Siege of Belgrade (1456)#Noon Bell

The lunch bell, also Zwölfuhrläuten or ( mittägliches ) Angelus is in the churches midday ringing of church bells.

Description

At the ringing of church bells two forms can be distinguished.

At lunch ringing thus is also a sacred as a profane ringing.

Purpose

• From a theological perspective, the noon bells to tear out people for a short period of time from their daily activities in the office, home, school or workshop. At least for the duration of ringing them to be aware that there are still more significant than what currently appears seemingly not be postponed. A short moment of reflection on what is really important in life.
• From secular view has (had ) the lunch bell rings, a function of the public announcement of an important point in time in the daily schedule. The sound of church bells interrupts still work in the field or in the shop for lunch and calls farmers and artisans in their place ..

Origin

The custom at lunch time to ring the church bells, is due to the time when the armies of the Turks threatened the Christian West. Pope Calixtus III. ( Calictus III) ( 1378-1458 ) from the House of Borgia ordered on 29 June 1456 a papal bull that one or more church bells at noon the faithful should call this by its ringing, for a victory of the Hungarians under their leader John Hunyadi to pray over the Ottomans. While the bells rang, the Christians should have three Our ​​Fathers and three Hail Mary.

The army Mehmed II Sultan (now Belgrade ) defeated by an alliance of Hungarian troops and a peasant army of crusaders on July 22, 1456 near the castle Nándorfehérvár despite its overwhelming superiority. Pope Calixtus III. received the news of victory until 6 August 1456. Due to the closeness of the events and the former long communication paths of the clergy and the faithful assumed that henceforth the church noon bells have to ring out in celebration of the defeat of the Muslims. After the threat of the Ottoman empire towards Europe was not banned despite this victory, for centuries, the papal arrangement was continued and maintained as service to this day.

This morning, midday and evening Angelus recalls the incarnation of Christ and calls the faithful to prayer of the Angel of the Lord.

Curiosities

• In burials ringing usually 30 minutes after the start of the funeral, the church bells. However, where a funeral at 11:30 Clock instead, then immediately to ring at the start of the funeral ceremony, since otherwise it would be a temporal overlap with the lunch bell.

• From ancient times comes the Bavarian proverbial wisdom that white sausages for lunch bell should not experience. In other words, Brühfrische white sausages are next to crispy pretzels and wheat beer in the ideal part of a second breakfast, which is taking zwischen 10 und 11 clock clock in the morning. This rule of course needs no longer to be respected in times of appropriate refrigeration and other preservation techniques. In addition, white sausages do not come more " raw " but A., brewed in the sales counters. However, this wisdom is still seen in many businesses and offices to legitimize a " resting phase ".

• In most places in the Hessian Ried the church bells ring already at 11 clock. There they ate in past times already at eleven clock at noon.