Long since Great Russia was announced bell-ringedduring the holidays, large bells sounded on church bell towers during the holidays; Where did the history of the world's most famous Valdai bells begin? The pages of ancient books will tell.
The idea of creating bells came to mindBishop of Nolan Pontius Myronius Pavlin the Merciful. Completing the inspection of his possessions, the bishop decided to take a short rest, stopping at a picturesque meadow covered with blue bells. Dozing off, he saw in his dream angels who touched flowers, and they responded with a gentle, silver ring. This sound shook Pontius so much that, returning to Nola, he told this to the master, 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 met much earlier, they were made by the Egyptians.
There are more romantic stories.A young girl bathed in a forest river. Her head was wrapped in a wreath of forest bells. The girl drowned, and her lover - a local blacksmith - forged a bell in memory of the most beloved and dear.
There are some more beautiful assumptions about how the idea of the bell arose just like a foundry, but they all tell either about love or about its sad ending.
If you believe the legends, the story beginsfrom about 1478. At that time Tsar Ivan III ruled, who ordered to transport the Novgorod bell to Moscow, taking it forever from the Sofia belfry. Everything went well until the carriers reached the Valdai Mountains. It was here that the sleigh, on which the veche bell was attached, rolled along a slippery road, overturned, and the bell, falling to the bottom of the abyss, scattered into hundreds of small pieces. According to historians, it was from these fragments that Valdai bells arose. After this place began to come to the locals. They collected the bells and, bringing them home, asked the craftsmen of the foundry business 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, well-being will certainly settle.
Принято считать, что моментом начала производства became the second half of the XVIII century. The need to create bells was a priority - they were one of the components of drivers on busy roads of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Soon professional ebb and flow workshops and workshops began to appear, in which the construction and basic elements of the Valdai bell were studied and reproduced.
Совсем скоро в моду вошла индивидуальная подпись masters who created his creation. Nikita, Ivan, Alexei Smirnovs, Philip Teresky - casters, whose products went down in history as a separate entry. From that moment on, the Valdai bell He became known precisely as the originally Russianinvention. Gradually the driver's bells began to gain more and more fame - they were not only an important element of warning on the road, but also significantly raised the mood of the driver, especially in bad weather or late at night.
Можно ошибочно полагать, что все они intended for only one purpose, but this is far from the case. Yamshchitsky were issued with their own inscriptions - for example, it was often possible to read the poem on the product: “Beat, comfort - go hurry.” Gift bells were marked with the inscriptions “Gift of Valdai”, “I love the one I give to him” and others like them. Soon the most expensive and important in the life of young people Valdai bell - wedding - appeared. It was a real masterpiece, with the five birds flying up into the heavenly heights on it. It is also noteworthy that at that time the name of the master was not just known, he was stuffed on the product itself. One of the first foundry workers who made his own inscription was Alexei Smirnov. Another author, Tersky, is also known - today there are 19 of his bells in Russia.
Very soon the country began to appearfactories where emphasis was placed on the type of activity: "Valdai Bells - Production" could be read at the very approaches to the workshops. The first half of the last century 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 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 Smirnovs have forgotten what a small Valdai bell is. The plant took many orders for their manufacture, 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 4,400 pounds), taking the Siberian pyataks as a basis.
Plants strengthened in the production marketSmirnov and Stukolkinyh gradually began to acquire competitors. They began to sell their products to the factories of Alexey Usachev, George Andreev, Usachev brothers. Not only the Stukolkins, but also the Usachev brothers were already engaged in ebbing bells for the churches of Valdai. The bells, which are hung over the doors, as well as table bells, which are called servants, come into fashion. They practically did not differ from those used by the drivers. And only the inscription made it clear what this bell serves for. And then the October Revolution broke out, and the bell case in Russia was practically destroyed. The most persistent was the Usachev plant, but he soon closed its doors forever. The foundry business was resumed a little later, but that very Valdai quality was no longer observed.
In order to preserve the history of Valdai casting, the Valdai Bells Museum was created. Краеведческий музей Валдая пополнился первыми exhibits in 1980 - then captured products by masters Andreev and Grigoriev were brought here, and foreign similar objects were also found. Ship's bells, bells intended for livestock, driver and board were carried here - the exposition was replenished with surprising speed. Fifteen years later, the museum received a new administrative square - in the building of the Lviv rotunda. At that time, the collection already contained not only small and medium exhibits, but also large bells. It was also allocated a place where you could see the Valdai bell, - photos - historians have tried to restore the preserved images. But it's better to see it with your own eyes. There is a belief that the sound of Valdai bells cleanses the soul, cures from diseases. In addition, everyone is allowed to climb the bell tower and call himself.
The uniqueness of the bells in their sound -It is said that each bell has its own, unique "voice." Their history has been restored over the years, since no records have been saved, and all 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 - so called his bottom. Many historians have concluded that the shape of the bells directly resembles the camp of the Russian woman. It is possible to distinguish Valdai production by other factors - streamlined shape, belts with rough edges, language and its suspension. Every 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 a lot of products labeled “Valdai”, - unfortunately, local manufacturers could not find out the secret of the casting, which resulted in the famous clean, gentle ringing of Valdai bells.
