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Past and present

In 1565, the bulb-shaped bell tower that was originally destined for the town hall situated in the middle of the bridge over the Meuse was eventually placed on top of the collegiate church. It housed 13 bells. In 1798, French revolutionary forces took some of the bells to France.

In 1897, 13 new bells were added to the existing ones. They were hung with the others in the openings of the lantern that crowns the tower. In 1914, this carillon disappeared in the German furor that ravaged the city of Dinant. In 1931, the Slegers bell-foundry from Tellin installed a new carillon in the base of the bulb. However, the bells’ tuning proved unacceptably dissonant, and they were sold to the Michiels firm ten years later.

In 2006, Lionel Naomé, alderman for heritage, the dean, Maurice Herbiet, and the association ‘Les Amis de la collégiale’, proposed the installation of a new carillon. A subscription was initiated on July 23, with a gala concert on the town square on a travelling carillon from Prague. Despite numerous donations, the campaign didn’t succeed due to a lack of support from the public authorities.

In 2011, the project was relaunched. The prospect of the commemoration of the 1914 massacre added special significance to the carillon effort. In December 2013, the town council voted a budget of €175,000, with additional funds raised by ‘Les Amis de la collégiale’.

The carillon was presented to the public on June 29, 2014, and remained inside the collegiate church throughout the summer. On August 23, exactly hundred years after the destruction of the historic carillon, the new instrument was inaugurated by His Majesty King Philippe and blessed by Monsignor Van Cottem, Bishop of Namur. It was placed in the tower in September, 2014.

Facts and figures

Number of bells 50
Total weight of the bells 1951 kg
Weight of the bourdon 260 kg
Pitch of bourdon c2
Bell-founder Eijsbouts (48 in 2008; 2 in 2014)
Manual playing system mechanical baton-type keyboard
Automatic playing system Midi system with pneumatic pistons
Carillonneurs Thierry Bouillet and Fabrice Renard
Regular recitals Wednesdays 6-7 pm; Saturdays during holidays 5.30-6.30 pm
Summer concerts
Accessibility of the tower by appointment

Significant inscription

Ce carillon termine le travail de reconstruction de la collégiale

Notre-Dame de Dinant cent ans après le martyre de la ville

(This carillon completes the work of rebuilding the collegiate church

of Our Lady in Dinant, one hundred years after the martyrdom of the city)

(inscription on the bourdon)

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