Bells Of St. Mary’s Basilica

PÓŁZYGMUNT, among the st mary’s basilica bells, was funded by Polish knights in 1438 with the support of Jan Freudenthal, the master craftsman. A Kraków bishop, named Zbigniew Oleśnicki, was its initiator and the primary funder of the bell. Among all the st mary’s basilica bells, this is the largest one and was the biggest bell in Kraków earlier. The dimension is 180 cm and the weight is approx. 4.8 tonnes. This bell is bestowed to the Virgin Mary – who was the basilica’s patron. 

TENEBRAT was among the st mary’s basilica bells, which was founded by king Władysław II Jagiełło in 1388. There are many events related to the major religious and national significance that accompanied its development. A holy inscription on the shoulder of the bell bears the words: AVE MARIA and Christ’s invocation. This large bell weighs 4.1 tonnes and is 175 cm in diameter. It was the biggest bell in Kraków till the casting of the Knight’s Bell.

One of the famous bells of St Mary's Basilica, this bell was formed by an anonymous funder in 1387. Later, the bell was cast by a Master Craftsman named Jan from Nowa Wieś Spiska. The name is related to the Christianization of Lithuania and the constant need to demonstrate the term of God. A hypothesis says that Queen Jadwiga, who was also known for her piety, has added a lot to the development of the MISJONAŁ. The King of Glory is the Latin inscription written on the bell which refers to a holy call for peace to Christ. The bell weighs approx. 1.8 tonnes and is 136 cm in diameter.

Among all the other bells of St Mary's Basilica, this is one of the oldest surviving bells within the city of Poland. It was cast in 1320 by a master craftsman, whose name was not known. St. Mary’s Church was formed during the same period following its expansion and reconstruction. MIESZCZAŃSKI could have been jointly funded by the town inhabitants and the temple’s parishioners for whom St. Mary’s Church is the holiest temple. Similarly to Tenebrat and Misjonał, the inscription on its bell is a call for peace to the King of Glory. 

This clock, among the other St Mary's Basilica bell, dates back to the year 1530. A fireman is there to strike it during the day an hour before playing the call of the bugle. This is manually done by making use of a device having a handle, a rod, and a lever ending with a massive steel hammer that strikes the lower portion of the waist of the bell from the exteriors. The gong weighs approximately 3.5 tonnes and is 165 cm in diameter.

Hung within the steeple of the St Mary's church tower, the smaller clock gong was constructed in 1564. A system of levers and rods linked this bell and the taller tower in the past and there was a fireman to repeat full-hour strikes on it manually after playing the call of the bugle. The bell was silenced in 1939 for 76 years and following a refurbishment, today, the bell rings during quarter hours, by an electric hammer managed by an electronic clock. The gong weighs approx. 1.7 tonnes and 140 cm in diameter.

The bell for the dying was cast by Kacper Koeber in 1736. Bearing Archangel Michael’s name, who was also the patron of a good death, the bell was funded by a lay judge named Krystian Jungling. As per European tradition, the bell rang to state the death of a parishioner. It was silent for many dozen years, and in 2015, it was refurbished, and once again, it rings during funeral ceremonies. It is the only active funeral bell in Kraków.