Church of St. John the Climacus 1329. Church of St. John the Climacus above the holy gates. Architectural ensemble of the building

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The Bell Tower of Ivan the Great 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 Ivanovsky Pillar is directly related to the formation of the Russian state.

Church of John Climacus

The Monk John Climacus 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 by order of the Moscow prince Ivan Kalita in 1329.

There is a version that the temple was built according to a vow that Kalita made before the Moscow squad’s campaign against Pskov. Luck was with Ivan Danilovich, and he kept his vow. So in just three months it appeared Church of St. John the Climacus

. It had the shape of an octagon with semi-columns at the corners.

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

The Church of St. John the Climacus 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 known to researchers under the bell, the first pillar-shaped church-bell tower and the first temple built between two cathedrals.

Construction and foundation of the bell tower

The Church of Ivan the Great had no shortage of talented architects. Therefore, answering the question of who built it is quite difficult.

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

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

The building had no analogues in strength thanks to its unique foundation and construction methods that were revolutionary 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 the Ivan the Great bell tower in Moscow

- 81 meters. There is a metropolitan legend about the ban on the construction of bell towers higher than the belfry of Ivan III. Until 1860, when the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was built, the bell tower remained the most tall building

Historical fate

The temple had to go through many trials.

Troubled times, invasions of foreign conquerors and the 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 Mniszech.
2. Napoleon ordered the Kremlin to be blown up. This decision became fatal. The explosions turned the Assumption Belfry and Filaret's annex into ruins, tore 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 sung again, 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. Soviet leaders silenced the belfry for seventy-five years.

It was not until Easter 1992 that the bells began to ring again.

In 1624, the architect Ogurtsov created the Filaret extension, named in honor of Patriarch Filaret.

The architect of the extension's 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 became an integral part of the bell tower.

Post-war restoration

Large-scale reconstructions of the bell tower were always hampered by something: wars and post-war devastation, lack of financial resources, disputes between architects. However, the Filaretovskaya extension and belfry, destroyed by the French, were rebuilt in 1819.

The first serious restoration took place in 2005.

The craftsmen carried out a complete re-equipment and adapted the ancient structure for museum use, and prepared the facades and external interiors of the bell tower for museum display.

Current situation

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

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

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

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

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

There is an observation deck on the top tier of the bell tower.

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

Location of the structure

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

Since the pillar of Ivan III is part of the architectural ensemble of the center of Moscow, there are many attractions nearby that have gained worldwide fame:

• 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

To see the Ivan III Bell Tower with your own eyes, appreciate its scale and enjoy its architectural delights, tourists should focus on a simple address - Moscow, Kremlin, Cathedral Square.

You can get to the center of the Russian capital via four metro lines:

• Sokolnicheskaya Line - Lenin Library and Okhotny Ryad stations;
• Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya line - Borovitskaya station;
• Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line - Ploshchad Revolyutsii station;
• Filyovskaya 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 bassy ones are on the gallery of the first tier, and the lightest and most melodic ones are at the top:

1. There are three bells at the Assumption Belfry and the Filaret Annex.
2. In the central opening there is the second largest bell 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 bell tongue, 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. The Revun bell weighing 32 tons 760 kg was made by order of Tsar Mikhail Romanov in 1622 by master 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 extension.
5. The oldest of the bells is the Bear. He is named so for his powerful voice and low sound.
6. The Swan Bell was named for its ringing sound, similar to a swan's cry.
7. The Novgorod bell was first cast under Ivan IV for St. Sophia Cathedral Novgorod. Then he was transported to Moscow. Nearby are the Shiroky, Slobodskoy and Rostovsky bells.
8. On the second tier of the belfry there are the Korsun bell, Nemchin New Uspensky, Danilovsky, Lyapunovsky, Maryinsky, Glukhoy, First and Second nameless bells.
9. The third tier is formed by smaller bells.

Architectural ensemble of the building

The belfry's base 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 mass, merged into a single powerful monolith with a foundation.

This architectural ensemble closes the Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin on the eastern side.

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

The second tier of the bell tower seems to repeat the first: the lower part is a solid massif 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. This repeatability of the shapes of both octahedrons with a more massive lower part and a lighter upper part visually emphasizes the upward direction of the entire structure.

Architects who participated in the construction and reconstruction of Ivanovsky Pillar:

• Bon Fryazin;
• Petrok Maloy;
• Fedor Kon;
• 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 century and decorative decoration of the 16th century.

Opportunities to visit the bell tower

The room inside the Assumption Belfry has been 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 traveling exhibitions.

The ticket price in 2018 is 250 rubles.

Significance of the building

Time does not spare anyone or anything. People are leaving. Buildings are deteriorating and collapsing. The bells crack and lose the purity of their sound.

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

More than once attempts were made to silence its bells, 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, which, like people, have their own names, ring over Moscow. The golden-domed temple proudly rises above the bustle of the world, proving to all of us that true art is inseparable from faith, and together they are capable of working 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.

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

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

History of the temple and bell tower

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

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

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

Architecture of "Ivan the Great"

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

The meaning of the bell tower

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

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

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Location

Inside Sadovoe

Nearest metro station

Alexander Garden, Borovitskaya, Okhotny Ryad

Address

Moscow, Kremlin, Cathedral Square

Website
Operating mode

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

Weekend
Ticket prices

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

Visiting rules

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

Additional Information

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

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Gallery

Ivan the Great belltower or Bell tower "Ivan the Great", common name Moscow Kremlin church-bell tower in the name of St. John Climacus Moscow diocese

It is located between the Cathedral and Ivanovskaya (Tsarskaya) squares of the Moscow Kremlin and is its compositional center. The church-bell tower is almost directly adjacent to the Assumption Belfry from the south with the Filaret extension, together forming a single architectural ensemble. The Church of St. Nicholas of Gostunsky, located in the Assumption Belfry, is now listed as the chapel of the bell church of St. John the Climacus.

First Temple

The first information about the existence of a throne in the name of St. John Climacus in the sacred topography of Moscow dates back to the year. Chronicles report the foundation of a stone church and its subsequent consecration:

In the summer of 6837, the month of Maya at 21, in memory of the holy orthodox Tsar Kostyantin and his mother Helen, a stone church was founded in Moscow, in the name of St. Ivan the Climacus. The same summer was celebrated and sacred in the month [September] at 1, in memory of the holy father Simeon the Stylite .

The chronicle's report about the construction of the temple in three months suggests that the church was small in size. Presumably this was the first Moscow church consecrated in the name of St. John Climacus. Among the numerous attempts to explain the choice of dedication, the versions that remain relevant are that the temple was built according to a vow after a successful bloodless campaign against Pskov, where the Tver prince Alexander Mikhailovich was hiding, and that the Monk John Climacus was heavenly patron the middle son of Grand Duke Ioann Kalita - Grand Duke Ioann Ioannovich, who was born on the day of remembrance of this saint.

The indication that the temple was "under the bells" makes it the oldest known bell church. The volumetric design of the temple can now be judged only by the results of the year’s excavations under the leadership of P. P. Pokryshkin, during which a part of the structure was uncovered that had a faceted outer outline. In the eastern part, the exedra, which can be interpreted as an apse, and the masonry of the northern and southern walls were exposed inside. These fragments do not provide grounds for reconstructing the building as " medium height a tower-shaped prismatic octahedron with zakomaras, a drum and a dome, made in the likeness of the later pillar-shaped churches “with bells” of the 16th century. A small fragment of an archivolt found in the backfill of the foundation of the successor temple can only be conditionally attributed to the temple built in 1329, which does not allow draw conclusions about its external decoration.

Construction of the Bonovskaya bell tower

According to the chronicle,

At the same time, St. John the Climacus also demolished another church, similar to the bells, created by the Grand Duke Ivan Danilovich in the summer of 6836, and founded a new church, St. John, not in the old place .

This news comes immediately after the message about the dismantling of the old and the laying of a new Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, which took place on May 21 of the year, from which we can conclude that the construction of the new St. John the Climacus Church began in the spring of the same year. Its construction was completed 3 years later, in the year, simultaneously with the Archangel Cathedral and the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist at the Borovitsky Gate.

From the chronicle report on the completion of the construction of three Kremlin churches, the name of the builder of the bell tower is known - the Italian architect Bon Fryazin. The old temple was located between the Assumption and Archangel Cathedrals and could not match the scale of the new cathedrals, which is why Bon Fryazin placed the new church approximately on the same axis with the previous temple, but moved it much further to the east, beyond the line of the apses of the Assumption and Archangel Cathedrals. As a result, a square with trapezoidal outlines was formed, the main axis of which ran through the center of the main throne room of the Faceted Chamber and the new Church of St. John Climacus. The construction of a new church-bell tower introduced the principle of regularity and centricity into the organization of the square.

The new temple, although it followed the patterns of Renaissance architecture and the Italian tradition of bell towers, was distinguished by a number of new solutions that formed the basis for the development of the characteristic Russian tradition of centric bell tower structures. The Bona Fryazino building is a pillar in the form of an “octagon on an octagon” about 60 meters high, with a temple on the first tier. What the completion of the pillar was is unknown: the reconstruction suggesting the completion of the third tier with a dome similar to the completion of the cathedral of the Moscow VysokoPetrovsky Monastery is disputed. Comparison with analogues and analysis of images of the pillar on miniatures from the Front Chronicle of the 1570s suggest that the completion of the temple should have been in the form of a brick tent, similar to the completion of the Italian campaniles. The temple was not painted inside. On the outside, like other buildings by Italian craftsmen of that time, the bell tower temple was painted “like brick” and decorated with white stone details.

The final element that completed the appearance of the bell tower of Ivan the Great was the reconstruction of the third tier and top, carried out under Tsar Boris Godunov in the year. According to the Piskarevsky chronicler:

In the summer of 7108, the Tsar and the Grand Duke ordered the height of the Church of Ivan the Great to be added 12 fathoms and the top to be gilded, and he ordered his royal name to be written .

The superstructure of the temple-bell tower is linked with the start of construction of the new main cathedral - the "Holy of Holies" - within the framework of a single plan to create a universal spiritual center. The architect who built the bell tower is not known for sure - the names of F. Kon or Ivan Villiers are indicated. As a result, the height of the pillar together with the cross reached 81 meters, and the gilded onion dome brought the appearance of the bell tower closer to the Russian tradition.

The new temple - the first multi-tiered pillar-shaped temple "with bells" in the Russian architectural tradition - has become significant in the history of Russian architecture. All known centric, round, octagonal or nine-sided bell structures in Rus' were built after him and to one degree or another are under his influence. Thanks to the bell tower of Ivan the Great, the compositional principle of the dominant vertical was further developed in Russian architecture. For two centuries, the bell tower of Ivan the Great remained the tallest building in Rus'. The height also determined the stable name of the church-bell tower - “Ivan the Great”. The significance of the pillar as the main and highest bell tower of the Moscow kingdom also influenced the formation of the legend that there was supposedly a ban on the construction of churches and bell towers higher than “Ivan the Great”. In fact, the prohibition is not confirmed in documents, but one can find instructions on the order of ringing in Moscow, which began precisely with the striking of the bell on the Ivan the Great. On major holidays, crowds of people gathered in the square, waiting for the first strike of the large bell from the Ivanovo bell tower. The name of the bell tower became part of popular sayings: they began to say about a tall man: “The little boy grew up like Ivan the Great”; loud reading - just as the tsar's decrees were read on the square near Ivan the Great - began to be called reading "in full Ivan."

From the Romanovs to the present day

After the death of Godunov, the temple inscription on the drum of the bell tower was sealed up, but was reopened by order of Tsar Peter Alekseevich. The construction of the new Moscow St. Gabriel Church - the "Menshikov Tower" in the year, which for the first time in Russia exceeded the bell tower of Ivan the Great, marked a sharp turn in Russian history associated with the reforms of Peter I.

The bell tower served simultaneously the Assumption, Archangel and Annunciation Cathedrals of the Kremlin. It was also used to decorate Cathedral Square during special events. In the middle of the 19th century, vats of water for fountains were installed on its second tier, and during the coronation of the passion-bearing emperor Nicholas II, electric illumination was installed on the bell tower. Moreover, all this time the bell tower remained open to pilgrims visiting the Kremlin shrines. The bell tower temple was restored in the year with the diligence of Moscow banner bearers. In - years, the bell tower was restored, and excavations were carried out on the site of the ancient temple of 1329. In the premises of the bell tower, in addition to the temple, there was part of the Patriarchal sacristy (since the year); sextons and cathedral guards lived under the lower tier of the bell tower.

The bell tower suffered damage after the shelling of the Moscow Kremlin in 2010: the eastern and southeastern sides were damaged by shells, and there were many potholes and bullet wounds along the walls. Since then, the Kremlin has become a “closed city” for Orthodox Christians - services in its churches and the ringing of bells in its belfries stopped until the fall of Soviet power. Unlike cathedrals and palaces, the Ivan the Great Bell Tower did not become a museum, but an exhibit in the general museum space of the Kremlin. However, the building was closed to the public. The monument was restored in the mid-1950s and late 1970s.

The bell tower church was formally transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church in the early 1990s, but no services were held. This year, after a 90-year break, visitors were again allowed into the restored Kremlin bell tower. In December of the same year, the opening of a museum in the bell tower was announced, and soon a museum of the history of the architectural ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin was located here. At the same time, as of the year, the Ivanovo church-bell tower was listed active church as part of the Central Deanery of the Moscow (City) Diocese.

Architecture

Analogies with the temple-bell tower of John Climacus are found in the drawings of architectural treatises of the Quattrocento. An example is a pillar-shaped structure with a chapel in one of the lower tiers and a bell in the upper one in Philaret's "Treatise on Architecture" (- years). The architectural plan outlined by Filarete coincides with the principle of combining the temple and bell functions that existed in the Russian tradition.

The decorative motifs used by Bon Fryazin reveal parallels in the buildings of Vicenza, Montagnana, Bologna and Ferrara, as well as the cities of the Abruzzi region: Teramo, Atri, Campli, Corropoli, Chieti. The general approach to decoration also finds analogies in Italian campaniles (cf. the bell tower at the church of San Gottardo in Corte in Milan -).

At the same time, the composition of the Ivanovo Bell Tower has a number of features that distinguish it from similar Italian buildings: firstly, it is a rare combination for Italy of the bell tower and temple functions in one building; secondly, it is a system of internal staircases and rooms inside the pillar; thirdly, this is the accentuated gradation of the entire composition - rare, but found in the construction of towers above the cross in cathedrals, for example in Lombardy. As a result, Bon Fryazin created a type of structure that had not existed before in either Russian or Italian architecture. Having implemented his project, the architect went beyond the boundaries of local tradition, finding fundamentally different forms of combining a church building with a bell structure.

Documents, literature

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• Malinovsky A. F., Moscow Review, M., 1992, p. 42-43.
• Kavelmaher V.V., Panova T.D., "Remains of a white stone temple of the 14th century on the Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin", Medieval culture. Moscow, XIV-XVII centuries., M., 1995, p. 66-81.
• Podyapolsky S. S., "On the original appearance of the pillar of Ivan the Great", Restoration and architecture. archeology: New materials and research., M., 1995, issue. 2, p. 100-101.
• Podyapolsky S. S., Historical-architect. research, M., 2006.
• Batalov A. L., Moscow stone architecture con. XVI century, M., 1996.
• Balashova T.V., “The Bell Tower of Ivan the Great as perceived by contemporaries at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries,” , M., 2008, p. 59-61.
• To the 500th anniversary of the Archangel Cathedral and the bell tower of Ivan the Great Moscow. Kremlin: Tez. report anniversary scientific conf., M., 2008, p. 80-82.

Used materials

• Batalov A. L., "John the Climacus CHURCH IN THE MOSCOW KREMLIN (IVAN THE GREAT)", Orthodox Encyclopedia, vol. 25, p. 20-24:
• Site pages Bell tower "Ivan the Great" network of sites of the Moscow Kremlin Museum-Reserve:
• http://ivan-the-great-bell-tower.kreml.ru/history/view/tserk...iy/ - "IVAN THE GREAT CHURCH-BELL TOWER" History of the city of Moscow with reference to PSRL, vol. 12, p. 157.

  Petrov D. A., "On the origin of the architectural composition of the pillar of Ivan the Great", To the 500th anniversary of the Archangel Cathedral and the bell tower of Ivan the Great Moscow. Kremlin: Tez. report anniversary scientific conf., M., 2008, p. 81.

In the center of the Kremlin stands the upward-looking golden-domed pillar of the Ivan the Great bell tower with two bell towers adjacent to the north. The name of the bell tower indicates that it housed the Church of St. John the Climacus (or Saint Ivan), and also that the bell tower was the tallest in Moscow.

The history of “Ivan the Great” began in 1329, when under Ivan Kalita a small church of St. was built in the Kremlin. John Climacus. The Monk John Climacus, a saint who lived in the 6th century, achieved spiritual perfection through strict fasting and prayer during 40 years of hermitage. He presented his spiritual experience in the form of a teaching called “Ladder” (ladder). In 1505-1508, the dilapidated temple was replaced by a pillar-shaped bell tower, about 60 m high, erected by the Italian architect Bon Fryazin, commissioned by Ivan III. At its base, with walls as much as five meters thick, the remaining area measures only 25 square meters. m placed the former church.

The name of the architect of the upper part of the bell tower, built in 1600, is unknown.

Boris Godunov, who became Tsar in 1598, wished to increase the height of the bell tower. According to Tsar Boris, the added pillar of “Ivan the Great” was supposed to contribute to the exaltation of the new Godunov dynasty. There was another reason for the construction started by Godunov. Famine was raging in Moscow at that time, and the tsar decided to give the people income and distract them from the turmoil. The superstructure with false, black-painted, narrow windows above the beautiful necklace of kokoshniks on the third tier increased the height of the bell tower to 81 meters, and in common parlance it received a second name - “Godunov’s Pillar”. A long inscription in three rows appeared under the dome with the names and titles of Boris Godunov, his son Fyodor and the date of the bell tower's addition. With the accession of Mikhail Fedorovich, the inscription was covered up (in the past, the Romanovs suffered greatly from Godunov’s repressions). A hundred years later, by order of Peter I, it was cleared.

There was a legend among the people that the cross on the bell tower was supposedly made of pure gold. In 1812, Napoleon ordered the cross to be removed. Tradition says that the French emperor wanted to place it above the dome of the Invalides in Paris. However, the cross fell from the ropes and crashed with a crash. It turned out that it was lined with copper plates covered with gold. The new cross was installed in 1813 and is composed of several iron strips covered with gilded copper sheets.

IN XVI-XVII centuries on Ivanovskaya Square near the Ivan the Great bell tower there were buildings of orders - government agencies. Here the tsar's decrees were read loudly, which is why the expression “shout to the top of Ivanovo” came about. Approximately until mid-17th century century, near the bell tower stood the so-called Ivanovo tent - the prototype of the first notary office. In it sat scribes who, for a fee, wrote petitions for petitioners. Punishments with whips were also carried out in the square (usually for bribery, embezzlement or deception). They immediately put thieves to shame, hanging stolen things and food around their necks (not only wallets, but, for example, salted fish). Since 1685, punishment began on Red Square.

For a long time, the bell tower served as the main watchtower of the Kremlin, and later as a fire tower. In 1896, during the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II, electric illumination was installed on the bell tower. Like a burning candle, “Ivan the Great” towered over the city.

Before the 1917 revolution, the bell tower was open to the public. The entrance to it was also the entrance to the church. Above him, in a rectangular stone icon case, now empty, there was an icon of St. John Climacus. At the top there were two observation platforms: one on the middle tier, above the lower belfry, the other above the upper one. To get to the very top of the bell tower, one had to climb 329 steps. Perseverance was rewarded with a magnificent view of Moscow and the surrounding area. In clear weather, even areas located 40 km from the Kremlin were clearly visible.

Assumption Belfry

In 1532, near the Ivanovo Bell Tower, the Italian architect Petrok Maloy, builder of the walls of Kitai-gorod, began the construction of the Church of the Resurrection, later renamed the Church of the Nativity. Then this church was rebuilt into a belfry for big bells, now known as Uspenskaya - after the name of the main Assumption bell. On the ground floor of the Assumption Belfry, before the 1917 revolution, there were apartments for watchmen and bell ringers, and now there is an exhibition hall of the Kremlin museums with a changing exhibition.

On the third tier of the belfry there was once a throne of the Church of the Nativity of Christ. And in the 19th - early 20th centuries, the Church of St. Nikola Gostunsky. It was moved here in 1817, after the demolition of the ancient St. Nicholas Church, which stood on Ivanovskaya Square. Ivan Fedorov, the founder of book printing in Russia, served as the deacon of this church. A particle of the relics of St. was kept in the church. Nicholas the Wonderworker and ancient icon St. Nicholas, for which the temple itself was built under Grand Duke Vasily III. The icon was brought to the Kremlin in 1506 from the village of Gostuni near Kaluga, where it became famous for its numerous miracles. The location of these shrines is currently unknown.

The church preserved the ancient custom of coming with daughters “to St. Nicholas” before the wedding in order to arrange the marriage. This custom is based on the legend that Nicholas the Wonderworker helped one impoverished father marry off his three daughters, throwing each a bundle of gold out the window. The church was active until 1917.

The high stone staircase that leads from the outside to the entrance to the temple was first built under Ivan the Terrible in 1552. Later it was dismantled by the architect Matvey Kazakov at the request of Paul I for the construction of guardhouses here. In 1852, the staircase was restored “in ancient Russian taste” by Konstantin Ton, the author of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The staircase is currently closed.

Filaretovskaya extension

The building, located next to the Assumption Belfry and covered with a hip roof, is called the Filaretovskaya extension, named after Patriarch Filaret. In 1624, Patriarch Filaret, the father of Tsar Mikhail Romanov, returning from Polish captivity, joyfully ordered the construction of this extension. The order was carried out by the Russian architect Bazhen Ogurtsov and, probably, by the Englishman John Thaler, the builder of the Tsarina's chambers in the Terem Palace.

In 1812, Napoleon ordered the Ivan the Great bell tower to be blown up. At the same time, the belfry and the extension were destroyed, but large fragments survived and were subsequently
used during restoration in 1815 by a group of architects, including Dementiy (Domenico) Gilardi, Aloysius (Luigi) Rusca, Ivan Egotov. It is interesting that the bell tower itself, made of brick, and in the base and foundation - of white stone blocks, survived, having cracked at the top. Considering that the depth of the bell tower’s foundation is only five meters, this speaks of the skill of its builders and architects.

Bells of Ivan the Great

“Ivan the Great” serves as a bell tower for all large Kremlin cathedrals: Assumption, Archangel and Annunciation, which do not have their own belfries.

From here the bells began to ring throughout Moscow. This unspoken custom was approved by Metropolitan Plato in the 18th century. Vladyka specifically instructed that no one in Moscow should begin the festive ringing before the sound of the large Assumption bell. Thus, the festive chime from the center of the Kremlin smoothly rolled out across the city, gradually gaining strength and creating a universal, majestic sound.

The Assumption Bell rang only in exceptional cases and on great holidays

In the central doorway of the Assumption Belfry hangs the largest bell - Uspensky, weighing 4000 pounds (over 65.5 tons). It was cast in 1817-1819 by 90-year-old bell maker Yakov Zavyalov and cannon maker Rusinov from an old bell that was broken during the explosion of the belfry in 1812. At the same time, images of the Savior and the Mother of God, as well as Tsars Alexei Mikhailovich and Peter I, were repeated on the bell, and images of Emperor Alexander I and members of the imperial family were added. On the lower part of the bell there is an inscription in five rows about the expulsion of Napoleon's troops from Russia and the casting of the bell. The bell rang only in exceptional cases and on great holidays.

A bell hanging in the next doorway " Reut"was cast in 1622 by order of Patriarch Filaret. It, like the Tsar Cannon, was created by master Andrei Chokhov. The weight of the bell has not yet been precisely determined. Some sources indicate 1,200 poods (19.6 tons), others - 2,000 poods (32.6 tons). “Reut” (in common parlance - “Howler”) has a very low sound, which sets off the ringing of other bells. After falling in an explosion in 1812, his severed ears were repaired, and "Howler" did not change its tone.

In 1855, during the solemn ringing in honor of the accession to the throne of Alexander II, the bell fell and when it fell, it broke the vaults of the belfry, killing several bell ringers. This event was considered a bad omen for the emperor. Indeed, after five attempts on his life, Alexander II is known to have
was killed by Narodnaya Volya terrorists.

Hanging in the Filaretovskaya annex Seven hundred bell cast in 1704. The name comes from its weight - 798 pounds (13 tons). It was cast by the famous master Ivan Motorin, creator of the Tsar Bell. The first strikes of this bell marked the beginning of Lent, when other bells froze.

In the lower tier of the Ivan the Great bell tower hang six bells of the 17th-18th centuries: “Bear”, “Swan”, Novgorodsky, Shirokiy, Slobodskoy and Rostovsky. Novgorod The bell of 1556 was taken by Ivan the Terrible from the St. Sophia Cathedral of the conquered Novgorod. In 1730, master Ivan Motorin poured it and, preserving the ancient inscriptions, added
image of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.

The heaviest bell is " Swan" - weighs about 7.5 tons. This name was given to bells with a sharp “bird” sound. Bell " Bear"got its name from the low roaring sound. Both of these bells were recast from old bells by master Semyon Mozhzhukhin in 1775.

Slobodskaya a bell was also cast from the old one in 1641. This is all we know about him from the inscription on his side.

Three hundred pounds(4.9 tons) Shirokiy bell was cast in 1679 by the brothers Vasily and Yakov Leontyev. Its two-meter diameter more height almost 30 cm. Typically, Russian bells have the same dimensions.

Rostovsky The bell, cast at the end of the 17th century by the famous foundry maker Filipp Andreev, was brought from Rostov diocese, which was famous for its “Rostov bells”.

On the middle tier hang 10 bells from the 16th-17th centuries. Among them there are Mariinsky bell with the image of St. Mary of Egypt, cast to commemorate the souls of the Morozov boyars, relatives of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Founder famous dynasty bell makers Fyodor Motorin cast in 1678 Danilovsky bell with the image of St. Prince Daniel of Moscow and six-winged seraphim, which recall the symbolic interpretation bell ringing like the sounds of angelic trumpets.

On the upper tier of the bell tower there are three small bells from the 17th century.

In our time, bells that were examined and suitable for ringing began to be used during services in the Kremlin cathedrals. And once upon a time, the simultaneous ringing of all the bells of “Ivan the Great” on major holidays made an unforgettable impression on the citizens and guests of Moscow.

One of the main buildings of the Kremlin ensemble, the 1st multi-tiered pillar-shaped temple “under the bells” in the Russian architectural tradition. It forms a single complex with the Assumption Belfry (1814-1815, repeats the forms of the previous building of the 16th-17th centuries).

Temple 1329

The first information about the existence in the sacred topography of Moscow of a throne in the name of St. John Climacus dates back to 1329. Chronicles report the foundation of a stone church and its subsequent consecration: “In the summer of 6837 in the month of Maya at 21, in memory of the holy orthodox Tsar Kostyantin and his mother Elena, a stone church was founded in Moscow, in the name of St. Ivan Climacus. The same summer was celebrated and sacred in the month [September] at 1, in memory of the holy father Simeon the Stalpnik” (Rogozhsky chronicler // PSRL. T. 15. Issue 1. Stb. 45). The chronicle's report about the construction of the temple in 3 months allowed I.E. Zabelin to rightly assume that it was small in size (Zabelin. 1905. p. 74). As an example, we can compare with it the size of the chapel of the Assumption Cathedral in honor of the Adoration of the chains of St. Peter, which was built in 2 months (founded on August 13, on the day of memory of Maximus the Confessor, and consecrated on October 14).

It is assumed that this was the first temple consecrated in the name of St. John Climacus. From the beginning XIX century Attempts have been made to explain the choice of initiation. A.F. Malinovsky believed that the throne was built in the name of the patron saint of the middle son of John Kalita - John II Ioannovich (Malinovsky. 1992. pp. 42-43). I.M. Snegirev believed that he led. the prince established a temple in the name of his heavenly patron (Snegirev. 1842-1845. P. 6). G.I. Istomin tried to combine both opinions, suggesting that the temple was consecrated in the name of St. led the prince and his son (Istomin. 1893). On the princely seals of John Kalita, including with spiritual letters, his heavenly patron St. is depicted. John the Baptist. Defining the same name Saint John Ioannovich in a similar way is difficult. Thus, according to the observations of the sphragist A.V. Oreshnikov, St. is depicted on the argirovul with the prince’s spiritual diploma. John, Patriarch of Jerusalem (Oreshnikov A.V. Materials on Russian sphragistics // Tr. Moscow Numismatic Society. M., 1903. T. 3. Issue 1. pp. 123-124. Table. 1 . Fig. 4). This definition is isolated (the veneration of St. John, Patriarch of Jerusalem, is not traced in Russian hagiographic monuments) and is not confirmed by finds of Novgorod princely seals (21 in total), among which there are 2 copies. with the imprint of St. John the Baptist (according to V.L. Yanin and P.G. Gaidukov, the print belongs to the early group of seals, when in Novgorod they did not know in the name of which saint the prince was baptized), in other cases the image of a warrior is presented, identified from fragments of the inscription as St. John the Warrior (see: Yanin V. L., Gaidukov P. G. Actual seals of Dr. Rus' X-XV centuries. M., 1998. T. 3. P. 69-71). According to Zabelin (Zabelin 1905, pp. 75-76), political motivation was important in the choice of dedication and construction plan - the temple was built according to a vow after a successful bloodless campaign against Pskov, where the Tver prince was hiding. Alexander Mikhailovich. Despite the fact that Zabelin’s version remains relevant, its hypothetical nature should be emphasized (cf.: Buseva-Davydova I. L. Temples Moscow. Kremlin: Shrines and antiquities. M., 1997. pp. 171-172). The probability that Rev. John Climacus was the heavenly patron of John Ioannovich, as follows from a chronicle report of the 15th century: “In the summer of 6834... the Grand Duke Ivan’s son John was born in March 30 in memory of John Climacus” (Moscow chronicle code of the late 15th century // PSRL. T. 25. P. 167).

In 1346, under the leadership. book Simeone Proudly, the temple was painted. In the same year, “Master Borisko poured three great bells and two small ones” (Simeonovskaya Chronicle // PSRL. T. 18. P. 95); according to the Nikon Chronicle, the master had the nickname Roman, which may indicate his origin. In 1475, sarcophagi with the relics of saints from the dismantled 2nd Assumption Cathedral were transferred to the church (“On the same month 16, the relics of the wonderworker Peter were transferred from the Church of the Most Pure to Saint Ivan under the bells, and other metropolitans, Theognast, Cyprian, Photius and Jonah. And in the 17th year, the Venetian master Aristotle began to break down the churches of the Most Pure Unfallen Walls” - PSRL T. 12. P. 157).

The volumetric design of the temple of 1329 can only be judged by the results of excavations in 1913 under the direction of. P.P. Pokryshkin, during which a part of the structure was uncovered, which had a faceted outer outline. To the east parts inside were open exedra, the edges can be interpreted as an apse, and the masonry is north. and south walls The fragments do not provide grounds for reconstructing the building as “a medium-height tower-shaped prismatic octagon with zakomari, a drum and a dome” ( Kavelmacher, Panova. 1995. P. 77), made in the likeness of the later pillar-shaped churches “with bells” of the 16th century.

A small fragment of an archivolt, found in the backfill of the foundation of the temple from 1505-1508, allows us to make assumptions about its external decor. However, the fragment can only be conditionally attributed to the temple of 1329, since in the spring of 1505 2 churches of the century were dismantled. book John Kalita: Archangel Cathedral of the 1st third of the 14th century. and the temple “under the bells”. Thus, backfilling the foundation of the new I.L. c. blocks from both temples could have fallen (the question arises about the deliberate use of material from its predecessor in backfilling the foundation of each newly built temple).

Temple 1505-1508

According to the chronicle, “at the same time, St. John the Climacus, like the bells, demolished another church, created by the Grand Duke Ivan Danilovich in the summer of 6836, and founded a new church, St. John, not in the old place” (PSRL. T. 12. P. 258 -259). This news comes immediately after the message about the dismantling of the old and foundation of the new cathedral of the arch. Michael, which took place on May 21, 1505, from which we can conclude that the construction of the I.L. c. in the spring of that year. Its construction was completed 3 years later, in 1508, simultaneously with the Archangel Cathedral and the Church. Nativity of St. John the Baptist at the Borovitsky Gate (the exact date of the consecration of I.L. Church is unknown).

From the chronicle report on the completion of the construction of 3 temples in the Kremlin, the name of the bell tower builder is known. architect Bona Fryazina (“The same summer (7016) the church of St. Michael the Archangel on the square and St. John the Baptist, like the bells, and St. John the Baptist at the Borovitsky Gate, and the master of the churches Aleviz Novaya, and the bell tower Bon Fryazin" - PSRL. T. 13 . P. 10). There is no exact information about the origin of Bon Fryazin. V.N. Lazarev admitted that he, like Aleviz the New, was a native of Venice (Lazarev V.N. Byzantine and Old Russian Art. M., 1978. P. 291). S. S. Podyapolsky believed that Bon Fryazin could be one of the masters who came to Moscow with the embassy of Dmitry Ralev and Mitrofan Karacharov. The composition of this batch of masters is known thanks to the letter of Mengli-Girey Vel. book Vasily Ioannovich. Because of the Lithuanian-Russian war, the embassy tried to return to Rus' through Kafa (now Feodosiya), passing through the possessions of the Moscow ally. Prince - Khan Mengli-Girey. Khan detained the embassy and used one of the masters, Aleviz, to build a palace in Bakhchisarai (preserved portal of 1503). Podyapolsky believed that with this embassy came not only Aleviz, the only one named by Mengli-Girey, but also Bon Fryazin, Pyotr Frenchyushko (sent in 1508 to build the Kremlin in N. Novgorod), Bartholomew (built Dorogobuzh with a master in 1508/09 Mastrobon) and, more hypothetically, master Ivan (worked in Pskov in 1516/17) (Podyapolsky. 2006. pp. 267-268). Podyapolsky also assumed that the master named in the chronicles as Bon Fryazin and the master named in the discharge books as Mastroban or Mastoban are one person (Ibid. pp. 268, 301). If this is so, then Bon Fryazin, like others, was Italian. architects, e.g. Aleviz Fryazin was also a military engineer (see the mention of Dorogobuzh).

The temple of 1329 was located between the Assumption and Archangel Cathedrals and could not match the scale of the new cathedrals being rebuilt by the Italians. Bon Fryazin staged a new I. L. c. approximately along the same axis with the previous temple, but carried it much further to the east, beyond the line of the apses of the Assumption and Archangel Cathedrals. As a result, a square with trapezoidal outlines was formed, the main axis of which ran through the center of the main throne room of the Faceted Chamber and I.L. The construction of a new church-bell tower introduced the principle of regularity and centricity into the organization of the square (Bondarenko I.A. Reconstruction of the Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin in the late 15th - early 16th centuries and the creative method of Italian masters // Architectural Heritage. M., 1995. Issue 38. pp. 210-211) and became a stage in the formation of the appearance of the Kremlin in Italy. masters.

Bon Fryazin created a unique structure, characterized by a large margin of safety of the load-bearing structures, which ensured the safety of the building. Even the explosion of mines laid in 1812 by the French did not affect their strength. troops under the cathedral belfries. Apparently, it was the nature of the soil and the tasks of constructing a high-rise structure unprecedented for Moscow at that time that determined the features of the foundation, laid on a continuous pile field (on piles of different lengths, driven almost close to each other), above it there is a stepped white stone stylobate. An octagon of the 1st tier, consisting of 2 floors, was erected on it from brick; a temple was located on the lower floor. The thickness of the walls reaches 5 m. They entered the church-bell tower from the west, through a small but high vestibule, covered with a cross vault (not preserved), which rested on white stone imposts (hewn, one has been restored to this day). From the vestibule there was an entrance to the temple, as well as to 2 internal staircases: a straight northern one and a spiral southern one. In plan, the church was one of the types of centric temples with exedra known in Renaissance architecture. However, traditional The octaconch underwent modification here. Due to the need to build a vestibule, and also due to the presence of 2 staircases running through the thickness of the walls of the octagon, the architect abandoned 3 exedra, making 3 sides zap. parts of the octagon are straight, abolished the window to the north. exedre. The temple is illuminated by only 4 windows. The design of the window openings is very unusual and is determined, on the one hand, by the enormous thickness of the walls, and on the other, by the height of the conch above the exedra. The light opening cut into the wall of the exedra is significantly lower than the corresponding opening in the outer wall of the octagon. Because of this, a steep and long window sill slope was formed, and the arch of the window niche was significantly higher than the light opening cut into the wall of the exedra. The naos of the temple is covered with an 8-sided vault, at the base of which there is a white stone cornice, and at the top there is a white stone rosette.

Unlike the church of 1329, the new temple was not painted. There is no chronicle information about this, and fragments of possible paintings were not found during the restoration study of the walls in 1977.

The lower octagon was intended not only to house the temple, but also to equip the 1st tier of ringing with massive bells. With the size of the church limited by architectural expediency, and with the need to raise heavy bells to a considerable height, the task arose of reducing the mass of the masonry and its pressure on the church vaults. Therefore, Bon Fryazin created an intermediate floor between the temple and the bell ringing area. He built a centric 8-sided room located directly above the temple. 3 chambers communicate with it, designed to relieve the vaults of the vestibule and straight staircase from the weight of the masonry. All premises could also have economic purposes. You can enter the intermediate floor from the landing of a straight staircase, which was presumably intended for lifting chests with the treasury in the event of a fire in the Kremlin. Further along the same stairs you can get to the level of the 1st tier of the bell, where the 2nd, spiral staircase led directly from the 1st floor. To create the bell ringing area, the architect narrowed the walls of the 8-sided pillar almost in half (to 2.5 m). A covered gallery was built outside the pillar; the pylons were connected by arched lintels. Bells were hung between the pylons.

The second tier of the pillar, which can conventionally be called the middle octagon, is significantly narrower than the lower one, due to which a free walkway was formed above the arches of the gallery of the 1st tier of the bell. Most of the middle octagon, the highest part of the pillar, is the pedestal for the 2nd tier of the bell, located in its upper part, at a height of more than 40 m from the ground. To lighten the weight of the structure and increase stability, the architect created an empty space inside almost the entire height of the figure of eight. It has no independent purpose and performs only a constructive function. The ascent from the 1st tier of the bell to the 2nd is carried out via an internal spiral staircase. For the installation of the 2nd tier of bells, the walls of the octagon were cut through with arches, in which bells hung. In the center of the platform of the 2nd tier of the bell, surrounded by arches connecting the pylons, a stone pillar, inside it there is a stone spiral staircase to the upper tier of the bell, where the smallest bells are located. At the level of the upper tier of the bell, to reduce weight, the thickness of the walls was reduced to 80 cm, due to which a walkway was formed above the 2nd tier of the bell, as well as above the 1st, this time decorative. Thus, by gradually reducing the thickness of the walls and making them lighter due to hollow chambers, the architect created a structure that, despite its height, is particularly durable and stable.

What was the completion of the pillar of 1505-1508 remains unknown. Reconstruction, which involves the completion of the 3rd tier with a dome, reminiscent of the completion of the cathedral of the Moscow VysokoPetrovsky Monastery, in Lately disputed. The involvement of another circle of analogues and the analysis of images of the pillar on miniatures from the Front Chronicle (70s of the 16th century) suggest that the completion of the temple should have been in the form of a brick tent, similar to the completion of the Italian. campanilla (Petrov. 2008). A study of bell towers in various regions of Italy shows that, despite the lack of direct analogies, I. L. c. 1505-1508 fits organically into their series. Thus, in Italy, the tradition of building high bell tower structures was widespread, raising the tiers of bells to a considerable height. Over a long period (XII-XV centuries), 8-sided pillar-shaped structures were built in various regions of Italy. Also in plural. Italian Campanillas use the technique of reducing the diameter of the upper parts of the pillar compared to the lower ones, mainly at the level of the upper tier of the bell. The resulting platform often serves as a bypass arched gallery on pillars or columns surrounding the upper octagon or cylinder (for example, the 8-sided bell tower at the Church of San Nicola in Pisa, ca. 1170 and (or) between 1230 and 1250).

Composition by I. L. c. has a number of features that distinguish it from similar Italian ones. buildings: firstly, this is a rare combination for Italy of the bell and temple functions in one building; secondly, it is a system of internal staircases and rooms inside the pillar; thirdly, this is the accentuated gradation of the entire composition - rare, but found in the construction of towers above the cross in cathedrals, for example. in Lombardy. Nevertheless, the analogies of I. L. c. are found in the drawings of the Quattrocento's architectural treatises. An example is a pillar-shaped structure with a chapel in one of the lower tiers and a bell in the upper one in Philaret’s “Treatise on Architecture” (1460-1464; Ibid. p. 81). The architectural plan outlined by Filarete coincides with the principle of combining the temple and bell functions, which existed in Russian. traditions. However, it was Bon Fryazin who created a type of structure that had not existed before either in Russian or Italian. architecture. All known centric, round, 8- or 9-sided bell structures in Rus' were built after the construction of the Moscow pillar. Bon Fryazin, having implemented his project, went beyond the boundaries of local tradition, finding fundamentally different forms of combining a church building with a bell structure.

Decor I. L. c. is intended to emphasize the logic of constructing the volume, primarily the tiered nature of the overall composition. This approach to the decoration of pillar-shaped structures also finds analogies in Italian. campanilla (see, for example, at the Church of San Gottardo in Corte in Milan, 1330-1336). The arcature on brackets, placed under the cornice, which marks the base of the lower tier of the bell, is a typical element romanesque architecture. At the same time, the cornice combines Gothic elements (3-lobed arches) and classic elements (crackers, droplets and ovoid details). More simplified cornices emphasize other horizontal divisions of the pillar (3-lobed arches and croutons). The decorative motifs used by Bon Fryazin reveal parallels in the buildings of Vicenza, Montagnana, Bologna and Ferrara, as well as cities in the region. Abruzzo: Teramo, Atri, Campli, Corropoli, Chieti. Restoration studies 1968 and 1978 made it possible to determine that initially, like other Italian buildings. masters beginning XVI century, I. L. c. was painted to look like brick.

Reconstruction of the bell tower during the reign of Boris Godunov

The text of the temple inscription on the drum of the pillar of I. L. Ts. (“...By the command of... the Tsar... Boris Fedorovich... and his son... Fyodor Borisovich... this temple was completed and gilded in the second summer of their State 108") for many. years of studying this monument misled researchers, who interpreted it as an indication of the construction of the entire bell tower in 1600. The pillar was dated to this year, starting with the first works in Russian church-archaeological and Moscow literature (Svinin. 1839. P. 31; Zabelin. 1905 . P. 155) and ending with the works of Soviet authors of the pre-war period (Rzyanin. 1946. P. 8). Only in the 40s. XX century attention was paid to texts published at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. sources containing information about the superstructure of the 3rd tier (“He decorated and covered with gold a large bell tower...” - Dmitrievsky. 1899. P. 96-97; “... In the summer of 7108, Tsar Boris in the city of Moscow on the square of the Church of St. John the Writer of the Ladder under with bells he commanded to forge the top above the first one and gild it” - Vremennik, which is called the chronicler of the Russian princes, 1905. P. 46), as well as to the image of the church in miniature from the Front Chronicle. Subsequently, this opinion was supported not only by architectural research, but also by the discovery of new sources. The issue was finally resolved after the publication of the Piskarevsky chronicler (“... In the summer of 7108, the Tsar and the Grand Duke ordered the height of the Church of Ivan the Great to be added 12 fathoms and the top to be gilded, and he ordered to write his royal name” - Yakovleva. 1955. P. 202) and Vremennik clerk Ivan Timofeev (“...But also to the head of the very top of the church, who would sprout everyone in the city... create a lot of addition to the pristine height and gild the top... nailing his name on it in gilded trinkets with words of gold..." - Ivan Timofeev’s Temporary 1951. P. 72 ). M. A. Ilyin was the first to compare the construction time of the superstructure of the I. L. c. with the beginning of construction of the “Holy of Holies” and suggested that they were connected by a single plan (Ilyin. 1951. P. 83).

The superstructure is a brick cylinder, not covered with a vault. During its construction, “trompas” were built over the ribs of the lower octagon, formed by the overlap of bricks. The outside of the drum is divided into 3 tiers; their proportions are typical for buildings at the end of the century. The base is decorated with false kokoshniks with enlarged keels, between which tongs are placed: the entire composition imitates 2 rows of kokoshniks - an allusion to the type of temple covering common at that time. On this base there is a smooth drum fust, cut through by 8 slit-like rectangular windows, with profiled platbands, completed with pediments. On the cornice there is a temple inscription divided by stone ridges, consisting of 3 registers. According to restoration research, the white stone strands separating the rows of text were originally gilded.

The “Godunov” superstructure not only changed the general silhouette of the entire structure, but also introduced features that connect Italian into its architectural appearance. architectural type with local tradition. To a large extent, local features began to dominate the general perception of the monument thanks to the onion dome, one of the first such domes on a frame in Russian. architecture.

Ist.: Vremennynik, which is called the chronicler of the Russian princes, how the reign began in the Russian land and the cities established themselves: Briefly written // Tr. Vyatka UAK. 1905. Issue. 2. Dept. 2. P. 46; Dmitrievsky A. A. Archbishop Elassonsky Arseny and his memoirs from Russian. stories. K., 1899. P. 96-97; RIB. T. 13; Temporary book by Ivan Timofeev / Prepared by. to the printer, trans. and commentary: O. A. Derzhavina. M.; L., 1951. P. 72; Yakovleva O. A. Piskarevsky chronicler // Materials on the history of the USSR. M., 1955. T. 2: Documents on the history of the XV-XVII centuries. pp. 7-144.

Lit.: Maksimovich L. M. Guide to Moscow antiquities and monuments. M., 1792. Part 1. P. 274; Walk through the Kremlin: Ivan the Great // Otech. zap. 1822. Part 10. No. 25. P. 235-257; Notes on Ivan the Great // Ibid. Part 11. No. 27. P. 126-131; Svinin P.P. Pictures of Russia and the life of its diverse peoples: From travels. St. Petersburg, 1839. Part 1. pp. 31-35; Gorchakov N.D. Bell tower of Ivan the Great in Moscow // Moscow. GV. 1841. No. 12. P. 127; Snegirev I. M. Monuments of Moscow. antiquities. M., 1842-1845. P. 6; Richter F. F. Monuments of ancient Russian. architecture M., 1850. Table. L; Istomin G.I. Ivanovo Bell Tower in Moscow. M., 18932; Zabelin I. E. History of the city of Moscow. M., 19052; Krasovsky M.V. Essay on the history of Moscow. Old Russian period church architecture (from the founding of Moscow to the end of the 1st quarter of the 18th century). M., 1911. P. 233; Skvortsov N. A. Archeology and topography of Moscow. M., 1913. S. 337-346; Mordvinov A.G. Bell tower of Ivan the Great // Academy of Architecture. 1935. No. 5. P. 32-37; Rzyanin M.I. Ivan the Great // Monuments of Russian. architecture of the 9th-19th centuries: Cat. vyst. M., 1946. P. 7-8; Ilyin M.A. Project for the reconstruction of the center of Moscow. Kremlin under Boris Godunov // Communication. Institute of Art History. M.; L., 1951. Issue. 1. pp. 82-83; Mikhailov A.I. Bell tower of Ivan the Great in Moscow. Kremlin. M., 1963; Bondarenko I. A. The original appearance of Ivan the Great // Construction and architecture of Moscow. 1980. No. 8. P. 26-27; aka. On the question of the “ladder” construction of c. John Climacus in Moscow. Kremlin // Restoration and architecture. archeology: New materials and research. M., 1995. Issue. 2. P. 110; Ilyenkova N.V. Bell tower of Ivan the Great in Moscow. Kremlin: Research. // Protection and restoration of architectural monuments: Experience of workshop No. 13. M., 1981. P. 77; Karamzin N. M. Notes of an old Moscow resident. M., 1988. P. 313; Malinovsky A. F. Review of Moscow. M., 1992. S. 42-43; Kavelmacher V.V., Panova T.D. Remains of a white stone temple from the 14th century. on Cathedral Square Mosk. Kremlin // Culture of the Middle Ages. Moscow, XIV-XVII centuries. M., 1995. P. 66-81; On the original appearance of the pillar of Ivan the Great // Restoration and Architects. archeology: New materials and research. M., 1995. Issue. 2. P. 100-101; aka.

Historical-architect. research. M., 2006; Batalov A. L. Moscow stone architecture con. XVI century M., 1996; Balashova T.V. The Bell Tower of Ivan the Great as perceived by contemporaries at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. // To the 500th anniversary of the Archangel Cathedral and the bell tower of Ivan the Great Moscow. Kremlin: Tez. report anniversary scientific conf. M., 2008. P. 59-61; Petrov D. A. On the origin of architecture. compositions of the pillar of Ivan the Great // Ibid. pp. 80-82.