The largest bell in Belarus has been hoisted onto the forty-meter bell tower of the Assumption Cathedral in Vitebsk

March 4, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The largest bell in Belarus, weighing 5.2 tons, has been hoisted onto the forty-meter bell tower of the Assumption Cathedral in Vitebsk, a BELTA correspondent reports. By tradition, the weight of church bells is measured in poods. In this unit of measurement, the largest bell in Belarus weighs 325 poods. Its height is 2 m, diameter is 2 m, and the weight of the cast-iron clapper is 180 kg. The giant bell and 10 of its lighter counterparts, the smallest of which weighs only 17 kg, were cast in Moscow at the ZIL plant with funds from Russian patrons and delivered to the church in December last year. However, to lift the five-ton behemoth to the bell tower, preparatory work was necessary: part of the fence had to be dismantled, and special platforms capable of withstanding such a load had to be built on the bell tower. And so, on the eve of Great Lent, a prayer service was held for the consecration and hoisting of the bells. The giant bell was lifted fifth. The order is explained by the sequence in which the bells will be hung on the bell tower. As explained by the rector of the Assumption Cathedral, Father Mikhail (Martynovich), the hanging of the bells is planned for the summer. The head bell-ringer of the Kremlin cathedrals and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Igor Konovalov, will supervise this important stage. He also served as a consultant to the Moscow founders who created the Vitebsk bells. The bells, donated by Russian patrons, will complement the ensemble of 10 bells already installed on the second bell tower of the church. Thus, the cathedral will have more than 20 bells. Currently, no church in the Vitebsk region has such a large number of bells. Bell ringing is an integral part of Orthodox worship and a priceless heritage of ancient culture. It is the only musical instrument used in Orthodox worship, although bell ringing is not considered music by Orthodox Christians. The restoration of the Assumption Cathedral is nearing completion. With the warmer weather, finishing work and wall painting will resume. It is worth noting that in addition to traditional biblical scenes, the frescoes will depict the faces of saints of the Belarusian land. Along with the interior work, the landscaping of the area adjacent to the church, including the embankments of the Western Dvina and the Vitba River flowing into it, will be completed. The restoration of the 18th-century architectural monument began in 1998. At that time, Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' laid a capsule with a commemorative charter at the foundation of the church and consecrated the first stone for the construction of the cathedral. In the autumn of 2009, the under-construction cathedral was visited by Patriarch Kirill. The Assumption Cathedral is built on a high bank at the confluence of the Vitba and Western Dvina rivers. Until the mid-1930s, it was the calling card of Vitebsk and was among the most magnificent churches of the Russian Empire. In 1911, a color photograph of its interior was even taken – the cathedral of provincial Vitebsk was so beautiful. The construction of the church began in 1743. The author of the project and head of construction was architect Joseph Fontana. According to some sources, the Vitebsk cathedral was a reduced copy of one of the churches in Rome, built by the famous architect Anorio Longhi. In 1936, the Assumption Cathedral was destroyed by sappers under the command of Pyotr Grigorenko, who later became one of the famous dissidents and human rights activists. The restoration project of the Assumption Cathedral is based on archival materials and is an exact replica of the destroyed one. The size of the church is 55 m by 33 m. The height of the main dome of the church is about 50 m, and the two bell towers soar up to almost 40 m. According to the architects' design, wide staircases lead from the embankment to the foot of the church. -0-