The carillon bells of St. Joseph's Oratory, located on Mount Royal in Montreal, are back home. They were blessed at a ceremony on Saturday morning, after being sent to France for restoration in 2019.
The bells will be displayed in front of the oratory crypt until Sunday for the public to admire.
They will then be hoisted into the campanile, or bell tower, of the oratory's new reception pavilion on Monday.
"Maybe it'll take me a while to adapt to the new instrument, but above all, it'll be a joy to rediscover the carillon, only much better," says Andree-Anne Doane, the oratory's titular carillonist, in an interview.
In 2019, the 56 bells of St. Joseph's Oratory were sent to the Paccard Foundry in France, where the bells were originally manufactured. In addition to restoring the bells, which had taken on a greenish colour due to oxidation, six new bells were designed and delivered to St. Joseph's Oratory.
The oratory's carillon, the only world-class carillon in Quebec, will now be equipped with 62 bells, enabling the carillonist to add new notes to her repertoire, as each bell has its own particular sound.
"Each foundry has its own stamp. We restored them [the bells]. They had taken on a green colour with oxidation, which had affected the sound a little. They were polished. They're magnificent now. You can really see the colour of the bronze," explains Doane.
"The return of the bells represents an important moment in the evolution of the major development project currently underway at the oratory. It's an event in itself to have these bells back after all these years," says Celine Barbeau, communications director at Saint Joseph's Oratory.
"Why did it take so many years to complete the restoration of the instrument? Firstly, because the bells were badly oxidized, and casting the six new bells is a long job," explains Barbeau.
"Secondly, once the bells had been repolished, it was necessary to ensure that their sound was up to scratch. Finally, the bells had to be shipped from France to the Old Port of Montreal, which represents an additional delay. A special crane was needed to place the bells on an ocean liner," Barbeau continued.
The 62 bells weigh a total of 19,000 kilograms. The largest bell in the carillon, called the bourdon, weighs 3,600 kilograms, while the smallest weighs just five.
The carillon at Saint Joseph's Oratory was originally intended for the Eiffel Tower. It was loaned to the Montreal institution for its 50th anniversary in 1955, before being donated.
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This report by The Canadian Press was written with the financial assistance of the Meta Fellowship and The Canadian Press for news. It was first published in French on June 17, 2023.
