“I think it’s cool that we’re in touch with the monastery,” he said. “It’s very nice to ring the bells on this anniversary.”

Austin said she thought members of the monastery would have been “moved” by the ringing.

As the crowd of about 20 sipped sparkling cider to celebrate the event, Eck expressed her desire for future events to be coordinated with the monastery in order to maintain good relations.

“They know how very expensive it would be to transport the bells,” she said. “But there are other ways of communicating our understanding with the monastery.”

She said she thought that it was important for the monastery to understand that the bells have become an important part of the Harvard tradition.

“The bells are hung where we have an acute and respective awareness of their significance,” she said. “We ring the bells at commencement, formal dinners and other monumental occasions.”

In the past, Russian experts have come to the House to tune the bells. Eck expressed hope that in the future there could be even further coordination between Harvard and St. Danilov’s.

“We are hoping to establish a program of bell-ringer exchange and develop a tradition of the sacred sound,” she said.

However, Eck said that today it is most important that the bells toll for peace.

—Staff writer Wendy D. Widman can be reached at widman@fas.harvard.edu.