Trinity Tower

The seven-storey Trinity Tower, the tallest of the Kremlin towers and the counterpart on the west side of the Saviour Tower on the east, was built between 1495 and 1499 by the architect Alevis Fryazin the Elder. This is the last defensive structure to be built on the Neglinnaya River side of the Kremlin. It got its present name much later, 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 purposes and later as a state prison. In 1685, a multi-tiered section with a brick tent roof like that of the Saviour Tower was added. The details of the decor have much in common with the latter. The ruby star was installed in 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 it was damaged in 1812 during Napoleon's invasion, and not restored. The present clock was added during recent restoration work carried out in the Kremlin in the 1970s. The Trinity Gate was the second most important after the Saviour Gate. It led to the Patriarch's Court and the chambers of the tsarina and tsarevnas. It was through this gate that Napoleon's soldiers entered the Kremlin and later beat a hasty retreat in 1812.