Luca, Matteo ed Endrighetto da Venezia – 1296 – bronze
CMP24044

Until 1989, the bell was housed in the Clock Tower in Piazza delle Erbe, when it was replaced by the current replica. The Latin inscription records the date of its casting by the brothers Luca, Matteo and Endrighetto of Venice and bears witness to an overlooked masterpiece of medieval Venetian bell-founding, so misunderstood that it was repeatedly believed to be a 16th-century reconstruction. The bell was commissioned during the Bonacolsian era, most likely to be placed in one of the two towers of the town halls.
The signature inscription also reads “CHRISTUS VINCIT CHRISTUS REGNAT CHRISTUS IMPERAT MENTEM SANCTAM SPONTANEAM HONOREM DEO PATRIAE LIBERATIONEM” a prayer to Saint Agatha, patron saint of blacksmiths but also protector against fires and natural. disasters, and therefore invaluable in warding off the danger of fire that plagued the town’s municipal buildings.