Historic bell finds home in Cospicua

Carmela Petra, 80, will finally have a place to call home after having left her birthplace in Loughbrough during WWII, where she saw all of her 35 smaller siblings die for the Allied cause.

Carmela Petra, of course, is not a person but a bell, consecrated yesterday at St Theresa Church in Cospicua. It was the pride and joy of John Taylor and Co. Founders in Loughbrough when it was cast in 1930, and formed part of a 36-strong set of bells which were used for demonstration purposes at the foundry.

When metal prices were sky high during WWII, the military requisitioned the foundry's set to be turned into ammunition. However, Carmela Petra, the largest of them all, was spared.

After the war, the bell was sold to a Catholic church in Rotherham, which closed down soon after, and then to the church of Our Lady Immaculate and St Philip Neri in Uckfield, England, but was eventually replaced by three smaller bells.

When Maltese campanologist Kenneth Cauchi came to know this bell was up for sale he could not miss out - especially since the 1,200 kg bell was exactly the right note the church was looking for - a D natural.

"I thought this would be an opportunity we couldn't miss, both for its historical importance and because in this way it would be rendering homage to the other bells at St Theresa's belfry," Mr Cauchi said.

The bell will be joining the three already present at St Theresa's Church, cast in 1935 by Taylor's archrivals Gillett & Johnston.

"It is quite interesting historically, since Cyril Johnston (a director at Gillett & Johnston) must have heard this particular bell being rung countless times since it was on demon-stration," Mr Cauchi, also a professional bell ringer, told The Times.

John Taylor's bells are considered to be among the best in the industry and were instrumental in the development of the carillon, which is a set of bells used to play melodies.

Since the Gillett & Johnston bells were tuned to the old harmonic pitch, the Taylor bell, has had to be retuned at Taylor's foundry in order to be in tune with the rest of the bells, which play the notes G, B and D to form the G Major chord.

The bell was consecrated yesterday at the church's parvis using the "De benedictione signi vel campanae", a ritual which includes an exorcism using holy salt and water, the anointing of the bell using chrism oil and a sprig of hyssop, and the singing of hymns in Latin - the last recorded instance of this rite in Malta was in 1957 when Archbishop Mikiel Gonzi consecrated the bells in Gżira parish, also cast by John Taylor.

The bell was sponsored by Baron Salvino Testaferrata Moroni Viani, who is also the "godfather" of the bell, and christened Carmela Petra after Our Lady of Mt Carmel and St Peter.