Plaque Wording:
Sigismund Bell. The bell was commissioned by King Sigismund I the Old and bears his name. It was cast in 1520 in Kraków by the master bell-founder Hans Behem from Nuremberg. It was hoisted onto the tower on July 9, 1521, in an operation that lasted nine hours, observed by the king, his family, the court, and the people of Kraków. The bell weighs approximately 11 tons, and its clapper weighs 365 kg. Its height, including the crown, is 258 cm. The circumference of the rim is about 8.4 meters, and its diameter is 250 cm. The wall thickness ranges from 7 to 21 cm. It is the largest of the old bells in Poland.
"To God, the Best and Greatest, and to the Virgin Mother of God, His holy patrons, the illustrious Sigismund, King of Poland, had this bell made, worthy of the greatness of his mind and deeds, in the year of salvation 1520."
The bell is adorned with two plaques: one depicting St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr, the patron of the cathedral and all of Poland, and the other depicting King Sigismund in his majesty. On both sides of the plaques, the national emblems are visible: the Crown's coat of arms - The Eagle - and Lithuania's coat of arms - the Pahonia. The bell also features the name of the bell-founder Behem, his master mark, and the year of its creation. The bell is rung by 12 strong men and sounds on great liturgical feasts and other solemn ceremonies. Pope John Paul II wrote about Sigismund Bell: "How many emotions and memories are evoked by the sound of this royal bell! In its solemn ringing, we hear a prayer across the centuries for freedom and prosperity for the homeland, as well as a call to free the heart from all evil. Perhaps especially a call to elevate the spirit toward the values that our generation has inherited from the splendid tradition of our forefathers." In 2001, a new clapper was installed in the bell.
"To God, the Best and Greatest, and to the Virgin Mother of God, His holy patrons, the illustrious Sigismund, King of Poland, had this bell made, worthy of the greatness of his mind and deeds, in the year of salvation 1520."
The bell is adorned with two plaques: one depicting St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr, the patron of the cathedral and all of Poland, and the other depicting King Sigismund in his majesty. On both sides of the plaques, the national emblems are visible: the Crown's coat of arms - The Eagle - and Lithuania's coat of arms - the Pahonia. The bell also features the name of the bell-founder Behem, his master mark, and the year of its creation. The bell is rung by 12 strong men and sounds on great liturgical feasts and other solemn ceremonies. Pope John Paul II wrote about Sigismund Bell: "How many emotions and memories are evoked by the sound of this royal bell! In its solemn ringing, we hear a prayer across the centuries for freedom and prosperity for the homeland, as well as a call to free the heart from all evil. Perhaps especially a call to elevate the spirit toward the values that our generation has inherited from the splendid tradition of our forefathers." In 2001, a new clapper was installed in the bell.