The Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin has long earned the title of Russia's “visiting attraction”. Along with other buildings, it is part of the architectural complex of Red Square. The clock-chimes installed at the top of the tower are known all over the world.
Construction history
The towers were built in order to strengthen the defensive line of the walls of the medieval Kremlin. On the site of the modern Spasskaya Tower, the Frolovskaya Strelnitsa (a gate tower or barbican), made of white stone (14th century), used to rise. In the 60s. In the 15th century, during reconstruction, it was decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Dmitry of Thessalonica and George the Victorious.
In 1491, by decision of the Moscow Grand Duke Ivan III, the barbican was replaced with a full-fledged tower. The construction was entrusted to the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari. When drawing up the plan, the architect used buildings in Europe as an example. The tower has a regular rectangular base. It adjoins the barbican, designed to protect the entrance gate.
The passage is limited on both sides by lifting gratings – gers. They made it possible to isolate the enemies that had broken through in a confined space. The upper gallery served for shelling the invaders. An additional way of defense was a wooden bridge, which rose in case of danger and covered the entrance to the tower.
The Spassky Gate was the main entrance to the Kremlin. Passing through them was accompanied by a special ritual. The rider was supposed to get off his horse and walk on foot with his head uncovered. If a man forgot to take off his hat, then penance was imposed on him – 50 prostrations.
Spassky Gates were used during solemn ceremonies:
Spasskaya Tower in the 17th century
Initially, the donjon at the Spassky Gate had an insignificant height. It was decided to increase it at the beginning of the 17th century. The Russian master Bazhen Ogurtsov was involved in the work with the assistance of the English architect Christopher Galovey.
The summit was built in several tiers, gradually tapering upwards. The general appearance corresponded to the Gothic architectural style. Stone figures were used for decoration. However, their nudity embarrassed the Muscovites, so Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich ordered to sew special overalls in which the statues were dressed up.
Bas-reliefs of the patron saints of Moscow were fixed at the entrance gate. They were transferred from the Frolovskaya Strelnitsa. Currently, part of the image of George the Victorious is kept in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery. For the first time in the Moscow Kremlin, a hipped stone top was erected on the Spasskaya Tower. The wooden bridge at the entrance was replaced with a permanent stone one.
Tower today
In the 90s, the movement to return the towers to their original form intensified. After the collapse of the USSR, the red stars on top of the tower were considered a relic of the past. The writer V. Soloukhin was the first to write an appeal calling for the removal of Soviet symbols from the Kremlin towers.
A number of political organizations (“Return”, “People's Cathedral”, etc.), as well as the Russian Orthodox Church, are in favor of installing a double-headed eagle on the spire of the Spasskaya Tower. In 2010-14 Restoration work was carried out on the outside of the tower. A gate icon was found under a layer of plaster.
Over the gate icons
Researchers suggest that the images of saints at the gates of the Spasskaya Tower appeared in the 1920s. 16th century. The icons were painted in honor of the miraculous deliverance of the capital from the Tatar invasion led by Khan Mahmet Giray.
According to legend, a blind nun from the Ascension Monastery dreamed of St. Sergius of Radonezh and Varlaam Khutynsky persuading the patron saints of Moscow – Peter, Alexy and Iona, as well as Leonty of Rostov, to avert the threat from the city. Soon the siege was actually lifted.
To commemorate the miracle, the faces of the saints were depicted on both sides of the gates in the Spasskaya Tower:
At the top of the tower above the passageway, from time immemorial, there were 2 icons that gave the building its name:
Spas Smolensky
The icon with the image of the Savior appeared on the tower in 1514. It was painted to commemorate the annexation of Smolensk to the Moscow Principality, therefore it received the name “Savior of Smolensk”. The image was installed on the wall facing Red Square. In front of the icon, an unquenchable lamp was constantly burning, which was looked after by the clergy of the Pokrovsky Cathedral (St. Basil the Blessed).
The icon depicted the Savior standing in full growth. In his hands he held an open book of the Gospel. The image was endowed with miraculous abilities. After the October Revolution, Spas Smolensky was considered lost. At the beginning of the 21st century, a new image was made from the mosaic. During restoration work in 2010, a fresco was uncovered on the wall. It turned out to be an image of the Savior of Smolensk. It was re-consecrated by Patriarch Kirill.
Icons of Our Lady of the Caves and the Savior Not Made by Hands
The icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, according to legend, protected the inhabitants of the city of Khlynov (now Kirov) during the devastating plague epidemic in the middle of the 17th century. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich learned about the miraculous image. He ordered to deliver the icon to the capital. The procession brought the Savior Not Made by Hands to Moscow, where he was placed in the Novospassky Monastery.
The painters made 2 copies of the icon:
In the 19th century, another copy was placed on the iconostasis of the Novospassky Monastery. The icon above the gate was placed in a case made of precious metals and gems. It was removed and taken out by the French during the Napoleonic invasion. The image itself disappeared without a trace in the post-revolutionary period.
The icon of Our Lady of the Caves was also placed at the entrance opening on the inner, Kremlin side of the Spasskaya Tower. It was written in 1673 by Ivan Yaroslavtsev, at the direction of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The image represented a seated Mother of God with a baby in her arms. The top of the icon was covered with a metal case with glass. A lantern was lit in front of the icon at night. With the establishment of Soviet power, the gatekeeper disappeared.
chimes
The chimes installed on the Spasskaya Tower have long been recognized as the main measure of time in the country. Since the time of the Soviet Union, the chime of these clocks counts not only every hour, but also marks the onset of the New Year. The first clock was mounted on the tower in the 16th century. H.Galovey developed a new mechanism with unique capabilities.
The clock counted day and night time for the designation, which used Arabic numerals and Cyrillic letters. The dial was depicted in the form of the Sun. The circle rotated, and the arrows were fixed in a stable position. This clock was the decoration of the Kremlin from 1625 to 1705.
Peter I ordered to remake the dial in the usual way and divide it into 12 hours. At the end of the 18th century a new English mechanism for counting time was installed on the Spasskaya Tower. The authors of the current Chimes are Russian masters Ivan and Nikolai Butenopy. They connected a mechanical device with 35 specially selected bells.
The melodic chime played 2 melodies:
The clock mechanism is located in the upper part of the building. Spassky chimes have 4-sided dials. In order for the dial and hands to be visible from afar, they were given considerable dimensions:
The countdown every hour is accompanied by the striking of the clock. The clock mechanism is programmed to play 2 melodies at different times:
Until 1937, the plant of the device was carried out in manual mode. In the 30s. 3 electric motors were connected to the installation.
Chimes in the 20th century
The Spassky chimes were damaged during the shelling of the Kremlin in 1917. During the repair work, the musical accompaniment underwent changes. The clock began to play “Internationale” (12 hours) and “You fell a victim in the fatal struggle” (00 hours). The mechanism was tuned by the musician Cheremnykh and the locksmith Berens. From 1938 to 1996, the sound of music was discontinued. At the end of the 20th century the watch device was restored, the hands and numbers were covered with a layer of gilding.
chapels
The wooden chapel was built to protect the clergy from the weather, who carried out the rites in front of the icon of the Savior. In 1802-1803, two stone outbuildings were erected on both sides of the tower.
They were named:
They were under the patronage of the Intercession Church. Throughout the 19th century The buildings have been repeatedly modified and rebuilt. In 1925 they were dismantled.
Spasskaya chapel
Inside the building was a copy of the icon of the Savior over the gate. The image rested in a robe of silver adorned with gems. Total weight 26 kg. The icon was revered as miraculous. Donations were used to create 70 gold-plated lamps. There was also a huge chandelier in the chapel.
The surface of the walls was covered with frescoes on religious themes and icons:
The starry sky is painted on the ceiling. Wall cladding is made of artificial marble. The outer door was decorated with the face of Christ in the form of an angel. For this, the chapel received the nickname – “The Angel of the Great Council.” On the feast of the Savior of Smolensk, a solemn divine service was performed.
Smolensk chapel
The iconostasis was located in the middle of the building. It included icons of the Savior, the Virgin, archangels and saints. All icons were placed in vestments made of precious metals, decorated with carvings and enamel. The front door had its own images:
Every year, an all-night service was held in the chapel on the eve of the feast of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God.
Stars
The main symbol of Soviet power, the 5-ray star appeared on the Spasskaya Tower in the mid-1930s. 20th century She replaced the eagles that previously crowned the dome.
Double-headed eagle. The tradition of crowning the spire at the top of the tower with a state symbol dates back to the 16th century. The first emblem was a two-headed eagle carved from wood. To make the figure clearly visible and not deteriorate so quickly under the influence of natural conditions, the bird was made of metal covered with gilding. In 1935, the eagle, as a sign of autocracy, disappeared from the tops of the domes. Currently, there is a controversy about his return to his former place.
Gem star. The project was developed by Academician F. Fedorovsky in 1935. For the manufacture of the figure, an alloy of copper and high-alloy stainless steel was used. In the center, an image of a sickle made of semi-precious stones and a golden hammer were laid out. Rays radiated from the center to the tops of the corners.
However, the star had disadvantages:
In 1936, the star was removed from the Spasskaya Tower and moved to the building of the Northern River Station of the capital. In the spring of 1937, the first ruby star was lit on the tower. It is made of 2-layer glass:
In the middle is a 5 thousand watt lamp that works autonomously. The frame and device of the star allows it to freely rotate around its axis. The distance along the axis of the beams is -3.75 m. For successful operation, the mechanism is equipped with filters and special ventilation. Together with the star, the height of the Spasskaya Tower is 71m.
memorial plaques
White stone plaques with commemorative inscriptions are installed above the entrance passage under the tower. Inscriptions carved in 2 languages:
They inform about the time of construction of the tower, its customer and architect.
How to get there
The Spasskaya Tower is located on Red Square. It is convenient to get to it using ground or underground transport:
Address: Moscow Kremlin, between the Senate and Tsarskaya towers
Coordinates: 55°45'09.2″N 37°37'17.0″E