Centuries old and extremely heavy
The Orida was cast in 1316 by Gerard of Liege and is one of the few large medieval bells in our country. It was originally intended for the Belfry tower of the Romanesque Church of Our Lady in Antwerp (the predecessor of today's cathedral). It was probably cast in the vicinity of this church. Large bells were extremely heavy (the Orida weighs 1,928 kg!) and difficult to transport.
foto: Dries Luyten
Disaster, calamity!
Alarm bells were rung on very important occasions or in times of major calamity, such as war, disaster or severe thunderstorms. Alarm bells not only alerted the city's residents. They were also sometimes claimed to have magical powers. The ringing of the bell could drive away disaster. The job of ringing the alarm bell was entrusted to the tower guards. It took 12 to 16 people to ring the Orida.
A new spot
After the demolition of the tower of the Church of Our Lady, the Orida hung in the current cathedral tower, which also serves as Antwerp's belfry, until 1930. It was then exhibited at the World's Fair in 1930 with the Old Flemish Art. After that it was donated by the city council to the Vleeshuis.
By bike
The rare bronze bell has special value for our collective memory because of the role it played in the historical soundscape of Antwerp. The bike team of the Antwerp police is also named after the bell.
Flemish masterpiece
The Orida alarm bell is one of our masterpieces and is on the Flemish Masterpiece List.
