Upper Grid Tower

The monastery was founded in 1473, and only in the XVI century was surrounded by a stone fortress. Hegumen Cornelius, during his administration of the monastery, strengthened it: he erected a fortress wall with nine towers and three gates. The fortress played an important role in the Livonian War, protecting the western borders of Russia. The monastery-fortress repeatedly repulsed the attacks of enemies, for which the Russian tsars generously awarded the monastery.

Behind the Tailovsky tower is the highest tower of the Upper Grids, its height is 25 meters. In the lower part of the tower there is a stone arch, through which the Kamenets stream flows inside the fortress and continues its run further. The stone arch was closed with an iron lattice so that the besieging enemies did not use the creek to penetrate the fortress. Hence the name of the tower.

The towers of the fortress have different heights and the number of battle tiers. So the tower of the Upper Grilles, standing at the bottom of the ravine, has the highest height and six battle tiers: on the facade surface there are two loopholes, on the side surfaces one in each tier. The upper tier is designed for handguns and has a larger number of loopholes. The tower’s tent is crowned with a sentry platform – a guardhouse, a guardhouse, from where approaches to the fortress and the nearest terrain are clearly visible.

This area looks especially good from the site almost opposite the tower, which can be easily reached on foot.