PETROVSKAYA TOWER

The Petrovskaya (meaning 'Peter's') Tower is an intermediate blind tower of the southern wall of the Kremlin. Being built in the 1480s between the 2nd Bezymyannaya and Beklemishevskaya towers, it was destroyed in 1612. During restoration, false machicolations appeared on top of the core quadrangular volume. In 1676-1686 its top was rebuilt differently from the tops of the other towers: the two lesser quadrangles bearing a low polyhedral hipped roof were decorated with half-columns.

In 1771, in connection with the construction of the Kremlin Palace by V. Bazhenov, the tower was dismantled. At the same time, the courtyard of the Ugreshsky Monastery in the Kremlin’s territory was abolished and the church of Metropolitan Peter (the tower got its name after it) adjoining the tower was demolished. In 1783 the construction was restored. It was blown up by the French Army in 1812 and later restored under the supervision of O.I. Bove.

The volume of the tower is a bit extended from north to south. The main quadrangle has two tiers of vaulted rooms. The final volume goes into the octahedral hipped roof, the transition to which is done with the help of a trumpet vault.

The height of the tower is 27.15 metres.