Most people visit the Moscow Kremlin to see the residence of the Russian president, explore medieval cathedrals or get a glimpse of royal life in the Armory. I can only imagine their surprise when, walking around the complex, they stumble upon a massive bell, in fact, the largest one in the world. Unlike the Tsar Cannon, the bell has never left the Kremlin grounds; it's a quiet witness to history that saw the heyday and fall of the Russian Empire, the birth and collapse of the Soviet Union.
I've been doing tours of the Kremlin for 8 years now, and the most popular question I get is: "Has the bell ever rung?!" No, it hasn't — sorry, spoiler alert! — because it's broken. Wait, what? Read my post and find out what happened to one of the greatest attractions in the Kremlin.
Let's talk numbers first. The Tsar Bell weighs 201 tons 924 kg; it is 6.14 m tall, and measures 6.6 m in diameter. There's a common belief that it’s called the “Tsar Bell” because of its dimensions; however, the name has nothing to do with the size because in Russia at the time any bell with a tsar’s image on it was called that. There's not just one but two bas-relieves of Russian monarchs on the surface of the Tsar Bell. On one side there's a molded image of Tsar Alexey: during his reign in the 1650s two large bells were cast that became the predecessors of the giant we see today. Unfortunately, they both got damaged, and their bronze was recycled and later used to make the Tsar Bell.
In 1730 Anna, the niece of Peter the Great, was crowned; soon after the coronation the young empress ordered a new bell be founded. Therefore, she earned the right to be the other Russian ruler whose portrait we see on the Tsar Bell.
There are several reasons why such a massive (and expensive) bell was cast. There was a common belief at the time that low pitched bell ringing went straight into god’s ears, and thus all tsar's prayers would have been heard. The larger the bell was, the lower the sound it produced, hence more chances one had of going to heaven.
Foundry men who cast bells were also very much interested in making them larger, and thus earning more money as they got paid by a bell’s weight. That’s quite a motivator! Obviously, there was no way to weigh such massive bells, and masters could easily add a couple of kilograms (or tons?) when receiving their payment.
I also believe Russian monarchs wanted to make larger bells that would symbolize their power, strength and wealth, as a show-off.
The Tsar Bell was cast in bronze, an alloy of copper and tin; contrary to popular belief, no silver was added. In order to make the giant, a huge 10 m deep and 10 m wide casting pit was dug at Ivanovskaya Square in the Kremlin, just 20 meters away from where the bell is standing now. The pit was surrounded by wooden scaffolding and topped with a roof for weather protection; 4 furnaces were used to melt the metal into a liquid. The project was of great importance so was entrusted to Ivan Motorin, the most experienced caster in the Russian Empire at the time.
Unfortunately, the first attempt at casting, made in November 1734, failed as 3 out of 4 furnaces started to leak. It was a personal tragedy for Ivan Motorin who was responsible for the casting. In August 1735 the master died, and his 18-year old son Mikhail took charge of the ambitious project.
On November 25, 1735, another attempt at casting was made, and that time the plan succeeded. The most amazing fact is that the actual metal pouring took 1 hour and 12 minutes only. Mikhail Motorin didn't just complete the task successfully but overdid it: the resulting bell was a lot heavier than it was supposed to be. After the metal was poured, the Tsar Bell stayed in the casting pit in order to cool down, be engraved and polished.
The bell is lavishly decorated: images of Tsar Alexey, Empress Anna and 6 icons (3 on each side) are depicted on the bronze surface; some of them are unfinished. Next to the portrait of Tsar Alexey in the center there’s the Savior, Apostle Peter and John the Baptist. Above the image of Empress Anna there’s the Savior, the Holy Virgin and Anna the Prophetess.
There are two cartouches telling a history of the previous bells cast under Tsar Alexey in the mid-17th century as well as about the Tsar Bell. There's also a trademark of Ivan and Mikhail Motorins, the bell founders.
Sadly, the bell was never completed. On May 29, 1737, while the bell was still in the casting pit, a large fire started in Moscow; having begun on Trinity Sunday, it would be remembered as the Trinity Fire. The blaze quickly spread around the city and into the Kremlin. The wooden scaffold and roof surrounding the casting pit began to burn and fall onto the Tsar Bell, causing the metal to heat up quickly but unequally. Due to temperature differences several cracks appeared on the bronze surface, and an 11.5-ton fragment fell off.
When looking up the bell on the Internet or in guide books, you may read that when the fire started, muscovites began to pour cold water onto the Tsar Bell. Having done a lot of research and fact-checking, I seriously doubt it could have happened. In May 1737 three quarters of the city were damaged or destroyed by fire, including the royal residence, medieval cathedrals and state archives; about 100 people died. Rescuing a bell wouldn't have been a priority in a state of total chaos.
After the fire the Tsar Bell stayed in the pit for 99 years. Even broken, it attracted lots of visitors: local "entrepreneurs" started to charge a fee to let people into the casting pit. They also told legends that the bell was cursed or didn't want to ring on a certain occasion, and then Tsar Peter the Great struck the bell in anger breaking it off. Some people believed that the bell would ring on Judgement Day, after being miraculously repaired.
Emperor Nicholas I ordered the Tsar Bell be lifted out of the pit. Many projects were developed, but they were either too expensive or impractical. Ultimately, the Tsar Bell was raised following a plan by French architect and engineer Auguste de Montferrand. The most fascinating fact is that it only took 42 mins and 33 secs for the bell to be winched by 500 people and put on some sort of rollers.
On August 4, 1836, the bell was mounted on a specially designed pedestal (built of bricks and faced with stone) near Cathedral Square where it still stands today.
The same year the bell was topped with a bronze orb that was designed by Auguste de Montferrand and made by the Baird Works in St. Petersburg, the same factory that created the carriage and cannonballs for the Tsar Cannon. A marble memorial plaque was installed on the pedestal mistakenly stating the bell was cast in 1733.
In the 19th century the bell became a major attraction in the Kremlin appearing in lots of photographs and postcards.
There are two clappers (the striking agent suspended inside bells) underneath the bell: one of them is from a bell cast in the mid-17th century, while the other was, supposedly, made for the Tsar Bell.
Interestingly, during the Second World War the bell, which never rang, was used as a backup communication node; it was camouflaged.
Before the 1980 Summer Olympics the bell was examined by specialists from the Peter the Great Military Academy of Strategic Missile Forces and carefully restored.
Bells were traditionally used in Russia to summon people to church to pray; they also rang on special occasions such as holidays, weddings and funeral services. Church bell ringing accompanied the life of Muscovites from birth till death. It was also used as a navigation system: when somebody got caught in the midst of a snowstorm, bells ringing could help them find a way to the closest village.
These days some visitors to the Kremlin believe that rubbing the broken piece would bring them good luck, and that’s why the fallen fragment is getting "worn out" on either side.
The Tsar Bell, although never used, remains an outstanding monument of the Russian casting craft. Every year thousands of people take photos next to the largest bell in the world that never rang.
