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On September, 12th the Prelate Nikolay's bell being the last of fifteen bells of the cathedral belltower was lifted on the belltower of the main cathedral of the Valaam Holy-Transfiguration monastery.

The beautiful bell weighs 5.6 tons and is almost two-meters high; it was delivered to Valaam this summer and lifted on a temporary belfry by the cathedral walls. On July 10, on the eve of the a holiday of the monastery founders Saint Sergy and Saint German of Valaam it was consecrated by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia who at that time was at Valaam on his pilgrim trip.

Preparatory work for lifting the bell have taken two months, and on September, 12th at two o'clock in the afternoon it has ben lifted on the cathedral belltower.

The Prelate Nikolay's bell completed formation of the full set of bells of the cathedral belltower. Its voice will fill the missing F note of the small octave in the chorus of already available bells and will allow to revive traditional chime of the Ancient Valaam.

The bell is decorated with images of Heavenly Ethereal Forces and four reliefs - images of Saint Maria of Egypt, Irina the Martyr, Prelate Nikolay and Alexander of Svir. By the way, on September 14 Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the day of Saint Reverend Alexander of Svir, who once worked at Valaam. On the Saint island of Valaam archipelago where nowadays the Alexandro-Svirsky monastery is located there remained the cave where the saint spent days and nights in prayerful vigil.

Let us remind, that Prelate Nikolay has been casted at Anisimov's bell-caster in Voronezh of metal offered by the Ural Mining and Metallurgical company. Lifting and hanging of the bell were carried out by Ladoga construction organization which last year lifted the main monastic bell - the thousnad-pound St.Andrew the Apostle's bell onto the cathedral belltower.

It is planned that in the near future all works on organization of the belltower will be finished, and on the holy day of transmission of relics of thaumaturges Saint Sergy and Saint German of Valaam celebrated on September 24 for the first time the sonorous chime of all cathedral bells will resound over the ancient island.