In Agnone, Abruzzo, the tradition of merging and forging the metals is 2500 years old. The area had been inhabited by the Samnites since the Bronze Age and later taken by the Romans by the 3rd century BC.
During the middle age, probably due to the conventual nature of the rich and industrious city, it specialized on sacred bronzes and the first productions of Marinelli Family date back to 1339. Bells were used not only for religious purposes but also to determine the beginning and the end of the work in the fields. Nowdays in Europe twenty foundries survive (six in Germany, four in Italy) and with its eight centuries of constant activity, Marinelli is the oldest in the world. The business is in the hands of the brothers Armando and Pasquale: the foundry produces about 50 bells a year and currently employs 12 people.
In 1924, Pope Pious XI assigned the foundry the honorary title of Pontifical which has become part of their name and the special relationship with the Vatican City (90 % of their work comes from the Roman Catholic Church) has been confirmed by the visit of Pope Woytila in 1995, to whom the modern museum is dedicated.
In 1950, after a major fire, the foundry was moved from the historic centre of the town to the suburbs, in the large area of a barn. Here the masters repeat the old craft of their ancestors and produce refined and artistic bells that are shipped all over the world.
Their bells today can be seen at the Vatican, St John in Lateran, St Paul outside the walls, St Agnes in Piazza Navona, the Trinity at the Spanish Steps, Pisa tower, Pompei Sanctuary, Montecassino Abbey, San Giovanni Rotondo and abroad up to the Sinai Mountain, Cape North, Addis Abeba and Indianapolis, requested for the purity of their sound and exclusivity of their decorations.
The largest one was produced for the Jubilee of the year 2000 and blessed by Pope John Paul II in St Peter' square.
It has a diameter of 2 meters with a weight of 5 tons and was donated by the Regione Molise, where Agnone is.
Now it is inside the Vatican gardens and enriches the beauty of this magnificent green area.
The making of a bell requires about three months and has been the same procedure since the medieval times. The method is called colatura a cera persa (lost-wax casting) and was largely used in Ancient Greece to produce fine bronze sculptures and decorations.
It starts with a model made by anima (inner soul), falsa campana (fake bell) and mantello (mantle).
The anima is made of a wood and brick structure covered with clay; the falsa campana, above the anima, is made of clay with inscriptions, pictures and decorations in wax; above it, the mantello (mantle) covers it up with one more layer of clay. The whole structure is cooked and the inner wax melts, leaving the artistic composition in negative.
At this point, the mantello is lifted, the falsa campana destroyed, and then located above the anima. Now the model is interred and, through a sophisticated system of canals to properly address the casting, the metal fusion takes place at 1200°C (2192°F) and lasts 2,20 minutes, full of tension. When making a bell, a priest comes to read the Bible and bless it. The bronze for bells is a metal alloy made of 78 parts of copper and 22 of tin. The melted bronze is poured into the room between anima and mantello. After a slow cooling down, the bell is taken out from the fosso di colata (casting ditch), cleaned and chiseled. A battaglio (clapper) is added and the musical test can be done.
The diameter of the bell determines the tone so that, for example, a 1.60 meter diameter produces the note Sib (Bb) and bells with specific diameters are used to produce different themes.
It also determines the proportions of the bell: it has to have the same height, has to be double of the spalla (upper side) and the thickness of the bell has to be 1/28 of the diameter. The clapper weighs 3% of the bell. These proportions were scientifically studied since the 1500s and are still in use.
Famous bells in the world
The Zarina of the bells - Cremlino/Moscow - 1733
Wanted by the Empress Anna Iwanowna, it is the largest in the world with its 6,60 mt diameter and 200 tons.
Damaged during the fire of Moscow in 1737, it sank 10 meters into the ground where it stayed for a century. In 1836, 600 soldiers lifted it and located it under the tower of Ivan the great, next to its broken part which weighs 2 tons.
Liberty Bell - Philadelphia - 1752
Cast in 1752, it is associated to the American Revolution and rang after the battles of Lexington and Concord. On July 8th 1776, at its calling, the population gathered to read the Declaration of Independence. It is largely recognized as a symbol of freedom and visited daily in the LB center.
The Campanone (Big Bell) - St Peter/Vatican - 1786
With its 2,30 mt diameter and 11 tons, it is one of the most majestic and richly decorated bells in the world. Cast by Giuseppe Valadier, the project with the twelve standing apostles belongs to his father Luigi, a well-known goldsmith. Its bell rings far away to announce the death of the Pope and the election of his heir.
Mater Dolens - Rovereto (Trento) - 1924
Cast using cannon bronze from 19 nations involved in the 1st World War, it the largest bell in Italy with its 3 meters of diameter. Daily, it rings 100 times at the sunset to remember the casualties in all the conflicts in the world.
