Zvenigorod is an ancient town near Moscow set among picturesque hills. In a single day you can see the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery and the Dormition Cathedral with its 15th-century frescoes, stroll through the town park and visit the Museum of Russian Desserts.
Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich
📜 Historic site · 🏰 Palace
Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery
🕍 Place of worship · 🕵️ Urban legend · 📜 Historic site
Tsaritsa's Chambers
🕵️ Urban legend · 🏰 Palace · 📜 Historic site
Dormition Cathedral
🕍 Place of worship · 📜 Historic site
Ramparts of the Zvenigorod Kremlin
🏯 Fortress remains · 🕵️ Urban legend
Museum of Russian Desserts
🏛️ Museum
The Great Annunciation Bell
🗿 Sculptures
Zvenigorod Town Park
🌿 Public garden or park
Point 7
🗿 Sculptures
The Great Annunciation Bell (Blagovestnik) of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery was cast in 1668 on the monastery grounds by the master Alexander Grigoriev, by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. It weighed about 35 tons and had a deep, musical tone that could be heard even in Moscow. The bell became a symbol of Zvenigorod and appeared on the town's coat of arms.
The bell was cast in public on the monastery's cathedral square, where the casting pit still survives. It was raised to the middle tier of the bell tower, since the bell was gigantic in weight and size. Its surface bore nine rows of text, including a secret cipher invented by the tsar himself, which was decoded in the 19th century. The inscriptions linked the bell to the tsar and his blessing of the monastery.
During the German advance on Moscow in October 1941, it was decided to take the bell down to save it, but the heavy bell fell and cracked. The fragments were melted down for weapons, and a unique historic relic was lost. In 2003 the Voronezh Bell Foundry made an exact 35-ton replica from surviving records, with the same inscriptions and ornaments. In 2023 the new bell was raised into the bell tower. Now the Great Blagovestnik once again hangs in its place in the monastery's bell tower, a symbol of the revival of Zvenigorod's traditions and spiritual heritage. An earlier replica of the bell, made after World War II, was placed in the center of town, in the small park by the Malinovy Ravine.
Point on route “Zvenigorod: At the Call of the Bell”
Point 7
🗿 Sculptures
The Great Annunciation Bell (Blagovestnik) of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery was cast in 1668 on the monastery grounds by the master Alexander Grigoriev, by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. It weighed about 35 tons and had a deep, musical tone that could be heard even in Moscow. The bell became a symbol of Zvenigorod and appeared on the town's coat of arms.
The bell was cast in public on the monastery's cathedral square, where the casting pit still survives. It was raised to the middle tier of the bell tower, since the bell was gigantic in weight and size. Its surface bore nine rows of text, including a secret cipher invented by the tsar himself, which was decoded in the 19th century. The inscriptions linked the bell to the tsar and his blessing of the monastery.
During the German advance on Moscow in October 1941, it was decided to take the bell down to save it, but the heavy bell fell and cracked. The fragments were melted down for weapons, and a unique historic relic was lost. In 2003 the Voronezh Bell Foundry made an exact 35-ton replica from surviving records, with the same inscriptions and ornaments. In 2023 the new bell was raised into the bell tower. Now the Great Blagovestnik once again hangs in its place in the monastery's bell tower, a symbol of the revival of Zvenigorod's traditions and spiritual heritage. An earlier replica of the bell, made after World War II, was placed in the center of town, in the small park by the Malinovy Ravine.
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