Bell ringers of the Cathedral of Valencia

Applicant: Enrique Gandía Álvarez.

Reason for the award :

Not only the recovery of bell tolls is valued, but also the fact of establishing a model of investigation of bells, installations, and bells, principally disseminated through the page www.campaners.com that currently gathers more than 12,000 bells studied, more than 180,000 photographs and nearly 1,000 videos, among other digital media.

The old craft of the ringer in the Micalet, a symbol of the city, has been recovered. Its conservation and dissemination work has made this unknown heritage known to new generations of young Valencians.

Campaners of the Cathedral of Valencia is a cultural association in charge of the ringing of the bells of the Micalet tower during all the main festivities and annual celebrations. El Micalet or Miguelete, constructed in 1381, has always been one of the city´s symbols. Bell ringers make up the Valencian Federation of Campaners, formed of more than thirty groups of volunteer bell ringers throughout the entire Valencian Community. The work of these associations is not limited exclusively to the operation of the bells, but also the study, research, and conservation of them, as well as to the dissemination of the intangible heritage linked to their history and uses.

Campaners of the Cathedral of Valencia was founded in 1989, with the aim, among others, of recovering the bell-ringing tradition, abandoned in the 1960s, when the bell-ringers disappeared, replaced by electrical mechanisms. From that date to the present, the association has recovered the secular tradition of the manual ringing of bells, incorporating the young generations in the preservation of this significant legacy of medieval origin.

Others awards in Comunidad Valenciana: