In the San Lorenzo Valley, the ringing of melodious bells is a little-known, but locally historic, musical art is being rediscovered and celebrated at Saint Lawrence Orthodox Church, in downtown Felton. As part of a recent remodel to improve Americans with Disability Act access and the general usability of the facilities, the parish community also opted to adorn the church with a bell tower.
Bell ringing in the valley goes back a long time. The area’s oldest bell tower rests atop the historic ‘Wee Kirk’ church at the corner of Central and Main in Ben Lomond, built in 1891 by lumber mill owner James Pierce. Other historic bell-adorned buildings in the area include Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church (1899) in Ben Lomond, the Boulder Creek Catholic (1906) and Methodist (1908) churches, as well as the AlbaSchool building (1895), and Saint Peter and Paul’s Orthodox Church (1985) of Ben Lomond. Saint Lawrence now sports the newest addition to this historic list of local bell towers.
During construction, the bell tower drew unexpected interest. One Felton resident made a small donation towards the tower saying, “I’m glad you’re building it. It’s a good thing to do.” Another passerby later sent an email saying, “Why would anyone build a bell tower these days? It’s so archaic, so out of date and crude in a way. But I just can’t stop thinking about it. It’s a monument of sorts, a visible sign that there is still faith, and hope, and beauty in the world.”
North America inherited its bell ringing tradition from England, and the use of bells for communication dates back to the Chesapeake colonists of the 1600’s who regularly limited the size of a village to the circumference of a bell’s ring. From gathering the people and marking the time of day, to tolling the loss of a loved one, or calling the community together to face an emergency such as fire, bells have been a regular part of American society for over three centuries. And even today, they work just fine when the electricity is out.
In the Orthodox tradition, bells have been used since fifth century Byzantium. Before installation, the bells are blessed with holy water “to protect all who hear them from destructive winds and storms, fire caused by lightning, damaging hail, and all harmful weather.” Superstition or not, it’s a comforting thought. Bells are referred to as “singing icons” for they establish the acoustic space of an Orthodox temple as the painted icons on the interior define its visual space.
The Saint Lawrence bell tower hosts five bronze bells ranging from 40 to 250 pounds. The metal used has changed very little over time. It is composed of copper and tin at a ratio of 3 to 1 and is very durable. Bronze is the oldest alloy known to mankind and was made as early as 3500 B.C. For nearly 2000 years, everything metallic from cups to weapons to wood stoves, was made of bronze; hence the name “The Bronze Age.”
I grew up in Boulder Creek, right below the elementary school and just above the Catholic church. The school bell rang throughout the day and Father Kelly would ring the church bell on a regular basis. Once in a while, on a dare, some of us boys would sneak over the fence and ring it ourselves. After a while though, the real bell was replaced with an electronic one. And it just wasn’t the same.
Having addressed some noise ordinance questions already, Saint Lawrence Orthodox Church has no plans to compete with the Felton fire station siren, the reenactment cannons at Roaring Camp, or Fourth of July fireworks – just a few melodious chimes on Sunday mornings (and not early), annual holy days, and an infrequent wedding or funeral. Of course, we must ring in the New Year.
