Finally in Tune, Notre Dame Bells Ring in Palm Sunday

March 24, 2013

Onlookers witness the delivery of Notre Dame's new bells, Paris, January 31, 2013.

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is ringing in this Palm Sunday with a set of newly minted bells to mark its 850th anniversary. They replace what some unkindly called the most discordant bells in Europe. The new chimes were inaugurated Saturday evening. (Listen to Lisa Bryant's report using the audio player below.)

The heart of Paris went suddenly silent as, for the first time in more than two centuries, 10 bells pealed out from Notre Dame Cathedral to thousands gathered to hear them on a sunny afternoon.

Some, like San Francisco tourist Faith Fuller, were moved to tears.

"They made me cry…this is 850 years of history of a fantastic cathedral. And I'm here in an historic moment…hearing the bells ring for the first time. So it's emotional for me, and beautiful."

The ceremony was presided over by government officials and Roman Catholic clergy, including Paris archbishop, Cardinal Andre Ving-Trois, who said he hoped the bells will offer a melodious counterpart to the city traffic and bustle.

Notre Dame's original bells were destroyed during the French revolution, melted down to make cannons and coins. Only one survived - 13-ton Emmanuel. The nine new bells now hanging in the cathedral's belfries - all similarly named after religious figures - replace four bells hung in the 19th century. They include a second "big bell" called Marie, which was cast in the Netherlands in the same tradition as Emmanuel.