BELLTRON LINEAR MOTORS IN METZ
Date: April 17, 2024
The Cathedral of Saint-Étienne in Metz boasts over 700,000 visitors a year because, in addition to being an important local place of worship, it is also a majestic and prestigious building, among the largest and highest in France, that does not leave indifferent for its imposing architecture and for the historical-artistic value it represents.
The Cathedral, in addition to being the natural place where the faithful gather for the main feasts of the liturgical year, is also a testimony of faith handed down by all those who have helped to build and embellish it over the centuries.
With its 6,500 sq.mts of stained glass windows, Saint-Étienne Cathedral has the largest area of stained glass in a building in France, including works made in the 20th century by artists such as François Villon, Georges Bissière and Marc Chagall.
Outside the church you can admire two impressive towers: the Tour de la Mutte, to the south and the Tour du Chapitre, to the north. The Cathedral, in addition to its stained glass windows, is famous for the immense civic bell installed on the Tour de la Mutte, a weight of about 10,000 kgs. After the end of the 1918 war it was played so much that stones began to fall from the tower due to the excessive stress on the structure. That’s why it was held still for decades.
This year, four Belltron linear motors have been installed by the Voegele company and the civic bell of the Cathedral is back on the move.
Belltron linear motors operate via electromagnetic pulses and are free of wheels or chains. The adjustment parameters are as precise as those of rotary motors, but have many advantages: they are aesthetically discreet, their installation is easier and the absence of mechanical parts subject to wear makes them maintenance-free. These motors, depending on the model chosen, are able to operate both bells of a few kilograms and those of several tons.
A switchboard or control module, installed near the bells, adjusts all the parameters. Speed, angle of elevation and soft start and stop make progressive the start and braking of the oscillation as if the bell was operated by the hand of man, so the stresses to the bell tower are limited to the maximum.
The linear motors are controlled and programmed in a simple and intuitive way respecting the traditional local melodies.
The programming of the melodies can be done in time on a daily, weekly, annual or on fixed and variable holidays, with the possibility to immediately start extraordinary melodies following self-guided instructions.
Finally, it is possible to control the remote servo controls via radio control, phone, Internet or smartphone applications.
Thanks to this system it is possible to preserve and enhance the historical and cultural heritage of the Cathedral of Metz while embracing the future with new technologies.
