Bell tower

Bell touwer Beside the church there is a small open bell tower made of wooden beams with two bells in it, like there are many in Friesland. The bell tower is restored completely in 1979. Until 1943 there were two bells in it, casted in 1752 by Ciprianus Jansz. Crans at Amsterdam. These bells have not survived the war and were replaced in 1952 by two new bells, casted by Van Bergen at Heiligerlee.
De bells (bes1 en des2) hang at straight shafts and have a flying clapper.
A sound recording of the bells:
One bell has the inscription in Friesian language: On the second bell, it says in Friesian language:
Ik ha hjir mar in klokkestoel, gjin toer.
Dochs galmje ik 't de fjilden oer.
Gjin libbensskipke leit goed fêst
as 't anker net yn Kristus rêst. 		1944 De dútskers binne kommen
Hja ha d' âld klok hjir nommen.
1952 Nou joech men my út mienskipssin.
'k Lied bliid myn lûd de himel yn.
Translation of the inscription on the first bell: Translation of the inscription on the second bell:
I only have a belltower, not a tower
Still I resound over the fields:
Not a ship of live is anchored solid
if the anchor is not rest in Christ. 		1944 The Germans were come
They have taken the old bell
1952 Now they give me in community spirit.
I happely chime my sound into the sky.

Everywhere bell towers are on the cemetery, but not in Katlijk. Initially the bell tower in Katlijk was also on the cemetery at the nord side of the church. When the bell tower must be renewed in 1930, it is moved to its present place. The motive was that the Saint Thomas Pealing at that time continued day and night. In the evening and night there grouped a lot of young people at the cemetery and they had a lot of fun. For many Katlijk people this was a thorn in s.o.'s flesh. They found it were not appropriate what happend on the cemetery. When the bell tower had to be renewed, they situated it next to the cemetery so everyone was satisfied with it.



In de bell tower of Katlijk the bells hang at straight shafts with a chime stick and have a flying clapper. The bells can be better controlled therefore.
In a church tower the bells usually hang on crankshafts with a chime wheel and than have a falling clapper.