Monza's main church is one of the most beautiful built in Italy and has a very ancient history. The monumental eighty-metre bell tower was built between 1592 and 1606, using red bricks. Five huge bells were cast in 1628 and blessed by Cardinal Federico Borromeo during the Feast of the Holy Cross. The seventeenth-century bells were irreparably destroyed in the devastating fire of 1740 and replaced with a new pharaonic concert of eight bells, considered among the best in Europe.
A - B - c' sharp - d' - e' - f' sharp - g' sharp - a'
The eight bells are rung on Christmas Eve, playing carillons with Christmas carols and merry music to accompany the festivities. The carillon is played during the afternoon, after sunset the eight bells are rung in motion to announce the start of the first Christmas Mass. The number of bells ringing indicates the importance of the event, emphasised in this case by the ringing of all the bells, reserved for only five days of the year.
The first church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist was built in 595 by Queen Theodolinda as the chapel of the royal palace of Monza. The new basilica was entirely filled with gold and silver and was chosen for the baptism of all subsequent kings. In 627 the sovereign was buried inside the church, which was entirely rebuilt in the 14th century for the first Jubilee in history. The interior of the church is of such magnificence that it is impossible to list every beauty contained, both in the exceptional side chapels and in the magnificent museum, rich in antique pieces made entirely of gold. The church was often used for the coronation of kings and emperors, as it houses the famous Iron Crown containing a nail from the Cross of Christ. Two thirds of the treasure was stolen by Napoleon, who wanted to be crowned in Milan Cathedral using this historical crown, with which Charlemagne had also been crowned by the pope on 25 December 800.
Introduction music by / @davidleonpiano
0:00 Documentary with church and museum
1:51 Christmas melodies with bells
15:33 Ringing of the bells at sunset
#bells #church #catholic #bell #italy #view #landscape #catholicchurch #Christmas #concert #crown #sunset
13 июл 2024
