For a long time, Great Russia was resounded with bells - on holidays big bells sounded on church bell towers, in everyday life bells on horse harness yokes rang out, giving people joy and a festive mood. How did the history of the most famous Valdai bells in the world begin - the pages of ancient books will tell.
Who invented the bell?
The idea of creating bells came up with the Bishop of Nolan Pontius Myronius Pavlin the Merciful. Completing the inspection of his possessions, the bishop decided to take a break, stopping at a picturesque meadow overgrown with blue bells. Dozing off, he saw in a dream angels who touched the flowers, and they responded with a gentle, silver ringing. This sound shocked Pontius so much that, returning to Nola, he told about it to the master, who was able to cast an exact bronze copy of the field bell. Although, based on the data of historians, the first cast bells were found much earlier, they were made by the Egyptians.
There are moreromantic stories. A young girl bathed in a forest river. Her head was wrapped around a wreath of forest bells. The girl drowned, and her lover, a local blacksmith, forged a bell in memory of her most beloved and dearest.
There are several more beautiful assumptions about how the idea of the bell as a casting product arose, but they all tell either about love or about its sad end.
The first Valdai bell. History
If you believe the legends, the story begins around 1478. Tsar Ivan III ruled at that time, who ordered the Novgorod bell to be transported to Moscow, forever taking it from the St. Sophia belfry. Everything went well until the carriers reached the Valdai Mountains. It was here that the sleigh, on which the veche bell was fixed, rolled along the slippery road, overturned, and the bell, falling to the bottom of the abyss, shattered into hundreds of small pieces. According to historians, it was from these fragments that the Valdai bells arose. After that, the locals began to come to this place. They collected bells and, having brought them home, asked the foundry masters to make copies of them. This was due to the belief in the miraculous power of this thing. People firmly believed that in a house where there is a Valdai bell, happiness, peace, harmony, peace, prosperity will certainly settle.
Begin production
It is generally accepted that the second half of the 18th century became the moment of the start of production. The need to createbells was a priority - they were one of the components of the drivers on the busy roads of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Soon, professional casting workshops and workshops began to appear, in which the design and main elements of the Valdai bell were studied and reproduced.
Very soon, the individual signature of the master who created his creation came into fashion. Nikita, Ivan, Alexei Smirnov, Philip Tersky are foundry workers whose products went down in history as a separate entry. It was from that moment that the Valdai bell became known precisely as an original Russian invention. Gradually, the coachman's bells began to gain more and more fame - they were not only an important element of warning on the road, but also greatly cheered up the driver, especially in bad weather or late at night.
Bell bell strife
You may mistakenly believe that they were all intended for only one purpose, but this is far from the case. The coachmen were issued with their own inscriptions - for example, it was often possible to read a rhyme on the product: “Ring, console - hurry up.” Gift bells were marked with the inscriptions “Gift of Valdai”, “Whom I love, I give to him” and the like. Soon the Valdai bell, the most expensive and important in the life of young people, appeared - a wedding bell. It was a real masterpiece, with five birds taking off into the heavenly heights depicted on it. It is also noteworthy that at that time the name of the master was not only known, it was stuffed on the product itself. One of the first casters whomade his own inscription, was Alexei Smirnov. Another author, Tersky, is also known - today 19 of his bells have been preserved in Russia.
From master to factories
Very soon, factories began to appear in the country, where emphasis was placed on the type of activity: "Valdai bells - production" - one could read on the very approaches to the shops. The first half of the century before last was marked by the opening of the largest Smirnov factory, about which it was said that only here the best bells are cast - the largest and most resonant. Truly gigantic products were born in the professional hands of craftsmen - the bell could weigh over 1000 pounds. However, this does not mean that the Smirnovs have forgotten what a small Valdai bell is. The plant accepted many orders for their production, and most of the products were cast for churches and monasteries in Russia. Soon the Stukolkin plant entered the production market. Ivan Stukolkin went down in history as a master who cast 11 bells (their weight was almost 4400 pounds), taking Siberian nickels as a basis.
The end of factory business
The factories of the Smirnovs and Stukolkins, which had established themselves on the manufacturing market, gradually began to acquire competitors. The factories of Alexei Usachev, Georgy Andreev, and the Usachev brothers began to sell their products. Not only the Stukolkins, but also the Usachev brothers were already engaged in casting bells for the churches of Valdai. The fashion includesbells that are hung over doors, as well as table bells that call servants. They practically did not differ from those used by the coachmen. And only the inscription made it clear what this bell was for. And then the October Revolution broke out, and the bell business in Russia was practically destroyed. The Usachyov plant turned out to be the most persistent, but it soon closed its doors forever. The foundry business was resumed a little later, but that same Valdai quality was no longer observed.
Memorized in history
In order to preserve the history of Valdai casting, the Museum of Valdai Bells was created. The local history museum of Valdai was replenished with the first exhibits in 1980 - then the trophy products of the masters Andreev and Grigoriev were brought here, and there was also a place for similar foreign objects. Ship bells, cattle bells, driver's bells and table bells were brought here - the expositions were replenished at an amazing speed. After 15 years, the museum received a new administrative area - in the building of the Lviv Rotunda. At that time, the collection already had not only small and medium exhibits, but also large bells were located here. A place was also allocated where one could see the Valdai bell, - photo - historians tried to restore the surviving pictures. But it's better to see it with your own eyes. There is a belief that the ringing of Valdai bells cleanses the soul and cures diseases. In addition, everyone is allowed to climbthe bell tower and call yourself.
What makes the Valdai bells unique?
The uniqueness of bells in their sound - they say that each bell has its own unique "voice". Their history was restored over the years, since no records were kept, and everything that is known today was studied using the data that could be found on the products themselves - names, dates, factories. One of the defining moments was the "skirt" of the bell - that was the name of its bottom. Many historians have come to the conclusion that the shape of the bells directly resembles the camp of a Russian woman. It is possible to distinguish the Valdai production by other factors - the streamlining of the form, belts with roughness, the tongue and its suspension. Each detail has its own uniqueness, which has no analogues today. It is worth noting that this is why the cost of products has always been extremely high. Today you can find many products marked with the Valdai brand - unfortunately, local manufacturers did not manage to find out the secret of casting, which produced the famous pure, gentle ringing of Valdai bells.
