Spasskaya Tower

The Spasskaya Tower is one of the most recognizable architectural symbols not only of Moscow but of all Russia. Its majestic silhouette with chimes and a ruby star is familiar to every resident of the country. It is under the chimes of the Spasskaya Tower that Russians welcome the New Year, and the structure itself has remained a witness to the most important events in national history for centuries.

History of Construction and Development

Construction under Ivan III

The construction of the Spasskaya Tower began in 1491 by order of Grand Prince Ivan III. The project was designed by the famous Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari, who worked on strengthening the northeastern part of the Moscow Kremlin. Initially, the structure was called the Frolovskaya Tower, named after the Church of Saints Florus and Laurus, located nearby on Myasnitskaya Street. The original structure was a four-sided white stone tower, about half the height of the current one. A massive barbican adjoined the building, providing additional protection for the gates. Inside the gateway, metal portcullises were installed that could be lowered in case of attack.

Architectural Reconstruction of the 17th Century

At the beginning of the 17th century, when the Kremlin lost its defensive significance, the towers began to be decorated with ornamental details. In 1624–1625, the English architect Christopher Galloway, together with Russian architect Bazhen Ogurtsov, carried out a large-scale reconstruction. Several tiers were added to the main structure, and a tall stone spire in the Gothic style was erected. The height of the tower reached 67 meters without the finial. The facade was enriched with exquisite decorations: white stone turrets, a carved belt of pointed arches with floral ornaments, and sculptural images of lions, bears, and peacocks. The top of the spire was crowned with a double-headed eagle — the symbol of Russian statehood.

Renaming to Spasskaya

By decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich on April 16, 1658, the Frolovskaya Tower was renamed the Spasskaya Tower. There are two versions of the origin of this name. According to the first, the renaming is associated with the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, placed above the gate facing Red Square. According to another version, the name came from the road leading to the Spaso-Smolensky Church, which passed through the tower.

Architectural Features

Structure and Dimensions

The Spasskaya Tower has a square base and consists of ten tiers. The total height of the structure, including the ruby star, is 71 meters. The massive barbican with its passage gates is protected by thick walls capable of withstanding a serious siege. The architectural design of the tower combines the functionality of a military fortification with the elegance of decorative art. The multi-tiered composition creates an impression of upward aspiration, emphasized by the vertical divisions of the facade and the pointed spire.

Decorative Ornamentation

The white stone decoration gives the tower its special expressiveness. A carved band of pointed arches encircles the upper part of the main structure. Floral ornaments intertwine with sculptural images of animals, creating a rich play of light and shadow on the facade. In the 17th century, the devout Tsar Fyodor Mikhailovich ordered that the figures of nude people on the lace-like belt of the tower be covered with robes. However, this decor was destroyed in a fire and has not survived to this day.

Holy Relics of the Spasskaya Tower

Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands

In the mid-17th century, a copy of the miraculous icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands was placed above the gate from the inner side of the tower. According to legend, the original image saved the city of Khlynov from a plague epidemic that raged across the country. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered the icon to be moved to a Moscow monastery, and the copy was placed above the Spasskie Gates. From that moment, the gates were considered sacred. Passing through them was allowed only on foot, and men had to remove their hats before the image of the Savior. Those who violated this rule were required to perform fifty prostrations as penance. During the Soviet era, the icon was lost, but in 2023 it was recreated from archival documents and returned to its original place.

The Smolensk Savior of the 16th Century

On the Red Square side, above the passage of the Spasskaya Tower, there is another icon — the Smolensk Savior, dating from the 16th century. This image miraculously survived because in the 1930s, Soviet architects did not destroy it but instead covered it with plaster for preservation. The icon was discovered only in 2010 during restoration work. When the face of Christ began to appear under the plaster, researchers realized they had found a true relic. The image was carefully covered with wire mesh and plastered over — likely by workers who did not want to destroy the shrine.

Chapels at the Spasskaya Tower

At the beginning of the 19th century, two small chapels were built next to the barbican of the Spasskaya Tower. They belonged to St. Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square. The red brick buildings in the Russian style were decorated with ornate archivolts and low spires with domes. The chapels stood until 1925, when they were demolished as part of the anti-religious campaign.

The Kremlin Chimes

History of the Clock on the Tower

The first clock on the Spasskaya Tower appeared presumably in the late 15th or early 16th century. However, detailed information is available only about the mechanism installed in 1625 under the supervision of Christopher Galloway. This clock had an unusual design: a huge five-meter dial was decorated with depictions of the starry sky, sun, and moon. Instead of the usual numbers, letters of the Old Church Slavonic alphabet were used. The hour hand, shaped like a sunbeam, remained stationary while the dial itself rotated. The belfry contained 13 bells for striking the hours.

Evolution of the Clock Mechanism

By order of Peter I in 1709, a new mechanism with a twelve-hour dial was installed, following a German model. The clock played musical melodies, but in the 1770s it was replaced with chimes that played an Austrian tune. After the Moscow fire of 1812, this mechanism broke down. The modern chimes were made by the brothers Nikolai and Ivan Butenop in the mid-19th century. They restored the old English mechanism and installed dials 6.12 meters in diameter on all four sides of the tower. The clock played the Preobrazhensky Regiment march in the morning and Dmitry Bortnyansky’s hymn in the evening.

Damage and Restoration in 1917

During the October fighting of 1917, a shell hit the Spasskaya Tower, damaging the clock mechanism. By order of Vladimir Lenin, master Nikolai Berens repaired the chimes in 1919. From then on, the clock played revolutionary tunes: “The Internationale” at noon and a funeral march at midnight.

Modern State of the Chimes

The massive clock mechanism occupies three floors of the tower — from the eighth to the tenth tiers — and the belfry is located at the very top. The dials face all four sides, with Roman numerals 72 centimeters tall. The hour hand is almost three meters long, and the minute hand exceeds three meters. The hands and numbers are gilded, and the total weight of the structure exceeds 25 tons. After a major restoration in the 1990s, the chimes began to play the Russian national anthem and the melody “Glory” from Mikhail Glinka’s opera *A Life for the Tsar*. In 2017, the belfry was supplemented with 12 new bells cast at a factory in Voronezh. The mechanism was modernized: the clock is now wound by electric motors, and oil is automatically supplied to the gears. Today, the chimes strike every hour. The Russian anthem sounds at noon, 6 p.m., and midnight, while “Glory” is played at 3 a.m., 9 a.m., 3 p.m., and 9 p.m.

The Ruby Star

The Double-Headed Eagle — Symbol of Tsarist Power

Since the 16th century, the top of the Spasskaya Tower’s spire was crowned with a gilded double-headed eagle — the coat of arms of the Russian Empire. The first finials were made of wood, later of gilded copper. The last imperial eagle was installed on the tower in 1912.

The First Soviet Star

To mark the 18th anniversary of the October Revolution in 1935, the double-headed eagle was replaced with a five-pointed star. It was designed by artist Fyodor Fyodorovsky, made of copper, and decorated with Ural gemstones. The center of the star was adorned with the emblem of the USSR, from which golden rays radiated. The span of the star’s points was 4.5 meters, and its weight reached one ton. However, after two years, the decoration lost its brilliance and festive appearance. The first star was dismantled and later installed on the spire of Moscow’s Northern River Terminal.

The 1937 Ruby Star

In May 1937, a new illuminated star made of special ruby glass, resistant to temperature changes and mechanical damage, was installed on the Spasskaya Tower. The span of the rays was 3.75 meters. The structure was made to rotate like a weather vane. Inside the star was a powerful 5-kilowatt lamp. To maintain a rich red color, the lamp burns brighter during the day than at night. Throughout its history, the illumination was turned off only twice: during the Great Patriotic War and during the filming of Nikita Mikhalkov’s historical film *The Barber of Siberia*.

Legends and Interesting Facts

Napoleon’s Tricorne

According to legend, when French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte entered Moscow through the Spasskie Gates, a sudden gust of wind blew his hat off. The superstitious commander took it as a bad omen. During his retreat from Moscow, Napoleon ordered the Spasskaya Tower to be blown up, but Cossacks managed to extinguish the fuses and thus saved the historic structure.

Ancient Bell of 1769

In the belfry of the Spasskaya Tower, there remains a bell cast in 1769. This historic instrument marks the passage of time, and it is its sound that Russians hear on New Year’s Eve as the chimes count down the last seconds of the outgoing year.

A Fortress Within a Fortress

The Spasskaya Tower was so well fortified that it could withstand a siege even if the Kremlin walls fell. This made it a true fortress within a fortress, capable of enduring a prolonged assault.

The Importance of the Spasskaya Tower

The Main Gate of the Kremlin

For centuries, the Spasskie Gates served as the main ceremonial entrance to the Kremlin. Through them, tsars entered before coronations, solemn processions passed, and military regiments departed for battle. Foreign ambassadors and high-ranking state guests entered the fortress through the Spasskaya Tower. Before their coronation, all Russian rulers, starting with Mikhail Romanov, solemnly entered the Kremlin through these gates. On Palm Sunday, the road under the gate was covered with red cloth and decorated with willow branches.

Traditions and Customs

By the Spasskie Gates stood a special box for petitions to the tsar, where any subject could drop a written appeal. This custom ended by order of Peter I. During the Soviet era, the tradition of reverence for the tower continued in new forms. Through the Spasskie Gates, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces would drive out to preside over military parades on Red Square, and the ceremonial changing of the honor guard by Lenin’s Mausoleum also took place here.

A Symbol of Russia

Today, the Spasskaya Tower has become one of the main symbols of Russia. Its image is recognized worldwide, and the chimes on New Year’s Eve mark the arrival of the new year for millions of Russians. Since August 2014, visitors can exit to Red Square through the Spasskie Gates, although entry into the Kremlin is still only through the Kutafya Tower. In exceptional cases, the gates are fully opened — for example, for the passage of the presidential motorcade during the inauguration.

The “Spasskaya Tower” Festival

In honor of this famous structure, an international military music festival called “Spasskaya Tower” is held annually on Red Square at the end of August or beginning of September. Military bands from Russia and other countries take part, demonstrating their mastery of march and ceremonial music.

How to Get to the Spasskaya Tower

The Spasskaya Tower is located on Red Square, opposite St. Basil’s Cathedral. You can get there in several ways:

• By metro to the stations “Okhotny Ryad,” “Ploshchad Revolyutsii,” “Biblioteka imeni Lenina,” or “Kitay-Gorod”
• By bus route No. 10 or other routes to the stops “Red Square” and “Varvarka”
• On foot while walking through the historical center of Moscow

You can admire the tower from Red Square absolutely free of charge. To enter the Cathedral Square of the Kremlin, you need to purchase an entrance ticket, which allows you to see not only the Spasskaya Tower but also the entire architectural ensemble of the Kremlin.

Conclusion

The Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin is an outstanding monument of Russian architecture that combines the defensive power of a medieval fortress with the elegance of decorative art. For more than five centuries, the tower has witnessed the most important events in Russian history, transforming from a military stronghold into one of the main national symbols. Its majestic architecture, ancient relics, famous chimes, and ruby star make the Spasskaya Tower a unique monument where different historical eras coexist in harmony. Today, this structure continues to function: the chimes strike every hour, and on New Year’s Eve, their sound marks the beginning of the new year for the entire country. A visit to the Spasskaya Tower and Red Square allows you to touch centuries of Russian history, feel the grandeur of Russian architecture, and understand why this place remains the spiritual and historical heart of the nation.