Retiree asks for church bells in French village to stop at night so she can sleep

Residents of a small French village are in debate after a newcomer asked the local church to stop ringing its bells at night so she could sleep with her windows open. 

The woman requested that the church bells stop ringing in the evening from June - September so she can keep her windows open to ease the summer heat.

However, local authorities have rejected her request, with residents beginning a petition to prevent changes to the century-old church bells.

Bells ring more than 100 times overnight 

Isabelle Falconnet-Lavorel and her husband moved to Mésigny (Haute-Savoie), a village with some 800 residents, around 18 months ago to be closer to their grandchildren.

They purchased a home situated 50 metres from the church, however quickly found the sounds of its bells disruptive.

Ms Falconnet-Lavorel says the bells sound every 30 minutes, with chimes on the hour repeated to ensure everyone can pick up the correct time, meaning each night the bells ring more than 100 times between 22:00 and 07:00.

It has left her forced to shut her windows and suffer the heat or leave them open and stay awake from the noise. Either way, she says, it leads to a sleepless night. 

Ms Falconnet-Lavorel made her request last year with local councillors in Mésigny unanimously rejecting it earlier this year. 

The mayor of the village argues that Ms Falconnet-Lavorel was aware of the proximity of the church when she purchased her house. 

However, Ms Falconnet-Lavorel argues she had not spent a summer night in the property before moving in, so it was impossible to know about the noise from the bells. 

A petition aiming to protect the bells’ ringing has attracted over 11,000 signatures. 

“When you arrive somewhere, you adapt to its more than century-old way of life. It is up to the new rural dwellers to adapt and not the other way around,” the petition states.

The request has divided the village however, with some locals backing the measure and others saying it goes against the area’s history. 

Church bells are part of local heritage

Many argue that the bells are part of the heritage of the village, and are used by long-term residents to tell the time. 

“If the bells bother people in the countryside they should quickly move to the city,” said Jean-Paul, a 50-year old resident of Mésigny.

However, Ms Falconnet-Lavorel said she had always lived in rural areas, but the bells of Mésigny were a new disturbance. 

“I am being forced to install air conditioning in my house because of the bells, it is not a very rural way of doing things,” she said. 

Some long-term residents have backed the idea during the summer months as a helpful change, as opening windows at night would allow homes to cool naturally amid the seasonal heat. 

Noise complaints face tougher restrictions 

Debate over church bells is not unique to Mésigny and is one of several recent high-profile cases over rural ‘noise disturbance’. 

A 2024 law sought to address arguments by stating that rural noises and smells were ‘part of the nation’s heritage’ and so should not give cause for complaint. 

However, further cases – including those related to noisy cockerels – have since arisen and it is possible Ms Falconnet-Lavorel could further her request through the courts.

Usually, a noise disturbance rule needs an attempt to be solved amicably before being taken further – this article reviews the rules.