Kalyazin, Tver Province, Russia, March 13, 2025
Photo: tvereparhia.ru
The famous Kalyazin Bell Tower, whose image is known throughout the world, has been returned to the ownership of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The relevant documents were transferred to Hieromonk Ambrose (Zhelyabovsky), the abbot of the Hierarchical Metochion-the Church of the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos of the former Holy Trinity-Makaryev Monastery in Kalyazin, Tver Province, reports the Tver Diocese.
His Eminence Metropolitan Ambrose of Tver reflected on the importance of this event:
The Kalyazin Bell Tower of the flooded St. Nicholas Cathedral is the only remnant of Kalyazin’s once magnificent church ensembles, which included the famous Holy Trinity-Makaryev Monastery, one of the spiritual and cultural centers of the ancient Tver land.
Today, the famous Kalyazin Bell Tower rightfully remains one of the main spiritual, cultural, and tourist landmarks of the region.
Its transfer to the Tver Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church under the care of the emerging monastery on the island is not just the return of a historical shrine, but also an important step toward the spiritual restoration of our land.
The monastery, once devastated and flooded, is again becoming a place of prayer, monastic feats, and spiritual nourishment for people. The bell tower, which has survived centuries and preserved its appearance amidst the waters, has become not only a reminder of the past but also hope for the future.
We pray that prayers and bell ringing will once again sound in this place, proclaiming eternal truths about our people’s faith and the revival of our ancient and great land.
The bell tower was built in 1800 as part of the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the St. Nicholas on the Zhabna Convent. It stands 245 feet tall.
In the 1940s, during the construction of the Uglich Hydroelectric Power Station and the creation of the Uglich Reservoir on the Volga, part of Kalyazin was flooded. The St. Nicholas Cathedral with its bell tower were also surrounded by water. The cathedral was dismantled, but it was decided to keep the bell tower as a lighthouse.
It became a local landmark famous throughout Russia.
During restoration work in 2021, the foundation was reinforced, the church’s facades and interiors were restored, and the cross was renovated.
Prayer services are regularly held in the chapel located in the bell tower.
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