The current bell tower of the church of Santa María, popularly known as "the bell tower of La Vila", is the third tower that the temple has had. The present bell tower was preceded by two more, one medieval and another from the XVIth Century. The base of the first one is preserved, amortized in one of the north side chapels, adjacent to the door of the Good Shepherd. There is an interesting octagonal arched vault and oblique accesses. These are practically the only structural remains that have been preserved from the primitive Gothic church. The second tower was built in the mid-sixteenth Century, shortly after the final reform of the temple, as an adaptation to the needs of the new times: the bells now had to peal. This second belfry was located to the right of the altar and near the current location. It was hexagonal, with few proportions and tiny artistic value. Both bell towers housed the public clock. The clock bell, called "Rauxa i Foc", dates from 1563 and it is one of the oldest in the Albaida Valley. The construction of the third tower began in 1689, after having demolished the second tower because it was in danger of collapse. In the process of demolition, the Gothic primitive apsepresbytery, built in the middle of the XVth Century, was damaged and had to be replaced by the current one. The construction of the bell tower took more than twenty years. The design was made by Gaspar Díez from Valencia, and Josep Pasqual from Ontinyent. The works were managed by the local master builder Albert Lluch. Previously it had to consolidate the base of the new belfry, built on the remains of the medieval fortifications and, partially, on the tower of the "Carner". The bells, some of which were made again, could peal on November 19, 1695. Although by 1705 the bell room was well advanced, the building of the body that housed the bell of the clock and the crowning of the bell tower were dilated until 1745. It consisted of a quadrangular temple with a sail vault and covered with blue stained-glass tiles, identical to those of the half-sphere dome with lantern of the Chapel of the Purísima. In these moments its appearance is a consequence of the damage caused by the impact of a bolt of lightning on May 26, 1859 that forced the demolition of the previous top and the construction of the present one in 1891-1892, under the direction of the valencian architect Antoni Ferrer. The finish consists of a gray cast iron shrine, designed by Ferrer and made by the smelter Jordi Batle. Its magnificence and grandeur has been enhanced due to the demolition of the houses, in 1983, that had been built at its feet, on Regall street, leaving in plain view the fortifications of different periods that act as its basis. At this time the tower is one of the highest in Spain. During the Civil War the bell tower was used as a watchtower to indicate the presence of bomber airplanes. Many of the bells were ped and lost. Even so, a few were preserved: the so called “Rauxa i Foc” (1563), the “Santísimo” (1802) and the “Petra” (1881). The rest of the bells are subsequent to 1939. The process of restoration of the bells began at the end of the 90s. In 2009, the only bell that was missing since the Civil War, Santa Bárbara, was replaced. The new Petra bell, was casted replacing the old one (1881), after the reappearance of a crack. At present the original one is exposed in the House of Culture of the city, in the palace of the Barons of Santa Barbara. In 2009, improvements were also made to the bell tower: the access ladder to the upper bodies was replaced and the floor of the bell room was restored. VISITS WITH LA COLLA DE CAMPANERS The Colla de Campaners (Group of bell ringers) of Ontinyent, founded in 1994, has rediscovered the traditional pulls, pealings and chimes of the bells in a traditional, manual way. Their main objective is the conservation and protection of the bell towers, bells and all the heritage and ethnologic elements that form the cultural heritage of Ontinyent and its region. There are a lot of ringings made throughout the year, most of them of a religious and festive character. Among the special ringings stand out: The Prayers for the Sick, The Storm Ringing, The Communion Ringing, The Labour Pains, The Death of the King, The Death of the Pope, etc. The Colla de Campaners is also responsible for the Ball dels Cavallets (Little Horses Dance) of Ontinyent, which parades along our streets at the Corpus and Purísima procession. They are also promoters and organizers, together with the old music group Menestrils, for the Canto de la Sibila, which is celebrated on December 22 at the Church of Santa María. The guided visits to the bell tower that the Colla de Campaners offer, take place on Sundays at 10:30h (except days when there are special ringings). The Clock An obligatory stop is, without any doubt, the Clock’s Chamber where the current machinery is displayed as a museum piece. Dating back to 1972, the Clock of La Vila’s bell tower is the biggest of the three that are preserved nowadays in the city. Its great value as a monumental machine and its mechanism are outstanding. The Bells At present times we find thirteen bells and one matraca at the bell tower. The passing of the years has not changed their traditional names too much, even though the bells have been changed by breaksdisappearances.
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