NEW IBERIA, La. (AP) – Since the first majestic bell was installed in 1850, the bells in St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church have pealed joy, sorrow and solemnity throughout the historic community of St. Martinville.
Work on a three-phase, $260,000 renovation project of the belfry and restoration of the bells is expected to begin soon after the end of Lent.
The cast-iron bells are as much a part of the vivid history of the 168-year-old church as the canvas oil painting of the church’s patron saint, St. Martin of Tours. The canvas above the main altar was painted during the 1830s by Jean Francois Marie Mouchet of Dijon, France.
