The Tsar Bell
Homecoming of the Danilov bells: their famous compatriots
Published 07 September, 2008, 16:15
Bells in Russia have sometimes achieved celebrity status, a bit like famous people. They were baptised, given names and recognised by the sound of their voices. Thus, one of the biggest bells of Rostov, an ancient Russia
The Tsar Bell
This gigantic wonder, which is currently on display outside the Kremlin, is the largest bell in the world. It weighs 216 tonnes. It was commissioned by Empress Anna, the niece of Peter the Great, in 1730. The first attempt to cast the bell was unsuccessful, and Ivan Motorin, its maker, died “of sadness”, according to the official record. The casting of the bell took seven years and was never finalised. During a fire in 1737 a huge slab, weighing 11.5 tonnes, fell off the bell, never to be replaced. The bell therefore was never rung.
It wasn't the first “Tsar Bell” to be cast in Russia. The alloy used for the making of the bell included its molten predecessor, a bell which was cast in 1654 and was shattered in a fire in 1701. Thus, the Tsar Bell is sometimes referred to as the Third Bell (“Tretiy Kolokol”), in memory of the bells that preceded it.
The bell remained in its cast for more than a century, only to find its place on a stone pedestal outside the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Moscow Kremlin. For a while, the bell served as a chapel, with its broken piece forming the door.
Some christians in Russia are convinced that on Judgment Day the Tsar Bell will be miraculously repaired and lifted up to heaven where it will ring the call to prayer (or 'Blagovest').
The Royal Silver Bell of Kharkov
This bell was cast in commemoration of the miraculous salvation of the Tsar’s family during a railroad accident in 1888. The whole royal family was returning from a holiday in the Crimea when their train was derailed, killing 26 people and injuring another 24. The royal family was ‘miraculously’ untouched.
The bishop of Kharkov province (now in Ukraine) – where the accident happened – decided that a bell of pure silver should be cast, to be rung at the time of the crash every day. This was to remind people of how lucky they were, to still have their Imperial family alive and well. The bishop announced a collection of donated silver from the public, planning to cast a bell which would weigh around 165kg. However, within a month enough silver for a 330kg bell had been collected.
It was cast in 1890 and was rung at precisely 1pm every day for 27 years. It disappeared after the Revolution of 1917. No trace of it has ever been found.
The Great Uspenskiy Bell
From its casting in the 19th century until 2003, the Great Uspenskiy Bell was the biggest active bell in Russia, weighing over 65 tonnes. To bring its clapper to one side of the bell, two ringers had to be employed. Five people had to work together to make the clapper ring both sides. The bell still hangs in a tower of the Kremlin, but it has surrendered the title of Russia’s biggest active bell to a 72-tonner cast in St. Petersburg.
It is not, however, only a gentle ringing giant, it is also a memorial. It was cast after Russia's war with France, which ended in 1812. When retreating from Moscow, Napoleon's army set fire to the Kremlin, in an attempt to destroy it. Muscovites succeeded in defending their national symbol, but its main bell tower – the Uspenskaya Zvonnitsa – collapsed, irreparably damaging its main bell.
In 1817, the Great Uspenskiy Bell was cast as a symbol of victory to replace the one destroyed in the fire. Part of the metal used for its creation came from French cannons.
Homecoming of the Danilov Bells: A Spiritual Odyssey
