The Bell Tower

The bell tower of the cathedral is not open for public.

The bell tower of the cathedral stands next to the main building, and the 14th golden cupola rests on top of it. The bell tower houses two large bells, the larger of which is said to be the 2nd biggest bell in Helsinki, only beaten in size by a bell in Suomenlinna. There are also 8 smaller bells in the bell tower. The bells are made out bronze, and they are situated on two floors. The bell ringer plays the bells from the top floor with ropes and pedals. The whole process is manual. Outside of big church feasts the smaller of the big bells is rung to signal the start of the service and during the big feasts the largest bell is rung the same amount, after which the smaller bells are rung in tandem with the large bell to celebrate the Church and her divine services. 

The bells were donated to the cathedral by two merchants from Moscow, and the bells were also made in Moscow. The largest bell weighed around 4900 kg, and it was in use between 1869-1886. In 1886 a huge crack had formed onto the bell, and it had to be replaced. The parish funded the new bell, which was even bigger than the original large bell, weighing around 5200 kg. This bell is said to be the 2nd largest bell in Helsinki. Prayers in church Slavonic have been engraved onto the bells as well as icons of saints, such as saint Nicholas, and events like the Dormition of Virgin Mary.