Tutayev

In the 19th century the merchants Olovyashnikovs established a bell-founding factory, which by the end of the century had become the biggest and the best in the Volga Region. The sound of bells cast at the Olovyashnikovs’ factory could be heard in almost every province of Russia. Many of the bells made in Yaroslavl still toll in the temples of St-Petersburg, Moscow, Greece, Jerusalem, Serbia, Montenegro and a number of other countries.

Today the Olovyashnikovs’ traditions are revived in the bell-making factory of Nikolay Shuvalov in Tutayev, the only factory of Russia where the old Russian technology of bell-founding “in clay” is completely restored. Only natural materials are used for the production of bells and due to manual post-casting fine tuning of the bell, this means it does not require any additional lathing work. Bells manufactured here range in weight from 2.5 to 12 tons.

Since 1991, the annual international bell-ringing festival “Transfiguration” has been held in Yaroslavl each August. This festival was the first in Russia to restore the tradition of Russian bell ringing and the culture of choral singing.