13th Century Bell Back in the News

Casco Viejo’s La Merced church has a 788-year-old bell.

The church and convent was first erected in what are now the ruins of Panama Viejo but was moved stone by stone to Casco Viejo after pirate Henry Morgan’s devastating 1671 sacking.

As part of a restoration effort, Panama’s National Institute of Culture invited Manuel Quintana, a member of an old Spanish bell-making family, to the La Merced church belfry last week.

And, the bell expert was amazed to discover that one of La Merced’s three bells dated to the 13th century.

“It was cast in 1232 in Spain, in the then town of Cordoba,” Quintana said, pointing to the inscriptions and adding that it is surprising that the bell’s hood was never melted down for copper.

Unfortunately, the bell has a 12-inch outside horizontal crack and a 10-inch inside vertical crack which means that it will never toll again.

“A cracked bell is death,” Quintana said, because there is no way to tune the bell.

Manuel Quintana and the La Merced bells / Photo LA PRENSA - Eduardo Grimaldo.