Bells of Saint Meinrad

Many visitors to Saint Meinrad Archabbey are intrigued by the iconic bell towers of the Archabbey Church and the ringing of the bells inside them to call monks and guests to prayer several times each day. If you are one of those so interested, you may want to check out the first episode of Saint Meinrad's new podcast, "Echoes from the Bell Tower" (Click the title to the left or below, or the photo above, to access the podcast.) The initial, 23-minute episode, produced by our Development Office with the cooperation of several monks, is about the bells. Interesting insights and amusing stories alike are shared in the episode.

A few lines from the introduction to the podcast from the "Echoes from the Bell Tower" page:

The bells of the Archabbey Church are one of the first things you notice at Saint Meinrad. The bell towers themselves are a local landmark. The Archabbey is situated on a hill, so the towers are visible from some distance away. Even on a foggy morning, you can usually see the tops of the bell towers peeking above the mist. 

The bells ring every 15 minutes at Saint Meinrad, so we're pretty used to them. But if they don't ring at the right time or they ring at an unusual time, we take notice. 

In this podcast, hosts Br. Joel and Novice Tony explain the significance of the bells to those who live in a monastery. The bells and their rituals are woven into monastic life. 

They call the monks to prayer, mark the significant events in their life and, finally, announce their death. The bells have also been known to cause some consternation, as you'll hear in this episode.