The Trinity Tower of the Moscow Kremlin is the highest in the whole ensemble

This tower, one of the twenty that make up the architectural complex of the Moscow Kremlin, has many features. It - the only heated and has internal rooms with a decent acoustics. There are gates in it, through which the main stream of visitors to the main building of the Russian capital is going. And the Trinity Tower of the Moscow Kremlin is the highest.

Fryazin means an Italian

Among the masters, which Ivan III attracted to erect the main fortification of Moscow, were the Italians. Among them was the architect, who entered the Russian history under the name of Aleviz Fryazin (Milanets). Studies of domestic and foreign historians have revealed that this was the name of Aloisio de Carazano in Russia, the stone work of a master from Piedmont, Italy, located at the foot of the Alps. It is he who is considered the builder of the site of the Kremlin fortress, which walked along the banks of the Neglinnaya River. In 1495 he was started, and four years later the construction of the tower, which later became second in importance (after Spassky), was completed.

Several names

Its current name Troitskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin was in the middle of the XVII century, by the name of the nearby monastery. Previously, the name for the tower was chosen by the name of the nearby Kremlin cathedrals. She was Epiphany, and Rizopolozhenskaya, and Znamenska. There were other variants in the people: Karetnaya (next to the coach house), the Patriarchy (through which the supreme pastor went to the city) or the Women's (through her to the Kremlin, women fell in love with the queen).

Height

As already mentioned, this is the highest tower of the Moscow Kremlin. Troitskaya is 9 meters taller than Spasskaya. Because of the features of the relief, the tower has different parameters outside and inside the wall. From the side of the Kremlin, the height of the tower with the star is 69.3 m. The building has 6 overground floors and 2 lower levels of deep cellars. From the outside - from the Alexander Garden - the current height of the Trinity Tower of the Moscow Kremlin, together with the star crowning the tent top, reaches 80.1 m.

Purpose and construction

Originally, the Kremlin was built as the most powerful fortress in Europe. The Kremlin towers served as the supporting centers of defense. Their loopholes eventually expanded to conduct cannon firing. The Troitskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin was also subjected to these improvements. Her photo in the current state shows the result of numerous reconstructions, the last of which ended in the fall of 2015.

During this restoration, the lower part of the structure was investigated. It turned out that in the base of the tower lie granite blocks of enormous size, bound with limestone. Undertaking a tunnel and breaking the stability of such a foundation is unlikely. This once again confirmed the high fortification qualities of the Kremlin as a whole, as well as of its individual elements. The Trinity Tower is one of four strongholds that could continue to defend itself even after the capture of the Kremlin walls.

In architecture, Troitskaya in many respects resembles the Spassky tower. On a square basic volume there is a polyhedral superstructure with a white stone decoration, topped with a high tent. The tower also had its own chimes destroyed after the French invasion of 1812.

Barbican

Another feature of this architectural monument is the presence of the only surviving walled defensive object - the Kutafia Tower. This structure was called the gate fortification (barbican) and served to guard the entrance to the tower gate. The highest is the Trinity - the tower of the Moscow Kremlin is connected to the lowest, Kutafia (13.5 m), the Trinity Bridge. Today, this is a spectacular architectural design of the entrance zone. Earlier, without a later decor, it was a powerful knot of defense, covering the heart of the Russian capital from an attack from the Neglinnaya River.

Eagles and stars

The last time the Kremlin walls performed defensive functions during the storming of the Kremlin by Bolshevik detachments during the October Revolution of 1917. The shelling of one of the most damaged was the Troitskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin. The history of those days tells about the loss of an important Orthodox shrine - the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, who was in the Kyoto over the Troitsky Gates for a long time. Now this niche is empty, and from the side of the Alexandrovsky garden the Trinity tower is decorated with a clock.

Until 1935, the Kremlin towers were crowned with two-headed eagles, and Troitskaya was decorated with the oldest one, which was about half a century old. Soviet power replaced the royal coat of arms with the symbols of the new time - five-pointed stars. At first they were gold, but they quickly faded and were replaced by ruby ones. The Trinity Tower of the Moscow Kremlin, photo of which is necessarily present on the gadgets of numerous guests of Moscow, also has a red star pommel visible from afar.

Musical stuffing

The tower, through which crowds of people who want to see the Kremlin, get into its palaces and museums, has one more function. Unlike others, it is inhabited.
The Presidential Orchestra of Russia, which is part of the system of the Federal Security Service, is an obligatory participant in all official ceremonies. Without him, meetings and farewells of distinguished guests, reward ceremonials can not be avoided. The residence of this musical group is the Trinity Tower of the Moscow Kremlin.

The details of the life of the main builder of the tower, Aleviz Fryazin, have been lost, its defensive functions have long been in the past, but today the Troitskaya Tower is one of the most recognizable objects of the Kremlin, the main architectural landmark of Moscow.