New bells ring out at Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon

One of the new bells at the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon (Photo: Radio the Voice of Vietnam)

HCM City (VNA) – The Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City rang out with the chimes of new symphonic bells on December 23 for the first time in nearly three years.

On January 18, 2020, the Archbishop’s Palace of the Archdiocese of HCM City decided to stop ringing the old bells at the cathedral as they became damaged.

The new melody consists of 25 brass bells produced by Perrot GmbH & Co.KG of Germany.

Four of the new bells were inscribed with the names of four archbishops since 1960, while the remainders have the names of contributors who have helped restore the cathedral since 2015.

The ongoing restoration began in late 2015 after the cathedral turned 135 on April 5 the same year. The project is being carried out by the Belgium-based Monument Group and is expected to be completed in 2027./.

VNA