On February 5, the Church celebrates the memory of St. Paulinus the Merciful. The appearance of church bells and bell ringing in Europe is associated with his name. In Russia, where bells came along with Christianity, the art of bell ringing acquired its own specific characteristics over time. Saint Paulinus the Gracious lived in the 5th century. He received a good education, at the age of 20 he became a senator, and a little later the proconsul of the Campania region in Italy. Subsequently, for the sake of serving God and his neighbors, the saint decided to abandon his public career: he accepted holy orders, and then was elevated to the rank of bishop and became the bishop of the city of … [Read more...]