An engraving of the belfry of Douai (image JPEG 25K)
such as it looked like at the beginning of XXth century.
First translation of this page was made using the Alvistata free translation service.
If the north of France and Belgium count a number of belfries, Douai one is without any doubt the most majestic of all.
An engraving of the belfry of
Douai (image JPEG 25K)
such as it looked like at the beginning of XXth century.
The construction of the belfry of Douai was undertaken towards
1380, on the site of a previous wooden tower, in order to be used
aswatching tower. A building also of gothic style was errected on
the western side of the tower as well as a vault on the southern
flank. The unit was finished in 1475 and one chime was installed
as of 1391 in the belfry and since rhythm the life of the
douaisiens.
In the XIXth century, of important work of restoration were
undertaken and a new building, identical to that of XVth century
was addedto the east in order to give to the town hall its
current symmetrical aspect. This new building comprises in
particular a village hall of Second Empire style. With this
occasion, the structure of the belfry, initially built out of
sandstone of Flandres, like the famous paving stones of North,
was reinforced interior by a strong thickness of bricks and the
buildings of XVè centuries were restored according to the
fashion of XIXth century... One thus decorated the Gothic room
which is used today still for the meetings of the town council of
a monumental fresco representing the aldermen and the drappiers
of Douai accomodating the king of France, the next room, known as
of the marriages, was decorated with XVIIIth centuries woodworks
and furniture. The vault, as for it, disappeared. Its chorus was
replaced by a monumental staircase and it become a hall of honor
in which one can read the too long list of the two world wars
victims from Douai , which list testify indisputably of military
butchery that has been the first and of horror of 1944 anglo
American bombardment which make so many civil victims, in
particular when a cinema which was used as a shelter was
destroyed by bombs released without precision extremely far from
their objective!
But the belfry miraculously escaped the bombardment, thanks
undoubtedly to the pink sandstone "marmouset" which
decorates the old staff waiting room of its first stage, proof if
it were necessary of it that Africa does not have the monopoly of
the effective magic.
The town of Douai paid nevertheless a heavy tribute with the
German occupant which in 1917seized the bells of the chime to
melt them. They were replaced in 1924 by the Wauthy company of
Douai but in 1953 the city, in order to give the chime a better
sound, replaced them by bells from the Paccard foundry in Annecy
and installed in 1954 47 bells which supplement two larger going
back to 1471 (foundry MOER), damaged in 1917 but restored by the
Wauthy house in 1924: " Joyeuse ", (5500 kg) and "
Disnée ", C of 2400 kg. Heaviest of the bells of 1954,
" La Nouvelle Victoire ", a D, weigh only 1600 kg. The
chime was finally supplemented in 1974, at the time of the world
congress of the bell ringers and now comprises 62 bells extending
on 5 octaves. It is equipped with a mechanism which enables him
to sound each fifteen minutes a melody but has also a keyboard
which allows concerts every Saturday at 10:45 am and on every
public holiday at 11:30 am and on every Monday evening at 9:00 pm
in July and August. Maître Jacques Lannoy is, since 1965, the 34th
bell ringer of Douai and animates the national school of chime.
The belfry of Douai inspired by the artists. While in the city in 1837, Victor Hugo made of them a sketch which one can admire by visiting his residence in the Place des Vosges in Paris and could not prevent its usual lyricism from expressing itself in a letter to his wife. As for Corot, it is in 1871 that he painted his belfry of Douai, which is currently preserved at the Louvre, and whose innumerable reproductions decorate the douaisiens homes. One can notice on this painting that the node of the belfry, restored ten years earlier offered an aspect then somewhat foil similar to that which one can observe today.
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