TSAR BELL

Description

Essentials about the Tsar Bell in brief

The Tsar Bell is one of the most extraordinary sights on the grounds of the Moscow Kremlin. Cast in 1735, it is considered one of the largest and heaviest bells in the world preserved to this day. It has never been rung and since 1836 has been displayed on a pedestal in Ivan Square between the Ivan the Great Bell Tower and the Secret Corridor Garden leading to the southern Kremlin wall.

The history of the Tsar Bell

The brocade Tsar Bell is 6.14 meters high, up to 61 centimeters thick and weighs an impressive 201.9 tons. The reason why the bell has never been rung is already in its creation. Even before the bell could be lifted out of the casting pit, a major fire occurred in the Kremlin in May 1737, to which mainly the remaining wooden structures fell victim. Along with them, the wooden structures for lifting the Tsar Bell were caught in the fire and fell down burning onto the bell. When cold extinguishing water reached the now red-hot bell, it cracked due to the extreme temperature difference, causing a piece weighing 11.5 tons to split off.

With its enormous dimensions, the Tsar Bell is not only one of the largest examples of its kind in the world, but also represents an important monument to Russian casting technology of the early 18th century. In this function, it complements the Tsar Cannon standing only about 100 meters away, which was also never used according to its actual purpose.

The decorations of the Tsar Bell

Another distinctive feature of the bell, apart from its dimensions, are its numerous decorations, which also make the bell a monument of applied art of the 18th century. The rich relief depictions on all sides of the bell are ornaments with stylized baroque depictions of plants and angels, as well as oval medallions with portraits of saints. They are complemented by motifs from Russian heraldry and almost life-size full-body images of Empress Anna Ioannovna (during whose reign the Tsar Bell was cast) and Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich (from whose reign the “predecessor bell” dates, the remains of which were later used to cast the Tsar Bell).