The Silence Of The Bells

The Geo Quiz takes us to the ‘City of Lights’ this time. Paris is full of attractions.

Any tourist who’s ever strolled through the Ã?le de la Cité — one of two river islands in the heart of the city — is familiar with one of those attractions.

No, we don’t mean the Eiffel Tower. The historical building we’re talking about was built in the Middle Ages.

The bells of this iconic cathedral chime every 15 minutes.

They have also been rung for major historical events, including the end of World War I and the liberation of Paris in 1944.

Some of the cathedral’s bells are soon to be silenced, though. Experts say they’re worn out and that’s raising a fuss among Parisians.

So name this cathedral..

It is of course Notre Dame de Paris, the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

It will turn 850 years old in 2013 and is undergoing a major facelift.

One of the improvements calls for melting down four old bells and replacing them with nine new ones.

The old bells are only about 150 years old but they’re apparently past their musical prime.

Lisa Mullins talks with Maia de la Baume who wrote about this in the New York Times.