Description of the attraction
In the town of Aleksandrov, Vladimir region, at 20 Muzeiniy proezd, there is the Crucifixion church-bell tower, which belongs to the Alexander Kremlin.
Having cast the first glance at the bell tower, one cannot but admire its majestic dimensions. The church-bell tower was built immediately after the Novgorod pogrom took place. In those days, it was a monument to the bloody struggle, which was arranged by Ivan the Terrible for the unfortunate residents of the city and the entire Novgorod land. The greatness and power of the building lies in the architectural form, which expresses endless strength and at the same time restraint.
According to the earliest descriptions relating to the Crucifixion Bell Tower, its construction dates back to the period when Ivan the Terrible moved to Sloboda in 1565 for permanent residence. In 1945, the famous architect P. S. Polonsky. discovered in one of the galleries the cornice of an ancient pillar at a height of 14 m. In the thickness of the walls, profile rods and platbands were also found. The original pillar was identified, which on the outside had three tiers. All tiers were equipped with window openings.
Under Tsar Ivan the Terrible, one of the pillars of the belfry church was dismantled, and the second was arranged and raised into an octahedron with huge pylons, the height of which was from the ground to the lower gallery. An octagonal pillar was located 30 meters from the southern side of the Trinity Cathedral.
The crucifixion church-bell tower became a classic example of the tent-roofed Old Russian style, more characteristic of the initial period of stone construction throughout Russia.
The total height of the church reaches fifty-six meters. In the area of the lower gallery there are several tiers intended for arched kokoshniks of the most varied profiling. In the lower tier, kokoshniks are equipped with round windows located in the middle. This part contains the second gallery. Slightly higher, above the tiers of kokoshniks, is the so-called ringing platform, and a high tent rises above it. An octagonal vestibule with a miniature dome hangs over the tent. On the south side, a small belfry adjoins the bell tower, which is an object of Grozny construction and which is merged into a single whole with the main building. It is believed that a five-hundred-pound Novgorod bell hung here. The belfry is also adjoined by a small chamber, built of stone, which includes four rooms. Until the beginning of 1707, the princess-nun Marfa Alekseevna, who had been exiled under Ivan the Terrible, lived here. Since then, this annex has been called “Marfins of the Chamber.
The chamber has a connection with the bell tower by means of a hacked entrance. From that moment on, the bell tower began to be called the Crucifixion Church-Bell Tower or the Church of the Passion of the Lord.
From the outer entrance to the bell tower there is a narrow staircase made of stone. The staircase is somewhat inconvenient. The entire passage is illuminated through slit-like window openings. The staircase leads to the first gallery, which is equipped with unusual arches. Then a stone staircase leads to the gallery of the second tier, which is rather dimly lit and somewhat dark.
In 1572 a new bell for the bell tower was cast in Veliky Novgorod. The work was performed by master Ivan Afanasevich. It is known that at the end of the 17th century, 12 bells hung on the bell tower, one of which weighed 500 pounds. In 1701, which belonged to the reign of Peter the Great, it was ordered to play all the bells in Moscow. In 1823, wealthy merchants from Aleksandrov Ugolkov and Kalenov presented the church with a new bell, which was soon cast into metal.
At the end of 1969, the ongoing restoration work in the Church of the Crucifixion was completed. The basement, built of white stone, was to be restored, as well as the roof, the tent, the Martha's chamber and all the stairways were repaired. The old plaster was knocked down and new partitions were made. The old tiled stove has been preserved in the Martha's Chamber.
