Vlasiev Tower and the Znamensky Church

Back in the XVII century, Yaroslavl was surrounded by guard towers to protect the fortress from enemy attack. Today there are only two of them, one of them is Vlasievskaya, it is rightfully considered a local landmark.

Initially, this tower was built of wood. But this did not prevent it from remaining impregnable in 1609, when it was besieged by Polish troops. The enemy army never penetrated the fortress.

After a while, the tower was converted into a stone structure. It was impressive: the walls reached a height of 17 m, their width was 6 m. They were not only made loopholes, but also jars, from where boiling resin was poured on the heads of the besiegers.

In the XVIII century, the need for the fortress disappeared, most of the towers were dismantled for the construction of civilian buildings. The same fate could befall Vlasievskaya, but the local merchants bought it from the city authorities, and the tower has survived to this day.

The fact is that on one of its walls the icon of the Sign of the Mother of God was exhibited, many townspeople and pilgrims came to worship it. Later, a church was added to the wall, where the icon was moved. It was rebuilt several times, but the name Znamenskaya was firmly attached to it.

With the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, the church was closed, the icon was broken from the wall, and a puppet theater was opened in the room. The wall of the tower was broken and a passage was made in it into utility rooms.

Today, the church has been restored, the icon was re-painted by the people’s artist N. Mukhin. The tower is used by a local university.

The complex is located in Yaroslavl on Freedom Street.