The cathedral’s bells and carillon
Medieval bells, the striking of the hours and a twenty-five-bell carillon: discover a heritage where history, music and mechanics meet.
A different way to discover the cathedral
Visitors to Beauvais often gaze upwards at the vaults and stained-glass windows. The bells invite a different kind of exploration: the sounds that accompany life in the cathedral and the city.
They do not all serve the same purpose. Some are historic tower bells, now displayed inside the cathedral. Others form a musical instrument, the carillon. Others are connected to the mechanisms of the two clocks.
Is campanology the right word?
Yes: campanology is the study of bells, their history, manufacture, sounds and uses. Beauvais’s bell heritage brings together art history, music and technology.
The historic tower bells
Two bells, removed from their former settings, offer an insight into several centuries of the cathedral’s history. They stand beneath the main organ gallery, one on either side.
A medieval bell
The oldest surviving tower bell in the cathedral bears the date 1349. It is a witness to the medieval bell heritage of Saint-Pierre.
Displayed at ground level, it invites visitors to look at a bell as a heritage object in its own right, through its shape, material and the traces of its history.
Where can you find it? Beneath the main organ gallery, on the south side.
The bell named “Pierre”
Cast by Jean de Nainville, this bell was intended for the small bell tower above the crossing. Its name refers to Saint Peter, who appears in its decoration.
In 1793, it was taken down to be sent to Paris. It later returned to the cathedral when worship was restored: a journey that shows how closely the history of bells follows that of their buildings.
Where can you find it? Beneath the main organ gallery, on the north side.
The carillon of 1937
The cathedral’s small bell tower houses a carillon of twenty-five bells, cast in 1937. A carillon brings together tuned bells so that melodies can be played.
Bells with names of their own
Angadrême, Jacqueline-Jeannine, Lucienne-Claire, Marie-Josèphe… The surviving document about the carillon gives each bell a name and a note. It also states that the first four can be rung by swinging them.
Electrical control described in the archives
This historic description mentions a keyboard enabling the carillonneur to play different tunes. It also describes an electrical connection to the Vérité clock, using cables more than 130 metres long.
These details describe a historic installation; they do not necessarily reflect the equipment or operation today.
The names and notes of the 25 bells
| No. | Name | Note | Information in the document |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Angadrême | A | Can be swung, according to the document |
| 02 | Jacqueline-Jeannine | A sharp | Can be swung, according to the document |
| 03 | Lucienne-Claire | B | Can be swung, according to the document |
| 04 | Marie-Josèphe | C | Can be swung, according to the document |
| 05 | Jeanne-Gabrielle | C sharp | Carillon |
| 06 | Pierre-Caroline | D | Carillon |
| 07 | Thérèse-Jeanne-Michèle-Marthe | D sharp | Carillon |
| 08 | Marguerite-Paule | E | Carillon |
| 09 | Denise-Andrée | F | Carillon |
| 10 | Andrée-Henriette | F sharp | Carillon |
| 11 | Jeanne-d’Arc | G | Carillon |
| 12 | Marie-Charlotte | G sharp | Carillon |
| 13 | Charlotte-Marcelle | A | Carillon |
| 14 | Anne-Marie-Élisabeth | A sharp | Carillon |
| 15 | Antoinette-Alice-Marie-Louise | B | Carillon |
| 16 | Louise-Simonne | C | Carillon |
| 17 | Louise-Thérèse-Jacqueline | C sharp | Carillon |
| 18 | Madeleine | D | Carillon |
| 19 | Hélène-Jacqueline-Solange | D sharp | Carillon |
| 20 | Benoîte | E | Carillon |
| 21 | Marguerite-Gérardine | F | Carillon |
| 22 | Marie-Louise-Henriette-Gérardine | F sharp | Carillon |
| 23 | Marcelle-Marguerite | G | Carillon |
| 24 | Lucie-Louise | G sharp | Carillon |
| 25 | Antoinette-Andrée | A | Carillon |
View the historic document about the carillon
The bells of the two clocks
Étienne Musique’s bell
Above the medieval clock known as the Chanoine Musique clock, a wooden bell turret houses the hour bell. Its inscription records the name of the canon who commissioned it.
The Inventaire général regards it as the oldest known clock bell in France. It should be distinguished from the tower bell dated 1349: these two medieval bells serve different purposes.
Discover the Chanoine Musique clock →The astronomical clock’s five bells
Auguste-Lucien Vérité’s astronomical clock also has its own set of five bells. They form part of the soundscape of this great 19th-century mechanical creation.
This set is separate from the twenty-five-bell carillon in the small bell tower: the cathedral thus preserves several sound-producing systems with different functions and from different periods.
Continue exploring the cathedral →Bell, carillon, swinging: what do these terms mean?
A bell
A sound-producing object, usually made of bronze, which vibrates when struck. Its role may be musical, to mark the time, or connected with the uses of the building.
A carillon
A set of tuned bells on which a melody can be played. In Beauvais, the carillon in the small bell tower has twenty-five bells.
Swinging a bell
The bell swings and its clapper strikes its inner wall. This movement differs from striking a stationary bell with a hammer.
A clock bell
It is connected to a clock mechanism to make the passage of time audible, particularly by striking the hours.
Sources and documentation
This page brings together heritage records, information supplied to the association and a historic document about the carillon.
- Inventaire général, Hauts-de-France Region: bell of 1349, record IM60000698 ; bell known as Pierre, record IM60000699 ; Étienne Musique’s bell, record IM60000723.
- French Ministry of Culture, Palissy database: bell of 1349 and Étienne Musique’s bell.
- Beauvais City Council meeting of 11 April 2024, appendices: overview of the cathedral’s furnishings and bells, p. 198 of the PDF, with a note on the bell castings of 1937.
- Historic document “Le carillon de la cathédrale”, reproduced above; bibliographical source yet to be identified.
- Société française de campanologie: an introduction to campanology.