Trinity Tower

The seven-storey Trinity Tower, the tallest of the Kremlin towers and the counterparton the west side of the Saviour Toweron the east, was built between 1495 and 1499 by the architect AlevisFryazin the Elder. This is the last defensive structure to be builton the Neglinnaya River side of the Kremlin. It got its present name muchlater, in 1658, from the nearby hostelry of the Trinity Monastery of St.Sergius. Before that, it had several different names (Epiphany, Deposition,and Sign). Like the Saviour Tower, the Trinity Tower has double walls.It has six floors and two-storey cellars originally used for military purposesand later as a state prison. In 1685, a multi-tiered section with a bricktent roof like that of the Saviour Tower was added. The details of thedecor have much in common with the latter. The ruby star was installedin 1937. The height of the tower (with the star) is 80 metres (262 ft).There is documented evidence that in 1585 the tower had a clock, but itwas damaged in 1812 during Napoleon'sinvasion, and not restored. The present clock was added during recent restorationwork carried out in the Kremlin in the 1970s. The Trinity Gate was thesecond most important after the Saviour Gate. It led to the Patriarch'sCourt and the chambers of the tsarina and tsarevnas. It was through thisgate that Napoleon's soldiers entered the Kremlin and later beat a hastyretreat in 1812.