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A Tintinnabulum is a bell mounted on a pole, placed in a Roman Catholic Basilica to signify the church's link with the Pope.
Contents
The tintinnabulum consists of a small gold bell within a golden frame crowned with the papal tiara and Keys of Heaven. If the Pope were to say Mass within the Basilica, the tintinnabulum would be used to lead the very special procession down the shrine's aisle. However, these symbols are not stipulated in the 1989 Vatican directives.
Adiemus songs of sanctuary tintinnabulum part 2
History
In the Middle Ages it served the practical function of alerting the people of Rome to the approach of the Pope during papal processions.
References
Tintinnabulum Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA