"Solidarity Bell" made of bullet casings rings at Washington cathedral, in first

A bell made of bullet casings used in the war in Ukraine, engraved with lines from a Taras Shevchenko poem and symbolizing solidarity with Ukraine, rang for the first time at Washington's National Cathedral.

The bell dedication ceremony took place on Wednesday during the Eucharist service and in the run-up to the National Bell Festival, Ukrinform's own correspondent reports.

Every year, the National Bell Festival honors the history and cultural heritage of bell-ringing around the world. The previous year, 2024, was the year of Japan, and in 2025, the year of Ukraine is celebrated, said Paul Ashe, the festival director, who spoke with Ukrinform.

He said that the festival had been launched six years ago, covering all continents, even Antarctica, which also has its own bell.

Throughout 2025, the Ukrainian campanological heritage will be discussed, the art of bells and bell-making in Ukraine, the festival director said, adding that the issue should be especially highlighted these days, considering that Ukrainian cultural heritage is being destroyed by war.

The “Solidarity Bell,” which symbolizes unity with Ukraine, consecrated on Wednesday, is made of countless bullet casings collected throughout the war in Ukraine. Furnace operators at the Sayamat metalworks company and foundry in Vyshneve city in the Bucha Raion (district) of Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine, smelted brass bullet casings to form solid ingots for transport to the Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry in Asten, Netherlands.

Later, it was delivered to the National Cathedral in Washington, where on January 1, 2025, it first rang during a church service.

As the President of the Ukrainian Congressional Committee of America (UCCA) Mykhailo Savkiv noted in a comment to Ukrinform, the “Solidarity Bell” carries a certain symbolism.

Both in the church sense and in the human sense, the bell symbolizes hope and calling to rally others in support of Ukraine, Savkiv emphasized.

He emphasized that the Ukrainian community in the United States has new hopes for the better in the new year and is determined to actively work with members of the U.S. Congress, as well as the new US administration, to ensure continued assistance to Ukraine.

The event was co-organized by the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States. In this regard, Ambassador Oksana Markarova thanked the Americans for their solidarity with Ukraine.

“We pray for victory and a just peace,” the Ukrainian diplomat noted.

The “Solidarity Bell” contains an inscription from a poem by Taras Shevchenko, in Ukrainian and English, engraved in a circle: “Truth will arise! Freedom will arise!” along with the slogan “Glory to Ukraine – Glory to Heroes”. Tridents are depicted on the top of the bell.

After the service at the Washington National Cathedral, the bell will be taken to one of the Ukrainian churches in the U.S. before being showcased at the White House next week, where it will be officially presented to the Biden administration. After that, it will be transferred to the U.S. National Archives, after which it is set to be placed in the future Biden Presidential Library.

As Ukrinform reported, this is not the first time that church services dedicated to Ukraine and supporting the nation have been held at the Washington National Cathedral. In particular, in 2023, an ecumenical service was held here in memory of those who died as a result of Russian aggression.

Photo: Yaroslav Dovgopol, Ukrinform