Campanile

"For bells are the voice of the church; they have tones that touch and search the hearts of young and old." 
-Longfellow 
 

The Campanile (Italian for "bell tower") is located at the north-east corner of the Cathedral complex. Built of the same architectural concrete as the Cathedral, it complements the Church while remaining autonomous.

Following tradition from the Middle Ages, the Campanile stands detached from the Cathedral itself. Originally, a Campanile served several purposes: a belfry for the Cathedral, a watch tower to guard against invaders, and a civil monument in a town or city.

The famous Florence painter and architect, Giotto, is thought to be the main inspiration for all Cathedral Campaniles after he designed and built the magnificent Campanile for the Florence Cathedral in 1334. The Giotto Campanile was entirely faced in marble and ornamental sculptures. It was such a beautiful addition to the city that it became known as "Giotto's Tower."

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels' Campanile is built to hold 18 bells. Four bells are in place now, two bells cast in the 1880s from St. Vibiana's Cathedral and removed in the mid-1960's when it was decided the wooden beams were no longer able to support them, and two bells from churches in the archdiocese.

The bells are about 4 feet high and one weighs 2,800 lb, the other 1600 lb. One of the bells was given to St. Vibiana's in memory of Manuel Dominguez by his family, known for their land holdings throughout Southern California. It was cast by the McShane Foundry of Baltimore in 1888.

Another of the giant bells is from Mission San Juan Capistrano, cast in Massachusetts in 1828, and blessed at St. Vibiana's on July 4th, 1875.

When the bells originally were installed at St. Vibiana's, two men, one for each bell, pulled long ropes to peal the bells. Around 1940, motors replaced the men and the bells were rung with electric ringers. The bells in the new Campanile are computerized.
The bells swing as they are rung, as opposed to being static and being struck. As the swinging bell moves towards and away from the listener it creates a Doppler effect, much as the increase and decrease in the pitch of a train's whistle as it passes an observer.

The Campanile rises 156 feet and is topped by a 25 foot cross. At 10 feet per story, it is over 15 stories high. It sits on four specially designed base isolators to separate ground shock from the Campanile itself during even eight point earthquakes.
With few openings, the Campanile tower emanates a solidity at its highest levels. However, it is positioned as the centerpiece of the Meditation Garden to create a tranquil space against the rush of the freeway. Architect Professor Rafael Moneo has designed the upper portion of the Campanile so that different numbers and configurations of the bells are seen from each of the four directions.

The tower itself changes form as it rises from the ground. It is a piece of sculpture that relies on subtle transformations. The slight shifts in the planes of the campanile reflect different lights on each surface.

Learn more about the CAMPANILE ARCHITECT.