What function does the Tsar Bell perform? Tsar Bell in the Kremlin
The weight of the Tsar Bell, located in the Moscow Kremlin, is 201 tons 924 kilograms.
The monument is famous for the fact that during the minting work in May 1737, there was a fire and the bell was damaged - a piece weighing 11.5 tons broke off from it (about five pounds in the then weight calculation). Preparatory work for the manufacture of the giant took more than a year and a half, melting the metal took 36 hours, and the casting process itself took 1 hour and 12 minutes. The bell was cast on November 25, 1735. After finishing the casting, the craftsmen began chasing work, during which a fire broke out; according to one version, the scaffolding installed around the bell caught fire. When extinguishing the fire, water got on the hot metal, which led to its damage. The bell stood in the foundry pit for more than a hundred years. In 1836, the Tsar Bell was removed from its storage location and installed on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin.
The history of the creation of the Tsar Bell
The dimensions of the monument are impressive to this day: its height (including the ears is 6.14 m), the diameter of the bell is 6.6 m).
To make the bell, the Empress ordered the son of Field Marshal Minich to find a master in Paris. The palace offered to take on this work to the royal mechanic Germain, but he considered the offer a joke and abandoned the project.
The weight of the Tsar Bell is 201 tons 924 kilograms.
Russian craftsmen took on the casting: Ivan Motorin and his son Mikhail. The casting was carried out at the Cannon Yard (located on Ivanovskaya Square) in a specially prepared earthen mold with a depth of about ten meters; the casing was protected from the colossal pressure of the molten metal by a layer of densely compacted earth and brickwork. The clay blank determined the internal shape of the structure; images and inscriptions were applied by masters P. Galkin, P. Serebryakov, Kokhtev, P. Lukovnikov and V. Kobelev.
After the low tide process was completed, the bell was placed on an iron grate, which was mounted on twelve oak piles driven into the ground. A wooden sheathing was built over the smelting pit, which caused the fire. The version of the split of the Tsar Bell is not accepted by all historians; there is an assumption that ten through longitudinal cracks appeared as a result of a violation of the manufacturing technology - the cooling product could have been left on the rod, as a result of which its partial destruction occurred, and the fire became only a plausible excuse for justification. Evidence of this version is also considered to be the fact that for the work the master received only 1,000 rubles and the rank of foundry shopmaster, while for casting bells for the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the Novodevichy Convent of smaller size and complexity, the master was given 8,000 rubles each.
In order to cast the gigantic structure, not only 1,276 poods of new metal was used, but also an alloy of metal from the Great Assumption Bell (cast by the Russian master Grigory Alexandrov), which was split during a fire in the Kremlin in 1701. The composition of the Tsar Bell alloy includes:
In the process of preparing the low tide, unforeseen circumstances constantly arose that required a prompt solution: the final smelting process was successful only the third time, the first two ended unsuccessfully - during the first attempt, two smelting furnaces failed, and a fire broke out the second time. Ivan Motorin died before the bell was smelted; his work was completed with dignity by his son Mikhail.
Restoration of the Tsar Bell
Initially, the Tsar Bell was supposed to be operational; it was planned to hang on the belfry of the bell tower of Ivan the Great after the construction of several galleries at different heights. The purpose of building the galleries connected to the bell tower was to give stability to the entire complex of structures and protect it from the super-powerful ringing of the Tsar Bell. The project was prevented by a fire in 1737, which destroyed part of the city around the Tsar Bell.
Attempts to raise the structure in 1792 and 1819 ended in failure; the massive monument spent more than a century in the ground. In 1836, the operation to remove the bell from its earthly imprisonment was led by Auguste Montferrand. The holiest persons who were previously in power also tried to find ways to raise the bell to the surface. Thus, Emperor Paul I in 1792, during one of his visits to Moscow, gave the task to the mechanic J. Guirt to come up with a way to move the bell to another place. But the project drawn up by the engineer was not implemented due to fear that the giant would break when lifted. A few years later, Emperor Alexander I also tasked General Fabre with rearranging the monument. But the Tsar Bell appeared on the surface only during the reign of Nicholas I. Initially, the emperor decided to build a bell tower for the giant, but restoration of the bell turned out to be impossible due to the size of the copper giant.
The operation to raise the bell from the ground consisted of several stages. The earth around the structure was excavated to a depth of 30 feet and a frame was built to strengthen the walls of the structure. Then several pumps completely pumped out the water and the monument was inspected. The ascent began early in the morning; two ropes burst from the maximum load and the fastening block bounced into the scaffolding. For this reason, a misalignment occurred and the giant began to fall on its side. The situation could only be corrected by the courage of one of the workers, who went down into the pit and arranged a selection of oak logs. The colossus was lowered onto supports and the rise was stopped. The reason for the failure was the ropes, which became damp and partially rotten while awaiting the arrival of Montferrand. New cables were ordered and the number of gates was increased to twenty. A new operation was scheduled for July 23, it was successful and took 42 minutes 33 seconds, the colossus was removed and placed on runners, which delivered the Tsar Bell to a pre-made pedestal. Despite centuries of neglect, the foundry monument completely retained its original appearance and, after cleaning, the bas-reliefs of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Empress Anna Ioannovna clearly appeared on it.
The weight of the “brothers” Tsar - bells
In addition to the grandiose historical structure resting on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin, the Tsar Bells, which were made at the beginning of the 12th century and in 1654, are known. The last bell weighed about 130 tons. In 1748, a bell was cast, which was also called the royal bell; its weight was 64 tons or 4 thousand pounds. It was destroyed in 1930. The largest bell of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra also bears the name “Tsar”. The most massive modern bell was cast in 2004; it weighs 72 tons. The metal giant is a symbol on stamps, paintings, and banknotes. Issued during the revolution of 1917 and instantly devalued, the “Kerenki” money with the image of the Tsar Bell was popularly nicknamed “bells”. Many years later, the monument to foundry art still remains one of the most massive and majestic structures in world culture.
The famous Moscow bell, which is rightfully considered one of the largest in the world, is 282 years old. The Tsar Bell is also famous for never ringing. However, it would not be amiss to note that its creators planned to use the bell for its intended purpose, and this silence was only the result of a coincidence. This silent giant is a unique monument to the foundry art of the 18th century. The hero of our story can be safely called a real long-liver, with an unenviable and dramatic fate.
The mass of the Tsar Bell is 203 tons. Today it is believed that the Kremlin giant, in terms of weight and size, is second only to the Great Bell of Dhammazedi in Burma, which weighs 94 tons more. However, the largest and most famous Russian bell is located on a pedestal in the very center of the capital - the Moscow Kremlin, but no one has seen the record holder from Burma for a long time. Over time, the story of Shwedagon becomes more and more like a legend.
The fact is that at the beginning of the 17th century, during the internecine wars in Burma, a certain Portuguese adventurer named Felippe de Brito Nicote captured the area where Shwedagon was located. Nikote decided to melt down this cultural monument into cannons and even managed to load it onto rafts for transportation. However, the floating structures could not withstand the load and capsized. It is then located at the place where it sank. Attempts to rise to the surface were unsuccessful.
The history of our Tsar Bell is longer and no less dramatic. It owes its considerable size to Empress Anna Ioannovna, who ordered a new giant to be cast from pieces of an old, broken bell. It just so happened that our record holder from the Moscow Kremlin has an impressive history with a difficult fate.
The pedigree of our most famous bell dates back to the 17th century, when Boris Godunov ordered the casting of the largest bell, which was called the “Tsar Bell”. It weighed 35 tons, but one day the bell was caught in a fire during which it fell and was destroyed when it fell. From its fragments, by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, a new bell was cast, which, however, managed to ring only a few times and also broke.
In 1654, from the remains of the former bell, another one was born, already weighing 128 tons, the Great Assumption Tsar Bell. But this work of art, repeating the fate of its predecessors, fell and broke, this happened after a fire in the Kremlin. Thus, we have come to the time that is considered the date of birth of the modern Tsar Bell. According to sad tradition, it was cast in 1730 from what was left of the previous bell.
As for the exact dimensions, the height of the Tsar Bell is 6 meters 24 centimeters, and its diameter is 6 meters 60 centimeters.
During the Trinity Fire in Moscow on May 20, 1737, the fire penetrated the wooden structure above the pit in which the bell was located. Local residents, to prevent the bell from melting from the fire, began to pour water on the hot bell alloy. Such a sharp temperature change could not but affect the integrity of this bulky, but at the same time fragile musical instrument. As a result, ten through cracks formed, as a result of which the bell lost an impressive fragment - a fragment weighing 11.5 tons broke off.
The bell was so damaged that they decided to leave it in the foundry pit, where it remained for almost a hundred years. All finishing work has been stopped. Only in 1836 the bell was raised and installed at the foot of the Ivan the Great bell tower.
Interesting information
Interesting facts about the Tsar Bell:
- The Tsar Bell never rang. It is worth noting that a tongue was even cast for him. Although the one on the pedestal belonged to a different bell.
- The largest bell of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra has a similar name. Cast in 1748, it weighed 64 tons, but was destroyed in 1930. In the early 2000s, a new “Tsar Bell” weighing 72 tons was installed on the Lavra’s bell tower.
- At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Tsar Bell housed the communications center of the Kremlin regiment. He himself was repainted and camouflaged from air strikes.
- General Denikin, during the Civil War, issued thousand-ruble bills on which the Tsar Bell was depicted. Crimeans nicknamed the depreciated money “bells.”
- According to chemical analysis, the Tsar Bell alloy contains 525 kilograms of silver and 72 kilograms of gold.
Attempts were made twice to restore the Tsar Bell, however, in the end they decided to abandon this idea, suggesting that after the soldering process the sound of the bell would not be good enough. In 1936, this example of the achievements of Russian foundry art became an independent monument, which was located on a pedestal in the Moscow Kremlin. This legendary landmark remains there to this day.
Tsar Bell.
Victim of a fire or a great Russian hoax?
The world's largest Great Assumption Bell - the Tsar Bell - stands in Moscow, on the territory of the Kremlin at the foot of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower.
The Tsar Bell is a huge bell: height with lugs 6.24 m, diameter 6.6 m, weight about 200 tons. It was cast in bronze in 1735 by Russian craftsmen father and son Matorin by order of Empress Anna Ioannovna.
The decorations, portraits and inscriptions on it were made by the best artists and minters of that time. The decorative decoration of the bell is surprisingly rich: images of religious saints and portraits of royalty and their heavenly patrons.
According to the official version, the 200-ton bell was cast on November 25, 1735 and left in the foundry pit, where minting work was carried out over the next year and a half. And in May 1737, an unprecedented fire occurred in Moscow, from which almost the entire city suffered.
According to the official version, the scaffolding above the Tsar Bell caught fire, with the help of which they were going to raise the giant from the pit. Wanting to put out the fire, buckets of cold water were poured onto the red-hot bell. The temperature change caused the bell to crack.
A significant piece weighing about eleven tons broke off from the Tsar Bell! The bell became unsuitable for its intended use, so it was left in the foundry pit, where it remained for about 100 years.
In 1836, the Tsar Bell was lifted from the foundry pit and installed in the Moscow Kremlin on a special pedestal.
About two and a half centuries have passed since the creation of the Tsar Bell. It was and remains not just a national landmark of Russia, but also a monument of foundry art of the 18th century of world significance.
In 2008, correspondents from the magazine Popular Mechanics conducted their own investigation into the occurrence of a “chip” in the Tsar Bell. And it turned out that bell-makers have long had an unusual version of the death of the famous Tsar Bell!
“Indeed, ferrous metal, cast iron, for example, becomes brittle when heated and then sharply cooled,” says Valery Nikolaevich Anisimov, founder of Russia’s largest specialized bell foundry, Vera. However, non-ferrous metals, including bell bronze, become soft and ductile under such conditions, which means they cannot break.”
Valery Nikolaevich demonstrates a video recording of an investigative experiment: an ordinary (and very euphonious) bell is heated red-hot with a diesel burner and immediately lowered into cold water.
A worker hits the bell with a sledgehammer - there is no sound, because the bronze has become very soft. Such metal cannot split.
“Cooling the bell after casting is a very delicate moment,” says Valery Nikolaevich. At this time, the metal decreases in volume, the bell contracts, still being on the base-rod. To prevent breakage, it is necessary to knock out the rod as soon as the metal of the freshly cast bell begins to harden. I myself have cracked quite a few bells: a day off, a holiday, they ran, forgot the bell on the rod - in the morning you will get a crack.
Having never been called before, it amazes tourists with its gigantic size. Located on Ivanovskaya Square, it is a monument to foundry art of the 18th century. It was cast by masters Motorin - Ivan and his son Mikhail. Famous foundry masters cast a dozen cannons, and the bells of their work rang not only in Moscow, but also in St. Petersburg, Kyiv and other Russian cities.
From the history of the Tsar Bell in Moscow
The first Tsar Bell in Moscow, weighing about 40 tons, was cast back in 1600. During a fire in the mid-17th century, it fell from the bell tower and was broken. It was decided to smelt a new, more powerful one. And the new “giant”, installed on the belfry next to the bell tower of Ivan the Great, weighed 130 tons. In 1654, when Christmas was celebrated and all the bells were ringing, it crashed. The newly cast Tsar Bell already weighed more than 160 tons. It was cast by master A. Grigoriev. A strong fire on June 19, 1701 again did not spare the “Tsar”: it fell and also crashed. In 1730, by decree of Empress Anna Ioannovna, it was decided to develop a project for a new bell. Preparatory work took 4 years. On Ivanovskaya Square, next to the bell tower, a form was built in a hole 10 meters deep. Its walls were strengthened with bricks and oak. The bottom was lined with oak piles, on which an iron grating was placed. A mold and casing for casting the giant were installed on it. Four smelting furnaces were built for smelting. The metal of an old bell with the addition of copper was used. The casting work was entrusted to Ivan Motorin. By November 1734, all preparatory work was completed. On November 26, after the service in the Assumption Cathedral, the stoves were flooded. But the casting did not begin, because an accident occurred in two furnaces and copper leaked under the furnaces. As a result, a fire started. Restoration work has begun. And soon in August 1735, Ivan Motorin died. The work was continued by his son Mikhail. On November 25, 1735, the bell was cast within 1 hour and 12 minutes. After it cooled down, minting work began, which continued until the Kremlin fire in May 1737. The people who came running wanted to put out the fire on the wooden boards and logs above the pit in which the bell was located, since the high temperature could have melted it. They started pouring water on him. Due to a sharp temperature change, the hot metal began to crack, and a piece weighing 11.5 tons broke off. So, for almost 100 years (from 1735 to 1836) it lay in a foundry pit. After the Patriotic War with the French, when the Kremlin was being restored, the Tsar Bell was installed on a pedestal near the Ivan the Great Bell Tower as an example of Russian foundry art.
Description of the Tsar Bell
The Tsar Bells in Moscow are the largest metal bell in the world. Its height is 6.24 meters. Diameter - 6.6 meters, weight - almost 200 tons. On it you can see the inscription that it was cast in 1733 by Ivan Motorin and his son Mikhail. In fact, it was cast in 1735 by Mikhail Motorin. The inaccuracy of the inscription suggests that the “giant” was cast according to the original mold. It was raised under the leadership of Augustus Montferrand, the architect of the famous St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, who has experience working with heavy structures. The people were amazed at the power and beauty of the raised giant. Once it was cleaned and the top was gilded, a silvery gray surface could be seen. Newspapers wrote: “...the images on the bell are quite skillful, the ornaments are elegant.”
The pedestal on which the “giant” was installed was created according to the design of A. Montferrand. The copper orb with a gilded cross at the top was also made according to his design. The full-length image of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in a ceremonial dress with an orb and a scepter in his hands reminds us that under him, in the 17th century, the Tsar Bell, his predecessor, was cast.
Empress Anna Ivanovna is depicted in her coronation dress. It was she who issued the decree on the casting of a new bell. Below the image of Anna Ivanovna there is an inscription in a round medallion: “The Russian master Ivan Fedorov, son Motorin, ran this bell with his son Mikhail Motorin.” You can see Christ and the Mother of God, John the Baptist and Saint Anne, as well as the Apostle Peter.
Between the figures of Anna Ivanovna and Alexei Mikhailovich there are two beautiful figured cartouches, inside of which there are inscriptions about the history of the creation of the bell. Unfortunately, the fire of 1737 prevented the plans from being fully realized. Some minting work remained unfinished. Recently, archives helped restore the forgotten name of the sculptor, the author of the decor. It was Fedor Medvedev.
The Tsar Bell in Moscow has no analogues in the world. It remains the largest and amazes visitors with its gigantic size and weight
In the Moscow Kremlin, at the foot of Russia's (once) tallest bell tower, stands the world's largest bell. Because of the Russian love for everything big and majestic, popular rumor decided that they named it the Tsar Bell for its colossal size. Indeed: the mass of the bell is about 202 tons (!), the tongue of the bell weighs 5 tons. The height is 6 m 60 cm, and the diameter of the “skirt”, i.e. the lower, wide part of the bell is 6 m 14 cm. At the end of the twentieth century, there was still a legend in the provinces that inside the Tsar Bell a carriage drawn by three horses could ride in a circle. In fact, the name of the bell has nothing to do with its size. It appeared only 100 years after casting. However, let's talk about everything in order.
Russian sovereigns always sought to have the largest and heaviest bell cast during their reign. The reason for this is not the sovereign’s vanity or the desire to become famous, but, on the contrary, the faith of Christ and fear of God. After all, the lower the sound made by the bell, the sooner the prayers offered under it will reach the Lord. And the tonality of the bell ringing directly depends on the mass of the bell. Sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, who received the nickname “The Quietest” in Russian history, was a very pious ruler.
It was during his reign in 1654 that the largest bell at that time, weighing 127 tons, was cast. However, only 20 years later it was possible to lift it and install it on a special extension to the Assumption Belfry.
In 1701, during a fire, the bell fell from the belfry and broke. As you know, the son of Alexei Mikhailovich, Tsar Peter Alekseevich, was more interested in cannons than bells. We will also remember the legends telling about Peter and his attitude towards bells, but now let’s return to historical facts. 8 years after the death of Peter the Great, his niece Anna Ioannovna ordered the broken bell from the time of Alexei Mikhailovich to be rebuilt with the addition of weight up to 160 tons.
By decree of the empress, foreign masters were invited for this work, but the Russian master Ivan Motorin and his son Mikhail volunteered to surpass this weight.
Casting work was carried out for about 3 years from 1733 to 1735. The place for the casting was found in the Kremlin courtyard, between the Chudov Monastery and the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, approximately at the place where the pedestrian crossing from the Tsar Bell to the Kremlin garden is now. More than 100 craftsmen were involved in the work: stove makers, masons, carpenters, blacksmiths and their assistants. An entire metallurgical plant with four smelting furnaces was built around the pit for installing the mold (10 meters deep). The first attempt was unsuccessful. Work was resumed a year later, Ivan Motorin had already died by that time, and the work was completed by his son, Mikhail. The second melting took place in front of a large crowd of people; it was an amazing school of skill. About 400 firefighters were constantly nearby, ready to immediately fight the fire. The casting took three days and three nights and was a complete success.
After the work was completed, the bell could not be lifted from the foundry pit, and in May 1737, a devastating fire occurred in the Kremlin, known as the Trinity. “Moscow wife” Maria Mikhailova, on the day of Holy Pentecost, lit a candle in front of the icon and left. Almost all the wooden buildings of the Kremlin burned down from this candle. During a fire, to prevent the bell from melting, water was poured over it. Due to the temperature difference during heating from the flame and cooling from the water, 11 cracks formed in the body of the bell.
In addition, a piece weighing 11.5 tons broke off from the bell.
The damaged bell remained in the pit for as long as 100 years. During this time, a legend appeared that connected the broken Tsar Bell with the heavy hand and harsh disposition of Sovereign Peter Alekseevich.
According to legend, Peter, returning to Moscow after the Poltava Victoria, ordered all bells to be rung. The Tsar Bell was the only one of all that did not ring, no matter how hard the bell ringers tried to shake its tongue. The angry king sent an entire company of guards to help them, but the tongue of the bell broke off without ringing. “He was more stubborn than the tsar,” people said. The tsar had a club in his hands, which he took from the Swedish king Charles XII near Poltava. Peter in anger hit the Tsar Bell with his club: “Here’s to you for not wanting to notify the people about my victory!” A piece of the bell broke off from the blow, and the bell itself began to hum and sank into the ground.
They say that the bell was silent in revenge for its brothers, who were poured into cannons by order of the king.
There is another not very censored legend about Peter’s order, according to which the bells were stripped and poured into cannons. At the end of the Northern War, the clergy, led by the metropolitans, turned to Peter with a request to return to them the bell copper seized for military needs. Peter in anger imposed the following resolution on their petition: “Get x...!” After Peter’s death in 1725, the clergy again submitted a petition to his wife, Empress Catherine I. The Empress demanded from the archives a paper with the decision of her august husband. Having read the petition and the resolution imposed on it, the empress answered the hierarchs with a sweet smile: “Alas, I cannot give even that!”
Let us return, however, to the history of the Tsar Bell. The broken bell lay in a foundry pit at the foot of Ivan the Great for 100 years (well, maybe 99 🙂) Only in 1836, the French engineer and architect Auguste Montferrand, author of the famous St. Isaac's Cathedral and Alexander Column in St. Petersburg, developed and implemented a lifting project bells According to Montferrand's drawings, several hundred soldiers (700?) with the help of 16 gates began raising the bell. The first attempt was unsuccessful - the bell dragged along the iron grate on which it rested in the foundry pit. Several ropes broke and the ascent had to be stopped. On July 23, 1836, a second attempt was made to raise the bell. The ropes were replaced, the number of gates was increased to 20. This time the operation was successful. Raising the bell took only 42 minutes. According to Montferrand's design, the bell was installed on a pedestal trimmed with white stone. On the pedestal there is a memorial plaque with the following text: “This bell was cast in 1733 by order of the EMPRESS Anna Ioannovna. He remained in the land for one hundred and three years and by the will of the most pious GOVERNOR EMPEROR Nicholas I was installed on the 4th day of August 1836.”
Montferrand crowned the bell with an orb - a symbol of royal power. Thanks to this power (and not at all because of its size), the bell received its nickname “Tsar Bell”.
Of course, the Tsar Bell, like the Tsar Cannon, serve as symbols of the Russian State. It is no coincidence that Bolshevik provocateurs tried in every possible way to downplay their significance. After the installation of the scandalous monument to Emperor Alexander III by Paolo Trubetskoy in St. Petersburg in 1909, the following derogatory ditty appeared:
Third wild toy
For the Russian slave
There was the Tsar Bell, the Tsar Cannon
And now the Tsar-well!
“The bell is cast from bell bronze - a complex alloy containing 80% copper, 19% tin, 1% silver (about 2 tons!) and 72 kilograms (!) of gold. Noble metals were added to the alloy to make the bell's voice pure and clear. This is how they talk about it in the Kremlin.
But bell-making experts claim that there should not be any impurities of even precious metals in the alloy. Any impurity affects the sound, the “voice” of the bell, and significantly worsens it. Therefore, when casting, ancient craftsmen made sure that there were no foreign metals or compounds in the alloy, only copper - 80% and tin - 20%. True, no one managed to hear the voice of the Tsar Bell. Except…
Here begins another, probably the youngest legend about the Tsar Bell. In 1979, a military tank platform and a heavy-duty crane arrived at the Kremlin. The bell... was removed from the pedestal, loaded onto a platform and taken to the Military Engineering Academy. Dzerzhinsky. (I don’t know if the Academy still exists, but if it does, it’s definitely not Dzerzhinsky anymore 🙂). Its specialists carried out the first restoration of the famous Tsar Bell since its casting. This information is completely real, but then unbridled fiction begins :)
According to this newest legend, military engineers managed... to synthesize the sound of the Tsar Bell using a computer. The result was stunning. Firstly, the ringing of the bell would be heard within a radius of 40 km. That is, it could be heard throughout present-day Moscow and a good quarter of the territory of the Moscow region. And if we take into account that in the time of Anna Ioannovna, Moscow only slightly extended beyond the boundaries of the current Garden Ring, then half of the Moscow province would have heard the bell. However, the old Muscovites themselves would not have heard anything, but would only have experienced a very unpleasant sensation: within a radius of about 4 km, only infrasonic waves would have spread, turning beyond the Garden Ring into a very low rumble, bordering on infrasound.
So, in the Kremlin there is the world's largest bell, which has never rung. Nevertheless, it is an outstanding monument of foundry art, distinguished by its excellent finishing. The body of the bell is decorated with bas-relief images of Alexei Mikhailovich and Anna Ioannovna, a cast cartouche with an inscription telling the story of the creation of the bell. Finally, the Tsar Bell is a signature item. A brand is visible at the bottom of the bell skirt. left by its creators:
Lil this bell is a Russian master
Ivan Fedorov son Motorin with his son
Mikhail Motorin.
Other inscriptions on the bell read: “ Blessed and eternally worthy of the memory of the Great Sovereign, the Tsar and the Grand Duke Alexy Mikhailovich, the autocrat of all Great and Little and White Russia, by command, to the First Council Church of the Most Holy Theotokos, of Her honorable and glorious Assumption, a great bell containing eight thousand pounds of copper was poured, in summer from the creation of the world 7162, from the Nativity of the flesh of God the Word 1654, and from this copper he began to preach the gospel in the year of the universe 7176, the Nativity of Christ 1668 and preached the gospel until the summer of the universe 7208, the Nativity of the Lord 1701, in which the month of June is the 19th day, from The great fire in the Kremlin was damaged until 7239 years from the beginning of the world, and from Christ in the world of Christmas 1731 it remained silent.”
On the other side there is an inscription: “ The Most Blessed and Autocratic Great Empress Anna Ioannovna, Autocrat of all Russia, by command for the glory of God in the Trinity of Her glorified Dormition, this bell was cast from the copper of the former, eight thousand pounds of bell, damaged by fire, with the addition of two thousand pounds of matter, from the creation of the world in 7241, from the Nativity of God the Word in the flesh 1734“.
When preparing the article, I used the book by V.A. Gorokhov “Bells of the Russian Land. From time immemorial to the present day.” M, “Veche”, 2009
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