Queen Máxima of the Netherlands presented the “Bell of Freedom” at the Church of the Most Holy Savior (Salvator) in Prague. The bell was cast from Russian shells fired at Ukraine.
This was reported by Radio Prague International.
The bell was officially handed over to the church in the presence of Czech President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva. A video of the ceremony was posted on the Dutch queen’s social media account on X (formerly Twitter).
During the short ceremony, the bell was blessed by Catholic priest, theologian, and philosopher Tomáš Halík. He called on everyone to pray for an end to war and violence, for peace and justice, and for the end of the war in Ukraine, emphasizing that it is time to turn weapons of war into bells of peace.
The bell was produced at the Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry in the Netherlands. The idea for its creation came from the Embassy of the Netherlands in Prague and was carried out in cooperation with the Prague-based group Sanctus Castulus.
Halík described the bell as a symbol of solidarity with Ukraine and with all persecuted and wounded people. “This will outlive us by many generations and centuries. I believe that this symbolic bell, from the very heart of Prague, will speak to the whole world,” he said.
The bell will temporarily remain in the church’s presbytery. In the autumn, it is scheduled to be installed in the belfry. Its body contains materials from shell casings collected in Ukraine and delivered to the Czech Republic last week. The bell is decorated with numerous small crosses representing the victims of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
The bell's unique steel clapper was produced at a foundry in Ostrava.
“Inside the bell’s heart is a fragment of a Russian S-300 missile that struck Ukraine,” said Ondřej Boháč, a representative of Sanctus Castulus, the organization responsible for transporting and installing the bell.
