If a ‘peal’ is considered to be a set of at least two bells that are tuned to produce a pleasant sound when rung at the same time, then Cologne Cathedral has the oldest peal in the western world. It is likely that the two bells were cast around the time the choir was consecrated in 1322 and were hung in the medieval roof turret that rose above the 60-meter-high choir roof. The G-sharp Angelus bell weighs 763 kg; the Consecration bell in E weighs 425 kg. These notes are part of the E major chord thereby ensuring that the peal is harmonious. The two bells could be rung using long ropes that hung down into the choir and were only rung for the Angelus and the Consecration. This is also implied by the inscription on the larger bell (English translation: ‘Behold, oh earth, the child born of the virgin mother by the grace of heaven. He is revealed as bread, is God, and is raised up as living flesh.’). This, the oldest peal in the cathedral, has been hanging in the turret since 1981.