The works on installing the replicas of Danilov bells, made by the Cultural Historical Foundation “The Link of Times” are getting started at Harvard.
July, 16, 2008. A group of experts is arriving at Harvard on Thursday, July,17 to help in mounting the bells made by the Cultural-Historical Foundation “The Link of Times” on the foundry “Vera” LLC in Voronezh.
In the fall of 1930, Constantine Saradjev, the best Russian bell-expert of the time, helped with installing and tuning Danilov bells in Harvard. Now, after almost 78 years, the best Russian experts are helping Harvard specialists with installing the bells again. Planned works on mounting the new bells and the management system of the bell peal on the bell tower of Lowell-House are a part of the project of returning Danilov Bells from Harvard University. The first attempts to return the unique ensemble of the bells were undertaken in the mid-1980s. But only in 2004, when the founder of the Cultural-Historical Foundation “The Link of Times” Viktor Vekselberg responded to the request of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia Alexey II and took upon himself all expenses on returning Danilov bells to St. Daniel’s Monastery, it became possible. At present the Foundation “The Link of Times” implements all stages of the project.
The preparation to the works on mounting the new bells had begun right after the solemn bell-exchange ceremony that took place on July 8th, 2008. Then, in a course of events the third largest bell, the Lent bell («Postovoy»), weighing 2249 kg, had been removed from Lowell-House tower.
This time the two biggest bells of the new ensemble are going to be installed on Lowell-House tower on July 22–28. They are going to be hung up on soft damping suspensions in the same manner as the four biggest bells of the St. Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow were hung up. According to experts’ explanation, the use of these suspensions will allow the bells to sound for 5–6 minutes more after a stroke.
The traditional «Russian» management system of the bell peel that will let Harvard’s bell-ringers-clappermeisters produce peels not only by controlling the order of strikes, but also by varying the strength of the strokes on clappers.
In 1930s 18 bells of St. Daniel’s monastery, hardly escaping destruction, were sold abroad at the price of metal. Professor of Harvard University, Thomas Wittemore, acting on the commission of Charles Richard Crane, the American manufacturer, who was deeply interested in Russia, saved the unique bells from complete loss. From then on Danilov bells were placed on Harvard University Campus, where several buildings were reconstructed for them. Russian bells invariably ring for a quarter of an hour every Sunday and on holidays. Moreover, the bell-ringing can be heard on the eve of football matches of the university team, which is also one of Harvard’s “sacred” things. According to Harvard’s alumnae, in a course of more than 70 years the bells became an integral part University life. That is why it had been decided to substitute the historical belfry with the exact replicas of the bells casted in Russia
Specifically for assistance to the project of returning Danilov bells, the representatives of Moscow St. Daniel’s Monastery and the Cultural-Historical foundation “The Link of Times” launched the web-site, holding exhaustive full information on the project. The web-site is www.Danilovbells.com
To the attention of mass media representatives:
For all questions please contact:
8 (495) 975 02 40 – Andrey Shtorkh, official representative of the Cultural-Historical Foundation “The Link of Times”
8 (495) 720- 49–99 (ext. 5718) – Alexander Petrov, the deputy of the official representative of the Cultural-Historical Foundation “The Link of Times”
8–916 -836–3950 – Daria Ezerova, press-secretary of St. Daniel’s Monastery
8–101–917–628–1867 – Edward Mermelshtein, director of the office of the Cultural-Historical Foundation “The Link of Times” in the USA
