LOURDES : FRANCE - 65

*Location:

   Sanctuaire Notre-Dame
   Route de la Forét at Avenue Mgr Théas
   Lourdes, Hautes Pyrénées, France
   LL: N 43.09747, W 0.05815
Site locator map
City locator maps and gazetteer page

*Player:

   (unknown)

*Contact:

   Sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Lourdes
   1 avenue Mgr Théas
   65108 Lourdes
   T: 05 62 42 78 78
   - or -
   Stéphanie Shaw, Resource Manager
   E: stephanie.shaw/@/lourdes-France.com
   - or -
   Sébastien Maysounave,
     Director of Site Management
   E: sebastien.maysounave @
         lourdes-france.com

*Schedule:

   Hour strike on largest swinging bell
   is preceded by autoplay of Lourdes
   Ave Maria tune.

*Remarks:

   Also four swinging bells by Auguste
   Hildebrand (Paris, 1873)

*Technical data:

   Electric-keyboard carillon of 24 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is unknown
   Transposition is unknown
   Keyboard range:     ----  /    ----  
   The arrangement of tones and semitones is unknown.
   Installation was completed in unknown year
     with bells made by an unknown maker
   No auxiliary mechanisms known
   Tower details not available
   Year of latest technical information source is 1973
*Links:

Neither the French nor the English Wikipedia article about this place mentions bells.

Neither does the sanctuary's own Website.

The English Wikipedia article about the "upper church" is brief, but does mention the bells.
The corresponding French Wikipedia article is much longer, and says a little more about the bells.

The structures of the Sanctuary include the Basilique de l'Immaculée-Conception (upper structure, with bell tower) and the Basilique Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire.
Photos of both buildings
Photos of the towered building (in 2 pages)

YouTube video (1:20) titled Choeurs des sanctuaires de Lourdes - Cloches et carillons de Lourdes
Actually it is a sound track over a still photo, part of the Marian tune is heard on the carillon (ending on high D), followed by hour strike (1 on Db+ an octave lower) and peal (Eb,Db,B).

YouTube video (4:53) with the sound of 3 notes struck at 3 minutes before noon, on low Eb, followed by swinging of E,Eb,Db,B.

YouTube video (12:39) - Drone flyover video [mute the repetitive sound track], first around a hilltop, then along the river beside the Sanctuary, then around the upper basilica and its tower, then the approach to the lower basilica, then back along the river and grotto; ending from the hill above the church

YouTube video (1:19) at 7am: part of the Marian tune on carillon (ending on high D), followed by hour strike (7 on B an octave lower), then 3 strokes on Db

Where this work lies in the sequence of output of unknown bellfoundries, in this region and in the world.

Ranking among all French non-traditional carillons by pitch (weight).
Ranking among all French non-traditional carillons by size (number of bells).
Ranking among all French non-traditional carillons by year of completion.

Index to all tower bell instruments in France/Hautes Pyrénées.

*Status:
   This page was built from the database on  8-Sep-24
   based on textual data last updated on 2024/09/03
   and on technical data last updated on 1975/07/20
*Photos:

(none available)

Explanations of page format and keyboard range are available.

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