Valdai Bell: history, photo, design and main elements

Long ago, Great Rus was announced with a bell ringing - big bells were heard on church bells during the holidays, bells on horse harnesses were filled in everyday life, giving people joy and festive mood. How did the history of the most famous Valdai bells begin in the world? They will tell pages of ancient books.

Who invented the bell?

The idea of making bells came to the head of the bishop Nolan Pontius Mira Pavlin the Merciful. Completing the examination of his possessions, the bishop decided to rest for a while, stopping at a picturesque meadow covered with blue bells. After a sleep, he saw angels in a dream who touched the flowers, and they responded with a gentle, silver ring. This sound so shocked Pontius that, returning to Nol, he told the master about this, who was able to cast an exact bronze copy of the field bell. Although, if you rely on the data of historians, the first cast bells were encountered much earlier, they were made still by the Egyptians.

There are also more romantic 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 - the local smith - forged a bell in memory of the most beloved and dear.

There are some more beautiful assumptions about the idea of the bell as a foundry, but they all talk about love or its sad end.

The first Valdai bell. History

If you believe the legends, the story begins around 1478. Rules at that time, Tsar Ivan III, who ordered to transport the Novgorod bell to Moscow, forever taking it from the Sofia belfry. Everything went smoothly until the carriers reached the Valdai Mountains. It was here that the sled, on which the veche bell was fixed, rolled on a 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 appeared. After this place began to come to the locals. They collected the bells and, bringing them home, asked the masters of the foundry business to make their copies. This was due to the belief in the miraculous power of this thing. People sacredly believed that in a house where there is a Valdai bell, happiness, peace, harmony, peace, prosperity will certainly settle.

Production start

It is generally accepted that the second half of the 18th century was the beginning of production. The need to create bells was a priority - they were one of the constituent vehicles on the busy roads of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Soon began to appear already professional workshops on low tide and workshops, in which studied and reproduced the design and the main elements of the bell Valdai.

Very soon, the individual signature of the master, who created his creation, came into fashion. Nikita, Ivan, Alexei Smirnov, Philip Tersky - foundry, whose products went down in history as a separate record. It was from this moment on the Valdai Bell Became known precisely as a primordially Russian invention. Gradually, the yamschitskie bells began to gain increasing fame - they were not only an important element of alerting on the road, but also greatly enhanced the coachman's mood, especially in bad weather or late at night.

Bells bell choke

It can be mistakenly believed that they were all intended for one purpose only, but this is far from being the case. Ямщицкие were issued with own inscriptions - for example, quite often on a product it was possible to read a rhyme: "Звени, console - to go hasten". Gift bells were marked with the inscriptions "Gift of Valdai", "Who I love, I give to him" and the like. Soon appeared the most expensive and important in the life of young people Valdai bell - wedding. It was a real masterpiece, with five birds flying up to heaven on it, depicted on it. It is also remarkable that at that time it was not only known the name of the master, he was stuffed on the product itself. One of the first founders, who made his own inscription, was Alexei Smirnov. Known and another author - Tersky - today in Russia there are 19 of his bells.

From master to factories

Very soon, plants began to appear in the country, where accents were made on the type of activity: "Valdai Bells - Production" - could be read at the very approaches to the workshops. The first half of the century before last was marked by the opening of the largest plant named after Smirnov, about which it was said that only here the best bells are cast - the biggest and the loudest ones. Truly giant products were born in professional hands of masters - the bell could weigh over 1000 poods. However, this does not mean that the Smirnovs have forgotten what a small Valdai bell is. The plant accepted many orders for their manufacture, and most of the products were cast for the temples and monasteries of Russia. Soon the production plant named after Stukolkin came to the production market. Ivan Stukolkin went down in history as a master who cast eleven bells (their weight was almost 4400 poods), taking as a basis Siberian heels.

End of factory work

The Smirnov and Stukolkin plants, which were strengthened in the production market, gradually began to acquire competitors. Its products began to be realized by the factories of Alexey Usachev, Georgy Andreev, brothers Usachyovs. The drop of bells for Valdai churches was already being studied not only by Stukolkin, but also by the brothers Usachev. The fashion includes bells that hang over the doors, as well as desktop bells that call the servants. They practically did not differ from those used by the coachmen. And only the inscription made it clear why this bell serves. And then the October Revolution broke out, and the bell business in Russia was practically destroyed. The most persistent was the Usachyov plant, but he soon closed his doors forever. The foundry business was resumed a little later, but that Valdai quality was no longer observed.

Immortalized in history

In order to preserve the history of Valdai casting, the Museum of Valdai Bells was created. Local history museum Valdai was replenished with the first exhibits in 1980 - then the trophy products of the masters Andreev and Grigoriev were brought here, as well as foreign similar objects were found. Ship bells, bells intended for cattle, coachmen's and table-tops were brought here-expositions were replenished with surprising speed. After 15 years, the museum received a new administrative area - in the building of the Lviv Rotunda. At that time in the collection were not only small and medium exhibits, there were also big bells. A place was also allocated where the Valdai bell could be seen - the photo - the historians tried to restore the remaining 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, heals from illnesses. In addition, everyone is allowed to climb the bell tower and call himself.

What is unique about the Valdai bells?

The uniqueness of the bells in their sound - they say that each bell has its own, unique "voice." Their history was restored for years, as there were no records, and everything that is known today was studied with the help of data that could be found on the products themselves - names, dates, factories. One of the defining moments was the "skirt" of the bell - so called its bottom. Many historians have come to the conclusion that the shape of the bells is directly reminiscent of the Russian woman's camp. It is possible to distinguish Valdai production and other factors - streamlining forms, belts with roughness, language and its suspension. Each detail has its own uniqueness, which has no analogues for today. It is worth noting that this is why the cost of products has always been extremely high. Today you can find a lot of products marked with the mark "Valdai" - unfortunately, local producers could not find out the mystery of casting, which resulted in the famous clean, gentle ringing of Valdai bells.