April 26, 1658, 366 years ago The main tower of the Moscow Kremlin was renamed the Spasskaya Tower The Spasskaya (Frolovskaya) Tower is one of the 20 towers of the Moscow Kremlin, built in 1491 during the reign of Ivan III, as evidenced by inscriptions on white stone slabs mounted on the tower. The construction of the tower marked the beginning of the construction of the Kremlin's eastern line of fortifications. Originally, the tower was named after the church of Saints Frol and Lavr, which the road from the Kremlin through these gates led to. On April 26, 1658, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich issued a special decree ordering that the main tower of the Moscow Kremlin be named Spasskaya in honor of the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, which he brought from Vyatka (today Kirov), where the icon became famous for numerous healings that occurred before it. The icon was brought to the Kremlin and placed in the Assumption Cathedral, and the gates through which the icon was brought into the Kremlin were named Spasskie Gates. From ancient times, the gates of the Spasskaya Tower were considered the main gates of the Kremlin and revered by the people as "holy". Through them passed solemn processions of the clergy, cross processions, and exits of the Patriarch, serving as the ceremonial entrance to the Kremlin for tsars and emperors. All rulers of Russia, starting with Mikhail Fyodorovich, solemnly passed through them before their coronation. From the sacred gates, regiments went into battle, and foreign ambassadors were also greeted here. It was forbidden to ride through them on horseback and to pass through with a covered head. The condemned to death prayed to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands before being executed at the Lobnoe Place. In the mid-17th century, a double-headed eagle - the coat of arms of the Russian state - was placed on the main tower of the Kremlin, and a five-pointed star on the Spasskaya Tower was first installed in 1935. Two years later, it was replaced by another. Inside the star, a 5000 watt lamp burns continuously. The star rotates with the wind, like a weather vane. The Spasskaya Tower also houses the country's main clock - the Kremlin chimes. The first clock was installed here in 1491, and at the beginning of the 18th century, they were replaced with Dutch clocks "with music". The current chimes were mounted in the mid-19th century. In October 1917, the clock was damaged by a shell, but was soon restored. To this day, the chimes on the Spasskaya Tower are authentic mechanical clocks with a weight drive. In Soviet times, the Spasskie Gates were used as a working entrance for motor vehicles into the Kremlin, but in the mid-1990s they were closed and since then have only been opened on exceptional occasions. However, in August 2014, the gates of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin were again opened to the city's residents and guests. This decision was proposed by the Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, and approved by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. According to the mayor, the ability to traverse the territory of the Moscow Kremlin might enhance its "touristic possibilities", restoring the accessibility lost after the 1917 revolution. The Spasskaya Tower is rightly considered the most beautiful tower of the Moscow Kremlin, its height up to the star is 67.3 meters, with the star - 71 meters.