Bell tower of St. Sophia Cathedral in Vologda

The bell tower of St. Sophia Cathedral towers over all the buildings of the Vologda Kremlin. Its height reaches 78.5 meters. The bell tower is open to the public. On the upper tier of the Bell Tower, there is an observation deck with a beautiful view of the historical center of Vologda.  

The stone St. Sophia Cathedral was founded in 1568 during the reign of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. The construction of the cathedral was completed during his lifetime, but the interior decoration was already done during the reign of his son, Tsar Fyodor. At the same time, a wooden bell tower of St. Sophia Cathedral was built nearby.  

The construction of the wooden Vologda Kremlin was completed in 1607 during the Polish intervention and the Time of Troubles. Vologda was captured by the Polish army and all the wooden buildings burned down in a fire. Twice the bell tower of St. Sophia Cathedral was restored in wood, but in 1654 the construction of a stone bell tower began. 

In 1659, the bell tower of St. Sophia Cathedral was built in stone. 14 bells and a clock were installed on it.  However, 10 years later, the Vologda Archbishop decided to increase the height of the Bell Tower. Designed by architect V. Shildknecht, the bell tower of St. Sophia Cathedral in Vologda was built in a pseudo-Gothic style. It became 32 meters higher than the previous one.