Bell Tower

A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a... more

by Marcia Lee Jones

Title

Bell Tower

Artist

Marcia Lee Jones

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. Modern bell towers often contain carillons.
The Italian term campanile (/ˌk�mpəˈni��li��/; Italian pronunciation: [kampaˈni��le]), deriving from the word 'campana' meaning bell, is synonymous with 'bell tower'; in English it tends to be used to refer to freestanding bell towers.
A bell tower may also be called a belfry, though this term may also refer to the substructure that houses the bells rather than the tower as a whole.
Old bell towers may be kept for their historic or iconic value, though in countries with a strong campanological tradition they often continue to serve their original purposes as well.
Bell towers are common in China and neighbouring countries, where they may appear both as part of a temple complex and as an independent civic building. The tallest free-standing bell tower in the world, approximately 110 m, is the Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower, located at the University of Birmingham, UK.

Uploaded

February 14th, 2014