LE GRAND BOURDON DE L’ÉGLISE SAINTE-GUDULE À BRUXELLES - PÂQUES FLEURIES!

A photocollage for Easter! This card suggests to me that the Millers were in Brussels over the Easter period in 1907. Oh the wonders of the internet! So easy to find out that Easter Sunday in 1907 was on March 31. Looking for clues!

Researching Sainte-Gudule I discovered a little more about the bells that inhabit the twin towers of Brussels’ Co-Cathedral. The building has a long history and the towers were designed by Flemish architect Jan Van Ruysbroeck (1470-1485), who also designed the tower of the Town Hall of Brussels.

One of the towers has a carillon of 49 bells. Some of the big bells among them have names: there’s Fabiola (3164kg), Maria (2298kg), Michaël (1628kg), Gudula (1332kg), Philippe (975kg), Astrid (690kg), and Laurent (485kg).

But the other tower is reserved for the “Grand Bourdon” – the Big Bell! This huge bell is called 'Salvator' – it weighs 6700 kilograms or 7.3 US tons.

These days the bells are rung by electric motors. You can imagine that a weight as large as that of the Grand Bourdon is not easily shifted. It dates from 1481 - a bell by Peeter Vanden Gheyn. It was restored in 1638. All the other bells are replacements for earlier bells. The French took the smaller bells during the French Revolution. The Germans took another set in World War II.

But Salvator is an historical survivor. Its size has made it impossible to dismantle I suppose.

It is only rung on special occasions: Easter and Christmas!

Big Bass note: “G” or Sol.

I like to think that the Millers heard it on Easter Sunday in 1907.

Published by D. M. Éditeurs Bruxelles.