The bell tower is a special part of any temple. It is a tower on which one or more bells are installed. As a rule, this is a part of the church, it is from there that all parishioners are notified about the beginning of the church service, funerals, and weddings. The highest bell towers in Russia have always been the main pride of any parish. In former times, it was actively used to warn of a fire that had begun or to call for the defense of a city. Bell towers were a mandatory attribute of Orthodox churches. Among them there are really high ones, we will tell about the leaders of this rating in our article.
It can't get higher
The highest bell tower in Russia is located in St. Petersburg. It is installed on the temple, built in 1733. The height of the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral is 122 and a half meters. Until 2012, it was the tallest building in Northcapital.
The newly founded Peter and Paul Fortress was chosen as the place for the cathedral. In 1704, the Peter and Paul Church appeared here, which was consecrated. Already on May 14, the first service dedicated to Sheremetev's victory over the Swedes on Lake Peipus was held.
When Peter I decided to build this temple, he sought to make a religious building that would correspond to the new time. Strengthening the dominant position of the new capital, the emperor intended to create a structure that would be higher than the Menshikov Tower and the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. It was to become the most significant building of the new city. And so it happened.
Construction of the Cathedral
The construction of the cathedral began in 1712. The work was carried out in such a way that the wooden temple remained inside the new building all the time. The project was led by an Italian architect named Domenico Trezzini. It was he who built the highest bell tower in Russia. When the installation of the spire began, the Dutch master Harman van Bolos was involved in the work.
Peter I ordered the construction to begin from the bell tower. The work was carried out for a long time, there was always a shortage of materials and labor, the peasants who were involved in the construction regularly escaped. Finding new employees was not easy. As a result, the tallest bell tower in Russia was completed in 1720.
Initially, the spire was not covered with sheets of gilded copper, it happened much later. The cathedral was finally completed after the death of Emperor Peter I, in 1733. At that time the heightthe bell tower was only 112 meters.
History of the bell tower
After the establishment of the diocese in St. Petersburg in 1742 and until the consecration of St. Isaac's Cathedral in 1858, the Peter and Paul Cathedral was a cathedral. At the end of these events, he was transferred to the court department.
In 1756 there was a serious fire, after which the religious building had to be restored. In 1776, this bell tower in St. Petersburg was equipped with chimes made by the Dutch craftsman Oort Kras.
In 1777, the spire was badly damaged by a storm. Petr Paton undertook the restoration of the Peter and Paul Fortress, and Antonio Rinaldi made a new figure of an angel to replace the lost one. In 1830, this figure once again had to be repaired, this time by the roofing master Pyotr Telushkin, who became famous for going upstairs and carrying out all the work without collecting scaffolding.
In 1858, the wooden structures that still remained in the spire of the building were replaced with metal ones. Changing the rafters was the main goal of this renovation. At the suggestion of the mechanic and engineer Dmitry Zhuravsky, a structure was built in the form of an 8-sided pyramid connected by rings. He also developed a method for calculating the entire structure. After the completion of all these works, the height of the building increased by another ten and a half meters, reaching the current value of 122 and a half meters.
103 bells were installed at once on this belfry. Of these, 31 have been in continuous use since 1757. It is noteworthy that there is also a carillon, from time to timeconcert of carillon music.
City view
From the observation deck of the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral offers a beautiful view of the entire city. A visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress itself is free, but in order to climb the observation deck, you will have to purchase a ticket. The cost of an adult will be 450 rubles, for a student - 250. And once inside, it is possible to buy a passage to the very top. Each adult will have to pay an additional 150 rubles, and a student - 90.
Please note that if your plans also include visiting museums on the territory of the fortress, then it would be reasonable to purchase a complex ticket for 600 rubles. It is valid for two calendar days, allows you to visit the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the prison of the Trubetskoy Bastion, the Grand Duke's Tomb, the exposition "History of St. Petersburg-Petrograd. 1703-1918", the Museum of Cosmonautics and Rocketry. True, to visit the observation deck of the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, you still have to buy an additional ticket.
Four times during the day, excursions rise to the bell tower. Groups meet at 11:30, 13:00, 14:30 and 16:00. For accompaniment, the guide will have to pay an additional 150 rubles for an adult visitor and 90 for a student.
If you wish, you can climb the stairs to the bell tower on your own. This option has an undeniable advantage: in this case, you do not have to push on narrow stairs.
If the height of the building itself is 122 and a half meters, then the observation deck is located at the level43 meters. In the basement of the bell tower, do not miss the three burials that belong to Marya Alekseevna (the sister of Emperor Peter I), as well as the son of the ruler Alexei Petrovich and his wife, Princess Charlotte-Christina-Sophia.
The visitor will find himself at the lower level of the bell tower, having overcome the erased steps. Here you should pay attention to the material from which they are made. This is a natural stone, so it is slippery after several million tourists walked up the stairs.
Flush with the roof of the cathedral at a height of 16 meters is a museum of the construction of the bell tower itself. It details the three centuries of its existence. For example, in one of the showcases you can see an exhibit of the 1733 model of the cathedral, as seen by the architect Domenico Trezzini. During the Great Patriotic War, when Leningrad was under blockade, an air defense post was located here.
Next level at 24 meters. Here you can finally hear the ringing of bells, and the carillon that accompanies it is installed on wooden beams. It is interesting that the very first carillon appeared here during the life of Peter I, but it has not survived to our time. It was possible to restore it relatively recently, in 2003, when the 300th anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg was celebrated. The Belgian Royal Carillon School provided significant assistance in this.
The current carillon is considered one of the largest on the entire European continent. It includes 51 bells, the total weight of which is about 15 tons. And the total weight of the entire tool is 25 tons. Mostthe largest of the bells that make up the modern carillon was cast with the personal savings of the Belgian Queen Fabiola. It has a royal crown weighing three tons.
The smallest of the bells weighs only ten kilograms and does not exceed 19 centimeters in diameter. It is noteworthy that the bells themselves are motionless. In order for the carillon to come into action, a special person controls it from the remote control, to which the tongues of all the bells are attached.
Directly above the carillon is the lower belfry, which is more traditional for a classical Orthodox church. On it, the bells are rung the same way as in ancient times. To do this, ropes are tied to the tongues of the bells. Here the largest bell weighs five tons, it is more than a meter in diameter, and was cast during the reign of Emperor Nicholas II in Gatchina.
At the level of 42 meters, the observation deck is limited in area. From here you have a beautiful view of St. Petersburg. Walking slowly along the territory of the observation deck, you can admire the real postcard panoramas of the Northern capital. Of course, it is better to choose a time for this when the weather is good, but, as everyone knows, the climate of St. Petersburg is so unpredictable and changeable that it is not always possible to guess.
Savior Transfiguration Cathedral
The list of bell towers in Russia by height is presented in this article. In second place is the bell tower, located in Rybinsk, this is the Yaroslavl region.
The first stone temple appeared here by 1660, it was built inhonor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Previously, two wooden churches stood in its place. By 1811, the building of the cathedral no longer corresponded to the population in the city, so it was decided to build a new cathedral. The main difficulties arose due to the fact that it had to be tied to a 5-tier bell tower, the construction of which was completed in Rybinsk in 1804. Therefore, the designers were left with only two options, both of which involved the destruction of part of the existing buildings.
Couldn't come to a final decision for about 20 years. The question was whether to build a cathedral on the site of the Red Gostiny Dvor or the old cathedral. Part of the merchants advocated the preservation of the ancient temple as part of the history of the city, the other did not want to lose the Gostiny Dvor, pursuing, first of all, mercantile interests. In 1838, they decided to dismantle the old temple and immediately begin the construction of a new one.
In 1845, the main construction work was completed, six years later the interior decoration was completed. The cathedral and the bell tower, built even earlier, were connected by a gallery, so a single architectural complex was designed. In 1851, the new building of the cathedral was solemnly consecrated.
The Soviet authorities closed the cathedral in 1929, and almost all the bells were thrown from the belfry. In the late 30s, a project for a bridge across the Volga appeared, which involved the complete destruction of the religious building, but it could not be implemented due to the Great Patriotic War.
In the early 60s, the bridge was nevertheless built, and the cathedral and the bell tower were not only not demolished, but alsorestored. In particular, the spire of the bell tower was again gilded.
In 1996, the bell tower and gallery were transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. The bell tower has a height of 116 meters, being one of the highest in the country. Among its architectural features are corner chambers, as well as stairs that lead to the ringing tier. The decoration is made in the classical style with baroque elements. The design uses 52 columns, which visually lighten the structure, creating the effect of a rapid upward movement.
Monastery
The third place in this ranking is occupied by the bell tower of the Kazan Mother of God Monastery, which is located in Tambov. The cathedral itself was built around 1670 in the south of the city. In 1918, it was closed due to the counter-revolutionary rebellion that took place in Tambov. During the Civil War, a camp for prisoners was organized on its territory, interrogations and executions were carried out. There were especially many victims after the Antonov peasant uprising.
At the same time, the majestic bell tower was destroyed, according to the official version, because of its dilapidation. The revival of the monastery began only in 1922. The multi-tiered bell tower that existed here was built in 1848. During the Soviet era, it was demolished, setting up a city school in that place.
In 2009, its construction began. Two years later, a 20-meter spire weighing about four tons was installed on the structure. This was done with the help of a helicopter. Now this bell tower is consideredthe highest in the Central Federal District. Its height is 107 meters.
Church of Peter and Paul
The bell tower in the Cathedral of Peter and Paul is considered the highest in Russia among those located outside the cities. It is located in the urban-type settlement of Porechye-Rybnoye in the Rostov district of the Yaroslavl region. This is a fairly ancient settlement, the first mention of which dates back to the 14th century.
The Cathedral of Peter and Paul is a five-domed three- altar church with a hipped bell tower. It was built for the gathering of parishioners in 1768, for a long time it was the summer parish of the temple. The ringing of bells was heard in two aisles - Nikolsky and Kazansky. During the years of Soviet power, it was closed, it happened in 1938.
The bell tower in Porechie-Rybny has a height of 93.72 meters. In 2007, it was returned to believers and the restoration of the temple began.
Trinity-Sergius Lavra
Another high bell tower is located in the Moscow region in Sergiev Posad. The height of the bell tower in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra is 88 meters. It was built by 1770. The bell tower in Sergiev Posad is officially considered one of the outstanding monuments of Russian architecture of the 18th century. It is adorned with intricately patterned white columns and topped with a fancy golden bowl.
The construction was supervised by the Moscow architect Ivan Michurin, who changed the original project, as it was supposed to make the bell tower much lower. As work progressesthere were shortcomings in the project, so the architect Dmitry Ukhtomsky had to finalize it. It was he who decided to make the bell tower five-tiered. On the pediments of the first tier it was supposed to place portraits of Russian rulers, and in the parapet area 32 sculptures that glorified human virtues. However, this part of the project was not implemented, as a result, vases were installed on the parapet instead of sculptures. When the construction was completed, the bell tower became one of the tallest buildings in Russia at that time. Its height, together with the cross, was 87.33 meters, which was 6 meters higher than the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in Moscow.
At the beginning of the 20th century, there were already 42 bells in the belfry, and the Tsar Bell, which at that time was the largest in the country, was installed on the second tier. After the October Revolution, most of the bells were destroyed. On the third tier of the bell tower in 1784, a clock with chimes was installed, which was created by master Ivan Kobylin from Tula. The clock worked without problems until 1905, but after that the monastery management decided to replace it with new ones. Near the bell tower itself there is an obelisk in memory of the deeds and events that took place in the monastery.
Red Square
The Ivan the Great Bell Tower in Moscow is 81 meters high. The building is located on the Cathedral Square of the Kremlin. It was built back in 1508 according to the design of the Italian architect Bon Fryazin. It was repeatedly rebuilt and expanded until 1815.
The architectural ensemble of the bell tower itself consists of a pillar, whichcalled "Ivan the Great", Filaret's extension and the Assumption Belfry. Now there is a functioning temple, as well as exhibition halls of museums.
At this place the church was founded in 1329 by order of the Moscow Prince Ivan Kalita. It was named after the Byzantine theologian John of the Ladder. In 1505 they dismantled to start building a temple in honor of Ivan the Great.
The building created by Fryazin turned out to be unique in a number of ways at once. It was very strong, at first the researchers believed that the foundation of the bell tower was comparable in depth to the level of the Moscow River. But then it turned out that the oak piles were driven only 4.3 meters deep, but at the same time they were placed one to the other and covered with white stone, which gives them additional strength. What saves them from rotting is that the piles are constantly in the water, since the groundwater in this place was specially preserved.
Until 1917, services were regularly performed in the church of John of the Ladder. During the armed uprising, part of the historical buildings were fired upon, and the buildings suffered significant damage. Already in 1918, about two thousand people lived on the territory of the Kremlin, among whom was Vladimir Lenin. It is noteworthy that the living quarters were located on the bell tower of Ivan the Great itself. True, after Easter 1918, church bells stopped ringing in these places; a special ban was imposed on this. There is a legend according to which in the 50-60s one of the soldiers tried to break it, after which the tongues of the bells were chained.
When the GreatDuring the Patriotic War, the command post of the Kremlin regiment was located in the Assumption Belfry, and inside the Tsar Bell there was a communication center. After the war, they decided to organize a museum here, where works of art stored in the Kremlin funds are exhibited. Bell ringing resumed in 1992.
For several historical periods, this building was the most significant in the Russian capital. From the 16th century, it became the highest in Moscow, retaining this status until 1952, with some interruptions, until a 16-meter-high residential building appeared on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment.
Cathedral in Kazan
One of the main attractions of the capital of Tatarstan is the bell tower of the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Kazan. Its construction was completed by 1756. At the end of the 19th century, it was decided to build a new bell tower on this site.
It is known that her project was even exhibited at the World Exhibition in 1896. The new bell tower is an independent architectural value, which eventually became more famous than the temple itself. This is one of the highest Orthodox bell towers in the entire country. According to various sources, its height is from 62 to 74 meters. It is located on the central city street in the historical part of Kazan.
In style, the bell tower itself is made of red curved and ordinary brick with white stone. Arched openings, the so-called kokoshniks, are actively used in it. It is interesting that initially this bell tower was not built as a bell tower. On the very first tierthere was a small room that was used for "interviews" with the Old Believers. There was also a church shop. Already on the second floor there was a temple dedicated to the Finding of the Honest Head of John the Baptist.
The work on the formation of the bell tower was carried out in the original style, volumetric and spatial solutions were used, which assumed through passages in the form of arches from the street directly to the Church of the Epiphany directly through the first tier. It was founded back in the days of Soviet power, and it was opened in the 90s. Directly above it was a temple object, to which the main staircase led in the area of the northern wing, which was of great width.
Today, this bell tower remains one of the main attractions of the capital of Tatarstan, by which many people recognize this city. Interestingly, the temple itself was built in the Baroque style, and the bell tower in the pseudo-Russian style.
