Saint Martin's Peace Bell
The Peace Bell of Sankt Martin is a church bell in the parish church of St. Martin am Ybbsfelde in St. Martin am Ybbsfelde in Lower Austria .
The bell from 1200 is the oldest octave bell in the world. It comes from the time of the Babenbergs . Where and when it was poured is not documented. There are presumptions that the bell could have been a present in Vienna for the Babenberg-royal Martinskirche. The Benedictines , who are considered to be gifted bell founders, can also be considered as manufacturers .
The bell is 75 cm high and weighs 600 kg. A full A minor chord sounds when struck. The reverberation lasts one minute. It has a legend with the text O REX GLORIAE VENI CU (M) PACE MCC (O King of Glory, come with peace 1200) . The bronze material , the purity of which contributes significantly to the sound, consists of 78% copper and 22% tin.
To protect the bell itself but also the church tower , it is only rung on festive days and festive occasions.
The bell survived the attacks and sieges of the Turks because it was buried not far from the church. For a long time, however, it was not found. According to tradition, it was only dug up again by wild boars.
During the Second World War , the other three bells of the church were transported to Germany, while the peace bell remained in place. One of the three bells, the Prieninger bell, returned unscathed from Hamburg after the war.
The coat of arms of the municipality of Sankt Martin-Karlsbach , which was awarded by the Lower Austrian provincial government in 1981, shows a coat of arms shield with the bell decorated with oak leaves.
The second bell of the parish church comes from Krems and bears the inscription Sit nomen Db Anno 1691 .
Next to the church you can see a replica of the octave bell in a bell house.
Web links
- The oldest octave bell in the world (PDF file; 2.74 MB)
- Parish history of the market town of St. Martin-Karlsbach
- Video presentation about the peace bell
Coordinates: 48 ° 10 ' N , 15 ° 1' E