. The story continued in the 19th Century. Work was carried out several times but the restoration by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll from 1848 to 1850 remains the most remarkable. Cavaillé-Coll reused a large part of the original piping, installed new mechanics and bellows and bestowed the entire construction with a romantic unity characteristic of instruments from the famous organ builder's early period. The organ was renovated in 1947 by Maurice Puget. By 1973, the instrument was literally out of breath and was threatening to collapse so reconstruction was undertaken. The project was launched by Xavier Darasse and the work was entrusted to the great organ builder Alfred Kern of Strasbourg. With its 47 stops over four manuals and a pedalboard, the organ of Saint-Étienne Cathedral in Toulouse is now as good as new, the improvements giving the ancient materials a new lease on life (Xavier Darasse).