The Tsar Bell sounds majestic and mysterious. How and why was he elevated to royal dignity?
Creation and description
The Tsar Bell is a unique artifact located on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. Among other bells, it is distinguished by its extraordinary dimensions - a weight of just over two hundred tons, a height of over six meters. Unfortunately, no one has ever heard his voice, and the bells are cast to sound, and it is the voice that is their main advantage.
For the first time the idea to cast a large bell arose under Boris Godunov. The predecessor of the Tsar Bell weighed only 33 and a half tons. After serving half a century, it shattered in a fire.
The next bell weighed 100 tons more. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was the initiator of its creation. The giant bell had a powerful voice, but did not last long - it cracked from a strong blow. His follower put on weight again, but he was not spared by the fire.
The current giant really surpasses all previous ones in weight and size. Empress Anna Ioannovna wanted to emphasize her succession on the Russian throne. She ordered to play the bell as a sign of respect for grandfather Alexei Mikhailovich and other royal ancestors.
Until then, no one had tried to cast a bell of such an impressive size. The idea of the participation of foreigners had to be abandoned, but the Russian state had its own wonderful foundry workers. The performers of the work were the father and son of Motorina. They decided to cast it right in the royal court, next to the bell tower.
The masters were faced with a task of extraordinary complexity. Making a bell is not easy in itself, you need to not only mold the shape, but also make it sound. The giant was to become the owner of a low and deep voice.
The preparation for the casting took more than a year. On the first attempt, some of the metal went into the ground. I had to start all over again. Again, a blank was blinded from clay, and the metal began to be melted again. After almost two days, the bell was finally cast. He was gradually cooled down, with great difficulty raised from the pit. The minting of details began.
All this work took several years, the eldest of the Motorins did not live to see its completion. Unfortunately, the great bell was not destined to show its mighty voice. Like its predecessors, the Tsar Bell suffered from fire. It cracked, collapsed from wooden supports and crashed.
At the time, it seemed that the story of the colossus would end there. It actually lay in the ground for over 100 years. Only in the 19th century, it was decided to remove the bell from imprisonment.
Even a voiceless bell rightfully bears its royal title. It is decorated with delicate relief ornamentation, decorated with portraits of the royal granddaughter and grandfather, icons and inscriptions highlighting the history of its creation.
How to watch the Tsar Bell
To see the wonderful bell you need to visit the Moscow Kremlin Museum. Its address is very simple: Russia, Moscow, the Kremlin. Sightseeing near the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. This is marked on any diagram or map of the Kremlin. The museum's schedule changes depending on the time of the year, with opening hours from half past nine to six in summer and from ten to five in winter. You can buy a ticket and pay for an excursion on the official website or at the museum box office.
