Tintinnabulum
For other uses, see Tintinnabulum (disambiguation).
Tintinnabulum in the Basilica of the Holy Blood
A Tintinnabulum is a bell mounted on a pole, placed in a Roman Catholic Basilica to signify the church's link with the Pope.
The tintinnabulum consists of a small gold bell within a golden frame crowned with the papal tiara and Keys of Heaven. If the Pope was to say Mass within the Basilica, the tintinnabulum would be used to lead the very special procession down the shrine's aisle. But now these symbols are not mentioned in the 1989 Vatican directives.
History
In the Middle Ages it served the practical function of alerting the people of Rome to the approach of the Pope during papal processions.
References
- Percival Price, Bells and Man, Oxford University Press 1983; ISBN 0193181037
External links
Media related to Tintinnabulum at Wikimedia Commons
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