Bells

The old Schnyder Chronicle states that a storm on January 13, 1552, destroyed the spire along with the bells. The large bell fell onto the baptismal font and shattered it. The Gallus Bell, also known as the Sempacher Bell, remained undamaged, and the baptismal font itself also remained intact. The Cysat Chronicle and the council minutes from 1552 also report on this event.

In 1908, Jules Robert cast the current five-bell peal in Porrentruy. The bells weigh between 250 and 2,500 kg. They are tuned to C–E-flat–F–A-flat–C.

The sixth bell was cast in Zofingen in 1777. It originally served as a small baptismal bell in the choir loft, which was dismantled in 1937–39.

The Sempach bell is worth mentioning. It is said to date from 1357 and, according to legend, was brought to Kriens after the Battle of Sempach (1386).

When the new set of bells was acquired in 1908, the parish of Kriens donated the now-superfluous Sempach or Gallus Bell from 1357 to the church in Hergiswald—“for use free of charge, as long as it can be rung.” There, it was installed in the transept of the eastern side chapel.