Spasskaya Tower, Moscow

The tallest (71 meters) and the most striking in the Kremlin, the Spasskaya Tower (Russian: Spasskaya Bashnya, “Tower of the Saviour”) is one of Moscow's most emblematic landmarks. To a great extent this is due to the enormous 20-foot (6-metre) diameter clock at the top, commonly known as the Kremlin chimes (Russian: Kremlevskie Kuranty). As well as marking the official Moscow time, this clock indicates the arrival of the New Year. It has been in place since 1491-1585.

The red star on top of the Spasskaya Tower – rotating in 360° – was installed in 1936 by Joseph Stalin replacing the original two-headed eagle, relic of the former tsarist regime.

The tower itself was built in 1491 by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari, commissioned by Ivan III the Great, grandfather of Ivan the Terrible. Initially, it was named the Frolovskaya Tower after the Church of Frol and Lavr in the Kremlin, now gone. The tower's modern name comes from the icon of 'Spas Nerukotvorny' (The Saviour Not Made by Hands), which was placed above the gate on the inside wall in 1658 and removed in 1917. Similarly, it can be attributed to another, wall-painted icon of 'Spas Smolensky' (Smolensky Saviour), which was created in the 16th century on the outside wall of the tower, plastered over in 1937 and then restored in 2010.

The Spasskaya gate reportedly possesses miraculous powers and has always been regarded with great reverence. In tsarist times, anyone passing through it had to dismount their horses, remove headgear and cross themselves. Legend has it that Napoleon could not prevent his horse from taking fright as he rode through the gate, having failed to show his respect, and the French Emperor's hat was said to have fallen from his head.

The practice of doffing the hat and self-crossing is now duly observed, following the restoration of the Saviour Icon, as part of the ceremonial tradition during the Victory Day Parade on May 9. Closed to all traffic, the gate opens only to receive the presidential motorcades on inauguration day, for the Victory parades, and to receive the New Year's tree.

Spasskaya Tower is also the honorific for the annual International Military Music Festival held on Red Square. It's a safe bet that anyone visiting Moscow for the first time will have snaps of the Spasskaya on their camera.