If you go from the kremlin to the north, towards the Snetogorsky Monastery, on Pozemskiy street, you should make a short stop at the Barlaam tower. You can have a good view on the wall of the Okolny city from that place.
As is known, by 17 century the walls of Pskov had been repeatedly rebuilt, as a result of which the Okolny city appeared. To the south it stretched to the Pokrovskaya (Intercession) tower and to the north it stretched only a kilometer beyond the mouth of the river Pskova. Historically, this part of Pskov was called Barlaam krai, and its main street (now Pozemskiy street) was called Zvannitsa.
The Barlaam tower is one of the strongest towers of the Pskov kremlin. In 1465 it was built on the bank of the river Velikaya, on the northern side of the Okolny city. The place was called the Barlaam Ugol (Cor-ner). It was this tower that played a key role in the defense of Pskov in 1615.
In October 1615 it was attacked by all troops of the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf. The tower was de-stroyed by the gun fire and was temporally captured by the Swede. However, the Pskovians collected their strength and threw back the enemy from the walls of the Okolny city. The King of Sweden was forced to retreat in the East-country and agree to the peace negotiations with the Moscow government, which ended in signing the Stolbovsky Peace of 1617.
Now the Barlaam tower is in ruined state, but the walls of the Okolny city, especially the stretch be-tween the Barlaam tower and the Long tower, running along the embankment of the river Velikaya were restored.
The Church of St. Barlaam of Hutyn is near the Barlaam tower. The today stone church dates back to 1495. The first wooden church was built in 1466. It was consecrated in honor of the Novgorod saint Barlaam of Hutyn.
The walls of the church are decorated by the ornaments, as well as the ornamented tiles of 17 century. A massive apse makes it look squat, in accordance with architectural traditions of Novgorod and Pskov.
