The highest Orthodox churches in Russia. The highest Orthodox churches in Russia Ivan the Bell

Golden domes sparkling in the sun's rays and the ringing of bells floating above the ground... This is what makes the soul of an Orthodox person stand still in majestic awe. We present an overview of the tallest and most beautiful Orthodox bell towers.​

Church of the Resurrection - more than 410 meters above sea level

Place: Foros, Yalta City Council, village. Foros, 2 kilometers from the Baidar Gate pass on the descent to the village, Crimea, Russia

Years of construction: between 1888 and 1892

Architect: N.M. Chagin

The Church of the Resurrection of Christ is the church of the Simferopol and Crimean diocese of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate above the village of Foros, built in 1892 on a steep cliff - Red Rock. The height of the building above sea level is 412 meters. Monument of Russian architecture of the late 19th century.

The church was built in 1892 in the Byzantine style of a cross-domed church. In the 4th century. The cross became a Christian emblem, and the shape of the cross was used as the basis for religious buildings. Temples were built on a rectangular plan with a cross inscribed in it. A dome was built over the red cross.

The cathedral was built using numerous domes, similar to Russian wooden churches, in two tiers, on the sides and in the center there are domes of different sizes, there are nine of them, thanks to which the Foros Church resembles Moscow churches of the late 18th century. The temple is unique in its location. Not only was it built on a steep cliff, but it was also located differently from ordinary Orthodox churches. The fact is that it faces not to the east, but towards the sea. This feature is characteristic only of southern coastal churches.

The uniqueness lies in the fact that real experts in mosaic work from the workshop of the famous Italian Antonio Salviatti from Vincenza were involved in the decoration of the temple. The mosaic floor is reminiscent of the ancient mosaic of Chersonesos. The columns, panels, and window sills were made from Carrara marble. A carved oak iconostasis with gilded royal doors decorated the temple; almost all the icons in the temple belonged to the brushes of famous Russian painters A. Korzukhin depicting Christ the Savior.

In 2004, another restoration of the temple was carried out. The picturesque decoration inside the temple was recreated, the paintings were restored, and a mosaic was created on the facade.

Peter and Paul Cathedral- 122.5 meters

Place: Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Years of construction: 1712–1733

Architect: Domenico Trezzini

Peter and Paul Cathedral (official name - Cathedral in the name of the supreme apostles Peter and Paul) is an Orthodox cathedral in St. Petersburg in the Peter and Paul Fortress, the tomb of Russian emperors, an architectural monument of Peter the Great's Baroque. Until 2012, the cathedral, with a height of 122.5 meters, was the tallest building in St. Petersburg. Since 2013, it has been the third tallest building in the city, after the 140-meter skyscraper Leader Tower and the Prince Alexander Nevsky residential complex, which is 124 meters high.

Bell tower of the Kazan Mother of God Monastery - 107 meters

Place: Tambov, Russia

Years of construction: 2009–2014

The Kazan Mother of God Monastery is a male monastery of the Tambov diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Tambov Theological Seminary is located in the monastery buildings. The monastery operates a Sunday school for children and adults. The multi-tiered monastery bell tower, completed in 1848, was demolished during the Soviet years. School building No. 32 was built on the site of the bell tower. On August 10, 2007, a celebration of the consecration of the cross and foundation stone on the site of the bell tower took place.

In the spring of 2009, construction began on a new gate bell tower. The height of the passage arch is 7.5 m, width - 6.5 m. At the beginning of August 2009, the regional prosecutor's office responded to a request from one of the regional Duma deputies: the Tambov diocese does not have permission to build a bell tower, the presence of which is provided for by the Town Planning Code of the Russian Federation. But “there are no grounds for taking prosecutorial response measures.” On the morning of July 27, 2011, they lifted the bell tower by helicopter and installed a 20-meter spire structure (weighing about 4 tons).

Bell tower of the Resurrection Cathedral - 106 meters

Place: Shuya, Russia

Years of construction: 1810–1832

Architects: Maricelli, V. M. Savatiev

Resurrection Cathedral is an Orthodox church in Shuya. The complex of the Resurrection Cathedral of the early 19th century is famous for its 106-meter bell tower - the first in Europe among belfries standing separately from churches. In 1891, the seventh largest bell in Russia (weighing 1,270 pounds) was raised to the third tier of the bell tower. It was cast in Moscow at the expense of large manufacturer M.A. Pavlova. Since 1991, the Resurrection Cathedral has been the courtyard of the St. Nicholas-Shartomsky Monastery - the Shuya Orthodox monastery, known since 1425. The Resurrection Cathedral is the tallest building in the Ivanovo region.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior - 103 meters

Place: Moscow, Russia

The newly rebuilt Cathedral of Christ the Savior is considered the largest cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church. The temple can accommodate 10,000 people.

Years of construction: 1995–2000

The Cathedral Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow is the cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church. The existing structure is an external recreation of the temple of the same name, created in the 19th century, carried out in the 1990s.The temple is a collective cenotaph of the soldiers of the Russian Imperial Army who died in the war with Napoleon - the names of officers who died in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Foreign Campaigns of 1797–1806 and 1814–1815 are inscribed on the walls of the temple.

The idea of ​​erecting a temple in memory of the salvation of the Fatherland arose already in 1812. The majestic building was originally planned to be built according to the design of the architect A. L. Vitberg, but in 1832 a new project was adopted, prepared by the architect K. A. Ton. Emperor Nicholas I personally chose the place for the construction of the temple. His choice fell on the territory of the ancient Alekseevsky Monastery, which it was decided to move to Krasnoe Selo (the current Novo-Alekseevsky Monastery). Funds for the construction of the temple were collected from all churches in Russia, a huge amount - more than 15 million rubles - was allocated from the treasury.

The laying of the foundation of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior became a national holiday with a military parade and religious procession across Moscow, with honoring veterans of the Patriotic War of 1812 and prayers for those who died on the battlefields.

The original temple was erected in memory of the Napoleonic invasion according to the design of the architect K. A. Ton. Construction lasted almost 44 years: the temple was founded on September 23, 1839, consecrated on May 26, 1883. The temple building was destroyed at the height of Stalin's reconstruction of the city on December 5, 1931. Rebuilt in 1994–1997.

St. Isaac's Cathedral - 101.5 meters

Place: Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Years of construction: 1818–1858

St. Isaac's Cathedral (official name - the Cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia) is the largest Orthodox church in St. Petersburg. Located on St. Isaac's Square. Has the status of a museum; The church community, registered in June 1991, has the opportunity to perform divine services on special days with the permission of the museum’s management. Consecrated in the name of St. Isaac of Dalmatia, a saint revered by Peter I, since the emperor was born on the day of his memory - May 30 according to the Julian calendar.

Built in 1818–1858 according to the design of the architect Auguste Montferrand; construction was supervised by Emperor Nicholas I, the chairman of the construction commission was Karl Opperman.

The ceremonial consecration of the new cathedral on May 30 (June 11), 1858 was performed by Metropolitan of Novgorod, St. Petersburg, Estonia and Finland Gregory (Postnikov).

Montferrand's creation is the fourth temple in honor of Isaac of Dalmatia, built in St. Petersburg. The internal area is more than 4,000 m².

Bell tower of the Annunciation Cathedral - 97 meters

Place: Voronezh, Russia

Years of construction: 1998–2009

Architect: V. P. Shevelev

The Annunciation Cathedral is an Orthodox church of the Russian Orthodox Church, located in the center of the city of Voronezh. Built according to the design of the architect V.P. Shevelev in the Russian-Byzantine style. The cathedral is located on Revolution Avenue on the territory of the Pervomaisky Garden. The height of the temple itself is 85 meters, and its highest point is 97 meters. It is the third largest Orthodox church in Russia and one of the tallest Orthodox churches in the world. Construction took place from 1998 to 2009. The construction of the temple was blessed by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' during his visit to Voronezh.

Great Lavra Bell Tower - 96.5 meters

Place: Kyiv, Ukraine

Years of construction: 1731–1745

Architect: Gottfried Johann Schedel

The Great Lavra Bell Tower is the high-rise dominant feature of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra; for a century and a half it remained the tallest building in Ukraine. Currently, it is tilted 62 cm in a northeast direction.

The bell tower was erected in 1731–1745 according to the design of the architect Gottfried Johann Schedel. According to the contract, Schedel was supposed to build it in three years, but construction lasted much longer. It absorbed all reserves and also led to a halt in the construction of other Lavra facilities. About five million bricks of different shapes and sizes were used in the construction of the bell tower. Highly artistic ceramics were produced at the Lavra brick factories under the supervision of Schedel.

In 1903, instead of the 18th century clock, new chimes made by Moscow craftsmen were installed. The clock mechanism is wound once a week manually using a winch. The chimes ring every quarter of an hour. The bell tower was damaged when the Assumption Cathedral, which stood next to it, was blown up during the Great Patriotic War in 1941. Restoration work was completed in 1961. The bell tower fits organically into the ensemble of the monastery and the whole of Pechersk. It can be seen from afar, 25–30 km from the city. To climb to its top, you need to overcome 374 steps.

Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral - 96 meters

Years of construction: 2001–2004

Place: Khabarovsk, Russia

Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral is an Orthodox cathedral in Khabarovsk, built on the steep bank of the Amur in 2001–2004. It is the tallest building in Khabarovsk.

The construction of the cathedral in Khabarovsk was blessed by Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II. The first stone for the foundation of the temple was laid in 2001. On October 16, 2003, Bishop Mark of Khabarovsk and Amur region served a thanksgiving prayer service upon completion of construction. The golden-domed cathedral with five domes was built with donations from residents of the region, sponsorship funds from enterprises and organizations.

The height of the domes of the Transfiguration Cathedral is 83 meters, the height with crosses is 95 meters. For comparison, the height of the Radio House, located next to the temple, is a little more than 40 meters. The temple was built according to the design of architects Yuri Zhivetyev, Nikolai Prokudin and Evgeny Semyonov. The frescoes inside the temple (on the dome of the Savior Pantocrator and the Apostles) were made by a group of Moscow artists, specially invited to Khabarovsk for this occasion by Bishop Mark of Khabarovsk and Amur. The Transfiguration Cathedral is able to simultaneously accommodate three thousand parishioners.

Bell tower of the Transfiguration Cathedral - 93.8 meters

Place: Rybinsk, Russia

Years of construction: 1797–1804

Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral (Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord) in Rybinsk is the cathedral church of the Rybinsk diocese of the Yaroslavl Metropolis of the Russian Orthodox Church. The type is a five-domed central-domed temple, which became extremely widespread during the period of Russian classicism. The central part of the cathedral is crowned with a spherical dome based on girth arches spanned between four powerful pillars, heptagonal in plan; The corner parts of the main volume are completed by four small light drums with domes. The remaining rooms of the cathedral, including the refectory, are covered with barrel vaults. The plan of the cathedral has the form of an equal-ended cross inscribed in a square, and is a system of a central volume and harmoniously connected rectangular volumes of the altar and side naves. The side wings of the cathedral end in six-column pediment porticoes with wide flights of stairs. From the west, a narrow refectory gallery adjoins the central nave, connecting the temple with the bell tower. The cathedral can accommodate up to 4 thousand people.

The decorative decoration of the cathedral, characteristic of late classicism, is limited to a few expressive details. The walls are cut through by two rows of windows: arched at the bottom and round at the top; a final profiled cornice runs along the entire perimeter of the building. The porticos are decorated with pilasters and columns of the Corinthian order, and the light drums are decorated with Corinthian half-columns. The ribbed gilded dome in the upper part is decorated with 16 lucarnes and ends with a dome with a bypass gallery. The side facades are completed with blank decorative pediments. The frescoes and iconostasis have not survived.

The architectural feature of the bell tower is the round chambers arranged inside the corner abutments; in the western chambers there are two staircases leading to the bell tier. The decorative decoration of the bell tower is made in the traditions of early classicism with baroque elements. The bell tower is topped with an octagonal hip roof and a high faceted gilded spire and an eight-pointed cross. The design of the bell tower uses 52 columns, which not only visually lighten the tall structure, but also create a feeling of rapid upward movement.

Bell tower of the Church of Peter and Paul - 93.7 meters

Place: village Porechye-Rybnoye, Yaroslavl region, Russia

Years of construction: 1772-1779

The temple complex (the churches of Peter and Paul and Nikita the Martyr with a bell tower), formerly wooden, later made of stone, is located on the central cathedral square of the village of Porechye-Rybnoye. In the center of the ensemble stands an architectural masterpiece of the Rostov land - the grandiose Porechensk bell tower, built in 1772-1779. Its height, about 94 meters, exceeds the famous bell tower of Ivan the Great. In order to overcome the dissatisfaction of the synod, which warned of its reluctance to give permission for such a construction, the bell tower in Porechye was placed in a low place.

During Soviet times, the complex was destroyed. Inside the churches, there are remains of a stone altar barrier, typical of Rostov buildings of the late 17th century, and fragments of wonderful frescoes executed with great skill. The famous bell tower began to be restored back in the seventies of the last century, but was never completed: the second tier still stands in the woods.

Bell tower of the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery - 93 meters

Place: Dzerzhinsky, Moscow region, Russia

Years of construction: 1758–1763, rebuilt 1859

The monastery was founded in 1380 by Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy on the site of the appearance of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. According to legend, it was in this place that the army of the Grand Duke stopped to rest on the way to the Kulikovo field. The appearance of the icon strengthened Dmitry Donskoy with faith and hope, which is why the Holy and Blessed Prince said, “This whole thing has sinned my heart” (“This has all warmed my heart”). Since then, this place has been called Ugresha, and the monastery itself has been called Nikolo-Ugreshsky.

Bell tower of the Nikolo-Berlyukovskaya Hermitage - 90.3 meters

Place: With. Avdotino, Moscow region, Russia

Years of construction: 1895–1899

Architect: A.S. Kaminsky

Nikolo-Berlyukovsky Monastery is a monastery on the outskirts of the village of Avdotino, on the Vorya River, 42 kilometers northeast of Moscow, in the Noginsky district of the Moscow region. In 1606, on the site of the future Nikolo-Berlyukovskaya hermitage, hieromonk Varlaam settled here, who came here from the neighboring Stromynsky Assumption Monastery, devastated by the Poles. The name of the future desert - Berlyukovskaya - is associated by folk legend with the name of the robber Berlyuk (this nickname translates as “wolf”, “beast” or “man with a harsh character”).

According to legend, two elders came to Varlaam from the Assumption Predtechensky Monastery - Abbess Evdokia and Treasurer Juliania; They brought with them an ancient icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which Varlaam placed in the specially cut down wooden chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. After some time, through their efforts and thanks to the help of surrounding residents, a stone church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was erected on the site of this chapel.

At the beginning of 1701, the temple became a courtyard of the Moscow Chudov Monastery. Immediately after this, several members of the brethren, led by Abbot Pachomius, arrived here. In the same year, with donations from the Moscow merchant Vikula Martynov, a new stone church was built in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

The monastery was abolished on June 29, 1920. Most of the buildings of the former monastery were transferred to the Home for the Invalids; For some time, only the All Saints Church with cells belonged to the brethren.

Most of the monastery buildings currently belong to the psychiatric hospital of the Moscow Department of Health: in the fraternal buildings there is a tuberculosis dispensary, in the Trinity Church there is a catering unit, in the Church of St. Basil the Great there is a hospital administration. The Kazan church and the monastery cemetery were completely destroyed. In 1993, during a storm, an ancient cross was torn off the monastery bell tower by the wind.

In the fall of 2002, a community was registered at the monastery Cathedral of Christ the Savior. By decree of Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna, Hieromonk Evmeny (Lagutin) was appointed its rector. On December 19, 2004, the first Divine Liturgy was served in the basement of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. In the same year, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the bell tower and the territory of the monastery garden were transferred to the community. The community is carrying out restoration work on the territory of the monastery.

In the winter of 2006, at a meeting of the Holy Synod chaired by Patriarch Alexy II, the parish of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was officially transformed into the Nikolo-Berlyukov Monastery. In August 2006, a fifteen-meter gilded dome with a cross was installed on the bell tower of the monastery.

Bell tower of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Tezin - 90 meters

Place:Vichuga village, Ivanovo region, Russia

Years of construction: 1908–1911

Architect: I. S. Kuznetsov

The Church of the Resurrection of Christ (Red Church) in Tezin is located in the city of Vichuga, Ivanovo region, on the territory of Tezin (a former village, now a district of the city). One of the largest churches in Central Russia, a monument of Russian religious architecture of the early 20th century in the neo-Russian style, which has preserved the unique design of the facades with majolica panels. The church was erected according to the design of the Moscow architect I. S. Kuznetsov at the expense of the local manufacturer I. A. Kokorev in memory of his tragically deceased daughter. In the Resurrection Church, the idea of ​​uniting two iconic elements of the ancient Russian nation - the Assumption Cathedral and the bell tower of Ivan the Great - into a harmonious whole was realized.

A monumental building of enormous size, oriented in composition to the architectural forms of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, very uniquely varies the type of cathedral church, five-domed and three-nave, but without pillars. A powerful cubic two-height volume with three large semicircles of apses and a floor-to-ceiling covering is crowned with high cylindrical light drums of the chapters with a larger middle one. The strongly extended blades that play the role of buttresses are original, dividing the facades into three spindles (the middle one is slightly higher) with semi-circular ribs. Unusual are the projections in the center of the side facades with large exedra niches lined with majolica, where the entrances with gentle stairs in front of them are located.

A low covered porch connects the western facade with a high five-tier bell tower - the prototype of which is the pillar of Ivan the Great in the Kremlin. The bell tower of the Resurrection Church is made narrower than the bell tower of the Moscow Kremlin, figuratively echoing factory chimneys (symbols of local prosperity at the beginning of the 20th century), but slightly higher (height - about 90 m) of the Moscow prototype (this was the personal wish of Ivan Kokorev). A large quadrangle of a bell tower, equal in height to the temple, has two lights with a zakomara on each facade and carries a blind octagon with three tiers of kokoshniks; above there is a slender octagon with a tier of bells and one row of kokoshniks, and then an even smaller octagon with narrow arched openings, the transition to the cylindrical drum of the head is served by three rows of small kokoshniks “back-to-back”. The lost gilded inscription in two rows under the dome of the bell tower previously further emphasized the resemblance to Ivan the Great. For the temple, a giant bell weighing 1,700 poods (more than 27 tons) was cast at the Zabenkin bell factory in Kostroma.

Alexander Bell Tower of the Assumption Cathedral - 89.5 meters

Place: Kharkov, Ukraine

Years of construction: 1821–1841

Architects: E. Vasiliev, A. Ton

The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Assumption Cathedral) is one of the oldest Orthodox churches in Kharkov. The fifth of the twelve official symbols of the city. Built in 1685–1687. Since the 17th century it has been rebuilt several times. It was closed in 1924 and partially dismantled in 1929. From the 1920s to the early 1940s it served as the building of the city radio station, and in the post-war years it served as a workshop for a sewing company. In the 1950s–1980s it underwent a comprehensive restoration. Since 1986 - House of Organ and Chamber Music of the Kharkov Regional Philharmonic. Since 1990, it has been an active temple of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).

Located in the city center on the University Hill on the banks of the Lopan River. The quarter occupied by the cathedral is limited by Universitetskaya Street, Kvitki-Osnovyanenko Street and Sovetsky Lane.

The Cathedral Bell Tower is the tenth tallest stone building in Kharkov and the second tallest bell tower in Ukraine

Bell tower of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra - 88 meters

Place: Russia, Moscow region, Sergiev Posad

Years of construction: 1740–1770

Architects: D. V. Ukhtomsky, I. F. Michurin

The Trinity-Sergius Lavra is the largest Orthodox male stauropegial monastery in Russia, located in the center of the city of Sergiev Posad, Moscow region, on the Konchura River. The founding date of the monastery is considered to be the settlement of Sergius of Radonezh on Makovets in 1337. However, a number of historians believe that this happened in 1342.

Since 1688 Patriarchal stauropegy. On July 8, 1742, by imperial decree of Elizabeth Petrovna, the monastery was given the status and name of a monastery; On June 22, 1744, the Holy Synod issued a decree to Archimandrite Arseny about naming the Trinity-Sergius Monastery Lavra. It was closed on April 20, 1920 by the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars “On applying to the museum of historical and artistic values ​​of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra”; resumed in the spring of 1946.

In the Middle Ages, at certain points in history, the monastery played a prominent role in the political life of North-Eastern Rus'; was the support of the government and the people. According to accepted church historiography, he took part in the fight against the Tatar-Mongol yoke; opposed supporters of the government of False Dmitry II during the Time of Troubles.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Novoyarmarkochny) - 87 meters

Place: Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Years of construction: 1867–1880

Architects: Lev Vladimirovich Dal and Robert Yakovlevich Kilevein

Consecrated in 1881, again in 1992, and in full rites in 1999. In 1817, the Makaryevskaya Fair, famous throughout Russia, was transferred from under the walls of the Makaryevsky Zheltovodsky Monastery to Nizhny Novgorod. On the territory of the fair, the Spassky Cathedral was built according to the design of Auguste Montferrand, but one temple was not enough. It was decided to build another church for the Nizhny Novgorod fair.

In 1856, the merchants petitioned Nizhny Novgorod Bishop Anthony (1857 - 1860) for the construction of a new cathedral, and he, in turn, addressed Governor Alexander Nikolaevich Muravyov, who gave the matter the proper course in 1858.

In the same year, Emperor Alexander II visited Nizhny Novgorod with his wife and daughter. The merchants, in memory of this visit, decided to build a temple with three thrones. It was decided to build the church on the strelitsa - the confluence of the Oka and Volga. The temple is centric, five-tented, the architectural masses from the porches and side tents grow upward, rushing towards a powerful central tent with a large dome. The height of the temple is 87 meters.

The temple was a meeting place for honored guests of the city. The cathedral was closed in 1929 - 1930; during Soviet times, a warehouse was located in the temple premises. During the Great Patriotic War, an anti-aircraft battery stood on the central drum of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, protecting the Nizhny Novgorod sky from enemy raids. In the 40s, a fire occurred in the temple building, destroying the interior of the cathedral and the paintings on the ceiling and walls. After this, the remains of the interior plaster were completely knocked off. In 1983, restoration of the cathedral began.

In July 1991, on the days of the transfer of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the temple was visited by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II. In September 1991, restoration work began in the cathedral and in the surrounding area, which continues to this day. It is the tallest building in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

Tsminda Sameba - 86 meters

Place: Tbilisi, Georgia

Years of construction: 1995–2004

Tsminda Sameba (translated from Georgian as “Holy Trinity”); The Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi is the main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church; located in Tbilisi, on the hill of St. Ilya (left bank of the Kura). There are 13 altars in the cathedral; the lower church in honor of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; There is a separate belfry.

The construction of the new cathedral was planned in 1989 in connection with the celebration of the 1500th anniversary of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church and to commemorate the 2000th anniversary of Christianity. The competition for the construction of the temple was won by Archil Mindiashvili’s retrospective project. The height of the upper church is 68 m (without the dome cross, the cross is 7.5 m); length from east to west - 77 meters, from north to south - 65 meters; total area - more than 5 thousand square meters.

The temple was founded on November 23, 1995; construction was carried out with donations from ordinary citizens and large businessmen. The first service in the cathedral under construction was held on December 25, 2002. Consecrated exactly 9 years after its foundation, on the day of St. George the Victorious - the heavenly patron of Georgia; The rite of consecration was performed by Patriarch-Catholicos Ilia II in the co-service of bishops and clergy of the Georgian Church, as well as representatives of the Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Russian, Serbian, Romanian, Cypriot, Greek, Polish, Albanian Churches, and the Orthodox Church in America.

After the consecration, the chair of the Catholicos of Georgia was moved to the Trinity Cathedral from Sioni.

Timisoara Cathedral - 83.7 meters

Photo: Yandex Photos user arctickfox1911

Place: Timisoara, Romania

Years of construction: 1936–1940

Timisoara Cathedral of the Three Saints is a cathedral in Timisoara, belongs to the Banat Metropolis of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Built in 1936–1940 from concrete and brick and dedicated to the Three Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. However, due to the war, the finishing was completed only by 1956. The tallest cathedral of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

The Cathedral of the Three Saints was built in the traditional style of Romanian-Moldovan temple architecture (with elements of the Carpathian style). There are 9 large and 4 small towers. The height of the cathedral is 83.7 m, it is the tallest church in the country and one of the tallest Orthodox churches. The length of the cathedral is 63 m, width - 32 m. There can be more than four thousand parishioners inside.

Bell tower of the Ryazan Kremlin - 83.2 meters

Place: Ryazan, Russia

Years of construction: 1789–1840

Architects: S. A. Vorotilov, I. F. Russko, K. A. Ton, N. I. Voronikhin

The Ryazan Kremlin is the oldest part of the city of Ryazan, a historical and architectural open-air museum-reserve, one of the oldest museums in Russia. Located on a high steep hill, surrounded by the Trubezh and Lybid rivers, as well as a dry moat. An architectural monument and a nature reserve of federal significance, it is included in the state register of especially valuable objects of the peoples of the Russian Federation.

The Assumption Cathedral and the Cathedral Bell Tower are designed in such a way that their silhouettes are visible from a fairly large distance both in the city and beyond. In the 18th - first half of the 20th centuries, they were natural visual landmarks when navigating on the Oka. In good weather, the spiers and domes of the Kremlin are visible at a fairly large distance from the city.

The Assumption Cathedral and the Bell Tower are also the logical architectural conclusion of Sobornaya Street.

Bell tower of the All Saints Cathedral - 82 meters

Place: Tula, Russia

Years of construction: 1776–1825

Architect: V.F. Fedoseev

All Saints Cathedral is the Orthodox Cathedral of Tula. The temple, built on an elevated place in the city, is visible from almost all points of the city. The architectural design of the All Saints Church is characterized as a transition from Baroque to classical style. In its style, the temple belongs to early Russian classicism of 1760–1770.

Large window openings in the overall design of the facades give the building a civic rather than religious character. The architectural design of the church, begun a year after the building of the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg was completed, is clearly influenced by the outstanding creation of Kokorinov and Delamot.

In 1803, the elder of the All Saints Church, merchant V. Kurbatov, was given a book to raise money for the construction of a bell tower. Funds were collected very slowly. The construction of the bell tower began only in 1833, and in a quarter of a century it was not even half completed. Construction then continued at an accelerated pace and was completed in 1863. The three-tier bell tower, topped with a high spire, located on one of the highest points of Tula, was the dominant vertical structure of the city. It closes the prospects of several streets (Pirogov, Timiryazev and others). The author of the bell tower project was a student of the famous Carlo Rossi, architect V. F. Fedoseev. More than half a century passed between the start of construction of the church and the bell tower, but V. F. Fedoseev managed to preserve the architectural unity of the All Saints ensemble by creatively rethinking the forms of the church building. The Baroque complexity of the temple plan is reflected in the complex construction of the lower tier of the belfry. The non-supporting columns of the lower tier and the porticoes with paired columns at the corners of the upper tiers echo similar elements of the temple building.

The bell tower is decorated with four figures of angels announcing the Second Coming of Christ and the Last Judgment. They were manufactured and installed at the expense of the church warden, merchant Nikolai Grigorievich Pirozhnikov.

Bell tower of the Holy Trinity Monastery - 81.6 meters

Place: Alatyr, Russia

Years of construction: 2006-2011

Architects: Verdin V. A., Silukov V. A.

Holy Trinity Monastery is an Orthodox monastery in the city of Alatyr (Chuvashia). Founded in 1584. Trinity Cathedral, Sergius Church with a chapel in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, a cave temple, residential and outbuildings. All buildings are stone from the 18th–19th centuries. Monument to cultural history. In 1995 it was transferred to the Cheboksary-Chuvash diocese.

The monastery became famous in connection with the activities of Schemamonk Vassian, revered by the people. The size of the bell tower allows you to see its spire and hear the ringing of its bells, of which the 18-ton bell stands out, almost anywhere in the ancient city. It was built in the traditional temple style of the 11th–12th centuries and resembles the towers of the Moscow Kremlin, the famous Church of the Ascension in the Kolomenskoye State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve and other ancient temples and tent-type bell towers. It is characteristic that in Alatyr there was a tented church-bell tower of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which the townspeople considered the architectural symbol of the city of Alatyr (the tent of this temple was lost as a result of a recent fire).

The bell tower forms a single architectural complex with the adjacent two-tier Holy Trinity Cathedral of the monastery. In both buildings, elements of the Byzantine style were used, in particular, the common decorative element is the Byzantine cross (according to the book “The History of the Development of the Form of the Cross”, published by the Orthodox brotherhood in the name of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, Moscow, 1997), which, in accordance with Russian heraldry, some Russian cities had on their coats of arms, before the October Revolution of 1917.

The total area of ​​the building is 1,900.2 m² (including the basement - 269 m² and the open gallery - 120.1 m²). At the base of the bell tower there is a “pile field” consisting of 226 bored piles, each 9 m long and 0.5 m in diameter. A reinforced concrete slab 1 m high is poured over the piles. The construction area of ​​the bell tower building is 496.9 m², including an open gallery from the second floor of 120.1 m².

The belfry, in the bell tower building, is located at a height of 26 m from ground level. It houses 14 bells in 3 tiers on 2 floors. The weight of the largest bells is 8.6 and 18 tons. In total, the bell tower has 14 levels (floors), connected by a staircase.

The uniqueness of the bell tower, in addition to the original combination of reinforced concrete structure with brickwork, is the presence of an elevator, with which you can rise from the first to the fifth floor, and mechanical chimes located at a height of 41.7 m from ground level with dials facing 4 sides of the bell tower, the diameter of each of them is 3.12 m.

Bell tower of Ivan the Great - 81 meters

Place: Kremlin, Moscow, Russia

Years of construction: 1505-1508

Architect: Bon Fryazin

The Bell Tower of Ivan the Great is a church-bell tower located on Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin. At the base of the bell tower is the Church of St. John Climacus. The bell tower is an example of the influence of the Italian tradition of building free-standing bell towers. After being built to a height of 81 m in 1600 (under Boris Godunov), the bell tower was the tallest building in Russia until the beginning of the 18th century.

Bell tower of the Holy Dormition Sarov Hermitage - 81 meters

Place: Russia, Sarov

Years of construction: 1789–1799

Architect: K.I.Blank

The Holy Dormition Sarov Hermitage is a male monastery founded at the beginning of the 18th century in the city of Sarov in the north of the Tambov province in Temnikovsky district (now Sarov is part of the Nizhny Novgorod region). Known as the place where St. Seraphim of Sarov, a revered Orthodox ascetic and saint, labored.

Savior on Spilled Blood - 81 meters

Place: Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Years of construction: 1883–1907

The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on Blood, or the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood - an Orthodox memorial single-altar church in the name of the Resurrection of Christ; built in memory of the fact that at this place on March 1 (13), 1881, Emperor Alexander II was mortally wounded as a result of an assassination attempt (the expression on the blood indicates the blood of the king). The temple was built as a monument to the Tsar-Martyr with funds collected throughout Russia.

Located in the historical center of St. Petersburg on the banks of the Griboyedov Canal next to the Mikhailovsky Garden and Konyushennaya Square. The height of the nine-domed temple is 81 m, capacity up to 1600 people. It is a museum and a monument of Russian architecture.

The temple was erected by decree of Emperor Alexander III in 1883–1907 according to the joint project of the architect Alfred Parland and Archimandrite Ignatius (Malyshev), who later withdrew from construction. The project is made in the “Russian style”, somewhat reminiscent of Moscow's St. Basil's Cathedral. Construction lasted 24 years. On August 19, 1907, the cathedral was consecrated.

Bell tower of the Spassky Cathedral - 81 meters

Place: Penza, Russia

Years of construction: Under construction

Architect: Kherubimov O.G.

In 1822, the most grandiose and spectacular building in Penza, the Spassky Cathedral, was erected on the square and the square began to be called Cathedral. At different times, Russian emperors visited here: Alexander I, Nicholas I, Alexander II and twice Nicholas II (the first time as heir to the throne, and the second time as an autocrat.

In 1923, the Spassky Cathedral was closed, and the following year it was given over to archival storage. In 1934, the Spassky Cathedral was blown up. In 1999, construction of a chapel began on the site of the bombed cathedral. In 2011, restoration of the cathedral began.

On November 5, 1960, on the site of the cathedral altar, a more durable monument to Karl Marx was unveiled by sculptor S. S. Alshin and architect G. A. Zakharov. It stood for 50 years, until 2011, when it was moved to a temporary storage location until the issue of a new location in the city was decided in order to make room for the Spassky Cathedral, which was being recreated for the 350th anniversary of Penza. It was also proposed to rename the square back to Sobornaya.

Temple of St. Sava - 79 meters

Place: Belgrade, Serbia

Years of construction: 1935–2004

Architects: Alexander Deroko and Bogdan Nestorovich

The Church of St. Sava in Belgrade on Vracar is a temple of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the main altar of which is consecrated in honor of the first Serbian archbishop and national hero of Serbia, St. Sava (1175–1236). Built on the site of the burning of the relics of the latter by the Ottoman authorities in 1594. One of the largest Orthodox churches in the world. Finishing work continues in the completed cathedral building

The architects used the classic Byzantine style of the reign of Emperor Justinian I. The main church of the Byzantine Empire, the St. Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople, served as a direct example. However, in its layout, the Temple of St. Sava still differs from the Constantinople model, since there was no merger between the basilica and the central building. An element of the Serbian medieval style is the addition of four turrets around the main dome.

Measuring 91 m x 81 m and covering an area of ​​7,570 m², the Temple of St. Sava is approximately the scale of St. Sophia Cathedral, but has a larger dome diameter (35 m) as well as a greater height (65 m).

Trinity Cathedral - 78 meters

Place: Pskov, Russia

Years of construction: 1682–1699

Holy Trinity Cathedral in Pskov is an Orthodox church, the cathedral of the Pskov and Porkhov diocese. It is part of the architectural ensemble of the Pskov region and is its main building.

Today's fourth building of the cathedral was built in 1699, on the same spot where the previous churches stood. The first cathedral, built in the 10th century, by order of Princess Olga, was wooden, and stood until the first half of the 12th century, when it was destroyed by fire. The second cathedral was already made of stone and was founded, according to church legend, in 1138 by the holy noble prince Vsevolod Mstislavich (according to the research of N.N. Voronin, P.A. Rappoport and Yu.P. Spegalsky - in the late 1180s - early 1190s). In 1363, the temple vault collapsed and in 1365 a new cathedral was founded on the old foundation. In 1609, during a strong fire, a powder warehouse in the Kremlin exploded, and the third building of the cathedral was destroyed by the blast wave. In 1699, construction of the fourth cathedral was completed, which has survived to this day. It is still the tallest building in the Pskov region.

Great Chrysostom (Maximilian Church) - 77 meters

Place: Yekaterinburg, Russia

Years of construction: 1755 - 1930

The bell tower temple, destroyed in 1930 and rebuilt in 2006 - 2013, close to its historical foundation. The history of the design and construction of the temple is unusually complicated - several times the capital did not approve design documents sent from Yekaterinburg. The building itself, which was eventually called Greater Chrysostom, according to the approved project was supposed to serve only as a bell tower at the entrance to a more majestic temple, similar to the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior, but due to lack of funds this project was not implemented, and the bell tower was consecrated as a temple. The result was a temple with a unique layout, extremely uncharacteristic of its time - similar to churches of the same type with bells, built in the Russian kingdom at the end of the 15th - first half of the 16th centuries, in which the bell tier is located directly above the temple premises.

Bell tower of St. John the Theologian Poshchupovsky Monastery - 76 meters

Photo: Elena Petrova (Participant)

Place: Poshupovo village, Ryazan region, Russia

Years of construction: between 1150 - 1900

St. John the Theologian Monastery is a male monastery of the Ryazan diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, located on the right bank of the Oka, in the village of Poshupovo, Rybnovsky district, Ryazan region, 25 kilometers north of the city of Ryazan.

It is believed that the monastery arose at the end of the 12th or beginning of the 13th century and was founded by Greek missionary monks who brought with them the miraculous icon of the Apostle John, painted in the 6th century in Byzantium by an orphan boy. This image became the main shrine of the Theological Monastery.

In the 16th - first half of the 17th centuries, the monastery was repeatedly devastated by the Crimean Tatars, but was invariably revived (sources mention, in particular, the devastations of 1534 and 1572).

The revival of the monastery is associated with the name of David Ivanovich Khludov, a hereditary honorary citizen, merchant of the first guild.

In 1930, the inhabitants of the monastery, led by the elderly abbot Archimandrite Zosima (Musatov), ​​were arrested and sentenced to various terms of exile to Kazakhstan. The monastery itself was closed and abolished. In 1988, the St. John the Theologian Monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. Archimandrite Abel (Makedonov) became the abbot of the monastery. From that time on, the restoration of the destroyed monastery began.

Not far from the monastery there is a holy spring, known among Orthodox Christians as healing. Next to the source there is a font that is open to visitors all year round.

Holy Trinity Cathedral - 75.6 meters

Place: Morshansk, Russia

Years of construction: 1836–1857

The project was approved in 1830 with the note “not to build higher than Isaac.” Cathedral of the Life-Giving Trinity (Trinity Cathedral) is the second cathedral of the Michurinsk and Morshansk diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, the main Orthodox church in the city of Morshansk, Tambov region. The majestic building of the Trinity Cathedral can be seen tens of kilometers from the city.

Assumption Cathedral - 75 meters

Place: Astrakhan, Russia

Years of construction: 1699–1710

Assumption Cathedral (official name - Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) is the largest Orthodox church in Astrakhan. Located on the territory of the Astrakhan Kremlin. Built in 1699–1710 under the direction of stone mason Dorofei Myakishev; construction was supervised by Metropolitan Sampson.

The Assumption Cathedral is considered one of the best examples of Russian church architecture of the early 18th century, and is the only architectural temple complex preserved in Russia where the temple and Lobnoye Mesto are connected.

Ascension Cathedral - 74.6 meters

Place: Novocherkassk Russia

Years of construction: 1891–1904

Military Cossack Cathedral in the capital of the All-Great Don Army. The Ascension Military Patriarchal Cathedral is an Orthodox church in Novocherkassk, the second cathedral of the Rostov and Novocherkassk diocese and the main temple of the Don Cossacks. Patriarchal Cathedral of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' (since 2014). Here lie the remains of the Don atamans M. I. Platov, V. V. Orlov-Denisov, I. E. Efremov, Ya. P. Baklanov.

Ascension Cathedral - 74 meters

Place: Yelets, Russia

Years of construction: 1845–1889

The cathedral is one of the two tallest buildings in the Lipetsk region. The main Orthodox church of the city of Yelets, the cathedral church of the Yelets diocese. The building is stunning in its colossal size: the height of the cathedral together with the cross is 74 meters, length 84 meters, width 34 meters. Located on Red Square - the central part of Yelets.

The architectural and spatial composition of the building consists of a huge cube-shaped quadrangle, topped with five onion-shaped chapters resting on octagonal light drums, a refectory and an unfinished bell tower. The altar part of the cathedral has three semicircular apses. The temple is four-pillar, one-story. The huge basement floor and foundations are made of limestone blocks, the walls of the building and the dome are brick. In the exterior design of the building, the architect used stylized forms of Russian and Byzantine architecture, adopted for small ancient Russian churches. These include an arcature belt, pipe-shaped columns, keel-shaped kokoshniks, and platbands in the form of “daisies.” At the same time, narrow high windows are elements of classicism.

All Saints Church - 74 meters

Place: Minsk, Belarus

Years of construction: 2006–2008

All Saints Church (full name - Minsk Church-monument in the name of All Saints and in memory of the victims who served for the salvation of our Fatherland) is the temple of the Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church. The height of the temple is 72 meters, including the cross - 74. At the same time, the temple will be able to accommodate 1,200 worshipers. Located in Minsk, at the intersection of Kalinovsky and Vsekhsvyatskaya streets.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior - 73 meters

Place: Kaliningrad, Russia

Years of construction: 2004–2006

The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is the main Orthodox church in Kaliningrad, built according to the design of the architect Oleg Kopylov. Designed for 3,000 people. The height (to the cross) reaches 73 meters. The temple is located on the central square of Kaliningrad - Victory Square. The temple was built in the style of Vladimir-Suzdal temple architecture.

Built in 1995 (foundation stone installed). In 1996, Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Metropolitan Kirill laid a capsule with soil taken from the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior into the foundation of the building. The construction was actively promoted by the regional governor L. Gorbenko. The upper Church of the Nativity of Christ was consecrated on September 10, 2006 by Patriarch Alexy II, the consecration was timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the opening of the first Orthodox church in Kaliningrad.

The lower church in the name of the Savior Not Made by Hands was consecrated on September 27, 2007 by Metropolitan Kirill (Gundyaev) of Smolensk and Kaliningrad. The “Memel” iconostasis, which was created during the Seven Years’ War for the Russian garrison in Memel (now Klaipeda), was installed in the temple, transferred here in 1996 by the Holy Prince Vladimir Brotherhood from Germany. At the suggestion of the chairman of this brotherhood, G. A. Rahr, the lower temple serves as a temple of military glory and is a memorial temple in memory of Russian soldiers who died in the Seven Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, the First World War and the Second World War in East Prussia, today's Kaliningrad areas.

On December 22, 2012, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill consecrated the new building of the gymnasium at the cathedral.

Kazan Cathedral - 71.6 meters

Place: Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Years of construction: 1801–1811

Emperor Paul I wished that the temple being built at his behest would be similar to the majestic St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. Kazan Cathedral (Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God) is one of the largest churches in St. Petersburg, made in the Empire style. Built on Nevsky Prospekt in 1801–1811 by the architect A. N. Voronikhin to store the revered copy of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Kazan. After the Patriotic War of 1812, it acquired significance as a monument to Russian military glory. In 1813, commander M.I. Kutuzov was buried here and the keys to the captured cities and other military trophies were placed.

In 1932, it was turned into the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism; since 1991, it has been an operating temple, coexisting with the museum’s exhibition for several years. Since 2000 - the cathedral of the St. Petersburg diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. The rector is Archpriest Pavel Krasnotsvetov.

The cathedral gave its name to Kazan Street, Kazan Island in the Neva Delta and the Kazan Bridge at the intersection of Nevsky Prospekt and the Griboyedov Canal.

Holy Trinity Cathedral - 71.2 meters

Place: Magadan, Russia

Years of construction: 2001–2011

Temple-monument to victims of political repression. It is the tallest building in the Magadan region. Holy Trinity Cathedral (Cathedral of the Life-Giving Trinity) is the cathedral of the Magadan diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. The temple-monument to the victims of political repression, the second largest Orthodox church in the Far East. The total area of ​​the Cathedral, taking into account the adjacent territory, is more than 9 thousand square meters. meters.

The prototype of the volumetric architectural design of the Holy Trinity Cathedral was the ancient Russian Vladimir-Novgorod architecture. The main staircase leading to the cathedral is comparable in grandeur to the Spanish Steps in Rome. Trinity Cathedral is one of the tallest in Russia: the height of the central dome with a cross is 71.2 m.

Naval St. Nicholas Cathedral - 70.6 meters

Place: Kronstadt, Russia

Years of construction: 1902–1913

The Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is the last and largest of the maritime cathedrals of the Russian Empire. Built in 1903-13. in Kronstadt according to the neo-Byzantine project of V. A. Kosyakov.

The parish of the church belongs to the St. Petersburg diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church and is located on the territory of the Kronstadt deanery district. The stauropegial status of the cathedral indicates its direct subordination to the patriarch. The rector of the cathedral is Archimandrite Alexy (Ganzhin).

Since May 2013, it has been considered the main temple of the Russian Navy and the center of the Military Deanery District of the St. Petersburg Diocese.

Peter and Paul Cathedral - 70.4 meters

Place: Peterhof, Leningrad region, Russia

Years of construction: 1894–1904

The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul is an Orthodox church in Peterhof. Located in New Peterhof, on the banks of the Olgin Pond, on St. Petersburg Avenue, near the Peterhof palace and park ensemble. The temple belongs to the St. Petersburg diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church and is the center of the Peterhof deanery district. The rector is Archpriest Pavel Alexandrovich Kudryashov.

The cathedral was built in the forms of Russian architecture of the 16th–17th centuries. Designed for 800 people. Externally, the temple has a pyramidal shape and is crowned with five hipped domes.

• For many centuries, the bell tower of Ivan the Great was the tallest building in Moscow.
• Visitors can look at belfry with 22 bells, the oldest of which was cast in 1501, and the largest bell weighs 64 tons.
• To look at the historical center of Moscow from a height of 25 meters, you can go up to the observation deck bell towers.
• Bell ringing(and it’s worth listening to) sounds on Easter and other Orthodox holidays.
• The bell tower is also and museum, which presents fragments of ancient stone decoration and sculpture from Kremlin palaces.

For centuries, the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, located on the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square, was the main high-rise landmark of Moscow. Her slender silhouette immediately catches the eye when looking at the Kremlin panorama. The bell tower received its final form at the beginning of the 17th century. under Tsar Boris Godunov: during his reign it was built to a height of 81 meters and became a common bell tower for the entire temple complex of Cathedral Square. In total, there are 22 bells on the Ivan the Great Bell Tower and the belfry, the oldest of which, the Bear, was cast in 1501. In the summer, you can climb to the observation gallery at a height of 25 meters, and also see the bells and the museum exhibition dedicated to the history of the Kremlin’s architecture. The belfry of the bell tower also serves as an exhibition area; its exhibitions relate to different countries and eras and are regularly updated.

History of the temple and bell tower

The bell tower is intended to be the Church of St. John Climacus, built in 1508 and consecrated in honor of the heavenly patron of Tsar Ivan III (hence its name - “Ivan the Great”). St. John Climacus (VI century AD) is known as the author of “The Ladder of Paradise” - an essay on the path of spiritual purification and the ascent of the soul to God. The author of the bell tower project was the Italian architect Bon Fryazin. He preserved the design of the first wooden church-bell tower, which had stood on this site since the 14th century, and created a new stone bell tower with space for services. Bon Fryazin was well acquainted with the construction of tower-shaped buildings, since campanillas - free-standing bell towers - were widespread in medieval Italy.

In 1532-1543 The Italian architect Petrok Maly added a belfry to the bell tower. Today, the largest operating bell in Moscow, the Uspensky bell, hangs on it, weighing 64 tons. In the 17th century The Filaretov extension was created (named after the patriarch, father of Mikhail Romanov), which is an excellent example of the architecture of its time.

In 1600, an architect named Fyodor Kon managed to organically complement the composition and build on the bell tower, without violating Bon Fryazin's plan. The customer, Tsar Boris Godunov, wanted to establish his name by decorating the Kremlin for centuries. And I must say, he confirmed his name in the literal sense: under the dome of the bell tower an inscription was made, which has survived to this day: « By the will of the Holy Trinity, by the command of the great sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Boris Fedorovich of All Rus', the autocrat and the son of his right-believing great sovereign, Tsarevich Prince Fedor Borisovich of All Rus', this temple was completed and gilded in the second year of their state.” This is a unique example of how an inscription can play an important role in shaping the composition of a building.

Architecture of "Ivan the Great"

The building turned out to be very slender: elongated eight-part volumes narrow at the top and the arcade is visually lightened mi at the level of ringing platforms. The bell tower consists of three tiers, the thickness of the walls of which reaches 5 m. The upper tier turns into a round drum, which is decorated with a belt of beautiful kokoshniks with false window niches. The building stands on a foundation of white stone, which is supported by a large number of wooden piles. In total, the bell tower goes 6 meters underground.

The meaning of the bell tower

The Ivan the Great Bell Tower remained the tallest building in Moscow for a long time. When his closest associate Alexander Menshikov built the Church of the Archangel Gabriel with a height of 84.4 meters (that is, 3 meters higher), this caused discontent among Muscovites. Therefore, when I hit the Menshikov Tower and the lightning and its upper wooden part burned out, everyone considered this to be God's punishment for the attack on the authority of the Kremlin shrine. The bell tower still offers a beautiful view of the historical center of Moscow. In past centuries, when buildings were not so high-rise and dense, from the top of the bell tower, where 429 steps lead, the view opened up to 30 kilometers, which made it a key lookout point of the city. It is known that poets and others climbed the bell tower.

And, of course, in addition to its strategic defensive importance, Ivan the Great was and remains the main Moscow belfry. It was from here that the first strike of the large bell sounded, which became the signal for the start of ringing throughout Moscow on Orthodox holidays. This tradition was resumed in the 90s of the 20th century. Now the ringing of the bells of Ivan the Great can be heard, for example, on the day of Easter. He makes a huge impression on his listeners. The bell tower is also one of the museums of the Moscow Kremlin: authentic fragments of ancient stone decoration and sculptures that once adorned the Kremlin palaces are collected here.

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Location

Inside Sadovoe

Nearest metro station

Alexander Garden, Borovitskaya, Okhotny Ryad

Address

Moscow, Kremlin, Cathedral Square

Website
Operating mode

Working days: Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun
During the summer period (from May 15 to September 30): from 10.00 to 18.00. Ticket office from 9.00 to 17.00
During the winter period (from September 30 to May 15) from 10.00 to 17.00. Ticket office from 9.30 to 16.30
The museum exposition in the Ivan the Great Bell Tower is open at the following hours: 10:15, 11:15, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00. The 17:00 session is available from May 15 to September 30.

Weekend
Ticket prices

From 250 rub. up to 500 rub. depending on the category of the visitor and the visiting program. Photo and video shooting is included in the ticket price (allowed outside the building). The ticket price includes a visit to the entire architectural ensemble of Cathedral Square.
Additionally, a ticket to the Museum of the History of Architecture of the Moscow Kremlin and the observation gallery of the bell tower is paid: 250 rubles.

Visiting rules

The Kremlin museums do not put forward special requirements for tourists, but when visiting churches, one should remember the Orthodox tradition and avoid excessively revealing clothing. Children under 14 years old are not allowed on the observation deck, since the height of the climb to the gallery is 137 steps. Professional photography and video shooting are not permitted.

Additional Information

Tours are conducted in Russian, English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. Possibility to purchase tickets online.

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Gallery

Ivan the Great belltower
(“Shout at the top of Ivanovskaya”)
Ivan the Great is the oldest Moscow bell tower. The first church on this site, “St. John the Climacus, like the bells” (that is, with a bell tower above the church itself), was erected in the 1340s by Ivan Kalita. Under Ivan III in 1502 - 1508, the old church was dismantled and a new, higher one was built. During the time of Ivan the Terrible, the bell tower - then it was called Ivan the Holy - already had many bells. German oprichnik Heinrich Staden writes about it: “In the middle of the Kremlin there is a church with a round red (brick) tower, on this tower hang all the big bells that the Grand Duke brought from Livonia.”
Tsar Boris Godunov ordered the construction of the bell tower of Ivan Climacus, which was carried out in 1598-1600. Two tiers and a dome were built on. This further distinguished the bell tower from all the Kremlin buildings, exalting its golden head above them, under which, encircling the drum, there was an inscription in Slavic script. As a contemporary wrote, Boris Godunov here “indicated his name, placing it like some kind of miracle on a stand, so that anyone could, looking, read the large letters, as if having them in their hands.” After the death of Tsar Boris and the murder of his son and heir Fyodor, the inscription was covered up. Peter I ordered it to be resumed. The inscription is still preserved.
After the addition, the bell tower of Ivan the Saint began to be called Ivan the Great. On a plan of the Kremlin made around 1605 and published in Amsterdam, where it is shown already built on, the image is captioned (in Latin): “Ivan the Great; the large temple of St. John, the roof of the tower is gilded and the tower abounds with bells.”
Holstein diplomat Adam Olearius, in his essay “Description of a Journey to Muscovy” (1630s), talking about various aspects of Russian life and everyday life, drew attention to Moscow bells and bell ringing and, of course, could not help but say about Ivan the Great: “ In the very middle of the square in the Kremlin there is an extremely tall bell tower, called Ivan the Great, the head of which is covered with gilded tin, and on the bell tower itself there are many bells.”
Ivan the Great was the tallest building in Moscow in the 18th – 19th centuries. Rising with its golden mighty head over the entire city, it was visible from everywhere. The very name of the bell tower - not the official one, but the popular one - Ivan the Great - determined its place and significance in the consciousness of a Muscovite and every Russian person. She was a symbol of Moscow and thereby of Russia.
A long-standing and widespread Moscow proverb states: “Ivan the Great is taller than the tall.” It was unknown by whom and when the ban on erecting buildings higher than Ivan the Great in Moscow was announced. When in 1723 lightning struck the spire of the Church of the Archangel Michael on Chistye Prudy, newly built by His Serene Highness Prince A.D. Menshikov, better known as the Menshikov Tower, and set it on fire, in Moscow the fire was explained as punishment for the builder for having built his church higher the main Moscow bell tower.
There was a widespread belief among the people that as long as Ivan the Great stood, Russia would stand. In 1812, Napoleon ordered the bell tower to be blown up. The extension was destroyed, the bells were torn off by the blast wave, but the bell tower itself survived. Muscovites saw this as a happy sign, and when the bells on the Ivanovo Bell Tower rang again in 1813, there was a holiday in Moscow: the ringing of Ivan the Great heralded the revival of the city.
In his book “The Hoary Antiquity of Moscow,” published in 1897, the poet, novelist and great connoisseur of common people’s Russia I.K. Kondratiev writes about sights that are “famous in the remote provinces of Russia” and have become national symbols: “Almost every visitor to Moscow considers it an indispensable duty, first of all, to visit the Kremlin, climb the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, pray in the Church of the Savior, and then at least drive near the Sukharev Tower ... "
Ivan the Great is the main bell tower of Moscow.
There are usually several bells on a bell tower. Of course, their number and size depend on the wealth of the church (or rather, its parish), but the replenishment of bells is not a simple multiplication of their number. There are several types of church bells, differing in purpose and size.
The largest bell is called the festive bell; it sounds during the most important church holidays and on major state events. Holiday bells can weigh up to 2000 pounds or more.
Then comes the Sunday bell, which is smaller in size than the holiday bell and weighs up to 10,000 pounds or more. It is preached on Sunday.
The next bell, a polyeleos bell, weighing up to 600–700 poods, is used to ring the gospel on apostolic and saintly feasts.
The daily bell, weighing from 100 to 500 pounds, rings every day.
These are the big bells, while the small ones had a common name - ringing bells.
In addition, the most remarkable in their origin - by the name of the donor, historical circumstances (for example, taken as war trophies) - also had their own names.
Of course, not every bell tower had a complete set of exactly these weight categories, and the bell ringers made do with what they had. From time immemorial, the entire set of bells present in the bell tower was called, as S.V. Maksimov explains, “the bell family.” (Maksimov’s “from ancient times” dates back to the time of Peter the Great’s reforms - the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century, when foreign vocabulary was massively introduced into the Russian language: “clan”, “family” were replaced by the word “surname”; at the same time, bells were called in the Italian style - “campaigns” "). When talking about the bells of a particular church or bell tower, they added its name - such and such a bell surname.
Usually only a portion of the bells were rung, and only in especially important cases did the whole family participate in the ringing, as they said in such cases, ringing all the bells or the whole family.
The Ivanovskaya bell family was famous in Russia.
The poet of the Pushkin era M.A. Dmitriev, author of the collection “Moscow Elegies,” dedicated one of them to the Kremlin and its bell tower:
Where is the bell ringing of Rus', in the days of its rejoicings,
Royal, national celebrations, louder than the Kremlin ringing?
Where in the days of yore was the convocation alarm in Rus' heard more clearly?
With his slightly iron tongue and lips cast from copper
Our Great Ivan will speak - Rus' understands that speech!
At the beginning of the 20th century, there were about 40 bells in the Ivan the Great Bell Tower itself and in the annex-belfry. Large: “Uspensky”, “Reut, or Revun”, “Seven Hundred”, “Bear”, “Swan”, “Wide”, “Svobodny”, “Nemchin”, “Korsunsky”, “Maryinsky”, “Nameless” and others - only about fifteen; the rest are small, ringing. Now the Ivanovo bell family consists of 24 bells, but all the large ones have been preserved.
For five hundred years, the ringing of bells on Great Holidays began in Moscow with the strike of the large Assumption bell, causing a joyful upsurge of spirit among Muscovites.
Great is the Lord in heaven,
Ivan the Great is great in Moscow!
So, praise be to you, praise be to you,
Live and bloom, Ivan Kremlevsky,
And, comforting Moscow’s ears,
Sound all the bells!..
A.I. Polezhaev ends his poem “Ivan the Great” with these lines.
The ringing of the entire Ivanov family name, having gained universal fame, became a saying - “Shouting at the top of the Ivanov family,” which spread throughout Rus'. Over time, the word “surname” dropped out, as happened with the word “street” in the song line “along Tverskaya-Yamskaya”, due to the general knowledge of what “Ivanovskaya” and “Tverskaya-Yamskaya” are, and in general due to the desire of popular sayings to maximum brevity.
This is how the expression “To all Ivanovskaya” arose in Russian living speech. But with the breadth of its distribution, its connection with the ringing of the Ivanovo bell tower began to be lost, forgotten, and, in the end, the expression acquired a general, abstract meaning. It is not for nothing that Gogol, Dostoevsky, and Grigorovich write “Ivanovskaya” not with the capitalization of the letter, as one should write a proper name, but with a lowercase one as a common noun.
Bell ringing in the Kremlin was banned in 1918, and only once, in 1921 on Easter, this ban was violated. There were various rumors about this incident at that time, and forty years later the Vologda writer K. Konichev wrote a story about it, “The Last Symphony of Ivan the Great.”
That year, on the eve of Easter, Ivan Dmitrievich Sytin, a well-known and respected publisher, came to the Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee M.I. Kalinin in his reception room. Kalinin greeted him warmly.
“- Why did you come, with what bother, Ivan Dmitrievich? Sit down and tell me.
- Yes, there’s nothing special to tell. I think you, Mikhail Ivanovich, will immediately understand me and, I hope, will respond to my request. Here you are, the All-Russian elder, you have a long journey, a high flight, and I am the elder of the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos in Putinki. This is what I mean: the churches in Moscow are declining... The Kremlin churches have completely died down, there is no access. But we know what order was, say, on Easter: the big bell on Ivan the Great will ring and all Easter Moscow will ring out. The soul rejoices. Now this is the end of Lent. Christ's Resurrection is upon us. Would you allow me, Mikhail Ivanovich, to start the ringing of Ivan the Great in Moscow on this Easter night? Maybe this is the last time..."
Sytin convinced Kalinin, and he obtained permission to allow ringers to visit Ivan the Great on Easter night and begin the festive Moscow ringing with his bells. Sytin, according to Konichev, later admitted that he went to Kalinin with a wish: “If Moscow does not hear Ivan the Great now, then it will never hear from him again.”
After this ringing, Ivan the Great fell silent for many years, almost three-quarters of a century, and only seventy-one years later, in 1992, on the Holy Resurrection of Christ, the bell rang out from the main Moscow bell tower. It was not so loud; only five bells of the second tier were ringing: “Korsunsky”, “Nemchin” and three small, ringing ones. But the main thing is that he called! On Easter 1995, 20 bells from the Ivanovo bell family were already ringing...
But what is the ringing throughout Ivanovskaya, calling on the imagination to help, can be imagined from the wonderful description of N.I. Olovyanishnikov:
“The ringing of the Ivanovo bell tower seems unusually solemn, especially when all the bells ring, which happens on the biggest holidays and on special occasions; it is called “red ringing” and has its own special melody.
On the night of Christ's Resurrection, the red ringing is performed according to a special custom that has existed in Moscow since ancient times. The call for matins begins from the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin. For greater splendor and solemnity of this great moment, all Moscow churches must wait until the huge Assumption bell of Ivan the Great strikes.
At its first strike in the distance, like an echo, the bell of the Passionate Monastery responds, and then at once, as if at the wave of the bandmaster, the bells of all forty forty Moscow churches begin to buzz.
The clock on the Spasskaya Tower had barely struck midnight when the signal bell “candia” of the Assumption Cathedral began to jingle, and, as always happens, the crowd of thousands on Kremlin Square fell silent; and - suddenly they hit... The air trembled, cut by the thick but soft blow of the Assumption bell! A wide sound wave solemnly rushed, growing; it rolled from the Kremlin hill over the Moscow River and spread far around.
How beautiful, how solemnly this thick “velvety” la bemol shakes the cooled night air! The second blow is even stronger, even more powerful. And in response to him, the rolling ringing of a thousand bells of all the churches merged into one long roar.
The joyful sounds are growing more and more, shimmering, splitting up amid the solemn silence of the night! It seems as if they were not generated by the earth, as if from the dark vault of heaven this mighty, harmonious ringing of bells is pouring onto the silent earth, numb in mute reverence.
This majestic “red ringing” of Moscow, this “language of the sky” is best heard from the heights of the Sparrow Hills, especially if the wind is blowing towards Moscow. Then a mass of sounds fights with the flow of air and not immediately, but gradually advances on you, filling the huge space stretching between Vorobyovka and the city.”
The description, you see, is impressive. Maybe someday we will have the opportunity to hear with our own ears the real Moscow red ringing - in full Ivanovo and finally get an accurate idea of ​​​​what the most famous Russian expression means...

Guide to Architectural Styles

Then, in 1505, the architect Bon Fryazin built an octagonal bell tower similar to the Italian campanile on the site of the dilapidated church. It was intended simultaneously for three cathedrals (Assumption, Archangel and Annunciation), since they did not have their own belfries. The bell tower of Ivan the Great with the Church of St. John the Climacus became the highest part of the ensemble. But then it was a tier lower than it is now. Only a century later, under Boris Godunov, the height of Ivan the Great reached 81 meters.

Then an inscription appeared under the dome: By the will of the Holy Trinity, by the command of the great ruler and Grand Duke Boris Fedorovich of All Rus', the autocrat and the son of his faithful great ruler, Tsarevich Prince Fedor Borisovich of All Rus', this Temple was completed and gilded in the second year of their rule. False Dmitry I destroyed it, but under Peter I the inscription was restored.

Before the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Ivan the Great remained the tallest building in Moscow. The bell tower invariably surprised foreign guests.

The Church of St. John, located almost in the middle of the castle), is remarkable for its high stone bell tower, from which you can see far in all directions of the capital. There are 22 large bells on it, many of them not inferior in size to our Krakow “Sigismund”, hanging in three rows, one above the other; There are more than 30 smaller bells. It is not clear how the tower can support such a weight.

In the 16th-17th centuries, the Assumption Church-Belfry was added to the Ivanovskaya Bell Tower, and in 1624, the Filaretovskaya extension with a hipped roof was added.

In the very middle of the square there is an extremely tall bell tower, called Ivan the Great, the head of which is upholstered in gilded tin, and on the bell tower itself there are many bells. Next to this one stands another bell tower, for which the largest bell, weighing 356 centners, was cast under Grand Duke Boris Godunov. This bell is rung only during major celebrations or holidays, as the Russians call them, as well as when meeting great ambassadors and when they are marching to a ceremonial performance. For ringing, twenty-four people or even more are used, who stand in the square below and, grabbing small ropes tied to two long ropes hanging on both sides of the bell tower, ring in this way all together, first on one side, then on the other... But at the same time you need to ring carefully in order to avoid strong shaking of the bell tower and possible danger from its fall; for this purpose, at the top, near the bell, there are also several people who help set the bell tongue in motion...

The Ivan the Great Bell Tower has 22 bells weighing from 123 kg to 7 tons - not a single Moscow church can boast of such “luxury”.

The bells are distributed in tiers. Most of them have their own names - Bear, Swan, Blagovest, Revun, Tatar, Reut, Everyday, Sunday, Seven Hundred. And in the center of the belfry is the most important and largest Assumption bell in Russia, weighing 65.5 tons. The whole set is called the “Ivanovo Bell Family”.

The sound of the bell depended not only on the mass, but also on the composition. Not every master knew the secret of the alloy, and most often the proportions of copper, silver and gold in the alloy were established by inspiration. Moscow bell factories in the 19th century were the best in Russia and received orders even from abroad. Most of the factories were located in the Balkans - behind the Sukharev Tower (modern Balkan lanes).

These factories constantly reminded us of their proximity with loud ringing sounds. In our street there were several vast courtyards, in the depths of which one could see stone buildings with tall chimneys, and in front of them, under awnings on massive pillars, hung large bells, brightly shining with fresh copper. As soon as the newly cast bell was raised here, they immediately began to try it and ring it, and anyone who had the desire and itched their hands could practice this as much as they wanted...
...Our side was a source of the most eccentric gossip and fiction for all of Moscow. From time immemorial, bell makers have established the belief that in order to successfully cast a large bell, it is necessary to spread some deliberately invented fairy tale among the people, and the faster and further it spreads, the more sonorous and sweeter the bell cast at that time will be. This is where the well-known saying “bells ring” arose when it comes to some ridiculous rumor.

The rumor spread during the casting of the bell was supposed to divert the attention of ill-wishers from the bell. The owners of the bell factories believed in this, so they paid a good fee to the inventors of the rumors. If a good bell turned out, the rumor was refuted: it was at such and such a factory that the bell was poured and it turned out to be ringing. If there was a failure, they did not admit to making it up. This is how legends appeared.

One of the “bell” stories said that in the church on Pokrovka a priest married the bride and groom. And when he led them around the lectern, the wedding crowns fell from their heads and landed on the crosses on the domes of the church and bell tower. It turned out that the bride and groom are brother and sister. They were separated in childhood, and when they met by chance, they mistook family attraction for love. But providence stopped the unlawful marriage.
People from all over Moscow came to Pokrovka. Indeed, the domes of the Church of the Resurrection are decorated with gilded crowns. But it never occurred to anyone that the crowns have been decorating the church for almost 100 years, and their size is so large that the tallest newlyweds can fit in the crown, like in a gazebo. Later, a legend appeared in Moscow that the crowns on the Church of the Resurrection were placed by Empress Elizabeth after her secret wedding with Razumovsky.

And once all of Moscow was discussing the incident on the eve of St. Nicholas Day, December 19th. That day the Governor General had a ball, but in the midst of the dancing the bell on Ivan the Great rang. At that same moment, the chandeliers and candelabra in the hall went out, the strings on musical instruments broke, the glass fell from the windows, and a chilling cold blew in. The guests rushed to the doors, but they did not open. The next morning, frozen and crushed corpses were found in the ballroom. The owner of the house, the Governor-General, also died. And although the newspapers announced that the governor-general was alive, rumors about the frozen people circulated around the city for a long time.

Moscow police sometimes got to the source of rumors. The breeders were asked not to spread rumors when the bells were being cast, but they continued to come up with new absurdities. And in Dahl’s dictionary there appeared the saying “Ringing bells” - composing and spreading absurd news.

Bell ringing in the Kremlin was banned in 1918. Only once, in 1921, was this ban violated.

The Kremlin: a mini-guide to the territory

Then Ivan the Great fell silent for 71 years, and only in 1992, on the Resurrection of Christ, the gospel was heard from the main Moscow bell tower. Then only 5 bells of the second tier rang (“Korsunsky”, “Nemchin” and three ringing bells). On Easter 1995, 20 bells from the Ivanovo bell family were already ringing.

It is known that Ivan the Great in old Moscow was also the main watch signal tower. From there, the outskirts of the city were clearly visible at a distance of 30-40 km. Now there is a museum in the bell tower, and at the top there is an observation deck. But you will have to overcome 329 steps, which not everyone can do.

They say that......in Moscow for a long time it was impossible to build higher than Ivan the Great. When in 1723 lightning struck the spire of the Church of the Archangel Gabriel on Chistye Prudy and set it on fire, the fire was called punishment for the builder for erecting the temple higher than the Ivanovo Bell Tower.
...Napoleon wanted to remove the cross from the Ivan the Great bell tower, thinking that it was cast from pure gold. But when one of the brave men dared to get the shrine, it turned out that it was copper. Napoleon got angry and ordered the execution of the unfortunate man.
...there were legends about the strength of the bell tower. They believed that as long as Ivan the Great stood, Moscow would stand. After Napoleon fled from the burning city, many came to see if the bell tower was still standing. Then the Assumption Belfry and Filaret's annex suffered from the explosion of a charge planted by the French. Ivan the Great remained unshaken.

Moscow, Moscow!.. I love you like a son,
Like a Russian - strong, fiery and tender!
I love the sacred shine of your gray hairs
And this one is jagged, serene.
The alien ruler thought in vain
With you, a hundred-year-old Russian giant,
Compare head and - deception
To overthrow you. I struck in vain
An alien for you: you shuddered - he fell!

Research by restorers has shown that the base of the bell tower is only 4.3 meters deep. This refutes the legend that the foundation is very deep. The structure rests on an octagonal stone foundation, and its strength is the result of the skill of the architects: iron piles are built inside the brick walls, and the mortar is mixed with egg yolk. The walls at the base of Ivan the Great are 5 meters thick, and 2.5 meters on the second tier.
...in 1993, the Bank of Russia issued a coin with the image of the bell tower of Ivan the Great with a face value of 3 rubles. But she did not go into circulation.
...in the Assumption Belfry there was the Church of St. Nicholas Gostunsky. And in Moscow it was a custom to come with daughters to the ancient icon of St. Nicholas to arrange a marriage. It appeared because of the legend that Nicholas the Wonderworker helped one impoverished father marry off his three daughters, throwing each a bundle of gold out the window. Since then, the dowryless women hastened to pray to Nikola the Betrothed. Now in the premises of the former church there is a storage room for the Kremlin museums, and the icon can be seen in the Church of the Deposition of the Robe on.

Bell tower “Ivan the Great” in photographs from different years:

Can you add anything to the story about the history of the Ivan the Great bell tower?

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