Seven towers of the Kremlin. Walls and towers of the Kremlin. Corner Arsenal Tower

Towers of the Moscow Kremlin. Today it is difficult to imagine without their spiers the once fortification structure itself, and the appearance of the capital - Moscow - would lose some zest.

So how many towers are there in the Moscow Kremlin? Their total number is 20, and in this review we will give their names, former and existing, and also briefly tell about their interesting history.

Some facts from the history of the Kremlin towers in Moscow

Each tower in the Kremlin is unique. You won't find exactly the same ones here. Their names also differ, which have changed several times over many centuries. True, two of them - First And Second- and have remained Nameless to this day.

The very first tower of the Moscow Kremlin, the first stone of which was laid simultaneously with the construction of the Kremlin walls, became Taynitskaya Tower. This name is due to the fact that it was from it that it led to the Moscow River. secret passage, built underground. This was necessary in case of a siege, so that it would be possible to replenish the necessary supply of water.

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Moscow Kremlin - a unique fortress in the center of Moscow and the oldest district of the city. The Kremlin is considered the heart of Russia - both because the Russian capital began its journey from here, and because the center of the state has long been located within the walls of the fortress: first the royal chambers, and now the residence of the President of Russia.

And, of course, great importance has always been attached to the defense of the Kremlin.

In plan, the fortress is an irregular triangle: the Kremlin acquired this shape during the Ivan III the Great, during which they began to build new red brick walls to replace the old white stone ones built during Dmitry Donskom. Simultaneously with the construction of the walls, new towers were also erected, which formed the defensive lines of the new Moscow fortress. The main array of walls and towers was built in 1485-1495; part of the Kremlin fortifications were completed until 1516, when the Tsar was already Vasily III. Initially, the towers were erected without tiered hipped roofs - they were added only in the 17th century.

Total along Kremlin wall There are 20 towers.

Beklemishevskaya (Moskvoretskaya) tower

Architect: Marco Ruffo.

Years of construction: 1487-1488.

Height: 46.2 meters.

Completion: weathervane flag.

The name is given by the building Arsenal, built at the beginning of the 18th century.

Trinity Tower

Architect: Aleviz Fryazin (Old).

Years of construction: 1495-1499.

Height: 80 meters.

Completion:

Located on the western side of the Kremlin wall between the Middle Arsenal and Commandant towers. Outwardly it resembles the Spasskaya Tower; It is a quadrangle, which is crowned with a multi-tiered tented roof with rich decorative design. It has a diverting archway with passage Trinity Gates. Unlike other passage towers of the Moscow Kremlin, it has retained the gateway Trinity Bridge, connecting it with the Kutafya Tower.

The name was given after the nearby courtyard Trinity Monastery.

Kutafya Tower

Architect: Aleviz Fryazin (Old).

Years of construction: 1516.

Height: 13.5 meters.

Completion: absent.

Located on the western side of the Kremlin wall opposite the Trinity Tower - this is the only tower of the Moscow Kremlin, which is located away from the wall and in fact represents the only surviving barbican of the fortress. In the past, it was surrounded by water and was used to defend the Trinity Bridge over the Neglinnaya River, leading from the Kutafya Tower to the Trinity Gate. Compared to other towers, it resembles an elegant holiday cake. Currently, the Kutafya Tower is equipped with the main checkpoint for visitors to the Moscow Kremlin.

The name probably comes from an obsolete word "kutafya" meaning a plump, clumsy, unkemptly dressed woman.

Commandant (Kolymazhnaya) tower

Architect: Aleviz Fryazin (Old).

Years of construction: 1493-1495.

Height: 41.2 meters.

Completion: weathervane flag.

Commandant's Tower located on the western side of the Kremlin wall between the Trinity and Armory towers. It is an elongated quadrangle with a base widening towards the bottom and a parapet with machicolations at the top, topped with a hipped roof.

The name is given after the residence of the commandant of Moscow in the Poteshny Palace.

Armory (Konyushennaya) tower

Architect: Aleviz Fryazin (Old) - possible.

Years of construction: 1493-1495.

Height: 32.6 meters.

Completion: weathervane flag.

Weapon Tower located on the western side of the Kremlin wall between the Commandant and Borovitskaya towers. It is a quadrangle with a base widening towards the bottom and a parapet with machicolations at the top, topped with a tiered hipped roof.

The name is given after the building of the Armory Chamber.

Borovitskaya (Predtechenskaya) tower

Architect: Pietro Antonio Solari.

Years of construction: 1490.

Height: 54 meters.

Completion: glowing ruby weather vane star.

Borovitskaya Tower located on the western side of the Kremlin wall between the Armory and Vodovzvodnaya towers. It consists of 4 quadrangles decreasing towards the top, placed on top of each other and crowned with a stone tent; a diversion arch with Borovitsky passage gates is attached to the side. Despite the rather poor decorative design, the Borovitskaya Tower stands out from the others due to its stepped (pyramidal) shape.

On outside The Borovitsky Gate contains the coats of arms of the Lithuanian and Moscow principalities carved from white stone; when and why they appeared there is unknown.

The name is given after the ancient forest that covered Borovitsky Hill in past.

Vodovzvodnaya (Sviblova) tower

Architect: Anton Fryazin.

Years of construction: 1488.

Height: 61.2 meters.

Completion: glowing ruby weather vane star.

Located on the southwestern corner of the Kremlin wall near the Kremlin embankment of the Moscow River between the Borovitskaya and Blagoveshchenskaya towers. It is an elongated cylinder with a complex hip-shaped end. The tower's parapet is crowned with dovetail battlements; it is equipped with machicolations for all-round firing. The decorative design of the tower is noteworthy: up to the middle of the height, it is lined with alternating belts of protruding and sinking masonry, above which there is an arcature belt, emphasized by a thin strip of white stone. Interestingly, the star on top of the Vodovzvodnaya Tower is the smallest among the other Kremlin towers (3 meters in diameter).

In the past, the tower housed a water-lifting machine developed according to the project Christopher Galovey- the first water supply system in Moscow from tanks installed on the upper tiers of the tower to supply water from the Moscow River to the Kremlin. Later it was dismantled and transported to St. Petersburg, where they began to use it to fill fountains with water.

The name is given after Galovey's water-lifting machine.

Annunciation Tower

Architect: ?

Years of construction: 1487-1488.

Height: 32.4 meters.

Completion: weathervane flag.

Annunciation Tower located on the southern side of the Kremlin wall between the Vodovzvodnaya and Tainitskaya towers. It is a quadrangle with a built-on tetrahedral tent and an observation tower. The parapet of the tower is equipped with machicolations. Under Ivan the Terrible it was used as a prison, in 1731-1932 - as the bell tower of the Church of the Annunciation (demolished during the Soviet years).

The name is given after the icon of the Annunciation, which, according to legend, miraculously appeared on the northern wall of the tower during the reign of Ivan the Terrible.

Taynitskaya Tower

Architect: Anton Fryazin.

Years of construction: 1485.

Height: 38.4 meters.

Completion: weathervane flag.

Taynitskaya Tower located in the central part of the southern side of the Kremlin wall between the Annunciation and First Nameless towers. It is a massive quadrangle with a built-on tetrahedral tent and an observation tower. The parapet of the tower is equipped with machicolations. In the past, the tower contained Tainitsky Gates, a well-spring and a secret passage to the Moscow River.

The first tower of the Moscow Kremlin to be built - it was from it that the construction of modern walls and towers began.

The name is given after the secret exit to the Moscow River.

First Nameless Tower

Architect: ?

Years of construction: 1480s.

Height: 34.1 meters.

Completion: weathervane flag.

First Nameless Tower located on the southern side of the Kremlin wall between the Tainitskaya and Second Nameless towers. It is a quadrangle with a built-on tetrahedral tent and an observation tower. During its history it was destroyed and rebuilt several times. In the past, there was a gunpowder warehouse inside the tower, which is why the tower was called the Powder Tower.

The modern name was given for a reason that is not entirely clear.

Second Nameless Tower

Architect: ?

Years of construction: 1480s.

Height: 30.2 meters.

Completion: weathervane flag.

Second Nameless Tower is located on the southern side of the Kremlin wall between the First Nameless Tower and the Petrovskaya Tower. It is a quadrangle with a built-on tetrahedral tent and an observation tower topped with an octagonal tent. In the past there was a gate in the tower.

The name was given for a reason that is not entirely clear.

Petrovskaya (Ugreshskaya) tower

Architect: ?

Years of construction: 1485-1487.

Height: 27.1 meters.

Completion: weathervane flag.

Petrovskaya Tower located on the southern side of the Kremlin wall between the Second Nameless and Beklemishevskaya towers. It consists of 3 quadrangles placed on top of each other, topped with an octagonal tent. There are false machicolations in the parapet of the tower. Over the years of its existence, it has been rebuilt several times.

The name is given by the courtyard of the Ugreshsky Monastery with the Church of Peter the Metropolitan, which was located on the territory of the Kremlin near the tower in the 15th-17th centuries.

Interesting facts about the Kremlin towers

There are 20 towers along the walls of the Kremlin;

In the past, when the Kremlin was located on an island formed by the Moscow River, Neglinka and Alevizov Ditch, from the passage towers to " mainland“Bridges were thrown - only the Trinity Bridge has survived to this day;

The very first one to be built is the Tainitskaya Tower, erected in 1485;

Of the 20 towers, 5 are crowned with ruby stars (Spasskaya, Nikolskaya, Troitskaya, Borovitskaya and Vodovzvodnaya), 1 - with a decorative finial (Tsarskaya), 1 - has no finial (Kutafya Tower), on the 13 remaining towers there are weathervane flags;

The red ruby stars on the tops of the towers rotate in the wind like a weather vane;

Initially, in 1935, gilded semi-precious stars were installed on the tops of the towers, but they quickly faded, and already in 1937 they were replaced with luminous ruby ones;

Before the stars, the towers were crowned with double-headed eagles, except for Vodovzvodnaya - state symbols were not placed on it;

To prevent the stars from overheating from the operation of the lamps, they are equipped with a ventilation system;

Trinity Tower is the most high tower Kremlin (80 meters);

Kutafya Tower - the lowest tower of the Kremlin (13.5 meters);

Kutafya Tower is the only surviving bridgehead barbican of the fortress;

The striking of the chimes of the Spasskaya Tower is a symbol of the New Year in Russia;

In past , however, some of the towers - including Spasskaya, Nikolskaya and Troitskaya - could be left red for aesthetic reasons;

The ensemble of walls and towers of the Moscow Kremlin is one of the most popular architectural attractions of Moscow.

Of the five passage gates of the Kremlin that connected it with the posad, the main ones were Spassky. This was the front gate of the Kremlin. In the old days they were called “saints”, and they were highly revered by the people.

Great princes and tsars entered the Kremlin through these gates and went to Red Square to Lobnoye Mesto for the reading of state charters; Foreign ambassadors and envoys with a large retinue arrived through them, and from the 18th century until the October Revolution, Russian emperors solemnly entered. On the days of major church holidays, a ceremonial procession of the highest clergy took place through the Spassky Gate to Red Square to the Execution Place and St. Basil's Cathedral, and religious processions were held. It was not allowed to pass through the Spassky Gate with a covered head or to ride a horse; Even the kings, approaching the gate, dismounted and walked on foot, taking off their hats.

The Spassky Gate has not lost its dominant role even today. They are still the front gates of the Kremlin. Through them, every year on the holiday of the Great October Socialist Revolution, the commander of the country's Armed Forces goes to take part in a military parade on Red Square, and through them the changing of the guard of honor at the Lenin Mausoleum takes place on Red Square.

Until 1658, the Spasskaya Tower was called the Frolovskaya Strelnitsa, as is believed, after the Church of Frol and Lavra, which was located on the outskirts not far from the tower. In 1658, by royal decree, it was renamed Spasskaya - in the image of the Savior of Smolensk, written above the gate of the diversion archer from Red Square, in memory of the liberation of the city of Smolensk by Russian troops. This ancient fresco is still preserved under a special protective layer in a white stone frame above the tower gate.

The Nikolskaya Tower with a passage gate was named in ancient times after the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, placed in a white stone frame above the gate of the diversion arch from the side of Red Square. This ancient image in a white stone frame has also survived to this day.

The name of the tower was also associated with Nikolskaya Street, extending from the tower in a northern direction (now 25 October Street), on which there was a monastery with the Church of St. Nicholas the Old (on the site of the current building of the Historical and Archival Institute). Through the Nikolsky Gate they drove to the Kremlin to the boyar and monastic farmsteads that occupied the north-eastern part of the Kremlin.

The name of the Trinity Gate is associated with the Trinity Compound located in the Kremlin nearby. Until the 17th century, the gate, like the tower, was called Kuretny, Rizpolozhensky, Znamensky, Epiphany. The name Troitsky has stuck to them since 1658. These gates served as passage to the patriarchal courtyard and the women's quarters royal palace, mansions of queens and princesses.

All economic supplies for the Kremlin and entrance to the Grand Duke's court were carried out through the Borovitsky Gate. Near them was the Grand Duke's courtyard, and near the Kremlin wall, facing the Neglinnaya River, there were aft, living and stable courtyards. In the 17th century, the tower was renamed Predtechenskaya, but this name did not stick with it.

The Tainitskaya Tower on the banks of the Moscow River and the gates in it received their name from the hiding-well that was in the tower. The tower gates were used only for travel to the Moscow River and the procession for the blessing of the water.

In the 70s of the 18th century, the Taynitskaya Tower was dismantled in connection with the construction of the Grand Kremlin Palace, designed by V. I. Bazhenov. After construction ceased, the tower was rebuilt, but without the outlet archer. In 1862, according to the design of the artist A. S. Campioni, a diverting archer was attached to the tower, ending with battlements and a special platform inside, on which guns for firing at holidays. In 1930, the archer was dismantled and the gates were blocked. The gate arch, covered with bricks, is still clearly visible on the facade of the tower from the Moscow River.

The name of the Konstantin-Eleninsky tower and the passage gate in it is associated with the Church of Constantine and Elena, located in the Kremlin not far from the tower. Previously, the gate was called Timofeevsky - after the governor Dmitry Donskoy. In the 17th century the gates were blocked. The tower and outlet archer began to be used as a prison. In the 15th-3rd century, the diversion arrow was dismantled, and subsequently, during the planning of the Vasilievsky descent to the Moscow River, both the ditch in front of the tower and the lower part of the tower with the gate were filled in. The upper part of the gate arch with a niche for the gate icon is still visible on the façade of the tower.

The remaining towers of the Kremlin were blind, that is, impassable, and their names sometimes changed depending on their purpose, use, and the buildings that appeared behind them in the Kremlin. For example, the Alarm Tower received its name from the alarm bell that was placed on it until 1771. Despite the fact that the bell on the tower is long gone, the name has been preserved. The Beklemishevskaya Tower, the name of which goes back to ancient times, is sometimes now called Moskvoretskaya, since next to it is the Moskvoretsky Bridge across the Moskva River. The Petrovskaya Tower received its name in the 18th century from the Church of Metropolitan Peter, which was moved to the tower after the abolition of the courtyard of the Ugreshsky Monastery, located in the Kremlin.

The name of the Annunciation Tower is associated with the icon of the Annunciation placed on it, as well as with the Church of the Annunciation.

The Armory Tower is so named because of its proximity to the Armory Chamber. Before the construction of the chamber in the 19th century, it was called Konyushennaya - from the royal Konyushennaya yard, located near the tower. The Commandant's Tower got its name in the 19th century, when the commandant lived in the Poteshny Palace behind the tower. Before that, it was called Kolymazhnaya - after the Kolymazhnaya yard, where carts, carriages and rattles were stored.

After the construction of the Arsenal building in the Kremlin in the 18th century, the Corner Dog Tower began to be called the Corner Arsenal Tower, and the Faceted Tower - the Middle Arsenal Tower. In the same century, the Senate Tower also received its name. The 1st and 2nd Nameless Towers remained without a name.

The Tsar's Tower was built in 1680 on the site of a wooden tower on which the Spassky Alarm bell hung. According to legend, from this wooden tower Ivan the Terrible watched various ceremonies taking place at the Execution Place and at St. Basil's Cathedral.

The name of the passage bridgehead tower Kutafya still remains a mystery. In the old days it was called the Borisoglebskaya, Vladimirskaya and Patriarchal Gates, but these names did not stick with it. This tower closes the Trinity Bridge and is located outside the Kremlin. In ancient times, it was surrounded by a water ditch and had gates on the sides for access to the bridge. Drawbridges spanned the moat from the tower gates. In 1780, due to its dilapidation, the brick vault covering it was dismantled, a direct passage through the tower to the Trinity Bridge was built, and the side gates were blocked. During the restoration of the tower in 1975, the side passages were opened.

The modern Kremlin was built at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th century. Impregnable fortress It was surrounded on all sides by water: from the south - the Moscow River, from the north and west - the Neglinnaya River, from the east - a ditch 10 m deep and 32 m wide, lined with white stone.

The length of the fortifications is more than 2 kilometers, height from 5 to 19 m, thickness from 3.5 to 6.5 m. 18 combat towers protrude from the walls. The distance between them made it possible to shoot through the entire protected perimeter. Initially, the towers were flat on top, only canopies protected the warriors from rain and snow.

In the 17th century, when the borders of the state moved away from Moscow and the Kremlin gradually lost its military significance, the towers were decorated with decorative tents.

Several times the Moscow Kremlin was threatened with destruction. At the end of the 18th century, by order of Catherine II, architect V.I. Bazhenov designed the demolition of the ancient walls and the construction of a new palace in their place. In 1812, Napoleon wanted to blow up the shrine of Russia. In 1917, the Red Guards fired at the fortress with three-inch guns to drive out the cadets from it. In 1945, the Germans bombed the city. However, fate preserved the Kremlin, and in our time it has become a symbol of Russian statehood.

Spasskaya Tower

The most majestic and beautiful tower of the Kremlin, it is rightfully considered the main one. Ceremonial processions pass through its gates. Initially it was called Frolovskaya, and Spasskaya - from 1658, when an icon of the Savior was installed above the passage gate. The tower has ten floors, three of which are occupied by Chimes - striking clocks.

Nikolskaya Tower

It got its name from the nearby St. Nicholas Monastery. One of four "pass-through" towers. The gate is protected by a diversion archer. The tower was blown up by the French in 1812 and restored in 1816.

Corner Arsenal Tower

The tower received its current name only about 200 years ago. Previously, it was called Sobakina after the estate of the Sobakin boyars located nearby. The tower protected the confluence of the Neglinnaya River with an artificial ditch dug along Red Square. A spring was hidden in the dungeon of the tower.

Trinity and Kutafya towers

The Trinity Tower was named by a special royal decree after the nearby Trinity courtyard. It was built near the Neglinnaya River itself. Its massive base goes deep into the ground. To cross the river, a bridge was built, protected by the Kutafya bridgehead tower.

Borovitskaya Tower

The passage Borovitskaya Tower got its name from an ancient coniferous forest. Not the tallest stepped tower looks very powerful. A road passed through its gates along which household goods, food and water from the Moscow River were delivered to the Kremlin.

Vodovzvodnaya Tower

A well was dug inside the Vodovzvodnaya or Sviblova Tower (named after the nearby courtyard of the Sviblov boyars). Using a special machine, water was raised into the central reservoir, and from there it was supplied through lead pipes to the upper Kremlin gardens. This was the first water supply system in Moscow. The tower was blown up by the French during the Napoleonic invasion of 1812. It was restored by the architect O.I. Beauvais.

Beklemishevskaya Tower

The slender, round corner tower is named after the Beklemishev boyars, who had their own courtyard nearby. Sometimes it is also called Moskvoretskaya due to its location at the confluence of an artificial ditch with the Moskva River.

Tsar's Tower

The elegant turret was built to replace a dilapidated wooden tower, from which, according to legend, Ivan the Terrible loved to watch the events on Red Square. On the second tier hung a bell - the Spassky alarm.

Other towers

Senate Tower
Middle Arsenal Tower
Commandant's Tower
Weapon Tower
Annunciation Tower
Taynitskaya Tower
1st Nameless Tower
2nd Nameless Tower
Petrovskaya Tower
Konstantino-Helenskaya Tower
Alarm tower

reference Information


	Tower		Year structures		Architect	Height

Spasskaya		1491		P. Solario

Nikolskaya		1491		P. Solario

Arsenalnaya		1492		P. Solario

Trinity		1495		P. Solario

Borovitskaya		1490		P. Solario

Vodovzvodnaya		1488		A. Gilardi

Beklemishevskaya		1487		M. Ruffo

Today's buildings were built mainly in 1485-1495 years is not the place of dilapidated white stone walls erected in 1366.
Fortress with twenty towers connected by walls, has a triangular shape.
Three corner towers have round shape for conducting circular fire, the rest are square, very different from one another.
The length of the Kremlin wall is 2335 m, height is 8-19 m, and its thickness is 3.5-6.5 m.
The towers have details characteristic of Italian architecture of that time, which is not surprising, since they were built by Italian architects.
IN tower names reflects their history and the history of the place.

The towers of the Moscow Kremlin with peaked tents and walls with battlements in the form of “swallow tails” are irreplaceable elements of the capital’s panorama. On the site where the Kremlin stands, a settlement has been located since ancient times. This location is very advantageous: on the high Borovitsky Hill, at the confluence of two rivers - the Moskva River and the Neglinnaya. The first fortifications that appeared here were wooden. And in 1366-1368, Prince Dmitry Donskoy built the first white stone Moscow Kremlin. The walls and towers that appear before us now are basically fortifications built in 1485 - 1495. by Italian architects on the site of the former, dilapidated white stone walls.

Kremlin construction techniques and fortress plan

Twenty Kremlin towers, connected by walls, form an irregular triangle with an area of 27.5 hectares. The fortifications were built taking into account the most modern military technologies of the 15th century. The towers protrude beyond the line of the walls so that soldiers can not only fire, but also control the situation in close proximity to the walls. Round towers were erected at the corners (Vodovzvodnaya, Moskvoretskaya and Arsenalnaya) - this shape was chosen both because of their greater strength and for conducting all-round fire. They also had the opportunity to arrange hidden wells with water. Most towers are square at the base, but differ quite greatly from each other, depending on their purpose. The travel towers (Spasskaya, Borovitskaya, Troitskaya and others), erected on the axes of the roads leading to the Kremlin, were the most powerful and well fortified. The towers were also endowed with a symbolic meaning of protection, protecting the Kremlin from the penetration of evil and evil spirits. Therefore, icons can still be seen above the gates of some towers.

Most of the towers had diversion arrows attached - fortifications that were carried outside the fortress walls or beyond the ditch for additional defense. This type of fortification fully met the requirements of the late 15th century. Of the archery towers, one has survived - Kutafya, which covers Trinity and in our time serves as the main entrance for tourists to the Kremlin. When constructing fortifications, various measures were taken against enemy attacks. This, for example, is the construction of secret underground passages leading outside the walls to protect the city from undermining. A through tunnel was built inside the walls to quickly move defenders.

The length of the walls of the Moscow Kremlin is 2235 meters, the thickness of the walls ranges from 3.5 to 6.5 meters, and the height from 8 to 19 meters. The highest walls are located on the side of Red Square, where there was no natural oh water hazard. The walls were not built immediately, their construction began from the south-eastern part (from the side of the Moscow River), continued to the east and west and was completed in 1516. The most old tower Kremlin - Tainitskaya.

The construction technique itself is also interesting. The walls were built on the foundations of the previous ones, white stone, the material was large red brick, which was used to lay out the front walls, and the gaps were filled with the remains of the collapsed walls of the time of Dmitry Donskoy. So, since 1485, the walls of the Moscow Kremlin acquired a recognizable color. The towers were erected by visiting Italian architects (Friazis, as they were called then): Pietro Antonio Solari, Marco Ruffo, Aleviz di Carcano. This explains their unusual, strange appearance for that time. The fact is that the design of loopholes in the form of the famous “swallow tails” was a typical detail of Northern Italian architecture, characteristic of buildings in cities where the ruling “party” were the Ghibellines - supporters of rapprochement with the emperor (unlike the Guelphs, supporters of the Pope, who decorated the walls of their cities are battlements with a straight ending). These battlements were not only decoration: they protected the upper battle platforms.

Angular and travel towers after another fire, they were decorated in the 17th century with stone tents with weather vanes. They served as watchtowers, and signal bells were also located there. In the second half of the 18th century. famous Russian architect V.I. Bazhenov completed the design of the Kremlin Palace - a large-scale building in a classicist style, reminiscent of the architecture of French palaces. The project proposed to line the hill leading to the cathedrals with turf - this place would become one of the first “walks” in Europe. To build such a huge structure, it was necessary to demolish a third of the Kremlin walls. At one site, which is located near the Moscow River, work began on dismantling the fortifications, but soon due to the growing colossal costs, this project was curtailed. In the 19th century During Napoleon's invasion of Moscow, serious damage was caused not only to the palaces and temples of the Kremlin, but also to the Kremlin walls. The architect who was involved in the restoration of the damaged Kremlin towers was O.I. Beauvais (ironically, also Italian).

Spasskaya Tower and Kremlin chimes

The most famous of all the Kremlin towers, Spasskaya, built in 1491 by Pietro Antonio Solari, deserves special mention. Tsars entered the Kremlin through it and religious processions took place. Since the 15th century Only dedicatory white stone slabs have reached us, which tell in Cyrillic (from the Kremlin side) and in Latin (from Red Square) about the order and construction of this tower. Its general appearance and decoration then were much more modest: it was almost half the size, and it was originally called Frolovskaya, after the Church of Flora and Lavra on. The Spasskaya Tower began to be called after the icon of the Savior, known throughout Russia, which was placed above the entrance in the middle of the 17th century. It was considered lost, but in 2010 it turned out that Soviet time it was simply covered with plaster. In the 17th century The tower was one of the first to be built with a multi-tiered elegant top. And the history of the clock on the Spasskaya Tower deserves a separate story.

The first clocks on the Kremlin, still white-stone towers, were installed in 1404 by Lazar Serbin. In the 17th century, the Spasskaya Tower acquired a very unusual clock thanks to a native of Scotland, Christopher Galovey. They were a sun-shaped hand with a rotating dial, on which 17 o'clock was marked. The famous Kremlin chimes, which can still be seen today, date back to the mid-19th century. They were made by watchmakers, brothers named Butenop - the founders of the company of the same name. IN different time the chimes sounded different melodies. Since 1770 it has been the song “Oh, my dear Augustine”, since the middle of the 19th century. ‒ “How glorious is our Lord in Zion”, after the revolution the clock began to play “The Internationale”, and since 2000 you can hear the famous excerpt from Glinka’s opera “A Life for the Tsar”. Currently, the clock mechanism occupies three whole floors, and until 1937 this clock was wound manually with a cast iron key.

Famous Kremlin towers and the history of their names

Let's take a closer look at the history of some of the towers. As already mentioned, the most important for defense and for the composition in general are the corner towers. The Vodovzvodnaya Tower was built by Anton Fryazin in 1488. In the 17th century the tower was equipped with a water-lifting machine, which is why it got its name. Its other name - Sviblova Tower - comes from the boyar family of the Sviblovs, who had a courtyard on the territory of the Kremlin. In 1812 it was blown up by the French, after which it was restored by O.I. Beauvais. Thanks to him, its appearance is emphatically classic: rustication (horizontal lines) in the lower part, columns, decorative design of dormer windows. Decoration comes first, not functionality; the hand of the architect of the early 19th century is felt.

The Beklemishevskaya Tower, built by Marco Ruffo in 1487, was named so because of the boyar I. Beklemishev who lived during the reign of Tsar Vasily III, who fell out of favor and was executed. From the name, one of the functions of this tower becomes obvious - a place of imprisonment for rebels. Its other name is Moskvoretskaya, since it is located on the banks of the Moscow River and occupies a strategically important position. It was from this side that the city was most often subjected to Tatar raids. A secret well was built in this tower. In 1707, the loopholes in the tower were expanded for a new type of weapon, since Swedish intervention was feared at that time. This fact indicates that the tower did not lose its defensive significance until the 18th century.

The corner round tower, located on the north side of the Kremlin buildings, was erected by Pietro Antonio Solari c. 1492. Its other names come from the Sobakin boyars who lived nearby (Sobakina) and from its location next to the Arsenal (Arsenalnaya). Thanks to the edges that form its volume and the base that expands downward, it gives the impression of particular stability and strength. It also had a strategic secret: there was a well inside, as well as an underground passage to the Neglinnaya River.

The Borovitskaya Tower got its name from the pine forest that was located on Borovitsky Hill in ancient times. The tower was built according to the design of Pietro Antonio Solari in 1490. design feature is the location of the archer on the side. It is also angular, but in plan it is not round, but resembles a pyramid, which is formed from quadrangles stacked on top of each other (volumes quadrangular at the base) and crowned with an octagon (volume octagonal at the base). Although this tower was located outside the main roads and was used for household needs, it has retained its significance to this day: it is the only permanently operating passage gate to the Kremlin territory.

The Trinity and Kutafya towers were built by Aleviz Fryazin. Kutafya dates back to 1516, Trinity - 1495. These towers are connected by a bridge, both were travel, and the Kutafya tower had only one gate, which was closed with heavy forged bars. Today this is the main entrance to the Kremlin architectural and museum complex. The Trinity Tower is the largest, its height reaches 76.35 meters. Its structure is complex: it consists of six floors, two of which are underground, and in the 17th and 18th centuries. it was a place of detention for rebels. It received its name in 1658 from the Trinity Metochion, located nearby.

The Tainitskaya Tower is so called because not only a secret well was built inside it, but also secret passage to the Moscow River. This tower was built first, in 1485 - it was from this side that the Tatars usually attacked.

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