BELL TOWER OF THE SUBMERGED ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH

The socialist quest for electricity was not without pain, it claimed many collateral victims in the course of this unrestrained race, and this bell tower emerging from the river is a touching testimony to this. Originally, it is the bell tower of the St. Nicholas Cathedral built in the 1800s on the market square of the village of Kaliazine. It rises to 70 m and is considered one of the tallest and most refined of Russian bell towers. The city, also submerged, is built around a monastery founded in the 15th century by St. Makari and known for its great wealth in the 15th century. It even contains rare manuscripts that Ivan the Terrible gave to the monks. Stalin does not bother too much about this historical heritage or the fate of the city's inhabitants. He ordered the relocation of the city to a promontory close to its original location. The inhabitants move in haste and set about rebuilding their city in a race against time. Stalin then razed the monastery to the ground and the construction of the dam (Ouglitch power station) will flood the whole area. The population now settled on the heights succeeds in getting the authorities to agree to keep the upper part of the bell tower on a base emerging from the river as a reminder, it will now serve as a useful beacon for navigation. This is why if you are attentive, you will be able to see a little grass at the foot of the bell tower which does not really come out of the water.