Blagovest Russian Bells
. March 2003 News and announcements from America's only importer of Russia's premiere church bells
. The Blagovestnik, no. 1
In this issue...
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'Bells of repentance' needed for Church-on-the-Blood

His Eminence Vikenti, Archbishop of Ekaterinburg, has blessed us to help get bells for a new church that will commemorate the murder of the Royal Family.

The church is to be consecrated on the anniversary of the event, this coming July.

Pyatkov & Co., which is located near Ekaterinburg and which has supplied bells for numerous of our own clients, is casting the church's bells.

The smaller bells have been cast already, at Pyatkov's own expense. But the Archdiocese needs to raise an additional $200,000 for the 9-ton "blagovestnik" (the main bass bell), and the 5-ton "polyeley" bell.

You can contribute to the bells of this church! Donate through our website. Just go to our secure shopping cart, and contribute any amount you wish. One hundred percent of the money we collect will go directly to the foundry for casting the needed bells.

Donors' names will be listed on a plaque in the bell tower.

Find out more....


Quick Links...


Glory to Jesus Christ!

Interest in the genuine Orthodox bell tradition and in Russia's finest church bells has been growing steadily in America. We've placed bells in more than 50 churches over the past three years, and what's especially encouraging is that even tiny mission parishes have quickly realized the value of real bells for liturgy, outreach, and parish life, and have become some of our most enthusiastic clients.

To help churches learn the genuine Orthodox bell tradition, and to keep you abreast of news, occasional opportunities, and information, we've created this newsletter. We've taken the liberty of subscribing you because you've shown interest by writing to us in the past, but if you're no longer interested, there's a secure, automated unbuscribe at the bottom of the page-- one click and you're off the list! But we hope you'll be eager to know more about this important area of traditional church life and its revival both in Russia and elsewhere!

New Russian bells at Xeropotamou, Mount Athos

Last summer, Pyatkov & Co. installed a complement of new bells at the historic monastery of Xeropotamou, on Mount Athos.

Xeropotamou is not far from St Panteleimon's, the Russian monastery, whose bells (including one of about 10 feet in diameter) are considered the best on Mount Athos. Therefore when Xeropotamou decided to restore their zvonnitsa, they chose Russia's premiere bells...

Read on... »

Russian Navy donates bells to Philadelphia church


In the late 1800's, a Philadelphia shipyard built two of the largest and most famous ships of the Russian Imperial Navy-- the Varjag, whose heroic demise in the Russo- Japanese War is still the stuff of legend in both Russia and Japan, and the Retvizan.

A number of Russian naval personnel lived in Philadelphia in those years, and they contributed generously to the building of St Andrew the First-Called Cathedral. In fact, the Cathedral is named after the Russian Navy's patron saint.

This last summer, the Russian Navy donated a wonderful set of bells from the Perfect Cast foundry of Minsk, one of our main suppliers....

Full Story »

'Santa Maria bell': auction, scepticism, seizure


The planned million-plus dollar auction in Madrid of a bell purported to be that of Christopher Columbus' flagship stirred a tempest of controversy last month. Was the bell really that of the Santa Maria, as its discoverers say? The auction house is quite certain it is. The scientists are a bit more cautious....

Then, just before it went on the block, a Spanish judge ordered it seized so Portugal could explore its claim to own the artifact, which was found in Portugese waters....

Full Story »

Zvonar's Corner: blagovest, trezvon, and Lenten ringing


We will devote the last article of each newsletter to tips for bell-ringers and other practical matters in the Orthodox tradition.

For now, this will usually be a translation of timely material from the standard "Typikon for Church Bell Ringing", newly published by the Moscow Patriarchate. (Everything translated to date is available at the link below, or you can order it in Russian from the secure shopping page on our website.)

In this issue, just in time for Lent, we present the different kinds of ringing that the typikon specifies for the services of the Great Fast. (We'll cover Great Week and Pascha in a future issue.)

But since knowledge of what to ring during Lent presupposes knowledge of what to ring the rest of the year, in this first newsletter we have also translated some general rules for blagovest and trezvon as well.

Be sure to write to us if you have any questions about Orthodox bells and bell traditions!

Our purpose is not just to promote traditional bells, but Tradition itself.

(Oh, and by the way-- we can help you to get those traditional Orthodox church bells too. It's much easier than you might think!)

More about how to ring... »

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