What function does the Spasskaya Tower have? Moscow Kremlin Spasskaya (Frolovskaya) tower

23.06.2023

Spasskaya Tower(until 1658 - Frolovskaya) - the most famous of the 20 towers Moscow Kremlin, goes to Red Square close Execution Place And Intercession Cathedral. The tower's tent is decorated with a chiming clock, which has made the Spasskaya Tower a collective symbol of the Kremlin and Moscow as a whole.

The tower was built in 1491 according to the design of a Milanese architect Pietro Antonio Solari, subsequently built on by an English architect Christopher Galovey together with the Russian master Bazhen Ogurtsov. Initially built from red brick, in different years depending on aesthetic preferences.

The shape of the base of the tower is a quadrangle, which is crowned with a multi-tiered hipped roof with a chiming clock and rich decorative design. The upper part of the quadrangle is decorated with a lace arched belt with turrets at the corners and figures of fantastic animals; also in the carved design of the belt you can find images of flowers and shells, and above the chimes - figures of peacocks. Above the chimes there is a belfry, the tower is crowned with a tent with a red star on top.

The total height of the Spasskaya Tower with the star is 71 meters. The tower is adjacent to a massive diversion arch with a drive-through gate.

History of the Spasskaya Tower

During the reign Ivan III In Moscow, a radical restructuring of the Kremlin began, during which in 1485-1495, instead of the old white stone walls and towers, new ones were erected - from baked bricks. The construction of the Spasskaya Tower, designed by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari from Milan, became the initial stage in the construction of the eastern line of the Moscow Kremlin fortifications; before it, the Frolovskaya strelnitsa was located in this place. Since a ditch was dug under the Kremlin walls, a bridge was built across it from the tower.

In memory of the construction of the tower, 2 white stone tablets with a commemorative inscription in Latin (from the Red Square side) and Russian (from the Kremlin side) were installed above the gate:

At the end of the 16th century, the tower was crowned with a wooden hipped top with a double-headed eagle, but in 1624-1625 another reconstruction was carried out: according to the design of the English architect Christopher Galovey with the participation of the Moscow master Bazhen Ogurtsov, a multi-tiered top in the Gothic style, decorated with nude figures, was erected over the tower - "boobs". The naked figures on the tower were perceived ambiguously, and by order of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, special caftans were sewn for them, however, the “blockheads” did not have long to live in any case - in 1628 they burned down in a fire. In the middle of the 17th century, a double-headed eagle was again installed on the top of the tower - the coat of arms of the Russian state, which was later also installed on the Nikolskaya, Trinity and Borovitskaya towers.

Before the Revolution of 1917, there were chapels to the left and right of the Spassky Gate - first wooden, then built in stone, but in 1925 they were demolished.

Initially, the tower, like the strelnitsa that preceded it, was called Frolovskaya - after the Church of Frol and Lavra on Myasnitskaya Street, where the road from the gate led - until 1658, when Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered to call it Spasskaya, since icons of the Savior were placed above the Spassky Gate Smolensky (from the Red Square) and the Savior Not Made by Hands (from the Kremlin).

Savior of Smolensk and Savior Not Made by Hands

One of the features of the tower, thanks to which it received its modern name, was the icons of the Savior of Smolensk and the Savior Not Made by Hands placed above the passage gates.

Image Savior of Smolensky was written in 1514 in gratitude for the capture of Smolensk and placed above the gate from Red Square. In 1521, when Moscow managed to avoid a siege by the troops of Khan Mehmed-Girey, instead of the icon, a fresco was painted on the wall, depicting the Savior with the opened Gospel and the holy monks Sergius of Radonezh and Varlaam of Khutyn falling at his feet. During the years of Soviet power, the image was plastered over and was considered lost for a long time, since official documents did not record what happened to it, and experts did not have accurate information about whether it was painted on the wall or was a separate element. When the issue of restoring the icon was raised in the 2000s, it was searched for a long time in the storerooms of art museums, but in the end the image was discovered under a layer of plaster in its rightful place: in 2010 it was cleared and restored.

Appearance of the image Savior Not Made by Hands on the inside of the gate (from the Kremlin side) is associated with the plague epidemic that swept through Russia in the mid-17th century. Moscow suffered greatly from the epidemic, but one of the cities - Khlynov (modern Kirov) - was spared; There were rumors that the reason for Khlynov’s deliverance from the disease was the miraculous image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, to whom the residents of the city prayed. In 1648, by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the image was delivered to Moscow. Having placed the original icon in the Novospassky Monastery, two copies were made from it: the first was sent to Khlynov, the second was placed on the inside of the gate of the Spasskaya Tower. Unfortunately, during the Soviet years the image was destroyed and the original icon disappeared; Today, the icon case on the inside of the gate of the Spasskaya Tower remains empty.

Chimes of the Spasskaya Tower

- Probably the most famous clock in Russia, because it is with them that Russians celebrate the New Year - the chiming of the Kremlin chimes has become one of the brightest New Year traditions in the world.

The chimes are installed on the upper quadrangle of the tower on all four sides and have impressive dimensions:

Dial diameter - 6.12 meters;

The length of the minute hand is 3.27 meters;

The length of the hour hand is 2.97 meters;

The height of Roman numerals is 0.72 meters.

The clock has a musical mechanism: at 00:00, 06:00, 12:00 and 18:00 the anthem of the Russian Federation is performed, at 03:00, 09:00, 15:00 and 21:00 - the melody of the choir "Glory" from the opera Glinka "Life for the Tsar".

The clock on the Spasskaya Tower first appeared in the 16th century and almost nothing is known about it. In 1625, according to the project of Christopher Galovey, the old clock was replaced with new ones, which had a unique structure: the clock counted day and night time, indicated in Slavic letters and Arabic numerals, while the hand stylized as the Sun was motionless - the dial itself rotated. In 1705, by decree of Peter I, the clock was remade in the German style: with a dial at 12 o'clock, and in 1770 an English clock was installed on the tower. Modern chimes were made by brothers Nikolai and Ivan Butenop in 1851-1852.

Star of the Spasskaya Tower

The star on top of the Spasskaya Tower appeared in 1935, when the Soviet government wanted to install a new symbol on the Kremlin towers to replace the ideologically outdated double-headed eagle.

The first Kremlin stars were made of stainless steel and red copper; in the middle there was a gilded sickle and hammer, lined with Ural gems. The star on the Spasskaya Tower, among other things, was decorated with rays diverging from the middle. Unfortunately, the stars of 1935 quickly dimmed due to the weather, and in 1937 they were replaced by the glowing ruby ones that can still be seen today.

The span of the rays of the star on the Spasskaya Tower is 3.75 meters.

Spasskaya Tower Today it is one of the symbols of Moscow and a prominent landmark on tourist routes.

You can get to the Spasskaya Tower on foot from metro stations "Okhotny Ryad" Sokolnicheskaya line, "Theatrical" Zamoskvoretskaya and "Revolution square" Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya.

Built in 1491 by the architect Pietro Antonio Solari. Its construction marked the beginning of the construction of the eastern line of the Kremlin fortifications. The tower is located on the site of the Frolovskaya strelnitsa of 1367-1368. Its gates, facing Red Square, have always been the main main entrance to the Kremlin. They were especially revered by the people and were considered saints. The gate served for the tsar's trips, the ceremonial exits of the patriarch, and meetings of foreign ambassadors.

The tower has a tetrahedral shape and a powerful diversion arrow closely adjacent to it, which served to protect the passage gate. They were closed with special lowering iron gratings - gers. If the enemy penetrated inside the archery, the gers were lowered, and the enemy found himself locked in a kind of stone bag. He was fired at from the upper gallery of the archery. On the façade of the tower you can still see the holes through which chains were passed to raise and lower the special wooden deck of the bridge, and in the passage of the gate there are grooves along which a metal lattice ran. Drawbridges descended from the archery gates.

Above the gates of the diversion strelnitsa and the gates of the Spasskaya Tower from the Kremlin side, inscriptions in Russian and Latin are carved on white stone boards, telling about the time of its construction: “In the summer of July 6999 (1491 - ed.), by the grace of God, this strelnitsa was made by order of Ivan Vasilyevich the sovereign and autocrat of all Rus' and the Grand Duke of Volodymyr and Moscow and Novgorod and Pskov and Tver and Yugorsk and Vyatka and Perm and Bulgaria and others in the 30th year of his state, and Peter Anthony Solario did from the city of Mediolan (Milan - ed.).”

Initially, the tower was called Frolovskaya, due to the fact that the Church of Frol and Lavra was located nearby in the Kremlin. In 1516, a wooden bridge was built from the tower across the moat. Already at the end of the 16th century, there was a tent top above the tower, crowned with a double-headed eagle. By decree of April 16, 1658, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered to call it Spasskaya. The new name was associated with the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, placed above the gate on the Red Square side. The icon itself has not survived, but the place where it hung is clearly visible.

In 1624-1625, the Russian architect Bazhen Ogurtsov and the English master Christopher Galovey erected a multi-tiered top over the tower, ending with a stone tent. This was the first tent-roofed completion of the Kremlin towers. The lower part of the building was decorated with a white stone lace arched belt, turrets, and pyramids. Fantastic figures (“boobs”) appeared, whose nakedness, by order of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, was bashfully covered with specially tailored clothes. The tower rightfully began to be considered the most beautiful and slender tower of the Kremlin. Unfortunately, during the superstructure of the tower, the white stone reliefs by V.D. Ermolin, made for the Frolov Gate of the time of Dmitry Donskoy, were removed from its facades. They depicted the patrons of the Moscow princes - Saints George the Victorious and Dmitry of Thessalonica. (A fragment of the relief of St. George is kept today in the Tretyakov Gallery).

In the 17th century, a stone bridge on arches was thrown across the moat to the Spassky Gate, on which lively trade took place. In the 50s of the 17th century, the coat of arms of the Russian state - a double-headed eagle - was erected on top of the tent of the main tower of the Kremlin. Later, similar coats of arms were installed on the highest towers - Nikolskaya, Troitskaya and Borovitskaya.

The first clock on the Spasskaya Tower was installed according to the design of Christopher Galovey. In 1707 they were replaced by Dutch chimes with music. In 1763, the clock was replaced again, and in 1851, these last 18th-century chimes were overhauled by the brothers N. and P. Butenop. In 1920, during the repair of the Spasskaya Tower, musician M.M. Cheremnykh and mechanic N.V. Berens, having repaired the clock, picked up the melody of the Internationale on the chimes.

The star on the Spasskaya Tower was first installed in 1935. In 1937, it was replaced by a new one with a wingspan of 3.75 m. Inside the star, a 5,000-watt lamp burns around the clock. The star rotates in the wind, like a weather vane.

The Spasskaya Tower has 10 floors.

The height of the tower - up to the star - 67.3 m, with the star - 71 m.

Has 20 towers. The Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower stands out from all the others not only in size, but also in the presence of a chiming clock. The first thing you notice when you get inside the Spasskaya Tower is the bricks with the personal mark of Mr. Gusarev (he made bricks at that time).

An Italian, an architect from Milan, Solari, was hired for its construction. The Spasskaya Tower was erected in 1491, but initially it was called differently - Frolovskaya, and the Spasskaya Tower began to be called in the 18th century after the name of the icons of the Savior Almighty of Smolensk and the Savior Not Made by Hands.

The architectural style of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin - Lombard Gothic, with openwork white stone lace against the backdrop of a dark red massif, with arches and side turrets - is reminiscent of the buildings of Milan, the homeland of its creator.

Chime clock on the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin

The debut of the clock on the tower took place a year after its construction. More than a century later, they were replaced by another clock, but this time with a strike. The blacksmiths Zhdan, Shumala, and Alexey were involved in this case. The watch was distinguished by the fact that its dial rotated, and the time was shown by a stationary ray of the sun. This old dial is still under the modern one of today.

Two centuries later, Peter I ordered another chiming clock to be installed, this time with a bell. They were installed by Yakim Garnov and Nikifor Yakovlev. The chiming clock on the Spasskaya Tower marked Russia's transition to a different time system - the 24-hour clock.

Today's chimes on the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin, which have been pleasing to the eye for more than one generation, were placed in 1852. The chimes occupied 3 floors. The chimes of the Moscow Kremlin were made by a master from the Butenop brothers company. These chimes weigh a lot - as much as 25 tons.

The length of the hour hand of the Kremlin chimes is almost 3 meters. In February 1926 the game of the chiming clock was broadcast on the radio. In 1935, they decided to replace the musical mechanism of the chiming clock. The chiming clock was repaired twice: the first time in 1974, the second time in 1999.

How is it that watches always show the correct time for decades? In Soviet times, the Kremlin chimes were connected by an underground cable to the control clock of the Astronomical Institute. Sternberg.

On the chimes site there are 9 bells that chime the quarters and 1 hour. The weight of the hour bell is about 2 tons, and the pendulum is 32 kg. Until 1917, the clock played the “Preobrazhensky March” in the morning, and “How Glorious is Our Lord in Zion” in the evening. After the revolution at 12:00 “International”, and at midnight “You have fallen a victim.”

The height of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin with a star

The height of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin with a star is 71 m, without a star - 67.3 m. The outer perimeter at the base is 68.2 m. The thickness of the walls is 3.6 m. The Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin has 10 floors. The ruby star on the tower began to shine in 1937. In the 15th century, the external facade of the Spassky Gate was decorated with a statue of the Holy Great Martyr George on a horse, which was made by masons under the direction of V. Ermolin. On the Kremlin side, on the façade of the strelnitsa, a sculpture of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki was installed.

Slender, richly decorated with white stone details, the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin has been the main tower of the Kremlin from the very beginning. Through the Spassky Gate, ceremonial departures of kings took place on days of festivities, troops marched out, and ambassadors of foreign states entered.

On Palm Sunday, the passage of the Spassky Gate was covered with red cloth, and the bridge was decorated with willows. In memory of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, the patriarch rode out on a donkey following a large willow tree and headed to the Place of Execution, after which he served a litiya in front of the gateway image of the Savior and sprinkled the Spassky Gate with holy water three times. On the day of their installation, metropolitans and patriarchs rode around the Kremlin on donkeys and read a prayer at the Spassky Gate.

Here, holy icons from Vladimir, Novgorod, Vyatka, Ustyug, as well as holy relics, were solemnly greeted. The Spassky Gate was sometimes called the Jerusalem Gate, since the procession to the “Moscow Jerusalem” – the Intercession Cathedral – passed through them.

It was not allowed to pass or drive through the main Kremlin gates with a headdress on. In the 17th century, the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower was decorated with figurines of bears and lions, and naked allegorical figures were placed in the niches of the arcade, which confused everyone passing by, so they put clothes on them.

In the 17th century, a stone bridge 42 m long and 10 m wide was thrown across the moat. There was a lively trade in books of spiritual and secular content on it until 1812. In the 19th century the Kremlin walls were updated and embellished. The restoration of beauty was supervised by palace architects Richter, Shokhin and others. In some places the battlements were renewed and ancient paintings were restored.

Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin, amazing finds

In May 1988, the Great Kremlin treasure was found. This miracle was located literally underfoot, next to the tower at a depth of 5 m. The treasure is a chest with silver jewelry from the pre-Mongol period. The princely treasury was hidden in 1238.

This year, tragic events took place in Moscow - the troops of Batu Khan plundered and burned the city. In terms of the number and variety of objects, this treasure rightfully takes its rightful place among the 10 most interesting and significant complexes found in ancient Rus'.

Numerous objects from former times were found near the Spasskaya Tower and the gate. In 1939, another treasure was found. This time it was Golden Horde coins. And in September of the following year, 100 meters from the tower, a clay jug filled with silver coins and bars was discovered.

In January 1969, during the renovation of the building at the Spassky Gate, another treasure was unearthed - 1,237 silver kopecks dating back to 1606. Two more treasures were unearthed in 1607.

The most amazing discovery was made in the passage of the Spassky Gate, at a depth of 2 m. For hundreds of years, millions of people passed through the gate, but did not even suspect what they were passing through. It was a giant treasure consisting of 34,769 silver coins, 23 silver items and three pearls. The latest coins date back to the reign of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich (1676-1682). In 1917, the tower was damaged during an artillery shelling of the Kremlin, but was restored in 1918.

Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin, myths and legends

When Moscow was surrendered to the French, Napoleon entered the Kremlin through the Spassky Gate. He knew very well that when entering through the Spassky Gate of the Moscow Kremlin, he needed to take off his headdress, but he did not do this. Passing the gate icon, the wind tore the cocked hat from his head. Later, people used to say that this was a manifestation of the Lord.

This incident was seen as a bad sign for the French. And so it happened. The French found only death in Moscow. Escaping from the Kremlin, Napoleon ordered the destruction of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin, but this was not possible - the Cossacks managed to do so in time and the Frenchman was expelled from the holy Russian land.

Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin, festival

Every year the international military music festival of the same name takes place on the Spasskaya Tower. The Spasskaya Tower festival is dedicated to Moscow City Day. The best orchestras and folk groups take part in it. The spectacle is indescribable. At the end of the performance, an orchestra of 1,500 musicians will play on Red Square, all accompanied by fireworks and a light show.

The festival will be interesting for children - an educational program has been prepared for them in the children's town as part of the Spasskaya Tower for Children project. Also, you will be pleased with the performance of the riders of the Kremlin riding school. Take your time and be sure to visit this festival and don’t forget to take your children. A lot of pleasant impressions and emotions are guaranteed to you!

I also admired the famous Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin.

From the history of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin

In 1491, under Prince Ivan III, the Spasskaya Tower was built to strengthen the northeastern part of the city. The construction was carried out by the architect Pietro Antonio Solari. At first it was called Frolovskaya, after the church in the name of the Holy Martyrs Frol and Laurus, located nearby. The structure was two times lower than it is now. The multi-tiered roof and the stone dome in the Gothic style were erected much later - in 1624-1625. English architect Christopher Galovey and Russian master Bazhen Ogurtsov. By decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich on April 16, 1658, the tower was renamed Spasskaya. It received this name because the road to the Spaso-Smolensk Church went through it. There is an opinion that it received its name in honor of the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, placed above the gate on the side of Red Square.

Spassky Gate is the most important of the Kremlin gates. Men took off their hats in front of the image of the Savior from Red Square. It was impossible to ride through them on horseback. According to legend, when Napoleon passed through these gates, the wind tore off his cocked hat. All kings passed through this gate before their coronation. The warriors left here for decisive battles. For many years, the Spassky Gate was opened very rarely, only in exceptional cases, for example, for the passage of the presidential motorcade. Since August 2014, through the gate you can exit to Red Square. You can still get to the Kremlin only through the Kutafya Tower.

The Spasskaya Tower is square at the base and has 10 floors. Its height is 71 meters. In the mid-17th century, a figure of a double-headed eagle, the coat of arms of Russia, was placed on it. Experts believed that the image of the Savior above its gates was irretrievably lost. Presumably in 1937, the year of the anniversary of the revolution, the icon of the Savior, like other gate images, was walled up. But recently she was found. On June 29, 2010, at the initiative of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation, specialists began its restoration. The icon is well preserved. Its plot is dedicated to the deliverance of Moscow from the invasion of Khan Mehmet Giray. Then, in 1521, the Monks Sergius and Varlaam asked the Mother of God for intercession before God. And Mehmet Giray retreated. The icon suffered both from fire and during the war with Napoleon. After restoration, its restoration will be carried out.

Clock and chimes on the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin

The first clock on the Spasskaya Tower was installed in 1491. Subsequently, they were repeatedly changed and restored. So, in 1625, under the leadership of the English master Christopher Galovey, new ones were made that played music. In 1705, on the orders of Peter I, the clock was remade according to the German model with a dial at 12 o'clock. In 1851-1852 On the 8-10 tiers, chimes were installed, alternately performing “March of the Preobrazhensky Regiment” and the hymn “How Glorious is Our Lord in Zion” by Dmitry Bortnyansky. These melodies were played until 1917. In 1920, the melody of the International was selected on the chimes.

In 1999, the hands and numbers were gilded. The chimes began to play the Russian national anthem. The height of the Roman numerals of the clock is 0.72 meters. The length of the hour hand is 2.97 m, the minute hand is 3.27 m. The watch is wound using three electric motors. The clock strikes using a hammer connected to a mechanism and a bell. The dials have a diameter of 6.12 m and extend on four sides.

Star on the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin

In 1935, the Tsar's eagle on the Spasskaya Tower was replaced by the first five-pointed star - a symbol of the Soviet era. It was copper, covered with gold and Ural gems. After 2 years it was replaced by a ruby star. The first star now crowns the spire of the Northern River Station. The wingspan of the new star is 3.75 meters. This is slightly less than the first one. Inside the star, a 5,000-watt lamp burns around the clock.

The Spasskaya Tower has 10 floors.

The height of the tower - up to the star - 67.3 m, with the star - 71 m.