Midnight Mass Procession at Notre Dame de Paris

I recorded this short video of the Christmas Midnight Mass Procession at Notre Dame de Paris on December 24, 2012. The bell you hear ringing is Emmanuel, the 12.8-ton bell cast in 1682. It only rings for special occaisions, and reverberates throughout the Ile de la Cité and the Latin Quarter. The organ music, choir singing, and images from inside the Cathedral were retransmitted live to the crowd outside where special bleachers were arranged for the massive crowds who couldn't fit inside. This is the cathedral's 850th Christmas celebration.

The Sound of Notre Dame's Ancient Bell

While the Revolutionaries of 1791 smashed and melted down Marie, the great church bell of Notre Dame's north tower, the other bell in the south tower, Emmanuel, was spared, making it one of the largest and oldest bells of Europe.

Forged in 1685, it weighs 13 tons (the ringer alone weighs 500 kilos).  Normally you won't hear Emmanuel ring, since it's reserved for the Cathedral's special occasions like Christmas, Easter, and Ascension. It also rings for state funerals and calls the city's Catholics to prayer in times of great mourning, like the day after September 11.

Today I happened to be walking by as Emmanuel rang for Pentecost services. You can clearly hear its deep ringing (in F#) over the smaller bells:

A Weekend in Reims

Updated on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 by Heather

Earlier this month I spent two days in Reims updating part of the Fodor's France Guide. Check out my informal photo gallery of all the fun places I visited, the chocolates I ate, the Champagne I drank...

It's a hard job, but someone gets to do it! :)

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