For several days, the cathedral of Chartres has been silent: the seven bells no longer ring. In total agreement with the Church which has the site, the State – owner of the monument – has indeed decided to neutralize the bell-tower apparatus for security reasons.
In a press release, the Regional Direction of Cultural Affairs of Center-Val de Loire (DRAC), in charge of preserving the cathedral on behalf of the state, gives some explanations.
June 4 “an in-depth audit of the bell tower installation located in the North bell tower”Was produced by an expert from the Ministry of Culture. “This visit highlighted mechanical and electrical failures which, for the safety of property and people, as well as for the conservation of the works, led to the neutralization of the six bells and the stamp.”
A danger that the bells “drop”
These “failures”Are of several types and require short, medium and long term repairs, as reported by Gilles Fresson, attaché de coordination with the rector of the cathedral, informed by the expert and the technician of Buildings of France.
“problems with the bells themselves”Have been detected,“related to the motorization and the drive chains of the bells”. Weaknesses were also noted in the sheep, the support above the bell which is a counterweight and allows it to rotate.
The risk of this happening was not negligible.
The decision to arrest them is therefore above all a “common sense”. But these failures “could be settled quickly”. There is also a “bell stability problem but this requires more expertise”, Continues Gilles Fresson.
The weakened belfry
Beyond the timbre, the bumblebees and the like, the whole structure around it seems to be altered. “For us, it is not so much of a surprise, we knew that the belfry of the bells posed problems of solidity”, He admits. Precautions were taken. Despite everything, the bell tower looks like “have weakened more quickly than we had imagined”.
The coordination attaché recalls that the largest bell is very heavy (almost 5 tonnes): “imagine the structural efforts that this undergoes on the frame! The demands are extremely strong and the belfry is very fragile“.
In the coming decades, it will have to be considered for serious revision.
The DRAC also recalls that “the complete restoration of the campan facility, including the belfry, is at the heart of the planned restoration works on the Jehan de Beauce tower”, And were part of the work“enrolled in the DRAC program for the coming yearss ”.
Reflection to restart the bells
However, we cannot give a calendar at the moment: “we are only at the very beginning of the process”, Insists Gilles Fresson. Because on historic monuments such as the cathedral and given the different types of failures, it is first necessary to define the expertise, choose who carries it out and when, then release the funding for the work before carrying it out.
But the monument will not remain silent all this time. “A reflection is underway, in connection with the cathedral’s assign, to carry out the work necessary to restart the bells or find a temporary replacement system”, Indicates the DRAC. The bells will therefore resume their flight, real or digital, within a few weeks or a few months.
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