An end to the carillon: local residents win legal battle against village church

San Dorligo della Valle (Italy) - Residents were really annoyed by the ringing of the bells in the local village church. That's why some of them went to court.

The church bell rang even more frequently when the bell tower was reprogrammed. (symbolic image)
The church bell rang even more frequently when the bell tower was reprogrammed. (symbolic image)  © Daniel Karmann/dpa

According to a report in the Kronen Zeitung newspaper, the dispute broke out three years ago and continued until a court ruling last Friday. The site is a small village in the west of the Italian city of Trieste, where around 150 people live.

Some residents felt very disturbed by a new programming of the bell tower. After all, the bells were now ringing not only on the hour, but also at every quarter hour! So between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. you could hear two chimes every quarter of an hour, four every half hour and six every three quarters of an hour.

For many, this chime was unbearable noise, which is why they called in the public prosecutor's office.

The small village of San Dorligo della Valle is located in the north of Italy, close to the city of Trieste.
The small village of San Dorligo della Valle is located in the north of Italy, close to the city of Trieste.  © Screenshot: Google Maps

After some back and forth, the final decision was finally made by the court last Friday:

The two village priests, Don Klemen Zalar and Don Roy Benas, were sentenced to pay damages of around 400 euros and so the years-long legal dispute also comes to an end.