BEAU BELLS

IN 1730, DOM JO Ã O V ASTOUNDED WORKERS IN A BELL FOUNDRY IN ANTWERP WHEN HE ORDERED AN ASTONISHING 120 BELLS – EACH WEIGHING AS MUCH AS NINE TONS – FOR WHAT HE PLANNED WOULD BE THE GRANDEST PALACE IN THE WORLD, MAFRA , NORTH OF LISBON

Words: CAROLYN KAIN

OM JOÃO V was boastful when he made the claim about the status of his palace, and it is true that his unprecedented order for 120 bells was queried. No one had ever placed such an enormous order before and to transport so many bells by horse and cart for a journey of more than 2,000 kilometres was to be an achievement in itself. But to this day the carillons at Mafra constitute the largest ensemble of bells in the world. And what is more, they continue to chime.

Contained in two enormous bell towers, each one 50 metres high, they flank the imposing façade of the palace. The building incorporates a basilica, a Franciscan monastery, several chapels, monks’ cells, banqueting halls and a library, as well as apartments for the king, queen and the royal court. There is nowhere quite like it in the rest of Portugal, and the entire complex is open to the public.

Before venturing inside, the best place to hear Mafra’s bells is on the praça before the main façade. The experience is unique. Between sunrise and sunset the carillon strikes on the hour, half hour and quarter hour.

Each of the two bell towers contains two systems that operate simultaneously. The first is a mechanical system driven by the clock. It moves bell hammers which strike colossal bronze cylinders to produce a melody. The second system is manual, relying upon a carillonneur to tap a keyboard with their hands and feet. Forming part of the Mafra experience the bell towers and the palace were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2019.

Other bell towers with carillons that attempt to rival Mafra’s are the Clerigo Church in Porto and Fatima’s Basilica of our Lady. In the Algarve it is possible to climb 50 steps inside the bell tower of Faro’s Cathedral. Visitors who are at the top when the clock strikes the hour do not forget the experience!

Conversation – local bar in the village of Turquel, district of Alcobaça, 2020.

Comment: I can’t take much more of it. Bong, bong, bong.

Response: Much more of what?

More bells

From a satisfied tourist, a lightly edited quote from tripadvisor 2019

“What a piece of history. The Torre de Relógio (Clock Tower), located in the Old Town of Albufeira, has a bell supported by a curious wrought iron frame. It was once part of an 18th century hospital complex and very impressive too. There’s nothing I like better than sitting on the terrace of the Blue Bell pub with a cold bottle of Sagres while admiring the historic bell tower! Highly recommended.”

Comment: What do you think? The parish church and its wretched clock. I can’t sleep because of its infernal striking.

Response: It really doesn’t bother me. Haven’t you got used to it yet?

Comment: You’re joking. All through the night, every night. Do they have to chime twice? At 5am I have to listen to ten bongs; at 6am there are 12. On and on Response: It’s traditional for it to do it twice. Ours isn’t the only church in Portugal to do that or to keep on chiming through the night.

Comment: What’s even worse is it’s also donging on the half hour. I’ve had enough. I’m going to speak to the priest. I really have to complain.

Response: It’s up to you, amigo, but you’ll be unpopular with the rest of the village. Those chimes are part of our identity. Day and night from birth to death, life wouldn’t be the same without them.

This extraordinary situation really happened and was finally resolved last year when the church authorities agreed to silence the church bells between 22:00 and 08:00. Many locals objected to this break with tradition citing other villages where church clocks toll more frequently throughout the entire night. Once at 15 minutes after the hour, twice on the half hour and thrice every 45 minutes past the hour. For good measure some also peal at sunrise and sunset.

In the case of funerals, many church bells hold firmly to tradition chiming the death knell six times for a woman and nine times for a man. This is followed by one chime for each year of the deceased person’s life.

Making such announcements is an important role but of equal value are the rapid and continuous chimes that invite the faithful to attend mass. Some larger churches are able to play entire musical melodies for celebrations such as Easter, weddings and baptisms.

Traditionalists might object when they discover that, in some cases, the sound of real bells has been replaced by recordings and PA systems. Heading for the Complaints Book they will find that, like the bells, it too has gone electronic. Time does not stand still.