Notre Dame de Paris is celebrating its 850th anniversary all year and there are many occasions to mark this event. A tribune was built in front by which one can approach the entrance in a different way and gives the anticipated pilgrims a closer view of the rich decoration of the portal.
One of the anniversary's many projects is to recapture the original sound of the church bells. Last Saturday nine new bells were brought in to the nave of the cathedral. There they were blessed and can now be admired (and touched) for one month.
The original bells were melted down 1792 during the French Revolution. Only "Emmanuel" the Grand Bourdon was saved and will now be complemented with "Mary" the small Bourdon which you can see on this photo to the left. The eight other new bells will be installed in the North Tower in time for Easter and will ring the first time March 23.
To see these bells so close I could not avoid thinking of the film "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" where Charles Laughton as Quasimodo is ringing the bells.
For more information about the bells:
