Where is Russia’s biggest working church bell?
A 72-ton giant bell rings on big church holidays in the main Russia’s monastery.
The biggest and most famous bell, the Tsar Bell, is, naturally, located in the Moscow Kremlin. It stands on a pedestal and actually never once rang. It was cast in 1730 by order of Empress Anna Ioannovna and weighs 202 tons. However, it was damaged before it was raised to the bell tower.
Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, did not restore the "tsar" bell, but decided to cast her own. The 65-ton giant successfully rang in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra from 1750 to 1930 and was heard dozens of kilometers away. But, in Soviet times, it was thrown off the bell tower and smashed to pieces.
The Bolsheviks throwing the bell from the bell tower
Twenty years ago, the Lavra decided to restore the bell. The new "tsar" bell was cast in St. Petersburg and delivered by a special train to a monastery near Moscow.
On May 30, 2004, the 72-ton bell rang for the first time. Now, it is the largest working bell in Russia. Its "tongue" alone weighs 2 tons and requires six people to swing it! You can hear the dense ringing on big church holidays.
The bell in 4.5 meters high
