an independent reference on the history of bells and bell-ringing

Danilovbells

An independent, secular reference on the history of bells. This is not the website of the Danilov Monastery, the Russian Orthodox Church or Harvard University; we do not provide religious guidance.

Timeline

Timeline

Here the key dates mentioned in this reference are brought together in a single sequence, from the founding of the Danilov Monastery in the late 13th century to the return of its bells in 2008. The timeline does not claim to be complete: it includes the events most often needed to understand the history of the bells and the people connected with them. For early events, see the entries marked by century.

Almost eighty years passed between the sale of the bells and their return, longer than many people's lifetimes.

— Editor's note

Key dates

  1. Late 13th century

    The Danilov Monastery is founded in Moscow; its founding is credited to Prince Daniel Alexandrovich of Moscow.

  2. 1735

    The master founders Ivan and Mikhail Motorin cast the Tsar Bell.

  3. 1737

    During a fire a large piece breaks off the Tsar Bell; the bell has never been rung.

  4. 1930

    The Danilov Monastery is closed and its bells are sold. Charles R. Crane buys them and gives them to Harvard University to save them from being melted down; Thomas Whittemore acts as intermediary.

  5. Autumn 1930

    The bells arrive in Cambridge: one is intended for Baker Library at Harvard Business School, seventeen for Lowell House.

  6. 1930

    Bell-ringer Konstantin Saradzhev travels to Harvard to help install the bells.

  7. 1977

    Anastasia Tsvetaeva's memoir of Saradzhev, The Tale of the Moscow Bell-Ringer, is published.

  8. 1983

    The Danilov Monastery is returned to the Church.

  9. 2008

    The bells return to the Danilov Monastery; replicas for Lowell House are cast at the Vera foundry in Voronezh and installed the same year.

  • Historical context

    Five eras in the history of bells in Russia, from the Middle Ages to the return of the bells in the early 21st century.

  • People

    Historical figures: Daniel of Moscow, Charles R. Crane, Thomas Whittemore, Konstantin Saradzhev and the Motorins.

  • The bells' journey: Moscow to Cambridge and back (in Russian)

    The journey of the Danilov Monastery bells: the 1930 sale, Cambridge and the return in 2008.

Sources

  • Great Russian Encyclopedia
  • Harvard University — Lowell House (history of the bells)
  • Harvard Gazette / Harvard Magazine (2007–2009)
  • A. I. Tsvetaeva, The Tale of the Moscow Bell-Ringer (Skaz o zvonare moskovskom, 1977)

This reference relies on encyclopedic works and on publications of Harvard University. The weights, numbers and dates of individual bells can differ from one source to another, so we give only verified information and say clearly where exact data are lacking.