Lahti’s Orthodox church bells ring again after six-year restoration

The bells of Lahti’s Orthodox church, once at risk of falling, have been restored after a six-year project by Finland’s only church bell technician, public broadcaster Yle reports.

Supavit Nummelin, the country’s sole specialist in church bell restoration, completed the repair of all 13 bells in the church tower. The project began after inspections revealed the bells were in danger of detaching and falling.

“The bells were literally at risk of falling,” Nummelin told Yle. The structures had not been examined since the church’s construction, leaving them in poor condition.

The restoration took approximately 800 working hours over six years, with Nummelin designing, casting, and installing new bells while tuning the existing ones for better sound. The total cost exceeded €80,000. Some of the largest bells weigh as much as a small car.

Nummelin, who has now restored or built 100 church bells across Finland, described the Lahti project as exceptional. “It’s very rare in Finland to install 13 church bells at once,” he said. “Usually, the work involves repairing old bells and restoring ringing systems. This has been a real celebration.”

Beyond traditional craftsmanship, Nummelin has integrated modern technology into his work. He developed a mobile app allowing the bells to be rung remotely. “You don’t need to be in the church pressing a button. The bells can be activated from anywhere,” he explained, recalling an instance where he triggered the bells from the Canary Islands for a funeral.

The profession is rare even by European standards. Nummelin trained in Germany under a traditional apprenticeship model but has largely built his expertise through self-study. His work demands diverse skills, from metalwork and electrical engineering to musical precision—he possesses absolute pitch and also plays the organ.

“Every church tower is unique,” he said. “Each project requires both planning and versatile manual skills.”