THE BELLS REDISCOVERED AT CHAMBORD CASTLE
Date: December 14, 2023
In the heart of the picturesque Civray-de-touraine, in the department of Indre-et-Loire, lies the majestic Château de Chambord. Famous for its Renaissance architecture and fascinating history, this monument has become even more fascinating thanks to a recent event: the discovery of its ancient bells of the seventeenth century.
The castle has rediscovered the melodies of its 250-pound bells thanks to the programming of the sounds of the bell controller provided by Belltron. The company, leader in the field of electronics in places of worship, has played a crucial role in returning the voice to these sound treasures of past ages.
Behind the restoration is Alexandre Gougeon, a skilled craftsman and Belltron dealer in France. With his mastery and passion for sound, Gougeon brought the bells to their ancient glory, allowing them to resonate with the same power and grace they had centuries ago.
Belltron always combines respect for tradition with the latest technologies, so as not to lose anything to the charm and harmony of the sounds of bronzes, also giving stability, safety and precision.
The bell ringer is a guardian of ancient traditions, a craftsman at the service of bell towers who carries on a rare profession. Gougeon, flanked by his family heritage, learned the secrets of this art along with his father. With Belltron technology and his skill, he brought back to life first the bells of the church of Civray-de-touraine and in September, he installed this Belltron bell automation system also at Chambord Castle. The nine bells are powered by the Belltron GM-870I bell control unit, one of Belltron’s best-selling models.
The GM-870I allows you to control the programming of the movement of the bronze bells and activate many other services such as lighting, heating etc. The sonatas can be performed in real time, or on a daily basis, weekly, annual or scheduled according to the perpetual calendar that allows you to schedule any event and melody depending on the holidays of the year with variable date. The GM870I has a 7" color display with intuitive menus that make it easy and intuitive to use, through Macro Menu you can directly access the main services such as, for example, enable or inhibit the programmed sounds, adjust the clock strike, quickly perform extraordinary melodies. All the management can be done remotely through a free App for Tablet, Smartphone and PC by connecting the GM-870I to the accessory Belltron-Cloud board (BC-753). The network connection of the bell controller gives access to the Belltron-Cloud area that allows the constant control of the system by qualified technicians for assistance, programming and software updates. Choice made in this case also by the Gougeon company.
The reintegration of the bells and their timed planning at Chambord Castle is not only a significant event for a piece of French history and architecture, but also an important chapter in the history of the community and tradition of the bell ringer.
Belltron becomes an instrument to give new life to rediscovered treasures, transforming the present into a tangible link with the past.
