French monument hopes to be saved by the bell

A Paris district mayor is trying to raise funds to save an historic bell in a Paris church that apparently sounds so bad even Quasimodo doesnt want the job.Not far from Notre-Dame and its legendary hunchbacked bell-ringer is the Saint-Germain de lAuxerrois belfry, whose carillon bell have already received a partial upgrade, but according to Jean-Francois Legaret, mayor of Paris 1st district, they still sound so bad he is hoping to raise a more funds so they can renovate the entire instrument - after all, it is a protected monument, he says.“I am calling on the generosity of all those who will be willing to come forward, who know this carillon, who are interested in it, who know its the only active carillon in Paris, and who will be willing to help us in the renovation work which in turn will mobilise sponsors and patrons. Its a protected monument, so both the state and the city of Paris will participate funds, but I think that to finalise it, we need to call on everyones generosity,” the mayor said.The bells, which ring out every hour but also for quick quarter-hour clangs, apparently sound terrible when the low notes are played due to the type of bell used.According to the belfrys in-house bell-player, Renaud Gagneux, the problem lies not only in the bells themselves, but in the electronic automation which is used to play them.The mayor says they will need a few hundred thousand euro more to renovate the bell, but he is hoping for enough interest from the community and history fans to achieve this. After all, Saint-Germain de lAuxerrois is the only active carillon in Paris and has a Napoleonic engraving, the majority of other carillon bells occupying Northern France.Gangneux and the community at least, will be hoping that their ears as well as the carillon will be saved by the bell.