Exclusive look: Check out the view from the top of Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- It's a view that very few get to see: the sights of Raleigh from the deck of the bell tower at the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral.
After climbing up nearly 90 steep steps, the floor drops onto a deck that wraps around the tower.
On most days, it's windy but the view's beauty is undeniable. Looking to the east, you'll see the skyline of downtown Raleigh; looking to the west will give you a view of PNC Arena.
Fifty bells hang in the tower, one of which rings every hour on the hour.
Its chimes are audible up to a mile in any direction.
"This is the highest point in the city of Raleigh," said Michael Accurso, the music director for the cathedral.
Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App
"The five largest bells have the Episcopal mottos inscribed on them of the first five bishops of Raleigh," said Accurso.
The five largest bells weigh about 2,000 pounds each.
The second layer of smaller, yet still large in size bells, have biblical scriptures. Despite the inaccessibility of the tower, each bell, along with the tower itself, is well detailed.
The bells are a single part of a larger instrument.
They are attached to wires that stretch to a room directly below. There, the wires are connected to a clavier. The clavier is a piano-like instrument, but instead of keys, there are knobs that are played with fists.
The bells, wires, and clavier make up a carillon.
All of the bells that hang in the tower are gold, with the exception of one silver bell that hangs near the top.
Accurso said that the cathedral sits on the same land as a 19th-century orphanage. That orphanage had a chapel holding a single bell.
"The bell was found and it was decided that it should be restored to its first location."
The chapel's name would eventually become the name of the cathedral: The Holy Name of Jesus.
The bells can be played in two ways: from inside the tower, just below where the bells swing, or by a remote.
Currently, the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral and Duke have the state record for most bells in a tower.
However, NC State will soon claim that title with 54 bells on its campus bell tower.
