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TSAR BELL
1733-5
On a stone base at the foot of Ivan the Great is the largest bell in the world. It was cast in the Kremlin by the master Ivan Motorin and his son Mikhail. In all eighty-three people helped to cast the bell and about two hundred assisted with its manufacture and decoration.
Tsar Bell
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Empress Anne, on whose orders the bell was cast, attached political importance to this action, which was intended to demonstrate her respect for old Moscow customs. Moscow had long been famous for its bell-ringing. This not only formed part of church ritual, but also conveyed important information to the populace.
The Motorins' creation was ill-fated, however. After casting the Tsar Bell remained in the moulding pit for two years. In 1737 a terrible fire broke out in Moscow and spread to the Kremlin buildings. When the flames on the scaffolding around the bell were being extinguished, water fell on the bell itself. The difference in temperature caused it to crack and a huge piece weighing 11.5 tons broke off. In 1836 the Tsar Bell was lifted up and placed on a stone pedestal (architect Auguste Montferrand).
The bell weighs 200 tons and is 6.14 metres high with a diameter at the base of 6.6 metres. Its sides are adorned with fine reliefs showing Tsar Alexis, son of Michael, and his wife Anne, as well as inscriptions relating the history of this remarkable specimen of Russian metalwork.
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