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A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. In such cases the bell tower is located at the western end of the church. Modern bell towers often contain carillons. The Italian term campanile (; (:kampaˈniːle)), deriving from the word 'campana' meaning bell, is synonymous with 'bell tower'; in English it tends to be used to refer to freestanding bell towers. A bell tower may also be called a belfry, though this term may also refer to the substructure that houses the bells rather than the tower as a whole. Old bell towers may be kept for their historic or iconic value, though in countries with a strong campanological tradition they often continue to serve their original purposes as well. Bell towers are common in China and neighbouring countries, where they may appear both as part of a temple complex and as an independent civic building. The tallest free-standing bell tower in the world, approximately 110 m, is the Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower, located at the University of Birmingham, UK.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Campus tour booklet )〕 ==Purpose== The bell is rung to signify the time; to call people to worship, or for special events such as weddings and funerals; or (historically) to sound a civil defense or fire alarm. Bell towers may also contain carillons or chimes, musical instruments traditionally composed of large bells, which are sounded by cables, chains, or cords connected to a keyboard. These can be found in many churches in Europe and America and at some college and university campuses. In modern constructions that do not qualify as carillons, rather than using heavy bells the sound may be produced by the striking of small metal rods whose vibrations are amplified electronically and sounded through loudspeakers. Simulated carillon systems have also used recordings or samplings of bells onto vinyl record, tape, compact disc, or memory chips. Some churches have an exconjuratory in the bell tower, a space where ceremonies were conducted to ward off weather-related calamities, like storms and excessive rain. The main bell tower of the Cathedral of Murcia has four. In Christianity, many Anglican, Catholic, and Lutheran churches ring their church bells from belltowers three times a day, at 6a.m., noon, and 6p.m., summoning the Christian faithful to recite the Lord’s Prayer, or the Angelus, a prayer recited in honour of the Incarnation of God. In addition, most Christian denominations ring church bells to call the faithful to worship, signalling the start of a mass or service of worship. In many historic Christian churches, church bells are also rung during the processions of Candlemas and Palm Sunday; traditionally, church bells are silent from Maundy Thursday through the Easter Vigil. The Christian tradition of the ringing of church bells from a belltower is analogous to Islamic tradition of the adhan from a minaret. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bell tower」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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