Bell cage

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Bell cage with wind vane and ball and cross on the church of St-Sauveur in Manosque

A wrought iron bell cage ( French campanile en fer forgé ) often forms the upper end of church towers (clochers) , city ​​gates (portes de ville) or clock towers (tours d'horloge) in some areas of southern France (especially in Provence ) . Examples from Spain (e.g. the clock tower from Almonacid de Zorita ) are much rarer .

function

The bell cages mainly found in Provence are associated with the sometimes violently blowing mistral there; The bell cages oppose this much less resistance than a bell gable or a pointed helmet .

construction

Bell cages consist of wrought iron strips or square bars that overlap and are forged or riveted to one another at the crossing points . The resulting spaces are often decorated with curvilinear forged iron bands. They can be simply shaped, but also multilevel, as well as being dome or hood-like . Usually only a single bell is hung inside .

history

Although detailed studies have not yet been carried out, it can be assumed that the earliest constructions of this type from the 16th / 17th centuries. Century. They have hardly been made since the middle of the 18th century; many were also scrapped.