The bells in Villa Barluzzi
The bells in Villa Barluzzi
The bells today housed in Villa Barluzzi were designed on commission and made by the Marinelli Pontifical Bell Foundry which has been operating for over 10 centuries in Agnone, in Molise. It is the oldest Italian foundry, among the oldest ones in the world, which in 1924 obtained from Pope Pius XI the privilege of boasting of the pontifical coat of arms.
Art is already history!
Please find below some stages of processing
To make a bell, very complex procedures and a necessary time of about 3 months are required.
It starts from the construction of a shape consisting of the “Soul”, the “False Bell” and the “Mantle”.
THE SOUL: with a wooden template a brick construction covered with clay is prepared corresponding to the internal shape of the bell.
THE FALSE BELL: On the soul, the model of what will be the real bronze bell is made with new clay. It will therefore have the same dimensions and decorations as the real bronze bell. [By size we mean compliance with geometrically proportionate measures for the purpose of obtaining the desired note. While the technique used for the decorations is the famous “lost wax”.
THE MANTLE: A thick layer of clay is applied to the false bell to obtain the negative of the whole external face of the decorated false bell. At this point the mantle is lifted, the false bell is eliminated and the mantle is placed again on the soul. The model is then buried in the casting pit located in front of the furnace where the bronze is melted at 1200°C. The liquefied metal is poured inside the mold, by filling the free space between the soul and the mantle. After it has been let slowly cool down, the bell is extracted from the casting pit and, after being freed from the mold, is cleaned and chiselled. Finally, we carry out the musical test, with the application of the clapper and the iron anchors that will allow the bell to be able to ring
Traditional bell-making art and history at Villa Barluzzi
The candidacy of traditional bell-making as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Ministry of Culture officially presented in Paris the multinational candidacy of the “Traditional Bell-making Art” for inclusion in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The news follows the UNESCO national candidacy of Italian cuisine by a few days.
“The bell towers are an identity symbol of our communities, the ‘sound of tradition’ is the timbre of the bells that will ring everywhere at Easter. The bells ‘played for celebration’ are a soundscape that echoes in Italian villages as in large cities. This candidacy recognizes in the art of bell-making, which has deep roots in our history and in our territories, an original character of our nation”, declares the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano.
“The sound of bells is Italy – adds the Undersecretary for Culture with UNESCO delegation, Gianmarco Mazzi – it touches the soul and warms the heart. As Zucchero sang, in a splendid song from a few years ago, it is the ‘sound of Sunday’, even of Easter, especially in these times when peace is under threat”.
The Italian participation is promoted by the National Federation of Bell Ringers, which brings together 23 associations present on the Italian territory, with the support of the Italian Episcopal Conference and of the three historic foundries, still in operation, specialized in the production of bells: the Molise Pontificia Fonderia Marinelli , the Emilian Fonderia Capanni and the Allanconi Foundry in Crema.
The components of the candidacy include the bell ringing techniques, their construction and composition, the architectural structures of the bell towers, mostly associated with cathedrals and churches, which are a cultural and participatory expression of a large Italian community.
The file, drawn up by the UNESCO Office of the Ministry and already approved by the Board of Directors of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO, represents the proposal to extend the recognition of the element, already registered for Spain.
Roma, 6 aprile 2023
Ufficio Stampa e Comunicazione Mic