The story begins in 1991 when a repair crew removed a 12-foot tall bronze weathervane from the 400 foot gilt copper spire of the Peter
and Paul cathedral for restoration. The weathervane is in the form of a flying angel holding a cross. While working on the spectacular 
weathervane a lemonade bottle containing a note inside was discovered. The message had been hidden in the vane 40 years earlier by a previous repair crew. They restored the gilding and repaired the bearing system.
Due to a strict deadline the 1957 crew was forced to make the repairs in place and was unable to lower the immense vane to the ground where the repairs could be performed comfortably and correctly. “The job is done badly because the bosses did not care about us”, the letter reads. “They paid little. The deadlines were short.” The current crew placed a letter of their own in the vane and airlifted the vane to the spire. The contents of the letter will remain secret until the next crew discovers it. Many such interesting time capsules and objects are discovered in old vanes.
To read of more such discoveries read the book “Weathervane
Secrets” by Mabel E. Reavely. See our BOOKS section.
