Moscow Kremlin Spasskaya (Frolovskaya) tower. Spasskaya tower of the Kremlin
Built in 1491 by the architect Pietro Antonio Solari. Its construction marked the beginning of the construction of the eastern line of the Kremlin fortifications. The tower is located on the site of the Frolovskaya strelnitsa of 1367-1368. Its gates, facing Red Square, have always been the main main entrance to the Kremlin. They were especially revered by the people and were considered saints. The gate served for the tsar's departures, the ceremonial exits of the patriarch, and meetings of foreign ambassadors.
The tower has a tetrahedral shape and a powerful diversion arrow closely adjacent to it, which served to protect the passage gate. They were closed with special lowering iron gratings - gers. If the enemy penetrated inside the archery, the gers were lowered, and the enemy found himself locked in a kind of stone bag. He was fired at from the upper gallery of the archery. On the facade of the tower you can still see the holes through which chains were passed to raise and lower the special wooden deck of the bridge, and in the gate passage there are grooves along which people walked. metal grill. Drawbridges descended from the archery gates.
Above the gates of the diversion strelnitsa and the gates of the Spasskaya Tower from the side of the Kremlin, inscriptions in Russian and Latin are carved on white stone boards, telling about the time of its construction: “In the summer of July 6999 (1491 - ed.), by the grace of God, this strelnitsa was made by order of Ivan Vasilyevich the sovereign and autocrat of all Rus' and the Grand Duke of Volodymyr and Moscow and Novgorod and Pskov and Tver and Yugorsk and Vyatka and Perm and Bulgaria and others in the 30th year of his state, and Peter Anthony Solario did from the city of Mediolan (Milan - ed.).”
Initially, the tower was called Frolovskaya, due to the fact that the Church of Frol and Lavra was located nearby in the Kremlin. In 1516, a wooden bridge was built from the tower across the moat. Already at the end of the 16th century, there was a tent top above the tower, crowned with a double-headed eagle. By decree of April 16, 1658, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered to call it Spasskaya. The new name was associated with the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, placed above the gate on the Red Square side. The icon itself has not survived, but the place where it hung is clearly visible.
In 1624-1625, the Russian architect Bazhen Ogurtsov and the English master Christopher Galovey erected a multi-tiered top over the tower, ending with a stone tent. This was the first tent-roofed completion of the Kremlin towers. Bottom part The building was decorated with a white stone lace arched belt, turrets, and pyramids. Fantastic figures (“boobs”) appeared, whose nakedness, by order of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, was bashfully covered with specially tailored clothes. The tower rightfully began to be considered the most beautiful and slender tower of the Kremlin. Unfortunately, during the superstructure of the tower, the white stone reliefs by V.D. Ermolin, made for the Frolov Gate of the time of Dmitry Donskoy, were removed from its facades. They depicted the patrons of the Moscow princes - Saints George the Victorious and Dmitry of Thessalonica. (A fragment of the relief of St. George is kept today in the Tretyakov Gallery).
In the 17th century, a stone bridge on arches was thrown across the moat to the Spassky Gate, on which lively trade took place. In the 50s of the 17th century, a coat of arms was erected on top of the tent of the main tower of the Kremlin Russian state- double-headed eagle. Later, similar coats of arms were installed on the highest towers - Nikolskaya, Troitskaya and Borovitskaya.
The first clock on the Spasskaya Tower was installed according to the design of Christopher Galovey. In 1707 they were replaced by Dutch chimes with music. In 1763, the clock was replaced again, and in 1851, these last 18th-century chimes were overhauled by the brothers N. and P. Butenop. In 1920, during the repair of the Spasskaya Tower, musician M.M. Cheremnykh and mechanic N.V. Berens, having repaired the clock, picked up the melody of the Internationale on the chimes.
The star on the Spasskaya Tower was first installed in 1935. In 1937, it was replaced by a new one, with a wingspan of 3.75 m. Inside the star, a 5000-watt lamp burns around the clock. The star rotates in the wind, like a weather vane.
The Spasskaya Tower has 10 floors.
The height of the tower - up to the star - 67.3 m, with the star - 71 m.
Spasskaya Tower - the most beautiful and slender tower Moscow Kremlin, its main gate. It was built under the direction of the Italian architect Peter Antonio Solario in 1491. This is evidenced by inscriptions carved on white stone boards placed above the tower's passage gates. From the Red Square side, the inscription is made on Latin, from the side of the Kremlin - in Russian in Slavic script: “In the summer of July 6999 (1491), by the grace of God this strelnitsa was made by order of John Vasilyevich, sovereign and autocrat of all Rus' and the Grand Duke of Volodymyr and Moscow and Novgorod and Pskov and Tver and Yugorsk and Vyatka and Perm and Bulgaria and others in the 30th year of his state, and Peter Anthony Solario did from the city of Mediolan” (Milan.-Ed.).
The construction of new fortifications on the eastern side of the Kremlin began with the Spasskaya Tower. Initially, the tower was called the Frolovskaya Strelnitsa, presumably from the Church of Frol and Laurus. The tower had a tetrahedral shape and was approximately half the height of the current tower. From the side of Red Square, a diversion arch with two side bastions was attached to it. The tower ended with a wooden hipped superstructure on which hung a clock bell. From the diversion strelnitsa, a chain drawbridge was thrown across the moat that ran along Red Square, which was replaced by a stone one in the 17th century.
In 1625, the watchmaker of the “Aglitsky land” Christopher Galovey and the Russian master Bazhen Ogurtsov erected a multi-tiered top on the tower with a high stone tent, on which a new clock was placed. The newly built tower burned down, but was restored a year later.
The lower quadrangle of the tower was completed with a belt of arches decorated with a white stone lace pattern, turrets, pyramids, and sculptures of fantastic animals. White stone pyramids with gilded weather vanes rose in the corners.
White stone statues - “blockheads” - were installed in the niches of the arcature belt. As is known from documents, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich gave the order to sew single-row clothes for them to cover their nakedness (according to the customs of that time, it was considered indecent to display statues without clothes). In a fire in 1654, the statues were burned and crumbled.
The internal walls of the lower quadrangle are double. Between them there are bypass galleries and inter-tier stairs. From the upper platform of the lower quadrangle rose a two-tiered tetrahedron of a smaller size with white stone details and columns in the corners and with a clock - a remarkable technical innovation of that time. Above the clock, the tetrahedron turned into an octagon with open arched bells. The tower ended with an octagonal brick tent with a tiled covering.
Since ancient times, the Frolosha Gate has been considered the main, “holy” gate of the Kremlin and was especially revered by the people.
Solemn processions of the clergy passed through the Spassky Gate; tsars, emperors and foreign ambassadors entered the Kremlin.
It was forbidden to ride here on horseback or walk with your head covered; even kings were obliged to take off their hats. By special royal decree in 1658 Frolovskaya tower was renamed Spasskaya. Its new name is associated with the image of the Savior written above its gates from the side of Red Square.
The Spasskaya Tower repeatedly suffered from fires and therefore was often repaired. Especially big ones renovation work were produced on the tower in early XIX century, after the expulsion of Napoleonic troops from Moscow, and in the second half of the 19th century.
During restoration 1946-1950. The dilapidated white stone parts and cladding on the tower were restored, the weather vanes were gilded and the tent was covered with copper.
Since ancient times, there has been a clock on the Spasskaya Tower. It is believed that they could have been installed for the first time immediately after the construction of the tower, in 1491. However, mention in the chronicles of the watchmakers of the Spasskaya Tower refers only to the 16th century.
This clock lasted until 1625, when it was replaced by a new one. They were installed under the leadership of Christopher Galovey by Russian blacksmiths and watchmakers, peasants Zhdan, his son and grandson, and thirteen bells for the watch were cast by foundry maker Kirill Samoilov.
The watch had a rotating dial, divided into 17 o'clock, and on top - an image of the sun, the ray of which served as an indicator hand. Above the clock there was a two-tier octagon with bells, which housed the hour bells. By the end of the 17th century. The tower clock installed by Galovey fell into complete disrepair. Under Peter I in 1706-1709. A new Dutch clock with music and a 12-hour dial was installed, which was subsequently repaired several times. The clock that we see on the Spasskaya Tower now was installed in 1851-1852. brothers N. and P. Butenop. This is evidenced by the inscription on the clock: “The clock was remade in 1851 by the Butenop brothers in Moscow.” Metal structures with a spiral staircase to the clock inside the tower, made according to the design of the architect K. Ton. During the capture of the Kremlin during the October battles of 1917, the Spassky clock was damaged by a shell. At the direction of V.I. Lenin, they were corrected in 1919 by master N.V. Behrens. The melody of the “Internationale” was set on the playing shaft by the Honored Artist M. M. Cheremnykh.
Spasskaya Tower(until 1658 - Frolovskaya) - the most famous of the 20 towers Moscow Kremlin, goes to Red Square close Execution Place And Intercession Cathedral. The tower's tent is decorated with a chiming clock, which has made the Spasskaya Tower a collective symbol of the Kremlin and Moscow as a whole.
The tower was built in 1491 according to the design of a Milanese architect Pietro Antonio Solari, subsequently built on by an English architect Christopher Galovey together with the Russian master Bazhen Ogurtsov. Initially built from red brick, in different years depending on aesthetic preferences.
The shape of the base of the tower is a quadrangle, which is crowned with a multi-tiered hipped roof with a chiming clock and rich decorative design. Upper part The quadrangle is decorated with a lace arched belt with turrets at the corners and figures of fantastic animals; also in the carved design of the belt you can find images of flowers and shells, and above the chimes - figures of peacocks. Above the chimes there is a belfry; the tower is crowned with a tent with a red star on top.
The total height of the Spasskaya Tower with the star is 71 meters. The tower is adjacent to a massive diversion arch with a drive-through gate.
History of the Spasskaya Tower
During the reign Ivan III In Moscow, a radical restructuring of the Kremlin began, during which in 1485-1495, instead of the old white stone walls and towers, new ones were erected - from baked bricks. The construction of the Spasskaya Tower, designed by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari from Milan, became initial stage construction of the eastern line of fortifications of the Moscow Kremlin; before it, the Frolovskaya strelnitsa was located in this place. Since a ditch was dug under the Kremlin walls, a bridge was built across it from the tower.
In memory of the construction of the tower, 2 white stone tablets with a commemorative inscription in Latin (from the Red Square side) and Russian (from the Kremlin side) were installed above the gate:
At the end of the 16th century, the tower was crowned with a wooden hipped top with a double-headed eagle, but in 1624-1625 another reconstruction was carried out: according to the design of the English architect Christopher Galovey, with the participation of the Moscow master Bazhen Ogurtsov, a multi-tiered top in the Gothic style, decorated with nude figures, was erected over the tower - "boobs". The naked figures on the tower were perceived ambiguously, and by order of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, special caftans were sewn for them, however, the “blockheads” did not have long to live in any case - in 1628 they burned down in a fire. In the mid-17th century, a double-headed eagle was again installed on the top of the tower - the coat of arms of the Russian state, which was later also installed on the Nikolskaya, Trinity and Borovitskaya towers.
Before the Revolution of 1917, there were chapels to the left and right of the Spassky Gate - first wooden, then built in stone, but in 1925 they were demolished.
Initially, the tower, like the archery tower that preceded it, was called Frolovskaya - after the Church of Frol and Lavra on Myasnitskaya Street, where the road from the gate led - until 1658, when Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered to call it Spasskaya, since icons of the Savior were placed above the Spassky Gate Smolensky (from the Red Square) and the Savior Not Made by Hands (from the Kremlin).
Savior of Smolensk and Savior Not Made by Hands
One of the features of the tower, thanks to which it received its modern name, the icons of the Savior of Smolensk and the Savior Not Made by Hands began to be placed above the passage gates.
Image Savior of Smolensky was written in 1514 in gratitude for the capture of Smolensk and placed above the gate from Red Square. In 1521, when Moscow managed to avoid a siege by the troops of Khan Mehmed-Girey, instead of the icon, a fresco was painted on the wall, depicting the Savior with the opened Gospel and the saints falling at his feet Venerable Sergius Radonezhsky and Varlaam Khutynsky. During the years of Soviet power, the image was plastered and for a long time was considered lost, since official documents did not record what happened to it, and experts did not have accurate information about whether it was painted on the wall or was a separate element. When the issue of restoring the icon was raised in the 2000s, it was searched for a long time in the storerooms of art museums, but in the end the image was discovered under a layer of plaster in its rightful place: in 2010 it was cleared and restored.
Appearance of the image Savior Not Made by Hands on inside gate (from the Kremlin) is associated with the plague epidemic that swept through Russia in the mid-17th century. Moscow suffered greatly from the epidemic, but one of the cities - Khlynov (modern Kirov) - was spared; There were rumors that the reason for Khlynov’s deliverance from the disease was the miraculous image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, to whom the residents of the city prayed. In 1648, by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the image was delivered to Moscow. Having placed the original icon in the Novospassky Monastery, two copies were made from it: the first was sent to Khlynov, the second was placed on the inside of the gate of the Spasskaya Tower. Unfortunately, during the Soviet years the image was destroyed and the original icon disappeared; Today, the icon case on the inside of the gate of the Spasskaya Tower remains empty.
Chimes of the Spasskaya Tower
- probably the most famous clock in Russia, because it is with it that Russians celebrate the New Year - chime Kremlin chimes became one of the brightest New Year's traditions peace.
The chimes are installed on the upper quadrangle of the tower on all four sides and have impressive dimensions:
Dial diameter - 6.12 meters;
The length of the minute hand is 3.27 meters;
The length of the hour hand is 2.97 meters;
The height of Roman numerals is 0.72 meters.
The clock has a musical mechanism: the anthem is played at 00:00, 06:00, 12:00 and 18:00 Russian Federation, at 03:00, 09:00, 15:00 and 21:00 - the melody of the choir “Glory” from Glinka’s opera “A Life for the Tsar”.
The clock on the Spasskaya Tower first appeared in the 16th century and almost nothing is known about it. In 1625, according to the project of Christopher Galovey, the old clock was replaced with new ones, which had a unique structure: the clock counted day and night time, indicated in Slavic letters and Arabic numerals, while the hand stylized as the Sun was motionless - the dial itself rotated. In 1705, by decree of Peter I, the clock was remade in the German style: with a dial at 12 o'clock, and in 1770 it was installed on the tower english watch. Modern chimes were made by brothers Nikolai and Ivan Butenop in 1851-1852.
Star of the Spasskaya Tower
The star on top of the Spasskaya Tower appeared in 1935, when Soviet power wished to be erected on the Kremlin towers new symbol to replace the ideologically outdated double-headed eagle.
The first Kremlin stars were made of stainless steel and red copper; in the middle there was a gilded sickle and hammer, lined with Ural gems. The star on the Spasskaya Tower, among other things, was decorated with rays diverging from the middle. Unfortunately, the stars of 1935 quickly dimmed due to the weather, and in 1937 they were replaced by the glowing ruby ones that can still be seen today.
The span of the rays of the star on the Spasskaya Tower is 3.75 meters.
Spasskaya Tower Today it is one of the symbols of Moscow and a prominent landmark on tourist routes.
You can get to the Spasskaya Tower on foot from metro stations "Okhotny Ryad" Sokolnicheskaya line, "Theatrical" Zamoskvoretskaya and "Revolution Square" Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya.
How to read facades: a cheat sheet on architectural elementsAt first the tower was called Frolovskaya - after the Church of Frol and Lavra, to which the road led from the tower. The church has not survived. The prison where the participants of the salt and copper riots languished has not survived either.
The increase in salt tax put the “black people” of Posad in a difficult situation. Under pressure from the population, the government abolished the tax, but decided to collect arrears within 3 years. The abuses of people close to the tsar aggravated the situation, and on June 1, 1648, Alexei Mikhailovich, on the way from the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, was surrounded by a crowd demanding to punish the extortionists.
The next day, the tsar was surrounded again: people demanded the extradition of the villains and even began to destroy the boyars' houses. The Tsar decided to hand Pleshcheev over to the executioner, but the crowd dragged him to Red Square and tore him to pieces. Then Alexei Mikhailovich promised to expel the hated boyars from Moscow. And then the fire started. According to rumors, those close to the king were guilty. In response, the people destroyed the mansions of Morozov, the courtyard of the merchant Vasily Shorin, and killed the clerk Chisty and the boyar Trakhaniotov. The uprising began to wane.
Soon, new reasons for discontent were added to the previous ones: the protracted war against Poland and the depreciation of copper money. Trying to get out of the financial crisis, the government issued copper money, making it equal in price to silver. Because of this, prices have risen and many fakes have appeared. On the night of July 25, 1662, “thieves’ sheets” appeared in crowded places in Moscow, accusing the Tsar’s relatives. The sounds of the alarm floated over the city, and the crowd rushed to the village of Kolomenskoye to see Alexei Mikhailovich.
The king had already persuaded the people to disperse, but reinforcements were added to the rebels. Then the “quiet” king ordered to deal with the rebels. Many people were hurt, but the copper money was abolished.
Treasures found by Soviet archaeologists on the site are reminiscent of that time. One of them contained 33,000 silver coins from the time of Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich.
The name of the Spasskaya Tower was given by the icon of the Savior of Smolensk over the gate.
What is what in the churchTo the left and right of the Spassky Gate until 1925 there were chapels - the chapel of the Great Council Revelation (Smolenskaya), and the chapel of the Great Council Angel (Spasskaya). Regiments left for battle from the gates of the Spasskaya Tower, and foreign ambassadors were also met here. All religious processions They walked through these gates; all the rulers of Russia, starting with Mikhail Fedorovich, passed through them before their coronation. Therefore, the Spassky Gate was also called the Royal or Holy Gate.
In the 17th century, the icon of the table was in a special icon case, and it was strictly forbidden to pass through the gates of the Spasskaya Tower wearing a headdress or riding a horse. For “forgetfulness” they were beaten with batogs or forced to put in 50 bows to the ground. Moreover, when Napoleon drove through the Spassky Gate, a gust of wind tore off his cocked hat. And when the French tried to steal the precious frame from the icon of the Savior of Smolensk in 1812, a miracle happened: the attached ladder fell, but the shrine remained unharmed.
But during Soviet times, the icon disappeared from the Spasskaya Tower and was considered lost until May 11, 2010. In its place was a plastered white rectangle. And during the restoration of the tower, it became clear that the icon of the Savior of Smolensk was not lost, but hidden. Architect Konstantin Apollonov, fulfilling the order to destroy the painting, hid the image under a chain-link mesh and a layer of concrete. This is how the icon was saved, and the safety of the image was 80%.
Now the icon of the Savior of Smolensk is again above the gates of the Spasskaya Tower. And from the diaries of N.D. Vinogradov, it becomes clear that the Kremlin commandant himself allowed the icons to be hidden in any way, as long as they were not visible.
In the 16th century, figures of lions, bears and peacocks were installed on the Spasskaya Tower. It is now believed that these were symbols of royal power (lions and unicorns). They survived, although they were damaged in 1917.
And back in the 16th century, figures of naked people appeared on the Spasskaya Tower. But the church in Rus' did not even allow ordinary figurative images! True, under Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, their nakedness was bashfully covered with specially tailored clothes. But we won’t be able to see this curiosity - time and fires have not spared it. The statues themselves were used as foundation stones.
And during the time of Peter I, mannequins with exemplary clothes of French and Hungarian cut appeared near the Spasskaya Tower on Red Square. Guards stood nearby and, in the absence of those traveling in proper clothing, they shortened their skirts and beards with scissors.
The first clock in Russia appeared on the Spasskaya Tower in the 15th century. And at the end of the 16th century there were clocks on two more Kremlin towers - Trinity and Tainitskaya.
In 1585, watchmakers were in service at all these towers. In 1613-1614, watchmakers were also mentioned under. This work was very responsible and required compliance with the rules: do not drink alcohol, do not play cards, do not sell wine and tobacco, do not communicate with thieves.
At that time, watch dials were huge so that anyone who did not have a personal watch could tell the time. That is, the passage of time in the city depended on the clocks on the Kremlin towers. There was no minute hand on the clock, but it could still be in a hurry or behind by a couple of hours - this depended on the haste of the watchmaker, who manually moved the hands every hour. The countdown was even more interesting: the day was not divided in half, but into day and night. In the summer, the day began at 3 am and ended at 8 pm, which is why the dial was designed for 17 o'clock.
Galloway created the first mechanical clock for the Spasskaya Tower. They weighed 400 kg. Along the contour of the dial painted “under the sky” were Arabic numerals and Church Slavonic letters, denoting numbers in pre-Petrine Rus'. At the same time, the dial rotated, and the arrow looked straight up.
On our watches the hand moves towards the number, in Russia, on the contrary - the numbers move towards the hand. A certain Mr. Galloway - a very inventive man - came up with a dial of this kind. He explains this as follows: “Since Russians do not act like all other people, then what they produce must be arranged accordingly.”
Sometimes watchmakers set up shop right next to the tower. So on the Spasskaya Tower the watchmaker built himself a hut, planted a vegetable garden and raised chickens. And this caused great displeasure among the authorities and residents of the city.
The clock on the Spasskaya Tower served faithfully until it was sold to Yaroslavl. In 1705, by decree of Peter I, a new clock with a 12 o'clock dial was installed, ordered from Amsterdam. It is unknown what melody these chimes played. And they didn’t delight Muscovites with their chimes for long: the clocks often broke down, and after the fire of 1737 they became unusable. And since the capital was moved to St. Petersburg, there was no hurry with the repairs.
In 1763, large English chimes were found in the Chamber of Facets and the German master Fatz was invited to install them. And so in 1770, the Kremlin chimes began to play the German song “Ah, my dear Augustine.”
During the fire of 1812, this clock was damaged. A year later, watchmaker Yakov Lebedev offered to repair the chimes, and in 1815 the clock was started again. But still time did not spare them.
The Spassky tower clock is currently in a state of close to complete disrepair: the iron wheels and gears have become so worn out from long-term use that they will soon become completely unusable, the dials have become very dilapidated, the wooden floors have sagged, the staircases require indispensable reworking, ... the oak foundation under rotted for hours from long periods of time.
New chimes were manufactured in 1851-1852 at the Russian factory of the Butenop brothers. Some old parts and all the developments in watchmaking of that time were used.
The melody was played on a playing shaft - a drum with holes and pins connected by ropes to bells under the tower's tent. To do this, it was necessary to remove 24 bells from the Troitskaya and Borovitskaya towers and install them on Spasskaya, bringing total quantity up to 48.
The question of choosing music turned out to be difficult. Composer Verstovsky and conductor of Moscow theaters Stutsman selected 16 melodies most familiar to Muscovites, but Nicholas I left only two - the Preobrazhensky March of the times of Peter the Great and the prayer “How glorious is our Lord in Zion.” They wanted to play the anthem on the playing shaft Russian Empire“God Save the Tsar!”, but the emperor forbade it, declaring that the chimes could play any songs except the anthem.
In 1913, for the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov, the chimes on the Spasskaya Tower were restored.
But on November 2, 1917, during the storming of the Kremlin, a shell hit the clock. He damaged the mechanism, and the clock stopped for almost a year. Only in 1918, at the direction of V.I. Lenin's chimes have been restored.
At first, they turned to the company of Bure and Roginsky to repair the chimes, but they asked for 240 thousand in gold. Then the authorities turned to the Kremlin mechanic Nikolai Behrens, who knew the structure of the chimes (he was the son of a master from the Butenop Brothers company). By July 1918, Behrens started the chimes again. But since he did not understand the musical structure of the clock, the setting of the ringing was entrusted to the artist and musician Mikhail Cheremnykh. Of course, preference was given to revolutionary melodies, so the chimes began to play “The Internationale” at 12 o’clock, and “You have fallen a victim...” at 24 o’clock. In August 1918, the Mossovet commission accepted the work after listening to each melody from Lobnoye Mesto three times.
But in the 1930s, the commission recognized the sound of the chimes as unsatisfactory: the worn-out striking mechanism and frost greatly distorted the sound. Therefore, in 1938, the clock on the Spasskaya Tower fell silent again.
In 1941, an electromechanical drive was installed specifically for the performance of the Internationale, but it did not save the musical structure. In 1944, at the direction of I.V. Stalin tried to set the clock on the Spasskaya Tower to play a new anthem to the music of Alexandrov, but this also failed.
A major restoration of the chime mechanism, which was stopped for 100 days, took place in 1974, but even then the musical mechanism was not touched.
History of the Kremlin starsIn 1991, the Plenum of the Central Committee decided to resume the operation of the chimes on the Spasskaya Tower, but it turned out that there were not enough 3 bells to play the USSR anthem. They returned to the task in 1995.
Then they planned to approve M.I.’s “Patriotic Song” as the new anthem. Glinka, and in 1996 during the inauguration of B.N. Yeltsin, the chimes on the Spasskaya Tower, after the traditional chiming and striking of the clock, began to play again after 58 years of silence! And although only 10 out of 48 bells remained on the belfry, the missing ones were replaced with metal bells. At noon and midnight, 6 am and 6 pm, the chimes began to play the “Patriotic Song”, and at 3 and 9 am and evening - the melody of the choir “Glory” from the opera “Life for the Tsar” by M.I. Glinka. After the restoration in 1999, the clock on the Spasskaya Tower began to play the “Patriotic Song” instead of National anthem RF.
The chimes on the Spasskaya Tower are unique and completely mechanical.
The dial diameter is 6.12 meters. The dial is so huge that a Moscow metro train could pass through it! The height of the Roman numerals is 0.72 meters, the length of the hour hand is 2.97 meters, the length of the minute hand is 3.27 meters. The entire clock mechanism occupies 3 of the 10 floors of the tower.
The weight of the clock on the Spasskaya Tower is 25 tons, and it is driven by 3 weights weighing from 160 to 224 kg. Now they are lifted using an electric motor twice a day. Accuracy is achieved thanks to a pendulum weighing 32 kilograms. At the same time, the arrows were switched to winter and summer time only manually (to set the hour back, the chimes were simply stopped for 1 hour). And although the accuracy of the movement is almost impeccable, the Astronomical Institute on Vorobyovy Gory monitors the clock.
The clock strike mechanism consists of 9 quarter bells (about 320 kg) and 1 full hour bell (2,160 kg). Every 15, 30, 45 minutes of the hour the chime is played 1, 2 and 3 times respectively. And at the beginning of each hour, the Kremlin chimes ring 4 times, and then a large bell strikes the hours.
The musical mechanism of the chimes consists of a programmed copper cylinder with a diameter of about 2 meters, which is rotated by a weight weighing more than 200 kg. It is dotted with holes and pins in accordance with the typed tunes. When the drum rotates, the pins press the keys, from which the cables stretch to the bells on the belfry. The rhythm lags far behind the original, so it’s not easy to recognize the melodies. At noon and midnight, 6 and 18 o'clock the anthem of the Russian Federation is performed, at 3, 9, 15 and 21 o'clock - the melody of the choir "Glory" from M. Glinka's opera "A Life for the Tsar".
The clock on the Spasskaya Tower has become not only a symbol of Moscow, but also a symbol of all of Russia.
By the way, the first newspaper in Russia was also called “Chimes”. It began to be produced in the 17th century and was a long handwritten scroll. It was glued together from sheets on which the most interesting information, collected by the Ambassadorial Order - they were reported by Russian envoys in other states.
They say that......when in old Moscow a merchant went to the doctor with a complaint about headache, the following dialogue usually took place: “Where do you trade? In the Kremlin? Which gate do you drive through, Borovitsky or Spassky? So, you need to travel through others.” And this helped, because a revered icon hung over the Spassky Gate, and upon entry you had to take off your headdress. My head was getting hypothermic… .
...during retreat French army from Moscow they ordered to blow up the Spasskaya Tower. But the Don Cossacks arrived in time and extinguished the already lit wicks.
...they built on the Spasskaya Tower to protect the chimes from the rain. But there were clocks on other Kremlin towers. In fact, they tried to give this Jerusalem Tower (leading to the Moscow Jerusalem Temple) a special look.
...New Year begins with the first or last strike of the Kremlin chimes. But in fact, the change of year occurs with the beginning of the clock chime - 20 seconds before the first strike of the bell. And the 12th strike ends the first minute of the New Year.
Spasskaya Tower in photographs from different years:
Would you like to add something to the story about the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin?The Spasskaya Tower is an integral part of Red Square and the Moscow Kremlin. The tower is the main entrance to the Kremlin, due to which it has gained great popularity among Russians and tourists from different countries. Almost everyone who has visited Red Square has a photo in their archive with the tower in the background. This majestic structure attracts the attention of everyone passing by. And it makes you raise your head and admire the majestic building.
The Spasskaya Tower was founded and subsequently built in 1491 according to a design commissioned from the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari. The tower became the first and main defensive structure of the eastern wall. Initially, the tower was called Frolovska because of its proximity to the Church of St. Frol. Subsequently, in 1658 it was renamed Spasskaya by order of the sovereign. The reason for the renaming was the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands. Which was installed on the towers. Unfortunately, the icon has not survived to this day, but the place where it stood remains visible to this day.
Kremlin tower
Description of the structure
Reconstruction of the tower
Throughout its history, the Spasskaya Tower has been rebuilt and completed (reconstructed) more than once. In the seventeenth century, the tower received a new look. Due to the built-on stone tent. The superstructure was designed and built under the supervision of architects Galoev and Ogurtsov. At the top of the tower there was a high spire with two main eagle. Symbol of the Russian Empire. In 1935, the eagle was removed from the spire and replaced with a red five-pointed star. In 1937, the star was replaced again with another star larger size. The star also gained the ability to rotate from wind currents.
An interesting incident from the history of “Napoleon and the Tower”
When Napoleon ruled Moscow. It destroyed many historical and significant buildings. And when he began to destroy the Kremlin, the defenders managed to recapture the Spasskaya Tower and preserve it in its original form.
The Spasskaya Tower is the Kremlin Tower and is located between the Senate and Tsarskaya towers. If you are in Moscow, be sure to visit the famous tower. Also, if you liked the article, be sure to leave your review in the comments or subscribe to one of our channels. And receive the latest articles and photos for them.
