Tsar Vladimir's Bell Rings Out to Repair Stalin's Destruction

The largest church bell in Russia rang yesterday in the sacred Orthodox town of Sergei Possad for the first time since it was torn down from its tower during a Stalinist purge against religion in 1930.

The huge Tsar Bell, which is 4.55 metres high and weighs 72 tons, was hoisted into the tower of the Trinity St Sergius monastery in April after being blessed by Patriarch Alexei II, the head of the Russian Orthodox faith.

It rang for the first time for 5,000 worshippers yesterday to celebrate the Russian Orthodox holiday of Holy Trinity at the monastery, one of the holiest sites in Russia, some 35 miles north east of Moscow, Interfax reported.

The Tsar Bell is a slightly lighter replacement, made last year, for the 1748 original. It is decorated with iconic religious figures and an inscription saying it was made during the rule of Vladimir Putin.

The bell was cast at a shipyard in the president's home town of St Petersburg and slowly hauled to the monastery. Two other smaller bells were put in place at the monastery in 2002, both also bearing the president's name, in deference to a centuries old tradition when the tsar's name was engraved on the bell.

Mr Putin's administration has been criticised for its authoritarian tsarist nature, and the president has actively encouraged the Orthodox religion, embracing a national anthem which deems Russia a "holy land" that is "protected by God" yet uses the same tune as the old atheist Soviet anthem.

The Orthodox Church's influence has bloomed in recent years. The Russian branch of the church is nearing an agreement with its foreign cousin that would further increase its reach and congregation.

The original bell was one of 40 destroyed at the monastery during Stalin's campaign to enforce atheism on Russia. The Tsar Bell has a chequered history: another version, made in 1735, was damaged in a fire. It hence never rang and is now on show at the Kremlin.