The Motorins, also spelled Matorins (''Моторины'', ''Маторины'' in Russian) were a famous Russian family of
bellfounders.
Feodor Dmitriyevich Motorin
Feodor Dmitriyevich Motorin (Фёдор Дмитриевич Моторин) (1630s–1688) began his career at the
Moscow Cannon Yard in 1651 along with another famous bellmaker
Alexander Grigoriev. In the 1670s, Motorin became a leading caster at the Cannon yard. In 1678, he cast a
bell
A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...
for the Church of Simeon Stolpnik in the Povarskaya Sloboda, in 1681 – for the Church of
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
in Grebnevo, in 1682 – for
Danilov Monastery
Danilov Monastery (also ''Svyato-Danilov Monastery'' or ''Holy Danilov Monastery''; Данилов монастырь, Свято-Данилов монастырь in Russian) is a walled monastery on the right bank of the Moskva River in Moscow. S ...
, in 1684 – for the Church of
Archangel Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...
at Chistiy Prud. All these bells, however, were destroyed by the
Soviets
Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union.
Nationality policy in th ...
in the 1930s. Feodor Motorin was also a talented businessman. After having accumulated some financial capital, he began purchasing land and buildings for his colleagues-bellmakers in the
Pushkarskaya Sloboda in the 1660s. This is how the first bellmaking factory came into being in the area of
Sretenskiye Gates in Moscow, of which Motorin had been the owner since 1686. The factory used to cast bells, commissioned by churches and monasteries. Small bells were also made for sale in Moscow.
A few works autographed by Feodor Motorin have survived to this day. They include two bells cast in 1678 and 1679 – the Danilov Bell (Даниловский колокол) and the New Bell (Новый колокол) weighing 3.2 tons (both can still be seen in the middle tier of the
Ivan the Great Bell Tower
The Ivan the Great Bell Tower (russian: Колокольня Иван Великий, ''Kolokol'nya Ivan Velikiy'') is a church tower inside the Moscow Kremlin complex. With a total height of , it is the tallest tower and structure of the Kreml ...
); an 8-ton bell, cast for the
Novodevichy Convent
Novodevichy Convent, also known as Bogoroditse-Smolensky Monastery (russian: Новоде́вичий монасты́рь, Богоро́дице-Смоле́нский монасты́рь), is probably the best-known clois ...
(1684); a 1.6-ton bell for the
Volynsky Monastery in
Chernigov
Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative ...
(1683), which was relocated to Moscow in 1991 and hung on the
Saint Basil's Cathedral
The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed ( rus, Собо́р Васи́лия Блаже́нного, Sobór Vasíliya Blazhénnogo), commonly known as Saint Basil's Cathedral, is an Orthodox church in Red Square of Moscow, and is one of the most pop ...
. All of the surviving bells made by Motorin are known for their casting purity and rich relief decorations (stylized
arabesque
The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...
ornament and images of
cherub
A cherub (; plural cherubim; he, כְּרוּב ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'', likely borrowed from a derived form of akk, 𒅗𒊏𒁍 ''karabu'' "to bless" such as ''karibu'', "one who blesses", a name for the lamassu) is one of the u ...
s and
seraph
A seraph (, "burning one"; plural seraphim ) is a type of celestial or heavenly being originating in Ancient Judaism. The term plays a role in subsequent Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Chr ...
s, which harmonize with cast inscriptions).
Dmitry Feodorovich Motorin
Dmitry Feodorovich Motorin (Дмитрий Фёдорович Моторин) (? – ?) was the son of Feodor Motorin. In 1682–1696, he worked at the Moscow Cannon Yard as a bellmaker. Dmitry Motorin is known for his unusual 64 kg bell, cast by him in 1687 at the request of a
boyar
A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism, feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Kievan Rus', Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Russian nobility, Russia, Boyars of Moldavia and Wallachia, Wallachia and ...
Vasili Golitsyn for the Church of Pokrova Bogoroditsy in his
votchina
Votchina (russian: во́тчина) or otchina (о́тчина – from word ''Father'') was an East Slavic land estate that could be inherited. The term "votchina" was also used to describe the lands of a knyaz.
The term originated in the la ...
of the village Medvedkovo (it can be seen in
Kolomenskoye
Kolomenskoye (russian: Коло́менское) is a former royal estate situated several kilometers to the southeast of the city center of Moscow, Russia, on the ancient road leading to the town of Kolomna (hence the name). The 390 hectare ...
today). The top part of the bell is made in the form of a bellringer's head, crowned by lion heads and ornaments.
Ivan Feodorovich Motorin
Ivan Feodorovich Motorin (Иван Фёдорович Моторин) (1660s – 19 August 1735) was the son of Feodor Motorin. His factory used to produce bells for many Moscow monasteries and churches. In 1692, he cast a 1-tonne bell for the Church of
John the Apostle
John the Apostle ( grc, Ἰωάννης; la, Ioannes ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ;) or Saint John the Beloved was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he was the son of Zebedee a ...
in Bronniki (moved to the
Saint Basil's Cathedral
The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed ( rus, Собо́р Васи́лия Блаже́нного, Sobór Vasíliya Blazhénnogo), commonly known as Saint Basil's Cathedral, is an Orthodox church in Red Square of Moscow, and is one of the most pop ...
). In 1695, Ivan Motorin made a 3-tonne bell for the
Church of Saint Nicholas in Moscow (destroyed in the 1930s).
In February 1701, after heavy
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
losses in the
Battle of Narva,
Peter the Great
Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
ordered to use Motorin's bellmaking factory for
cannon
A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...
production. A famous cannon maker Martyan Osipov (Мартьян Осипов) assisted Ivan Motorin in mastering the science of cannon-making. Motorin's factory carried out the order in a short period of time and produced 113 copper cannons by February 1702. On 26 November 1702, Ivan Motorin was ordered to cast a 54-ton bell for the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, which would be called ''Воскресенский'' (Resurrection Bell). In 1704, he made a 13.3-ton bell nicknamed ''Великопостный'' (
Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
Bell). In 1712, Motorin's factory burnt down and was rebuilt only two years later. In 1714, Ivan Motorin cast the 2-ton Alarm Bell (Набатный колокол), which was later placed on top of the
Tsarskaya Tower of the
Moscow Kremlin
The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of the kremlins (R ...
. It remained there until 1771 and was then moved to the
Armoury
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are most ...
in 1821. In the 1710 and 1720s, Motorin made a few bells for the Muscovite churches and monasteries, including
Chudov Monastery
The Chudov Monastery (russian: Чу́дов монасты́рь; more formally known as Alexius’ Archangel Michael Monastery) was founded in the Moscow Kremlin in 1358 by Metropolitan Alexius of Moscow. The monastery was dedicated to the mira ...
. Most of these bells did not survive to this day. In 1730, he cast a 7-ton Novgorod Bell (Новгородский колокол), which can still be seen in the lower tier of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. In 1731, Motorin was ordered to turn the damaged bells (due to a fire of 1723) of the Church of Archangel Gabriel into clock bells for the
Troitskaya Tower
The Troitskaya Tower (russian: Троицкая башня, literally ''Trinity Tower'') is a tower with a through-passage in the center of the northwestern wall of the Moscow Kremlin, which overlooks the Alexander Garden.
The Troitskaya Tower ...
of the Moscow Kremlin. Their fate, however, is still unknown.
Famous
Tsar bell
The Tsar Bell (russian: Царь–колокол; ), also known as the Tsarsky Kolokol, Tsar Kolokol III, or Royal Bell, is a , bell on display on the grounds of the Moscow Kremlin. The bell was commissioned by Empress Anna Ivanovna, niece of ...
(Царь-колокол) was Motorin's masterpiece, for which he is best remembered. In 1735, he was ordered to recast the bell made by Alexander Grigoriev (1655), shattered during the 1701 fire. Unfortunately, Ivan Motorin died when the work was in full swing. The whole responsibility for the making of the Tsar Bell was placed upon his son Mikhail Motorin.
Mikhail Ivanovich Motorin
There is little information available on Mikhail Ivanovich Motorin (Михаил Иванович Моторин) (? – 1750) after he finished casting the Tsar Bell. Historians know that in 1736 he made a bell for the
Epiphany Monastery
The Epiphany Monastery (russian: Богоявленский монастырь, ''Bogoyavlensky monastyr''; better translated as "Theophany Monastery") is the oldest male monastery in Moscow, situated in the Kitai gorod, just one block away from ...
. In 1737, he also cast a 1.8-tonne bell for the Church of Archangel Gabriel. Both of these bells, however, were destroyed by the Soviets in the 1930s.
See also
*
List of Russian inventors
This is a list of inventors from the Russian Federation, Soviet Union, Russian Empire, Tsardom of Russia and Grand Duchy of Moscow, including both ethnic Russians and people of other ethnicities.
This list also includes those who were born in Rus ...
References
{{Reflist
Russian bell makers
Russian cannon makers
Russian inventors
Motorin, Ivan Feodorovich
Russian families