Church of John of the Ladder. Moscow Dormition belfry. Architectural ensemble of the building

The bell tower, called "Ivan the Great", was erected in 1505-1508. by the Italian architect Bon Fryazin instead of the disassembled white-stone church of the “like under the bells” type, erected under Ivan Kalita on Cathedral Square.

According to chronicle data, in May 1329, on the Cathedral Square of the Kremlin, the church of St. John of the Ladder, a Byzantine theologian who lived in the 6th-7th centuries, the author of the treatise "The Ladder" (from the Old Slavonic "ladder"). The earliest information about the existence in the sacred topography of Moscow of the throne of St. John of the Ladder dates back to the reign of Ivan Kalita, from 1325 to 1340.

Although the Ivan the Great Bell Tower is one of the key monuments of medieval Russian architecture, the reasons for the consecration of the throne of the main church-bell tower of Moscow, as well as the church of 1329, are still unknown to St. John of the Ladder. According to one version, the throne was dedicated to the patron saint of one of the members of the grand-ducal family, possibly the son of Kalita, Ivan Ivanovich Krasny. According to another, both princes, son and father, had one saint as patron - John of the Ladder. However, other saints are depicted on the seals attached to the spiritual letters of these princes. Therefore, the researcher Ivan Yegorovich Zabelin suggested that the choice of dedication and the idea of ​​construction were politically motivated: the temple was built according to a vow after a successful bloodless campaign against Pskov, where Prince Alexander Mikhailovich of Tver was hiding. Many share the position of I.E. Zabelin even today, however, his opinion is a hypothesis. (A. Batalov. Ivan the Great Bell Tower of the Moscow Kremlin. Museum Guide, 2013).

Little is known about the history of the church. According to the researchers, the temple erected in three months was most likely of small size. In 1346, during the reign of Grand Duke Simeon Proud, the Church of St. John of the Ladder was painted; in the same year, a certain master "Borisco", judging by the nickname given in one of the chronicles, - a Roman - of Italian origin, cast bells for her - three large evangelists and two small, ringing ones. In 1475, the chronicle mentions sarcophagi with the relics of Moscow saints, transferred under the vaults of the church from the Assumption Cathedral during the construction of a new church.

The temple of 1329 was dismantled, probably at the end of the spring of 1505. Contrary to the established tradition, the construction of the new stone church of John of the Ladder, judging by some reports of the chronicle and the opinion of researchers, was already carried out in another place, much further to the east. In 1913, possible remains of the first church of the 14th century were discovered during earthworks on Cathedral Square: fragments of the base of a small octagonal white stone structure, found to the west of the contemporary church-bell tower. However, the find was considered an 18th-century chapel, partly demolished, partly covered up again. (Kavelmaher V.V., Panova V.D. Remains of a white-stone temple of the XIV century on the Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin // Culture of medieval Moscow of the XIV-XVII centuries. M., 1995)

Photo: Church of St. John of the Ladder with the bell tower of Ivan the Great in the Kremlin

The Ivan the Great Bell Tower occupies a special place in the list of masterpieces of world and Russian architecture and is considered one of the main decorations of Moscow.

Its history is full of mystical secrets that researchers cannot unravel to this day.

History of the bell tower

The history of the Ivanovo Pillar is directly connected with the formation of the Russian state.

Church of John of the Ladder

The Monk John of the Ladder was a Byzantine theologian, the author of the doctrine of spiritual rebirth and the treatise The Ladder. It was in honor of this saint that a church was erected in 1329 by order of the Moscow prince Ivan Kalita.

There is a version that the temple was built in accordance with the vow that Kalita gave before the campaign of the Moscow squad to Pskov. Luck accompanied Ivan Danilovich, and he kept his vow.

So in just three months there was Church of John of the Ladder. It had the shape of an octagon with semi-columns at the corners.

The internal cruciform space of the church of St. John of the Ladder, excluding the altar, was small in size - only five by five meters.

The Church of St. John of the Ladder in the Moscow Kremlin stood for more than 170 years, was dismantled in 1505, but took its place in history as the first stone church under the ringing known to researchers, the first pillar-shaped church-bell tower and the first temple built between two cathedrals.

Construction and foundation of the bell tower

The Temple of Ivan the Great did not lack talented architects. Therefore, it is rather difficult to answer the question of who built it.

When at the beginning of the sixteenth century old temple was dismantled, a new church was erected on the east side. Who is she named after? The name of the temple was given by Ivan III.

The construction was led by the Italian architect Bon Fryazin. He completed his masterpiece in 1508.

The building had no analogues in terms of strength due to the unique foundation and revolutionary methods of construction at that time.

In 1600, under Boris Godunov, the now Russian architect Fyodor Kon built the third tier of the bell tower. IN Height of Ivan the Great Bell Tower in Moscow- 81 meters.

There is a metropolitan legend about a ban on the construction of bell towers above the belfry of Ivan III. Until 1860, when the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was erected, the bell tower remained the tallest building in Moscow.

historical destiny

The temple had to go through many trials.

Troubled times, invasions of foreign conquerors and political ambitions of domestic atheists more than once threatened the very existence of the pillar of Ivan III:

1. False Dmitry was going to build a church there for the Polish subjects of Marina Mniszek.
2. Napoleon ordered to blow up the Kremlin. This decision became fatal. The explosions turned the Assumption Belfry and Filaret's Annex into ruins, tore off the cross from the dome of the bell tower, and led to the formation of a crack on the third tier. However, the bell tower itself survived. Already on December 12, 1813, the bells of the pillar of Ivan III were again sung, inviting Muscovites to a church service.
3. There is a legend that in the 1950s or 1960s, someone tried to break the ban on ringing bells, after which their tongues were chained.
4. The Soviet leaders silenced the belfry for seventy-five years.

Only on Easter 1992 did the bells sound again.

In 1624, the architect Ogurtsov created the Filaret extension, named after Patriarch Filaret.

The architect of the extension tent was the Englishman Thaler, who worked during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich.

By the end of the 17th century, the belfry became one of the symbols of Moscow.

From the bell tower there was a magnificent view of the surrounding area, and the approach of enemy troops could be seen 30 (!) Kilometers away.

The building of the Assumption Bell Tower, attached to the northern edge of the bell tower, was erected in 1815 on the foundation of an old building of the 16th century destroyed in 1812.

These structures have become an integral part of the bell tower.

Postwar restoration

Large-scale reconstruction of the bell tower has always been hampered by something: wars and post-war devastation, lack of funds, disputes between architects. However, the Filaretovskaya annex and the belfry, destroyed by the French, were rebuilt in 1819.

The first major restoration took place in 2005.

Masters made a complete re-equipment and adapted ancient buildings for museum operation, and the facades and exterior interiors of the bell tower were prepared for museum display.

Current position

Nowadays, the architectural object is used both for its intended purpose and as a museum exposition.

Today, exhibitions of the Moscow Kremlin Museum and other Russian and foreign museum collections are organized on the first floor of the Assumption Belfry.

To complete the picture, visitors are shown a video projection of the reconstruction of the cathedral, using the whitewashed walls of the bell tower for this.

Periodically, all projections are turned off, leaving only the backlight, and visitors get the opportunity to view the preserved interiors of the bell tower.

Conventionally, this museum can be divided into three expositions: the bell tower itself or parts of it highlighted by light, preserved fragments of the Kremlin buildings and virtual exhibits.

An observation deck is open on the upper tier of the bell tower.

Visitors can climb it in the warm season, breaking the path of 329 steps.

Location of the building

We can say that the Ivanovo Pillar is a kind of architectural center of the Moscow Kremlin, uniting all its buildings into a single whole.

Since the pillar of Ivan III is part of the architectural ensemble of the center of Moscow, there are many world-famous sights nearby:

• Assumption Cathedral;
• Cathedral of the Archangel;
• Patriarchal Chamber;
• Faceted Chamber;
• Church of the Deposition of the Robe;
• The Tsar Bell;
• Tsar Cannon.

Thus, a tourist who intends to visit the bell tower will inevitably see other masterpieces of Moscow architecture.

How to get there

In order to see the bell tower of Ivan III with your own eyes, appreciate its scale and enjoy the architectural delights, tourists should focus on a simple address - Moscow, the Kremlin, Cathedral Square.

There are four metro lines to get to the center of the Russian capital:

• Sokolnicheskaya line - stations "Library named after Lenin" and "Okhotny Ryad";
• Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya line - Borovitskaya station;
• Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line - station "Revolution Square";
• Filevskaya line - Aleksandrovsky Sad station.

Operating bells

Made by Russian and foreign craftsmen, the bells are located on all three tiers of the bell tower.

The most massive and bass ones are on the gallery of the first tier, and the light and melodic ones are at the top:

1. There are three bells on the Assumption Belfry and Filaret's Annex.
2. In the central opening is the second largest after the Tsar Bell and the largest of the currently operating bells - the Assumption. It is decorated with portraits of Emperor Alexander I and his family, images of Christ, the Mother of God, John the Baptist, Metropolitans Peter and Alexy, and the composition "Assumption Mother of God". The weight of the tongue of the bell, whose diameter reaches 4.3 meters, is 1.75 tons, and the bell itself weighs about 65 tons 320 kilograms. The Assumption bell is considered the best in tone and sound.
3. Bell Howler weighing 32 tons 760 kg was made by decree of Tsar Mikhail Romanov in 1622 by craftsman Andrei Chokhov, the author of the Tsar Cannon.
4. The Lenten or Seven Hundred Bell weighs 13 tons 71 kg and is located on the Filaret Annex.
5. The oldest of the bells is the Bear. He is so named for his powerful voice and deep sound.
6. The Swan bell got its name for the ringing, similar to the cry of a swan.
7. The Novgorod bell was first cast under Ivan IV for Sophia Cathedral Novgorod. Then he was transferred to Moscow. Nearby are the bells Wide, Slobodskoy and Rostov.
8. On the second tier of the belfry are the Korsunsky bell, Nemchin New Uspensky, Danilovsky, Lyapunovsky, Maryinsky, Deaf, First and Second nameless bells.
9. The third tier is formed by smaller bells.

Architectural ensemble of the building

The base of the belfry is built of white stone. Then comes the masonry of large bricks, fastened with strong iron ties. The lower floors of the bell tower, representing an almost continuous array, merged into a single powerful monolith with the foundation.

This architectural ensemble closes with east side Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin.

The walls of the lower tier reach a width of five meters.

The second tier of the bell tower, as it were, repeats the first: the lower part is a solid array with several narrow windows, and above them is an open gallery where the bells are located.

The walls of the second tier are twice as thin as the walls of the lower one. Such repetition of the forms of both octahedrons with a more massive lower part and a lighter upper part visually emphasizes the aspiration of the entire structure upwards.

Architects involved in the construction and reconstruction of the Ivanovo Pillar:

• Bon Fryazin;
• Petrok Malaya;
• Fedor Horse;
• Bazhen Ogurtsov;
• John Thaler;
• Domenico Gilardi;
• Konstantin Ton.

The Temple of Ivan III combined the characteristic features of the architecture of two eras: strict structural forms of the 15th and decorative finishes of the 16th centuries.

Opportunities to visit the bell tower

The room inside the Assumption Belfry was converted into a museum. The museum, located inside the Assumption Belfry, contains ancient artifacts illustrating the architectural history of the Kremlin.

In this collection, visitors can see fragments of existing and already disappeared buildings.

The exhibition hall houses mobile expositions.

Ticket price in 2018 - 250 rubles.

The value of the building

Time spares no one and nothing. People are leaving. Buildings crumble and collapse. Crack and lose the purity of the sound of the bell.

However, the pillar of Ivan the Great was an exception to the rule.

His bells have repeatedly tried to silence, and the church itself was destroyed.

She withstood the pressure of time and human hatred, becoming an object of worship for children and adults.

And today, during services in the Kremlin cathedrals, the voices of these bells are heard over Moscow, which, like people, have their own names. The golden-domed temple proudly rises above the worldly bustle, proving to all of us that true art is inseparable from faith, and together they are able to work miracles.

Video about the past and present of the bell tower

In this video you can get acquainted with the past and present of the famous object.

The Ivan the Great Bell Tower is included in the architectural ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin together with the Church of St. John of the Ladder, located at the base, forming a single church-bell tower. The temple belongs to the famous monuments of ancient Russian architecture, along with the Assumption Cathedral. After the addition in 1600, the bell tower was the tallest building in Russia until the beginning of the 18th century. The height of the bell tower is 81 m.

Story.

In 1329 Ivan Kalita founded here the church of John of the Ladder "under the bells" in honor of the birth of his son, John.

John of the Ladder - religious Byzantine writer of the 7th century. The main work of his life was the famous work "Paradise Ladder, Spiritual Tablets" (the original name of the ancient Greek "Κλῖμαξ" .), where the path of man to God was figuratively presented,

along the steps of that spiritual Ladder, along which a person, step by step, with deeds and zeal, makes his difficult and long ascent to heaven.

The work of John of the Ladder consists of 30 chapters, which are "steps" of virtues, along which a Christian must ascend on the path to spiritual perfection:

• Steps 1-4. Struggle with worldly turmoil: impartiality, wandering
• Steps 5-7. Sorrows on the way to true bliss: repentance, memory of death
• Steps 8-17. The fight against vices: silence, truthfulness, absence of despondency and laziness, fight against gluttony, chastity
• Steps 18-26. Overcoming obstacles in the ascetic life: lack of pride, meekness, simplicity and gentleness, humility
• Steps 27-29. soul world: prayer, dispassion
• Step 30. top of the road- the union of the three main virtues: faith, hope and love.

The Kremlin bell tower, built in the very heart of Moscow, has become an architectural and symbolic image of the Ladder, symbolizing the ascent to heaven.

The building was octagonal on the outside and cruciform inside, arches for bells were cut in the second tier - as in the surviving churches "under the bells" of Spas-Kamensky and. The church was conceived as one common belfry for the Kremlin cathedrals.

In 1505, during the general restructuring of the Kremlin, the bell tower with the church was dismantled by invited Italian craftsmen, on this site the Italian architect, nicknamed Bon Fryazin, built a new two-tier bell tower, also with a church at the base of the pillar. The construction was dedicated to the memory of Ivan III, who died that year, and was completed in 1508.

The catchphrase "in all Ivanovskaya" appeared precisely thanks to the bell tower of Ivan the Great. In the old days, next to it was Ivanovskaya Square, where royal decrees were announced and sentences were carried out. The high stone bell tower seemed like a miracle; there was nothing like it in Rus'.

In 1532, another Italian architect, Petrok Maly, a student and apprentice of the famous Aristotle Fioravanti, added the Assumption Belfry with bells to this bell tower - the middle part of the modern ensemble of Ivan the Great. A church was also built in the Assumption Belfry.

In 1600, Boris Godunov ordered to build another tier on the bell tower, and its height reached 81 meters.

In the 1620s, on the initiative of Patriarch Filaret, the third, extreme part of the Kremlin belfry was built - the so-called Filaret belfry, with a green tiled tent. There is a historical assumption that it was built simply as a beautiful staircase to climb the Assumption Belfry, instead of the former one, which stood separately. The famous Russian architect Bazhen Ogurtsov, the author of green tiled tents over the Kremlin towers and the installation of the Kremlin chimes, took part in its construction.

The main Kremlin bell tower was the tallest building before the construction in the city it was forbidden to build buildings higher than Ivan the Great.

On holidays, at the stroke of the bell of Ivan the Great, bells began to ring in all Moscow churches. The ringing of bells in Rus' accompanied all great celebrations, marked sad and joyful events, called the Orthodox people to a church service, and encouraged those who could not come to the church to inner prayer. In the middle of the 19th century, master A. Zavyalov cast the Great Assumption Bell - the largest of all the Kremlin bells, and now located on the belfry.

In 1734-35. was cast by Moscow casters Ivan and Mikhail Motorin for the Assumption Belfry, but was never installed, because. cracked during the fire.

In 1812, the Napoleonic troops retreating from Moscow tried to blow up the bell tower. It survived, but the belfry and the Filaret extension were destroyed. In 1819 they were restored by the architect D. Gilardi in the same way as the old ones, but with some elements of the architecture of the 19th century.

After the revolution, the church of St. John of the Ladder in the Kremlin bell tower was closed, and its premises were used for various household and administrative needs. After Stalin's death, the Kremlin was opened to the public, and exhibitions began to be held on the first floor of the belfry. Currently, an exhibition hall also operates on the first floor of the Assumption Belfry, and the scientific departments of the museum are located on the other tiers. During church services in the Kremlin cathedrals, the belfry is used for its intended purpose.

There are 21 bells on the Ivan the Great bell tower and belfry.

Total texts: 2

Palamarchuk P. G. Forty forties. T. 1: The Kremlin and monasteries. M., 1992, p. 59-63

Church of John of the Ladder "under the bells in the Kremlin, on the lower floor of the bell tower, which is called Ivan the Great after this church"

Cathedral and Ivanovskaya (Tsarskaya) squares

"The bell tower belongs together to the Assumption, Archangel and Annunciation Cathedrals, which do not have their own separate belfries."

"The entire complex building of this bell tower consists of three parts. The Ivanovo part is round at the top, an octagonal pillar at the bottom." This is the southern and highest part of the complex.

"In 1329, on the site of the modern pillar of Ivan the Great, Kalita built the second Kremlin white-stone church of John of the Ladder", "consecrated on October 1, 1329."

"In 1329, the stone church of John of the Ladder "under the bells" was built - the first bell tower in Moscow, and maybe in Rus'."

"The church was made of stone, a bell tower was made above it, which had previously served for the Assumption Cathedral, in which there was never a special bell tower, and therefore the church was known under the name "Saint Ivan under the bells" to distinguish it from the Ivanovo Church on Bor and was considered the chapel of the Assumption Cathedral until the end of the 18th century.

After 176 years, the dilapidated church was dismantled and a new one was laid in its place simultaneously with the Archangel Cathedral. "The church of 1329 was dismantled in 1505."

"The new church was built in 1505-1508 by Bon Fryazin; originally it was a two-tiered pillar with the church of John of the Ladder in the lower tier. In 1600, at the behest of Boris Godunov, the bell tower was built on and completed with a gilded dome, which was immortalized with an inscription in gold letters on a black background at the base of the bell tower."

“This inscription reads: “By the will of the Holy Trinity, by the command of the Great Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke Boris Feodorovich, Autocrat of All Russia and the son of his faithful Grand Sovereign Tsarevich and Grand Duke Theodore Borisovich of All Russia, the temple was completed and gilded in the second year of their State of 108 years” - that is, 7108 from the creation of the world, 1600 after the birth of Christ.

After Godunov's death, this inscription was plastered over, but reopened at the behest of Peter I. The last time the inscription was restored was in the late 1970s.

"The lower octagon is divided internally into two floors. Below was a church, above - ceremonial premises, the purpose of which is unknown. The interior of the church is distinguished by the presence of semicircular niches for placing an altar, a deacon and an altar, as well as similar niches on the southern and northern sides. The restoration here revealed the original ("herringbone") floor."

"The bell tower was built to give work to the people who flocked to Moscow during the famine."

"There is an assumption that the Godunov superstructure was carried out by the architect F. Kon. The height of the pillar of Ivan the Great became 81 m." "The architect who built the top of the pillar is unknown; however, they point to a certain architect Ivan Villiers."

"For three and a half centuries, until the middle of the 20th century, Ivan the Great was the largest building in Moscow. It was also used to monitor the approach of enemy troops to Moscow, for fires that arose. On big holidays, crowds of people gathered on the square, waiting for the first strike of a large bell from the Ivanovo bell tower. At his signal, bells began to ring in all Moscow churches, the number of which reached 260. This large bell did not make a ringing, but a kind of powerful deaf One of the poets wrote about him: "... Ivan the Great is buzzing, buzzing, as if from the depths of centuries, a ringing coming!".

"Next to Ivan the Great, there are two of his belfries. The belfry directly adjacent to it from the north was erected in 1532-1543 by the Russified Italian architect Petrok Maly, which is why it is called Petrokovskaya. Its other name is Uspenskaya. triarch Philaret. Hence its name Filaret". "The Filaret part was built in 1624 by B. Ogurtsov".

In the Assumption (Petrokovskaya) part, in ancient times they began to arrange the Church of the Resurrection, which, after completion, however, was consecrated under Ivan the Terrible in the name of the Nativity of Christ. Later it was abolished. But since 1817, the church of St. Nicholas Gostunsky, which operated until 1918, was transferred to the second tier of the Assumption part of Ivan the Great.

"In the old days, there was a square near Ivan the Great, on which royal decrees were read loudly," in all Ivanovo ", as they said then."

"Between the lower and second tiers of Ivan the Great - and there are five tiers in it - there is a high cylindrical void more than 4 sazhens wide, near which there is a spiral staircase above. Here, according to legend, the first impostor, having become king, wanted to build a Roman Catholic church. "

There was a royal decree that for a long time forbade the construction of buildings in Russia that exceeded the height of Ivan the Great. The first to violate it was the Church of the Archangel Gabriel - the Menshikov Tower, erected in 1707 - but already in 1723 its top was burned by a lightning strike. And even in 1913, during the construction of the bell tower at the Rogozhsky Old Believer cemetery in Moscow, a special order was made that its height should be one meter less than the Kremlin belfry.

During the invasion of the French, the bell tower was badly damaged.

"September 2, 1812, when the bell of the Ivanovo bell tower sounded the Annunciation for Vespers, enemy troops entered Moscow.

When leaving Moscow, the French made tunnels in different places of the Kremlin for the explosion.

On the night of October 11, explosions followed: the Arsenal, the Nikolskaya tower and the Ivanovskaya bell tower (Filaretovskaya tower). Heaps of stones filled up the Kremlin, Kazanskaya squares and their environs. The rest of the digs failed, the fire did not reach gunpowder. From failed digs, 60 barrels of gunpowder were taken out.

One part of the Ivanovo bell tower (Filaretovskaya with the Nativity Church attached to it) was blown up and fell into ruins; the other part (Godunovskaya) cracked from top to bottom.

On May 3, 1813, the architects Egotov, Sokolov and Bakarev examined the bell tower and decided that there would be no great danger if the remaining bell tower was not broken, but fixed. An estimate of 391.8 thousand rubles was made for the restoration of the bell tower.

The sovereign sent the architect Luis Rusco from St. Petersburg to inspect the bell tower. Dec 7 1813 Rusko gathered all the architects of Moscow to inspect the bell tower, and also decided not to dismantle the rest. The estimate was made for 253.8 thousand rubles.

Rusko explained:

1. The biggest damage is in the bell tower (Godunovskaya) under the third tier of bells; the upper part, round, is not damaged in any way except for the dome, from which part of the copper sheets and the cross were torn off. From this damage to the bottom there are small cracks that do not mean anything. If you break the bell tower to the third tier or the whole, and then build it, then even then it will not be stronger than the existing one after repair.

2. Little gunpowder was placed under the destroyed extension (Filaretovskaya), which is why the tower of the village and the material remained in place, far from being scattered.

Rusko, a Frenchman, could not stay in Moscow. He appointed the architects Gilardi and Beauvais, also from the French, to restore the bell tower.

“It is impossible to pass over in silence that, according to popular legend, the four-pointed cross, located on the middle, elevated above the other head of the Annunciation Cathedral, is all gold. They say that Napoleon, who heard about this, removed from Ivan the Great an iron cross covered with gilded copper sheets, believing that this is precisely the golden cross. There is a legend that neither Napoleonic technicians nor engineers could remove this cross. But there was a Russian peasant, who, having climbed to the top of the bell tower, took off the cross with a rope. Napoleon immediately ordered the execution of the traitor ".

"In 1812, the building was blown up by order of Napoleon. But in 1814-1815, with the introduction of a number of classic details, two of the three parts of Ivan the Great - Filaretovskaya and Uspenskaya were restored. The restoration was carried out by I. Gilardi according to the project of I. V. Egotov and L. Ruska. The pillar of Ivan the Great survived."

"The Filaretovsky annex most suffered from the French explosions in 1812, which was therefore rebuilt almost anew. In the Assumption part, the top, where large bells hang, was damaged; during the renewal, some deviations from antiquity were made, for example, in the form of windows. The Ivanovo part was almost not affected."

"Now (in 1910 - P.P.) in the lower part of the Ivanovo bell tower there is still the church of St. John of the Ladder, restored by Prof. Mudrov and consecrated in 1822. It was also restored back in 1874 by Moscow banner-bearers.

The head on the bell tower is gilded. The cross is made up of several iron strips and upholstered with gilded copper sheets. It was made again after 1812, and the old one was removed by Napoleon.

It will not be superfluous to note that from the entrance to the bell tower to the lower circle there are 151 steps on a steep spiral staircase, from the lower to the middle 157, and from the middle to the upper 121, for a total of all steps 429.

Under the lower tier of the bell tower, the sexton and watchmen of the cathedrals currently live.

The view from the Ivan the Great Bell Tower of Moscow and its environs, especially in clear weather, is unusually charming: even villages and buildings located 30 and 40 versts from Moscow are visible.

"In 1917, the eastern and southeastern sides of Ivan the Great were damaged by shells, there are many potholes and bullet wounds along the walls."

In the rooms of the bell tower there was a part of the Patriarchal sacristy.

In the mid 1950s. the bell tower was restored. A new exterior renovation took place in the late 1970s. Inside, and even more so upstairs, there is no access for visitors. room former church John of the Ladder is occupied for household needs. From time to time, exhibitions are held in the lower floor of the Filaretovsky part.

An interesting panoramic album was released for the 1980 Olympics. On one side, photographs of the panorama of Moscow from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in the middle of the last century, released by N. A. Naydenov, were deliberately blurred. On the other hand, color photographs in approximately the same sequence, taken in our time - in the absence of the destroyed Cathedral of Christ - from the Ivanovo bell tower.

Separately, it should be said about the bells of Ivan the Great.

"All the bells on Ivan the Great, with annexes, now (in 1910 - P.P.) are 34, their total weight is 16,000 pounds. Some hanging on the Ivanovo Pillar itself have curious inscriptions, but there are few oldest bells. Between them is the Novgorod XV century, poured, as is believed, from the famous Veche.

Here are the bells located in the Filaret extension.

1. Assumption, called in the old days the Tsar Bell. It was cast in the first half of the 16th century, probably by a foreigner, weighing 1,000 pounds and hung on a log frame between the Ivanovo bell tower and the cathedrals. He was only called in emergencies. somehow: after the death of the king, or someone from the royal family, or the metropolitan, and later the Patriarch. Then the bell was placed already on the Filaretovskaya bell tower itself and, having been poured in 1760 by the master Elizov, had a weight of 3551 pounds. During the explosion in 1812, it was completely broken, and in 1819 it was made by a new one, master Bogdanov, with more than 4000 pounds.

2. Reut. Poured in 1689 by order of Patriarch Joachim by cannon maker Andrei Chokhov. It is called Polyelein and weighs up to 2000 pounds in it. This bell is remarkable in that, during the explosion in 1812, its ears were beaten off, which, however, were skillfully attached, and the bell did not change its tone.

3. Seven hundred, or Sunday, having a weight of 798 pounds. The inscription on the bell testifies that it was cast in 1704 by master Ivan Matorin.

4. Everyday. It was originally cast in 1652 by master Emelyan Danilov and weighed 998 poods 30 pounds. Then, under Catherine II, in 1782 it was transfused by master Yakov Zavyalov with a weight of 1017 pounds and 14 pounds. All this is explained by the inscription on the bell. It is called daily by Patriarch Joachim.

The ringing of all these bells together, which happens only on the biggest holidays and especially solemn days, makes a charming impression."

"There are 34 bells on the Ivanovo bell tower. The largest is Uspensky, weighing 4,000 pounds; Reut, or Revun, or Polieleiny, 2,000 pounds. The oldest bell is Medved, 1501, 450 pounds; Tatar - 40 pounds.

In the early 1920s The virtuoso ringer K. K. Saradzhev, who distinguished the subtlest shades of bell ringing, said: “The ringing of Ivan the Great is nothing, absolutely nothing, only dark, deafening, completely meaningless thunder, but the bells themselves are excellent there; there are 36 of them, and in terms of selection, the situation is excellent.”

At present, the number of bells on Ivan the Great has decreased by almost half: "There are 18 bells on the bell tower of Ivan the Great. The largest bell is the Assumption, weighs 4,000 pounds (it was cast in the 19th century by craftsmen Zavyalov and Rusinov)."

To the east of Ivan the Great, the famous Tsar Bell was also installed, whose voice, recently artificially synthesized and reproduced, should have been even lower and "unvoiced" than the sound of Uspensky.

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Sytin. pp. 46-50.

Rozanov N. History of the Moscow Diocesan Administration. M., 1871. Part 3. Book. 2.

Domestic notes. 1821. No. 18.

Nestor, Ep. Kamchatsky. The shooting of the Moscow Kremlin. M., 1917. S. 19.

Tsvetaeva A. The Tale of the Moscow Ringer // Moscow. 1977. No. 7. S. 143.

Around Moscow / Ed. N. A. Geinike et al. M., 1917. S. 176.

Alexandrovsky M. I. Ivan the Great (manuscript) 1936 // OPI State Historical Museum, f. 465, units ridge 12.

Rzyanin M. I. Ivan the Great. M., 1946.

Ivanov V. Moscow Kremlin. M., 1971.

Platonov. Guide: Moscow and environs. M., 1896.

Moscow. Monuments of architecture of the XIV-XVII centuries. M., 1973.

Materials. S. 194.

Istomin G. Ivanovskaya bell tower and churches attached to it. M., 1893. 40 p.

Mikhailov A. I. Bell tower of Ivan the Great in the Moscow Kremlin. M., 1963. 80 p.: ill.

Marshkova T. Guardian of the Moscow ringing // Ibid.

Mashkov's Guidebook = Moscow Guidebook, published by the Moscow Architectural Society for members of the V Congress of Architects in Moscow / Ed. I. P. Mashkova. M., 1913.

Manuscript of Alexandrovsky = Alexandrovsky M.I. Historical index of Moscow churches. M., 1917 (with additions until 1942). State. Historical Museum, Department of Fine Arts, Fund for Architectural Graphics.

Synodal reference book = Moscow: Shrines and monuments. M.: Ed. Synodal Printing House, 1903.

List of Bakhim = Description of Moscow monasteries, cathedrals, temples, as well as prayer houses and chapels, indicating the location and year of construction / Comp. Bakhim, an employee of the Commission for the Protection of Ancient Art Monuments in 1917 (with later additions). Typescript.

Sytin = Sytin P.V. From the history of Moscow streets. 3rd ed. M., 1958.

Yakusheva = Yakusheva N.I. Forty forties. M., 1962-1980 (with later additions). Typescript.

Index of Kremlin churches. M., 1916, p. 18-19

Church of St. John the Scribe Ladder. It is located on the lower floor of the cathedral bell tower, which is called "Ivan the Great" or "Ivan the Great Bell Tower" after this church. Built originally in 1329. Cathedral bells were placed above the church, and the whole building was the first tower-type bell tower in Rus'. In 1505, it was replaced by a new temple-bell tower built by Fryazin Bon. In 1532-1542, the still existing wide belfry for large bells was added; the architect was Fryazin Petrok Maly, the builder of the wall of Kitay-Gorod. In this belfry it was supposed to arrange the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, but since 1555 there was already a church of a different name, the Nativity of Christ. In 1600, the Bonovskaya bell tower was replaced by the present Ivanovsky Pillar, which in Moscow is now inferior in height to the Cathedral of the Savior; below, the church of St. John of the Ladder is still built. It is not known who was the architect of the total pillar, but some of the exterior decorations are purely Russian. In 1624, Patriarch Filaret added a third part of the cathedral bell tower from the north, no longer with a gilded dome, but with a tented top covered with green tiles. In 1812, this Filaret extension was especially damaged by French explosions, so it was rebuilt almost anew. At the Petrokovskaya belfry, the entire top and the large bells hanging there were damaged; during the restoration, some deviations from antiquity were made, for example. in the form of windows; the Church of the Nativity of Christ was replaced by the Church of St. Nicholas Gostunsky. The Ivanovo pillar remained almost intact. The largest bells weigh 4000 items, 2000 items, 1017 items and 798 pounds. Below is the "Tsar Bell" on a special foundation, cast in 1735 by master Mikhail Motorin and damaged by a fire in 1737; in this bell weight 12327 p. 19 f. In addition to the bells and two churches, since 1898, the Patriarchal Sacristy has been placed on Ivan the Great. This is a very rich collection of items of church use and household items of the All-Russian metropolitans and patriarchs, precious not only in value, but even more in historical and artistic significance.