Bells return to Slovenian minority village
Trieste, 29 April - After two years of silence, the church bells rang again on Sunday in the San Dorligo della Vallenear, a village near the Italian city of Trieste which is populated by the Slovenian minority. The bells were seized in May 2022 after complaints about the noise.
Trieste, Italy
The village Dolina or San Dorligo della Valle, located some 4 km south-east of Trieste.
Photo: STA
Trieste, Italy
The village Dolina or San Dorligo della Valle, located some 4 km south-east of Trieste.
Photo: STA
The locals hosted a ceremony to mark the return of the bells. Their ringing shows the sound identity of the region, said parish priest Tomaž Kunaver. Bells are not just church instruments, they are social connectors and guides to life, he said after blessing them.
The bells were first seized in January 2022 after a complaint by locals who argued the bells rang too often and were too loud. The decision was soon revoked and the bells were returned to the church, but restrictions were imposed on when and for how long the bells could ring.
After more noise complaints, the bells were seized again in May 2022. Since then, religious services in the village were accompanied by the ringing of the bells of a nearby church, writes Primorski Dnevnik, the minority's Trieste-based newspaper.
In February 2024, new Trieste Bishop Enrico Trevisi issued a regulation on church bells, deciding when bells can be rung and for how long. This regulation has served as the basis for the court's decision to return the bells to the village, reports Družina, the Slovenian Catholic portal.
A petition was launched some time ago and collected 700 signatures in favour of the return of the bells, which the parish believes was a success.