Spasskaya Tower

OBJECT DESCRIPTION

The Spasskaya Tower, with its gatehouse Church of the Saviour of the Holy Face, is the Kremlin’s main entrance and is located in the centre of the south fortifications. It was built in 1556–1562 by Postnik Yakovlev and Ivan Shiryai. The church premises were originally intended to store Ivan the Terrible’s marching icon and other relics from Russian troops’ assault on Kazan in 1552. The tower was originally two-tiered, with a wooden hipped roof and a small watchtower. In the 70s of the 17th century, the tower was built in two tiers with a hipped roof at the top. The two bottom tiers (16th century) are four-sided white stone structures with an arched passageway. Two brick octahedrons (17th century) rest on them. The bottom octahedron has a clock mounted, while the top one is cut through with arched apertures, which form a clock belfry. The brick hipped roof completes the tower. The church’s rectangular structure adjoins the tower throughout its entire length and has a V-shaped roof, while façades retain 16th-century décor. The tower had a wall thickness of 2.5 metres.

In the middle of the 19th century, a pointed arch was pierced in a section of the fortress wall adjacent to the tower from the east, making the main entrance to the Kremlin more convenient. The cranked passage was eliminated by inserting the gate. In the 70s, a building extension was constructed from the west side of the tower, with a staircase leading directly to the church, completely isolating it from the tower. The Spassky Gate was constructed in 1930, providing a functionally necessary direct entrance to the Kremlin. In 1963, an electric clock with dials on three sides of the octagon and automatic striking appeared on the tower, as well as a completion in the form of a five-pointed star. The tower clocks were outfitted with special equipment, and now, after dark, crimson flashes appear when the clock strikes.

Restoration works were carried out in 1957 and 1970–1975. The wooden structures repairing and restoration of white stone masonry walls were completed under the supervision of an architect S.S. Aidarov.