Triumphant Tintinnabulation

Over seventy years ago, in the face of Stalin’s anti-religious purge, the once-famed and numerous bells of Moscow were melted down. One of the few sets to survive the era, the seventeen bells of the St. Danilov monastery, was bought by American entrepreneur Charles R. Crane, who decided later to donate them to Harvard. In 1930, they became part of one of Harvard’s most distinctive architectural features: the Lowell House bell tower.

Now, almost 20 years after the reopening of the monastery, multilateral talks between the Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian government, and Harvard have paved the way for the bells’ rightful return. Despite the fact that the Lowell bells have become a part of Harvard’s rich history, their sound marking such events as Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, commencement morning, and even Harvard’s football victories over Yale, we must recognize that their history in Moscow, before they arrived in Cambridge, was just as colorful. For both monks and believers in Russia, these bells are an integral part of a rich cultural and spiritual heritage.

The recent agreement made by representatives from Harvard, with emissaries from the Russian government and the St. Danilov monastery will respect both institutions’ histories. The original bells will be returned to Moscow, but identical replicas, forged using traditional techniques in Russia, will be sent to replace them in the Lowell’s bell tower. Viktor F. Vekselberg, a Russian metals mogul, also deserves praise for financing the deal.

Thus, we applaud the multilateral efforts to protect the identity of Lowell House, while respecting that of the Russian people. In a way, seventy years later, Harvard is righting a wrong inflicted against both a faith and a people.