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(Redirected from Ivan the Great Belltower) Church tower in Moscow, Russia

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Church in Moscow, Russia

Ivan the Great Bell Tower
Колокольня Ивана Великого
Ivan the Great Bell Tower, with Assumption Belfry on the left

55°45′3″N 37°37′5″E / 55.75083°N 37.61806°E / 55.75083; 37.61806
Location	Moscow
Country	Russia
Denomination	Russian Orthodox
Website	www.kreml.ru
Architecture
Style	Russian
Completed	1508; 516 years ago (1508)

The Ivan the Great Bell Tower (Russian: Колокольня Иван Великий, romanized: Kolokol'nya Ivan Velikiy) is a church tower inside the Moscow Kremlin complex. With a total height of 81 metres (266 ft), it is the tallest tower and structure of the Kremlin. It was built in 1508 on Cathedral Square for the three Russian Orthodox cathedrals, namely the Assumption (closest to the tower), the Archangel and the Annunciation, which do not have their own belfries. It serves as a part of Moscow Kremlin Museums.

History

From 1329, Moscow's first stone bell tower stood on this site, affiliated with the Church of St. Ivan of the Ladder-under-the Bell, hence the name "Ivan" in the title. This church was erected by Grand Duke Ivan Kalita, and was one of the first to be built in Moscow out of stone, rather than wood. During Grand Duke Ivan III’s major renovation of the Kremlin, he hired an Italian architect to replace this church. Construction was begun in 1505, the year of Ivan’s death, and was completed three years later under his son Vasily III. Vasilly also ordered that a new and unprecedentedly large tower be erected on the foundations of the old tower as a monument to honour his father.

The new bell tower, completed in 1508, originally had two belfries on different levels and a height of around 60 meters. Because of its height, the tower also served as an observation point against fires and the approach of enemies.

There's a popular yet disputable legend, that when Napoleon captured Moscow in 1812 after the Battle of Borodino, he heard that the cross on the central dome of the Annunciation Cathedral had been cast in solid gold, and immediately gave orders that it should be taken down. But he confused the cathedral with the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, which only had a gilded iron cross. This cross resisted all attempts of French equipment and engineers to remove it from the tower. It was only after a Russian peasant volunteered to climb up to the dome that the cross was lowered on a rope. When he went up to Napoleon seeking a reward, the latter had him shot out of hand as a traitor to his fatherland.

Architecture

The Ivan the Great Bell Tower is an ensemble with three components. All of the buildings are made of brick, and are whitewashed in accord with the neighboring buildings of Cathedral Square.

Bells

The Ivan the Great Bell Tower today contains 22 bells. Of these, 18 small bells hang in the base and in the middle of the bell tower.

References

"The War with Napoleon". Vladimir A Lagutin. 2003. Archived from the original on 2011-08-12.

Bibliography

Klein, Mina. The Kremlin: Citadel of History. MacMillan Publishing Company (1973). ISBN 0-02-750830-7
Tropkin, Alexander. The Moscow Kremlin: history of Russia's unique monument. Publishing House "Russkaya Zhizn" (1980). ASIN: B0010XM7BQ

External links

Official Home Page
Ivan the Great Bell Tower Complex – museum site

Records
Preceded byNone	Tallest Building in the Russian Empire 1721—1733 81.1 m	Succeeded byPeter and Paul Cathedral
Preceded byNone	Tallest Building in the Tsardom of Russia 1547—1721 81.1 m	Succeeded byNone
Preceded byTroitskaya Tower	Tallest Building in the Grand Duchy of Moscow 1508—1547 81.1 m	Succeeded byNone
Preceded byTroitskaya Tower	Tallest Building in Moscow 1508—1952 81.1 m	Succeeded byKotelnicheskaya Embankment Building

v t e Kremlin and Red Square
Kremlin Wall and Towers	Borovitskaya Vodovzvodnaya Blagoveshenskaya Tainitskaya Pervaya Bezymyannaya Vtoraya Bezymyannaya Petrovskaya Beklemishevskaya Konstantino-Eleninskaya Nabatnaya Tsarskaya Spasskaya Senatskaya Nikolskaya Uglovaya Arsenalnaya Srednyaya Arsenalnaya Troitskaya Kutafya Komendantskaya Oruzheynaya
Administrative buildings	Kremlin Senate Kremlin Arsenal Amusement Palace State Kremlin Palace Grand Kremlin Palace Terem Palace The Armory Palace of Facets Tsarina's Golden Chamber State Historical Museum
Churches	Cathedral of the Assumption Cathedral of the Annunciation Cathedral of the Archangel Ivan the Great Bell Tower Church of the Deposition of the Robe Nativity Church Patriarch's Palace and the Church of the Twelve Apostles Verkhospassky Cathedral and the Terem Churches Saint Basil's Cathedral Kazan Cathedral
Squares and gardens	Red Square Ivanovskaya Square Cathedral Square Taynitsky Garden Grand Kremlin Public Garden Alexander Garden Manezhnaya Square
Monuments	Kremlin Wall Necropolis Monument to Minin and Pozharsky Monument to Grand Duke Sergey Alexandrovich Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Lobnoye Mesto Tsar Cannon Tsar Bell Alexander Garden Obelisk Red Porch Iberian Gate and Chapel Lenin's Mausoleum
Former	Ascension Convent Chudov Monastery Armorial Gate Robespierre Monument Kremlin Presidium (Building 14)

v t e Bells
Background and terminology	Bell Bell-cot Bellfounding Bell-gable Bell pattern Bell tower / Campanile Bell-ringer Bell shrine Belfry Bourdon Campanology (index) Peal Ring of bells Strike tone Striking clock Zvonnitsa
Types	Agogô Altar bell Aluphone Babendil Bell tree Bianzhong Bicycle bell Bonshō Call bell Cat bell Church bell Cowbell Crotal bell Dead bell Doorbell Dōtaku Ghanta Handbell Jingle bell Kane Mini-ring Ship's bell Servant bell Standing bell Suzu Tintinnabulum Tubular bells
Ringing styles	Chiming Carillon Chime Canpanò Ellacombe apparatus Russian Orthodox bell ringing Blagovest Full circle ringing Change ringing Call changes Method ringing Bolognese bell ringing Veronese bell ringing
Notable bells	List of heaviest bells Balangiga bells Bell of Good Luck Bell of King Seongdeok Big Ben Freedom Bell Great Bell of Dhammazedi Great Tom Ivan the Great Bell Tower Japanese Peace Bell Justice Bell Liberty Bell Maria Gloriosa Mingun Bell Bells of Notre-Dame de Paris Olympic Bell Petersglocke Sigismund Bell Swan Bells Temple Bell (Boston) Tsar Bell World Peace Bells Kentucky Yongle Big Bell
Bell founders and foundries	Bergholtz [sv] Bilbie family Andrey Chokhov Cockey Royal Eijsbouts Kashpir Ganusov Vanden Gheyn Gillett & Johnston Grassmayr Miles Graye Hatch Pieter and François Hemony Christopher Hodson Franciscus Illenfeld Juutila Marinelli McShane Meneely John Murphy Olsen Nauen Glockengießerei Otto Paccard Petit & Fritsen Richard Phelps Rudhall John and William Rufford Saarlouiser Glockengießerei Schilling [de] Taylor Hugh Watts Warner Whitechapel Geert van Wou
Related	Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers Glockenmuseum Stiftskirche Herrenberg Liberty Bell Memorial Museum Liberty Bell Museum National Bell Festival Ringing organizations Freedom Bell, American Legion All the Bells

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