Speech of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia on the signing of the Agreement

Let me declare the grand meeting of the Board of Guardians of the campaign for the return of the Moscow Danilov Monastery bells from Harvard University open. At the beginning of today’s meeting, I would like to address the words of gratitude and appreciation to the attending representatives of the Russian Federation President’s Administration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Mass Communications, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow Government, Russian Federal Customs Service and the ‘The link of times’ Cultural Historical Foundation. Today we have gathered to sign the Agreement on the long-awaited return of Danilov Monastery’s sacred bells to their historic motherland. We have come a long way in the pursuit of this noble aim. That is why today’s event has a special significance and meaning.

«Proclaim, O earth, good tidings of great joy; ye heavens, praise the glory of God», – this verse taken from a well-known hymn runs around the upper rim of many Russian bells. Russian bells have been professing this accordant glorification of God by the Heaven and Earth for centuries.

The history of Russian bells goes back to the adoption of Christianity by Kyivan Rus. Bells, as well as Christianity, came to Kiev from Byzantium. For over a thousand years they have been accompanying services held by the Russian Orthodox Church. The deep and rich sound of a big ancient bell vividly reminds us of a Russian icon. The sounding bells bring to mind the images of a church service and communicate the Christian perception of the world. They can also reveal the spiritual experience of the bell-caster, who cast them two or three centuries ago, and tell us about his perception of God and spirituality with the same vividness and reliability as when they were newly made.

Ringing of bells accompanies Russian people throughout their life. They call us to prayer; announce religious and public events; warn about the danger; bring news of victories and serve as a symbol of the nation’s sovereignty, grandeur and self-identity. For many centuries, the bells have been an integrate part of the Russian soul. I’m very happy that our guests from Harvard University were able to feel and empathize with that part of the Russian soul, which finds its expression in the chimes of the church bells.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the owner of the famous Russian bell foundry Nikolay Olovyanishnikov wrote: «Our big bells have been mounted in the bell towers for no more than three or four hundred years. Yet, if only they could tell us about the joys and sorrows, lives and deaths of the Orthodox Christians accompanied by their deep and melodious chime, they would have revealed a lot of edifying and interesting stories about their virtuous life full of holly deeds, … self-denial, devotion and miracles of God’s Divine Grace and Providence!»

In Russia, church bells were often not only witnesses but also victims of historical cataclysms and, like people, patiently suffered their hard lot – they were flogged, sent to exile, had their tongues pulled out and ears beaten off; they were thrown down from the bell towers and shot by Bolsheviks. In the years of ungodliness, the Soviet authorities promptly deprived the Church of its voice — the ringing of church bells. Not surprisingly, the restored tradition of bell ringing became one of the first manifestations and one of the most outstanding symbols of religious revival in Russia.

The above said can throw a little light on all the thoughts and feelings, we were motivated and driven by, when looking for a possibility of returning the miraculously preserved set of historical bells to Danilov Monastery. This ensemble of bells had been formed over 200 years and was known to be one of the best in Moscow. One of Danilov Monastery parishioners, Mikhail Ivanovich Makarov, who used to go there before it was closed down, remembered that the chime of Danilov bells „appealed directly to the soul“, inspired it with hope and took it to heaven. This set of bells is a link with the past, which binds us to the glorious history of Danilov Monastery.

The historical fate of the Monastery has been difficult and instructive. In the 1980s, it became the first revived Christian sanctuary in Russia. The Muscovites witnessed how it rose like Phoenix from the ashes of oblivion to remind them of the man’s most precious, great and everlasting value – the salvation of his soul. In this way, the return of Danilov Monastery bells is an event of paramount importance for the Russian Orthodox Church.

The long process of research and decision-making has come to a positive termination owing to the goodwill and efforts of people who understood and gratified our needs. We want to express our sincere gratitude to the Harvard Administration, faculty and students for their understanding of a special importance of these historic bells for the Russian Christians and for the revival of the Monastery life. We want to thank them for their readiness to exchange the valuable Danilov bells for replicas, which will be worthy of the originals both with regard to the sound and to the appearance. We would also like to emphasize the efforts made by the Russian public officials and help rendered by the Russian businessmen, who made a most valuable contribution in the realization of this godly project. And of course, we highly appreciate the evangelical mite of ordinary Russian people.

We thank God and are happy to express our deepest gratitude to all of you.

God bless you in all your godly endeavours.