This tower, one of the twenty that make up the architectural complex of the Moscow Kremlin, has many features. It is the only one heated and has interior with decent acoustics.
There are gates through which the main stream of visitors to the main building of the Russian capital goes. And the Trinity Tower of the Moscow Kremlin is the highest.
Fryazin - means Italian
Among the masters whom Ivan III drew for the construction of the main fortification of Moscow were Italians. Among them was an architect who entered Russian history under the name Aleviz Fryazin (Milanets). Studies of domestic and foreign historians revealed that in Russia they called Aloisio de Carezano, a stone craftsman from Piedmont, a region of 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 began, and four years later completed the construction of the tower, which later became the second most important (after Spasskaya).
Multiple names
The present name of the Trinity 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 both the Epiphany, and the Robe Deposition, and the Sign. There were other options among the people: Karetnaya (there was a carriage yard nearby), the Patriarchy (through it the supreme shepherd went to the city) or Zhenskaya (through her to the Kremlin, women got to bow to the tsarina).
Height
As already mentioned, this is the highest tower of the Moscow Kremlin. Troitskaya is 9 meters above Spasskaya. Due to the terrain features, the tower has different parameters from the outside and from the inside of the wall. From the side of the Kremlin, the height of the tower with the star is 69.3 m. The building has 6 above-ground floors and 2 lower levels of deep basements.
From the outside - from the Alexander Gardens - the current height of the Trinity Tower of the Moscow Kremlin, together with the star crowning the top of the tent, reaches 80.1 m.
Purpose and design
The Kremlin was originally built as the most powerful fortress in Europe. Kremlin towers served as defense support nodes. Their loopholes expanded over time to conduct cannon fire. The Trinity Tower of the Moscow Kremlin was also subjected to these improvements. A photo of her in her 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 building was investigated. It turned out that at the base of the tower are granite blocks of enormous size, connected by limestone. Undermining and violating the stability of such a foundation is unlikely. This once again confirmed the high fortification qualities of both the entire Kremlin and its individual elements. The Trinity Tower is one of four strongholds that could continue to defend even after the capture of the Kremlin walls.
By architecture, Troitskaya is largely reminiscent of the Spasskaya Tower. On the square main volume there is a multifaceted superstructure with a white-stone decor, crowned with a high tent. The tower had its own chimes, destroyed after the invasion of the French in 1812.
Barbican
Another feature of this architectural monument is the presence of the only surviving wall defensive object nearby - Kutafya Tower. Such a structure was called a gateway fortification (barbican) and served to guard the entrance to the tower gates.
The highest - Troitskaya - tower of the Moscow Kremlin is connected to the lowest, Kutafya (13.5 m),
Troitsky bridge. Today it is a spectacular architectural design of the entrance area. Previously, without a later decor, it was a powerful defense node that covered 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 assault on the Kremlin by Bolshevik detachments during the October Revolution of 1917. When shelling one of the most affected was the Trinity Tower of the Moscow Kremlin. The history of those days tells of the loss of an important Orthodox shrine - the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, which was for a long time in a cot over the Trinity Gate. Now this niche is empty, and from the side of the Alexander Garden the Trinity Tower is decorated with watches.
Until 1935, the Kremlin towers were crowned with double-headed eagles, and the Troitskaya was decorated with the oldest, which was about half a century old. Soviet power replaced the tsar's coat of arms with the symbols of modern times - five-pointed stars. At first they were gold, but quickly faded and were replaced by ruby. The Trinity Tower of the Moscow Kremlin, a photo of which is necessarily present on the gadgets of numerous Moscow guests, also has a red-star top that is clearly visible from afar.
Musical stuffing
The tower through which crowds go to see the Kremlin, get into its palaces and museums, has another function. Unlike others, it is inhabited.
The Presidential Orchestra of Russia, which is part of the Federal Guard Service, is an obligatory participant in all official ceremonies. Meetings and farewells of distinguished guests, award ceremonies are not without it. The residence of this musical group is the Trinity Tower of the Moscow Kremlin.
Details of the life of the main builder of the tower, Aleviz Fryazin, have been lost, its defensive functions have long been left in the past, but even today the Trinity Tower is one of the most recognizable objects of the Kremlin, the main architectural landmark of Moscow.