“The return of the bells invites us to come together”

They are, along with the great organ, the “voice” of Notre-Dame de Paris. Less than 100 days before the cathedral’s reopening date, the eight bells of the north belfry arrived in Paris to be reinstalled.

A long truck transported them from the Channel, where they were being restored, after being deposited in 2023. In the rue d’Arcole, which leads to the forecourt, a crowd of curious onlookers witnessed its arrival and took photos of these spectacular objects weighing several tons. Each of the bells has a name – Marcel, Marie-Gabriel, Denis, Anne-Geneviève, Étienne, Benoît-Joseph, Maurice and Jean-Marie, engraved in simple letters. Light in color, six of them have simply been cleaned. Only two, slightly damaged during the fire, have been restored. The work took place at the Cornille Havard foundry (in Villedieu-les-Poêles), one of the few specialized French foundries, which had cast them in 2013. It was the same foundry that had also restored the immense historic Bourdon of Notre-Dame (dating from 1681 and weighing 13,300 kilos), in 2017. More recently, the foundry also cast the Olympic Games bell, which the athletes rang when they broke a record. Symbolically, the sports bell was given to Notre-Dame de Paris, which will eventually install it in the nave.

Once unloaded from the truck, on the forecourt, the eight bells of the north belfry were blessed by the rector of Notre-Dame, Monsignor Ribadeau Dumas. They are an “anchor point” in the city, recalled the rector, after reciting a prayer and throwing holy water. The rector also greeted all those who mobilized for this project. The moving and solemn moment showed once again that the cathedral is in its final stretch. After 5 years of heavy work, Notre-Dame is beginning to reclaim its place as a church and place of worship. “We are invited to gather together to vibrate, around these bells, expressed Monsignor Dumas. They remind us that Christian life is an eternal new beginning.” The rector closed the sequence by striking three symbolic strokes on the Marcel bell.

Between 700 and 3500 kilos

After the blessing, the bell ringers then set about putting the bells back into the tower. The latter almost disappeared during the fire battle on the evening of April 15, 2019. “Luckily, a final battle was won just in time, and the bells did not fall to the ground,” ” recalls Philippe Jost, president of the public establishment for the restoration of Notre-Dame. Since then, the framework of the belfry has been redone, and is now able to support the weight and powerful vibrations of the bells, which weigh between 700 and 3500 kilos.

The bell ringers have long since ceased to operate by hand, and the cathedral’s carillons now resonate with the help of motors – which were put back into operation on Thursday. The bells still mark the hours and masses. On major occasions, such as the Liberation of Paris, the cathedral also rings the Bourdon XVII.^ewhose powerful sound can be heard far beyond the neighborhood. On December 8, the day of the reopening, Notre-Dame de Paris promises a volley that will definitively mark its rebirth.