In the first part of a very special monthly feature leading up to the reopening of Notre Dame de Paris we cover the story of the iconic Bells of Notre Dame.
Since the fire of Notre Dame, the great bells hanging in her towers have remained silent except for a few monumental occasions. On April 15, 2019, as the fire spread from the roof and toward the facade there was a tiny window of time that almost led to complete destruction.
The bells hang in tall towers in a maze in the wood of the belfry, if the fire reached them the 16th-century timbers would quickly burn and the heavy bells would drop and take the entire facade with them. Luckily for us, the pompiers were able to control the fire in time and save her from destruction.
The bells of Notre Dame were first installed in the 12th century and were rung by the Bishop de Sully during the construction in 1198. At the start of the 14th century 8 bells hung in the north tower, In the 13th and 14th centuries the bells were all located in the north tower while the south tour was still too fragile to hold the 2 tons of metal. The original bells were named for saints; Marie, Gilbert, Guillaume, Pasquier, Chambellan, Louis, Nicolas, and Luc.
Many came from donations from wealthy individuals who may have wanted a little extra nod to get into the pearly gates and also had the honor of naming the bells. Jacqueline, wife of Jean de Montaigu. Jacqueline dates to 1400 and rang for almost three hundred years when in 1681 it broke and was melted down and recast to twice its size. It was then renamed Emmanuel, the largest bell of Notre Dame still over 600 years later.
On April 29, 1682, Francois de Harlay de Champvallon baptized the bells in the presence of Louis XIV and Marie Theresa who were also named as godparents. Two years later they had to recast and retune the largest bell and allowed for another name change. The Emmanuel-Louis-Thérèsa was rehung in 1686 following the death of its godmother Marie-Thérèsa and baptized before Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan. It is the same bell that rings today.
During the reconstruction of the cathedral in the mid-19th century, the bells were once again removed as Viollet le Duc to rebuild the belfry. Napoleon III commissioned four new bells at the birth of his son with the metal of Russian cannons he took during the Crimean War. Napoleon III also took a massive fog bell from Sevastopol that he hoisted into the south tower alongside Emmanuel in 1857. Seventy years later it was returned.
From May 1791 to August 1792 during the Revolution, all bells except for Emanuelle were melted down and used for cannons and coins. On August 25, 1944, during the liberation of Paris as Charles de Gaulle walked towards Notre Dame to celebrate the Te Deum mass, Emmanuel once again rang out.
In 2013 Notre Dame celebrated its 850th anniversary, and new bells were created for the beloved cathedral. With very specific instructions that the bells must be built using the original 12th-century techniques. Not as many founders remained that were up to the task. In the Netherlands, the Royal Eljsbouts bell foundry poured the larger bells while the Cornille-Havard foundry in Villedieu-les-Poeles in Normandy made the eight bells for the north tower.
On January 31, 2013, eleven years ago, the bells drove into Paris and down the Champs Elysees. Presented at Notre Dame in front of the dignitaries of the church and state they were baptized on February 2, 2013, and for the rest of the month lined the center of the cathedral so everyone could get close enough to see the inscription and verse that mark each one. The bells rang out for the first time on March 23, 2013.
Following the fire, the bells remained silent in fear that the vibration could cause more damage. When it was safe enough the sound of Emmanuel could be heard over a kilometer away to note the passing and funeral of former president Jacques Chirac on September 29, 2019. I was in Paris that day and just hearing Emmanuel’s deep sound bounce off the stone buildings brought tears to my eyes.
On Easter 2023, for more than 5 minutes Emmanuel and Marie rang out while I sat in front looking up at the historic facade marking another exceptional moment in her history.
The eight 2012 bells were named to remember important people who touched the 850-year life of Notre Dame. The eight bells below fill the north tower and range in size from 1700 to 4200 pounds.
Gabriel - named for the Archangel of the Annunciation and the largest bell in the north tower
Anne-Genevieve is named for Sainte Anne, mother of Mary and the subject of the right portal of the facade, and Sainte Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris.
Denis the first bishop of Paris and also the patron saint of Paris well known for picking up his head after it was severed and walking from Montmartre to Saint-Denis
Marcel, the 9th bishop of Paris in the 5th century and friend of Genevieve. When her relics were paraded through Paris, the shrine of Marcel had to make the voyage up the hill to Saint Etienne de Mont to escort her back to Notre Dame.
Etienne much like the church the name was given in remembrance of the old cathedral that once stood where Notre Dame now is.
Benedict-Joseph in remembrance of Benedict XVI pope at the time of the 850th anniversary of Notre Dame in 2013.
Maurice, the true father of Notre Dame, Bishop Maurice de Sully personally paid for the building of Notre Dame and laid the first stone
Jean-Marie, the 139th Archbishop of Paris Jean-Marie Lustiger served from 1981-2005.
The south tower holds the two largest bells. Marie was also inaugurated in 2013 and replaced the 15th-century bell that survived until the Revolution and of course Emmanuel.
Today as the Cathedral is coming back to life the bells of the north tower are being restored and will return by the start of summer.
Join me LIVE from Paris, Sunday, February 25. 2024 as I give you an up close look at this stage in the renaissance of Notre Dame with just 41 weeks to go.
