FIVE-TON BELL DONATED TO POPE FOR JUBILEE YEAR

THE GREAT JUBILEE BELL


The bell has a circumference of about six metres and the weight is more than five tons. From the moment of its conception in clay and fire, it began to symbolize the hope of all mankind. The resonant side bears an etching of the coat of arms of John Paul II, the image of the pope on the threshold of the Holy Gates, crowned with the eye of the Holy Trinity with the inscription : "the pontifical foundry Marinelli in Agnone" and "Jubileum MM". The great bell of St-Peter’s and all the bells in the world responded in unison to the knell of the jubilee bell in its proclamation of faith and in its bringing peace and hope to all.



An 18th century listing of seven occasions by Remondini.

1. To gather the people to the sacred functions of the church.
2. To signify and distinguish its festivals.
3. To rouse the souls of the faithful to render devout thanks to the Highest for benefits received.
4. To implore divine help against the tempests of the air and the ferocity of the spirits of hell.
5. To decorate the solemn entry of princes and prelates.
6. To increase the happiness and gaiety of public processions and in songs of praise to the Lord.
7.To make fervid the piety of the faithful in relation to the dead.

***PEOPLE, PLACES & CHURCH BELLS***

Hermits: They had bells in desert caves to drive away demons.

One of the earliest desert fathers in the medieval church, St. Anthony (250-355), gave rise to The Cult of St. Anthony.

St. Paulinus of Nola. According to tradition he introduced bells to the church in 400 A.D.

Nola (Naples) in Campania: Had been the center of bronze casting from pre-Christian times.


St. Benedict:
Established Montecassino around 520 where the Benedictine Rule for Monasteries was drafted. The abbot or someone appointed by him was responsible for ringing the daily hours.


Abbey of St. Gall:
A monastery with its own bell foundry.

Charlemagne's bells:
(Legend) A greedy thief, Tancho, stole silver given to make a bell and used tin instead. Finally when he pulled the rope to ring the bell it came down and crushed his head. The silver was found and given to the poor.


St. Boniface:
In 719 this Saxon from England was commissioned by Pope Gregory II to bring the faith to Germany. It is here that he popularized bells. He referred to the small bell, tintinnabulum in his poems and stories like St. Felix and The Sheep.

Pope Sabinianus:
Tradition attributes to this successor of Pope Gregory the Great, the institution of the ringing of church bells to signal people to come and worship.


St. Columba:
Brought Christianity to Scotland and heralded it with the ringing of the bell. Placed a curse on a king in 590.

St. Egbert:
Archbishop of York in 750. "Let all priests at the appointed hours of day and night ring the bells of their churches and then celebrate the divine office.

St. Patrick:
1000 years before Columbus set sail, St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland. He is said to have distributed many bells to the places where he developed congregations. This bell, however, was his own personal bell which was said to have miraculous powers. A miracle was recorded in the year 1044. Around the year 1100 King Donnel encased the bell in a shrine. Today it rests in the National Museum of Ireland.


* * * *FACTS ABOUT BELLS AND THE CHURCH****

1501: A detailed calendar of when to ring bells during the church year was created.
BELL, ROPE AND RINGER: Were considered blessed and baptized sacramentals which had miraculous powers.

BELL, BOOK and CANDLE: Instruments used for exorcism.

CLOCK: The daily periodic sounding of the canonical hours led to the invention 300 years ago of the European timepiece known as the klock, the Dutch word for bell.

CAMPANIA: A region around Naples in Southern Italy noted for bell making. Campanology: The art or study of bell casting and bell ringing. Campanologist: A bell expert. Campanile: A belltower near, but not attached to, the church. Campanulate: Bell shaped. Campanula: Small bell, genus of bell-shaped plants.

CLOGGA: Sheet metal Irish missionary bells.

Vox Domini: Bells were described as the voice of God.

BRIDE'S PEAL: Ringing up the bridal couple the morning after the wedding.

BELL RINGER: A paid position in the church i.e. Quasimodo, before electronic bells.

CHILDBIRTH BELL: A bell girdle put around a woman believed to bring about an easy delivery.


***BELLS FOR PRIVATE RITES***

BAPTISMAL BELL: Baptism of the wealthy or when numbers of infants were baptized.

SPUR PEAL: Rung for the first banns of marriage.

WEDDING BELLS: Wedding bells the sound, as distinguished from wedding bells the object, are the most universal use of bells at private rites in the western church.

HOUSELING BELL: A bell used when the Blessed Sacrament was carried to a home of the sick. Miracle-working-bells of the Celtic missionaries i.e. St. Patrick.

PASSING BELL: A bell rung when someone was approaching death. Heard in the finale of Boris Godunov,, when Tsar Boris, hearing this bell, which was a signal for people to pray for his soul, said he was still the Tsar.

DEATH KNELL: Sometimes known as the second passing bell. In some places certain strokes or rhythms would indicated whether it was a man, woman or child who was dying.

LYCH BELL: It was carried aside the coffin and rung during the funeral procession.

FUNERAL BELL/BURIAL BELL: This church bell tolled until the procession entered the church. It again tolled as the corpse approached the grave site and rang as the coffin was lowered into the ground.

MOVING BELL: Transference of the remains because the tomb was not ready i.e. cold weather.

SPIRIT BELLS Spiritalibus cymbalis: Bells used in magic; rung during the plagues and deaths of the Middle Ages.

OBIT BELL: A bell rung on anniversaries of a beloved, if one could afford it.

THE BEDESMAN: The one who would receive a stipend or payment to ring this bell.

DE PROFUNDIS BELL: In 1610 Pope Paul the V established this bell to be rung for all on All Saints Day. In cathedrals it also summoned people to matins and vespers.

CURFEW BELL (Cover the fire): Imposed in 1055 by the Council of Lisieux, this was signaled by the ringing of the church evening bell or guard bell.

ANGELUS BELL: With the Crusades, this tribute to Mary rang in the morning, noon and evening.


***SOME BELL SHAPES:***

Beehive shape.

Helmet shape: Shape and size of a Roman soldier's helmet.

Sugarloaf: This Bell, looking like a loaf of bread, was hung dead and only the clapper moved.


***MONASTIC RELATIONSHIP TO BELLS***

1. Need for order.

2. Responsible for casting bells. As monasteries became prevalent all over Europe their widespread connections allowed them the means to developed and cast larger and larger bells.

3. Under this condition smaller bells moved from a personal chattel of an ecclesiastic to larger bells of the corporate property of religious institutions fastened at the top of a building.


TYPES OF MONASTIC BELLS

PORTER'S BELL: A bell at the gate of the enclosed walls of a monastery.

SIGNUM: Signal bell, a general large bell that rang for hours. Seven times a day do I praise thee.

TINTINNABULUM: A very small hand bell; a hurry-up call for brothers (monks) to line-up in order ,or a faint-sounding bell on priestly vestments.

CYMBALUM: A more musical sounding small bell. NOLA: Tiny bell signals to be heard at night within the monastery walls. ROTA: A series of bells that rotated; rung during consecration; strident for Gloria and Te Deum CAMPANULUM AD EUCHARISTIAM: A cluster of tiny bells, replacing the harsh sounding rota.


***BELLS FOR MASS***

PRIEST'S BELL: A signal to inform the priest that all the preparations for Mass were ready and only his presence was needed to start the service.

VESTMENT BELLS: A sign of authority and a reminder to the priest that his life was a dedication to God.

SERMON BELL: Rung before and after the sermon. In a small community, a bell hung outside but small enough to be rung from the inside, would tell all what was happening during the service. In a large city you would need both a large outside and small inside bells.

CONGREGATION BELL: A bell to signal the congregation; attached to the collection basket.

CONSECRATION BELL: Used at the elevation, people, being unworthy, were to bow so as not to view the host and later to view the -host between the first and, second ringing.

SANCTUS BELL: Approaching the consecration. Bell later rung to signal a change of bodily position; Pater Noster, Lamb of God, sign to receive Communion.

BREAKING-UP BELL - THE PUDDING BELL: A practical bell; no one should leave the church until after it was sounded. It tolled and told wives to make the pudding (meal).