Notre-Dame’s two bells are ringing again! On July 17, Emmanuel and Marie made their sounds heard in the Parisian sky for their first flight, which allowed them to demonstrate their proper functioning and to make final adjustments. Weighing 13 and 6 tons respectively, the bells have not left the cathedral since the fire and throughout the restoration of the south belfry .
As part of this restoration, the yokes of the two bourdons were refurbished in a workshop in Alsace. Imposing pieces of solid oak, the yokes allow the bells to be set in motion to ring at a single peal, from a height of nearly 60 meters. Their dimensions are adapted to the weight they have to support: 1.30 meters high and 3.30 meters long for the yoke of the Emmanuel bourdon, nearly 1 meter high and 3.20 meters long for that of the Marie bourdon.
In June, the trial assembly of the yokes in the workshop in Strasbourg, in accordance with the centuries-old art of bell artisans, made it possible to verify the proper execution of all the assemblies. The yokes, completely dismantled and transported to the cathedral, were then reassembled piece by piece in their final location in the south tower.
