New bells will be ringing this Easter in Paris!
Nine new bells, on display at Notre Dame,
will begin pealing in time for Palm Sunday.
While there is some controversy about what will happen to the old bells,
the one remaining Great Bell, Emmanuel, will stay.
The others, replacing the old 'out of tune' bells,
are going in to celebrate the founding of the cathedral in 1163.
And according to the Seattle Times, each will have names:
Jean-Marie, Maurice, Benoit-Joseph, Steven, Marcel, Dennis,
Anne-Genevieve, Gabriel and Mary will join Emmanuel,
the only original bell not taken down and broken in the French Revolution.
And written on each bell, a Latin inscription:
Via viatores quaerit.
"I am the path looking for travelers."
If you are in Paris on March 23rd,
listen for the sound of the medieval church bells of old
and follow the travelers path to the city's beloved
Our Lady of Paris.
(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)