Abat-son

Sound arcades, also called sound hatches, round or ogival arcades openings in the walls of historic bell towers in height of the belfry ( s) in which the bells are hung swinging freely in belfries. The sound arcades have the task of making the sound produced by the bell largely unhindered into the open air.

Most of the openings of sound arcades on the so-called sound lamellae can be seen that above all have the duty to protect the belfry against driving rain, but at the same time narrow the sound openings only insignificantly. It involves flat slats, which are covered on all sides with corrosion-resistant sheet metal or entirely made of metal. They are horizontally extending clamped between the side jambs of the arches with equal distances to each other, and are slanted outwards. Not infrequently openings remain sound even without fins.

Frequently there are also pairs of sound systems arcades, known as twin arcades or double windows that are usually left out in each of the four, even six and above all eight sides of the church tower.

Medieval sound arcades usually have profiled jamb of stone, mainly in the Gothic style in the bow area develop into an artfully shaped openwork tracery, as was usual even with windows. In the Romanesque that wall openings are often flanked by columns with capitals and bases and divided and covered by Archivolts.

There are also other sound hatches with openings, for instance in the form of a square, but which are no longer referred to as the arcade.

Examples of sound arcades:

Church of St- André, Saint -André -de- Bâgé, apse, transept, crossing tower from southeast

Notre -Dame- du- Port de Clermont- Ferrand, central tower from the east

St- Junien, West factory and facade from the west

Dijon Cathedral, west front from the west