The belfry of St Sophia
The belfry of St Sophia is a monument of the 15th-17th centuries. The first
stone structure with three stair-wells was raised in 1439. In the 16th century
the lower stair-wells were sealed off and a new top was made of six rectangular
pillars with rounded corners. The structure was surmounted by five tent-roofs.
The existing surmount dates from the 19th century. The bells now on view in
front of the belfry were cast in the late 16th and 17th centuries. The belfry
of St Sophia served as a prototype for structures of this type in Moscow, Rostov
and Tikhvin.