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The belltowers, built as houses for the bells, are a landmark for the people who live nearby. The term parochialism means the feelings that make the residents consider the belltower their representative.
There are plain and rudimentary belltowers, but very often they are real works of art, created with artistic skill by very good craftsmen and clever architects. They are often found in strategic spots, almost to guide and to direct dwellers and strangers. We feel certain that, on reaching a new place the bell-tower is the focus of direction on trying to locate an unknown street or a new house.
Any community that cares for the bells does not neglect the belfry, in fact, as time goes by, it is more appreciated; people feel more proud of it and take more care to keep it in a good state of repair and even to improve it. Almost everywhere one can find cultural, historic and ancient evidence which makes towers and belfries very important as they convey interesting local information of the past.
They also give names and dates of benefactors, priests and skilled labourers.
Also the belfry of Montegaldella, situated right in the heart of the village, has a proud history and it represents the good values of the past.
In documents found after careful researches it is stated that during the first Pastoral Visit, on the 12th July 1454, Bishop Fantino Dandolo noted that besides the church also the roof of the belltower was in a bad state of repair.
About a century later, on the occasion of another Pastoral Visit, on the 23rd of September 1563 Monsignor Girolamo Vielmo standing in for…Cardinal Francesco Pisani wrote:
” The building is in a good state of repair…there is a belltower with two bells…a cemetery nearby[...]”
The residents were 572. Only during the Pastoral Visit, on the 22nd of October 1587, by Bishop Federico Corner it was stated on which side of the church the belfry stood. In fact one can read as follows:
” The inhabitants of Montegaldella were 800 then. The main sources of information are found on the reports from Pastoral Visit. In fact on the 22nd of October 1602 Bishop Marco Corner stated that there was the belfry on the southern side near the vestry and it has two bells which were enough for the village. The residents were them 750. Another visit, by the Blessed Gregorio Barbarigo, on Monday the 23rd of September 1680, it was stated that there was a belfry near the church, which was as high as the church and it was endowed with bells.
It is obvious that, as time went by, the building worsened due not to carelessness but to lack of money.
On the occasion of the Pastoral Visit of Cardinal Modesto Farina, on the 13th of August 1825, it was revealed that the staircase was in a bad state of repair. On the registers on the accounts of the Parish it is written as follows:” On the 20th of February 1847 Austrian florins 8 were spent for a rope of the clock; on the 1st of November 1847 Austrian florins 7 for work carried out to the clock in the belltower; on the 28th of January 1851 Austrian florins 194,50 for a new roof in copper and tin; on the 15th of June 1851 Austrian florins 600.000 to repair the belltower with larch wood; on the 4th of June 1852 Austrian florins 1,50 for an official receipt for the restoration of the belltower.
In time it was found out that the repair work did not help to save the belfry: it had sunk a few centimetres and could have fallen and ruined even the church, so in the year 1860 it was pulled down. The congregation then decided to have a wooden tower erected where they placed three bells. Obviously the residents were disappointed; they missed the bell-tower and they felt something had to be done. A plan and a good project were needed and the Engineer Architect Luigi Dalla Vecchia was commissioned to set them out. He had already worked in Montegaldella for the Senator of the Kingdom of Italy Fedele Lampertico in his villa La Deliziosa.
For his project and his supervision he was paid, £.50 on the 4th of July 1878; £.100 on the 20th of December 1883 and the final payment of £.30 which was handed to his widow, soon after his death which had happened on the 10th of July 1884. In 1874 the first stones, cut in Costozza, were sent to the village and in April 1876 the foundation was ready for the work to be done. At the depth of 2,5 metres eight large trunks were laid; six more were positioned across the lower ones. These trunks were cut from a small wood belonging to Lampertico situated near the “Fontanelle”. Tonato from Montemerlo and Campesato Lodovico from Montegaldella were the master builders. On the 13th of August 1876 with a solemn ceremony the first stone was laid and in the autumn of 1877 the foundation was built. Then due to a poor harvest, which caused a grave economic crisis in the whole area, the work had to be stopped for lack of means. The work began again in the autumn of the year 1881 when the belltower reached 16,60 met., and in 1882 the top section was completed.
The corner stone, cut in Costozza cost £. 60 per cubic meter, and in 1886 the building was Finished with a wooden pyramid covered with zinc. Four metal railings cast in Vicenza, were fixed to the top of the tower; they cost £. 250.
Later it was found out that the work carried out to build the belfry had damaged the church; this was stated on the occasion of the Pastoral Visit of Cardinal Giuseppe Callegari on the 5th of October 1888.
The note reads as follows: "Due to the building of the church belfry, the church is now in need of urgent repairs".
The Parish Priest Father Tommaso Franceschi, on the 4th of October 1875, wrote: "The Church is not consecrated. It belongs to the town; therefore it is the town’s duty to see to its restoration and that of the rectory too".
It seems that also the restoration of the belltower was the responsibility of the Town Council.In fact, in a council resolution, dated 18th of April 1884, it is written that the then mayor Domenico Dr Cav. Lampertico, handed £. 100,00 to the local firm as the second and final payment for the building of the belltower.
1886 is the happy year, when at last the belfry was completely built with its bells ringing loudly and the residents felt very pleased with their contribution. But, not forty years had gone by when new repair work was needed to the wooden and zinc roof as it was corroded and dangerous. The new project was planned by Prof. Antonio Beni of Treviso and the master-builder was Antonio Andreolo of Sarmego. It was found necessary to rebuild the corner piece using stones from S.Gottardo, cut by the firm Grassi of Nanto. The bricks were supplied by the foundry Gambazzi of Mestrino, the Engineer, Prof. Luigi Candiani of Treviso replaced Prof. Beni who had suffered a stroke. The cross, which was placed on top of the belltower was a gift of Gio.Batta Sartori and it cost £. 300. The spheres were painted in gold leaf, work done by the firm Borsotti of Cervarese Santa Croce. The gold used was a gift of the women of Montegaldella, who with great generosity donated their rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces.
The work ended in 1929 and it cost £. 60.000. On the 7th of April- the Sunday after Easter- the solemn inauguration took place. It seems right to give some important details about the belltower:
The square base is 6x6 met., the tower 5x5 met., the interior is 3,30x3,30 met., the stone work is 42,32 met. high. To the bell chamber it is 29,71 met. High and the entire building reaches the high of 58,50 met. The Cross is 2,95 met. high.
For forty years the belltower of Montegaldella held the record of being the highest in the surrounding district, but the modern belfry of Montegalda holds it now.
Nowadays the belltower of Montegaldella can boast a peal of twelve bells rung by using ropes as in ancient days. It is a strong and nice building which the whole community is proud of few jobs have been necessary in the recent past: a new attic, careful checks of the carillon, the floor and the entrance of the belfry and the pavement all around it and its illumination, which makes it visible and admired from far away. The local bellringers saw to all these improvements giving up their spare time, working earnestly without charging any money.
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