20 December 2012 – Notre Dame Cathedral will celebrate its 850th birthday in 2013. The Paris landmark will get nine new bells for that occasion. The largest bell, named Marie, was forged this year in the Netherlands by the Royal Eijsboutscompany, one of few foundries who can achieve the desired sound quality. She weighs 6.5 tons and has a diameter of 2.06 meters. Forging the bell required melting 850 bronze bricks of 10 kilos each. French, Belgian and Dutch bishops witnessed the production in action last September. TNT Express will today truck the Marie bell from Asten, the Netherlands, to the French foundry companyCornille-Harvard in Villedieu-les-Poêles, Normandy, France. She will reach her destination on Friday 21 December at 11:00 a.m. The Marie bell will later be installed in the south tower of Notre Dame.