In 2012, the PACCARD Foundry was commissioned to recreate the remarkable six-ton bourdon for the Orléans Cathedral. The redesign of the “Joan of Arc” bourdon coincided with the 600th anniversary celebration of Joan of Arc’s birth.

The restoration involved faithfully reconstructing the profile of the original bell, which was cast in 1898 by Georges Bollée. This process included replicating its exact size, weight, note, and timbre. A mold of all the original decorations — such as friezes, garlands, effigies, and text — was also necessary to achieve an identical recasting. In keeping with tradition, PACCARD incorporated two tons of metal from the original bell into the new Joan of Arc Bourdon.