The first known bell tower The first known historical bell tower was wooden and stood on the north-eastern side of the cathedral, in contrast to the modern one, which was built to the south-east of it. The wooden bell tower is depicted both in a drawing by the Dutch artist
Abraham van Westerfeld (1651) and in a plan of the city of Kyiv by Colonel Ushakov (1695). It was probably built by
Petro Mohyla during the reconstruction of St. Sophia Cathedral in 1633–1647 – at the same time a convent was established here with his help, and its territory was surrounded by a high wooden fence or wall. This bell tower was four-tiered, with an entrance arch in the form of a semicircle on the first tier, over which loopholes were made in the log house. On the second floor there was an open gallery on carved pillars, surrounded by a
parapet of carved
balusters. On the third tier there were round windows, and on the fourth – holes for bells and the bells themselves. It was topped with a dome. It has been suggested that the tall wooden building with a quadrangular top, shown in the figure of 1651 to the left of the cathedral, is another bell tower.
Period before reconstruction The new baroque stone bell tower was built in 1699 and completed in 1706. Thus, it was the first stone structure in the monastery, except for the cathedral. The location of the bell tower to the east of the cathedral is unconventional, although it is not prohibited by the canons (church laws). The bell tower was built in this place to form a clear urban planning ensemble: thus, a visual connection was achieved with the similar bell tower of the St. Michael's monastery, and the perspective from all four gates of the Upper City was closed: Saint Sophia,
Pechersk,
Golden and
Lviv. In 1709, a solemn meeting of
Peter I and his commanders took place near the bell tower's walls after the victory in the
Battle of Poltava, for which the bell tower was often called "triumphal."
Soviet period In 1930, the bell tower together with St. Sophia Cathedral was closed for worship and became a part of the All-Ukrainian Museum Complex, which was established in 1926 in the area of the
Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. Probably, all the bells were removed from the bell tower at that time, except for Mazepa. It is thought that only this bell was left because it has an extremely original ornament and it had great artistic value, so it was decided to leave it as a museum piece. In 1934, the territory of the former Sophia Monastery was declared a State Historical and Architectural Reserve. At the beginning of the
Second World War, all the domes of Kyiv's churches which were covered with gilding, were painted over. This was done because they reflected light even on a moonless night, which could be a good guide for German pilots. However, after the war, the domes were not repainted. Therefore, the question of updating the appearance of the bell tower and its restoration arose during the preparations around 1950 for the celebration of the three hundredth anniversary of the
Pereiaslav Council. Under the supervision of overseers, the workers tore the paint and the gilding from the bell tower, put it all in containers, and sent it to the mint in
Leningrad. From there they were sent ready-made sheets of micron-thick gold, with which to cover the domes. The bell tower was restored in 1953. Works of restoration of stucco ornaments and architectural details were carried out. The bell tower, which at the time of restoration was completely white, was painted blue and white. Another restoration was carried out in 1972. On 18 July 1995, under the walls of the bell tower, to the right of its gate on the side of Sophia Square, the Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine (
Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate)
Volodymyr (Romaniuk) was buried. The funeral was accompanied by the beating, by the
Ministry of Internal Affairs (police), of the funeral procession participants, who first wanted to bury the Patriarch on the territory of St. Sophia Cathedral. The last restoration of the bell tower took place in 1997–2003 and cost about ₴6 million. During the restoration, the walls of the first tier were reinforced by injecting concrete, which was pumped under high pressure through holes in the facade walls. Due to the fact that the solution began to pour out directly from the arches of the internal premises, the work was not fully completed. In addition, the cross and gilding of the dome were updated, the exterior walls and decor were restored. After the restoration was completed, on 27 June 2003, for the first time in several decades, the bell tower was opened to visitors. On 4 April 2015, as part of the opening of the festival "French Spring in Ukraine," a 3D light presentation "I dream" dedicated to Ukraine's struggle for its freedom was held on the walls of the bell tower and St. Sophia Cathedral. During the 20-minute lights show, mosaic light images showed important social events in Ukraine and symbols of the
Revolution of Dignity. ==See also==