Several superlatives can be applied to the bell tower adorning the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius: the tallest, the most beautiful, the most famous, etc. This grand 88-meter structure was built for more than a quarter of a century – from 1741 to 1768. Construction of the bell tower began by decree of Empress Anna Ioannovna and was completed under Elizaveta Petrovna.
The Russian architect D.V. Ukhtomsky managed to give the massive bell tower building of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius extraordinary visual lightness and airiness. The five-tiered bell tower rises above the entire Lavra, yet does not dominate it, instead harmoniously complementing the architectural ensemble.
Once there was a unique collection of bells here, later destroyed in the 1930s, including the famous largest Tsar Bell. In 2004, a new monumental Tsar Bell weighing 72 tons was cast and installed, exceeding the weight of its predecessor by 8 tons.
The construction of the bell tower cost the treasury a fantastic sum for the 18th century – 40 thousand rubles, not counting the cost of copper, gold, and iron. But the most valuable thing, of course, is the work of the architects who created a great monument of church architecture.
