Traditionally, an Orthodox church building is crowned by one or several domes with Orthodox crosses on the top of each. The overall height of the temple is measured by the highest point of the cross above the main temple.
The number of domes on individual churches often serve a symbolic purpose. One dome is a symbol of Christ or God, three domes are symbolic of Trinity, five domes symbolize Christ and Four Evangelists, seven domes reference the seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church, and thirteen domes correspond to Christ and his twelve Apostles. Other numbers are also encountered.
An Orthodox church building may also have a bell tower or zvonnitsa, either a part of the main church building, or standalone structure. Typically, bell tower is higher than the main temple.
This list is divided into two sections, one listing the highest temples and the other listing the highest bell towers or zvonnitsas.
| Rank | Height (m) | Name | Image | Notes | Years of construction | City | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 127 (135 m when the cross is installed) [1] | People's Salvation Cathedral | It is the tallest (127m), longest (126m) and largest (by volume (323,000 m3) and area (7,200 m2)) Orthodox church building in the world. It is located in central Bucharest, facing the same courtyard as the Romanian Parliament Building. | 2010–present | Bucharest | |||
| 2 | 122.5 | Peter and Paul Cathedral | Three-level bell tower is a part of the church. It is crowned with a gilded spire. The figure of a flying angel is at the very top of the structure | 1712–1733 | Saint Petersburg | |||
| 3 | 103.4[2] | Cathedral of Christ the Saviour | The original Cathedral had been built in 1839–1883, but was demolished during the Soviet period on Stalin's orders in 1931. Rebuilt once again, it is the main cathedral and second largest church building of the Russian Orthodox Church, having a capacity for some 10,000 people | 1995–2000 | Moscow | |||
| 4 | 101.5[3] | Saint Isaac's Cathedral | A masterpiece of late ClassicismThe largest church building in Russia (both by volume and area). Second largest Orthodox church building in the world (by volume[4] and by area[5]). | 1818–1858 | Saint Petersburg | |||
| 5 | 96[6] | Khabarovsk Metropolitan Cathedral | The location of the cathedral was chosen by the patriarch Alexis II of Moscow during the helicopter flight over Khabarovsk | 2001–2004 | Khabarovsk | |||
| 6 | 95 | Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces | 2018-2020 | Odintsovsky District | ||||
| 7 | 93.7[7] | Smolny Cathedral of the Resurrection | The original project also included the 140-metre-high standalone bell tower, that was never built | 1751–1835 | Saint Petersburg | |||
| 8 | 90.5[8] | Timișoara Orthodox Cathedral | Located in the very center of the city. The second tallest church in Romania | 1934–1946 | Timișoara | |||
| 9 | 87.1[9] | Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi | The main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church | 1995–2002 | Tbilisi | |||
| 10 | 87[10] | Alexander Nevsky Novoyarmarochny Cathedral | Located on the spit of Oka and Volga rivers. Built in commemoration of the visit of Nizhny Novgorod Fair by Emperor Alexander II of Russia | 1867–1880 | Nizhny Novgorod | |||
| 11 | 85[11] | Saint Trinity Cathedral in Baia Mare | Tallest cathedral in Maramureș, Romania | 2003– | Baia Mare | |||
| 12 | 85[12] | Annunciation Cathedral in Voronezh | Built in the Russian Revival style in Pervomaysky (former City) Garden – a place where never before was the church | 1998–2009 | Voronezh | |||
| 13 | 82[13] | Cathedral of the Nativity | Located in Mărășești-Zamca neighbourhood, near the city center. The tallest cathedral in the Moldavia region. | 1991–2015 | Suceava | |||
| 14 | 81[14] | Church of the Savior on Blood | The name refers to the blood of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, who was assassinated on that site in 1881. Also known as the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ | 1883–1907 | Saint Petersburg | |||
| 15-16 | 80[15] | Trinity Cathedral, Saint Petersburg | The dome was reconstructed after the 2006 fire | 1828–1835 | Saint Petersburg | |||
| 15-16 | 80[16] | Annunciation Cathedral in Kharkiv | In 1997 a fire damaged the dome and the cross of the bell tower | 1888–1901 | Kharkiv | |||
| 17 | 79[17] | Church of Saint Sava | Located on the place where the remains of Saint Sava are thought to have been burned in 1595 by the Ottoman Empire's Sinan Pasha | 1935–2004 | Belgrade | |||
| 18 | 78[18] | Trinity Cathedral in Pskov | Located in the Pskov Krom (or Kremlin) | 1682–1699 | Pskov | |||
| 19 | 78[19] | Tallest wooden church in the world | 1998–2003 | Săpânța | ||||
| 20 | 77[20] | Transfiguration Cathedral in Nikolo-Ugresh monastery | The monastery was often visited by the young Peter I of Russia. The cathedral is the main one in the monastery and has a space for some 7000 people. | 1880–1894 | Dzerzhinsky | |||
| 21 | 76[21] | Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan in Stavropol | Located at the highest point of the city. | Stavropol | ||||
| 22 | 75.6[22] | Trinity Cathedral in Morshansk | 1836–1857 | Morshansk | ||||
| 23 | 75[23] | Dormition Cathedral in Astrakhan | Located inside the Astrakhan kremlin | 1698 | Astrakhan | |||
| 24 | 74.6[24] | Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk | Cathedral of the Don Cossacks Army[25] | 1805–1905 | Novocherkassk | |||
| 25–26 | 74[26] | All Saints Monument Church | Monument Church dedicated to All Saints and the memory of those who unjustly perished[27] | Minsk | ||||
| 25–26 | 74[28] | Ascension Cathedral in Yelets | Inside the cathedral there is a rich iconostasis with gilded wood carvings | 1845–1889 | Yelets | |||
| 27 | 73[29] | Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Kaliningrad | Located on the central square of the city | 2004–2006 | Kaliningrad | |||
| 28 | 72[30] | St. Michael's Cathedral in Cherkasy | Built in the Neo-Byzantine style, 136 metres tall belfry under construction | 1994–2002 | Cherkasy | |||
| 29 | 71.5[31] | Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg | According to the wishes of the Emperor Paul of Russia, the cathedral was modelled after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome | 1801–1811 | Saint Petersburg | |||
| 30 | 70.6[32] | Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt | The cathedral was designed especially high to serve as a landmark for those in the sea | 1902–1913 | Kronstadt | |||
| 31-33 | 70[33] | Cathedral of the Lord's Ascension, Bacău | Still in construction | 1991– | Bacău | |||
| 31-33 | 70[34] | Alexander Nevsky Cathedral | Built in the style of classicism | 1818–1823 | ||||
| 31-33 | ~ 70[35] | St. Peter and Paul's Cathedral in Peterhof | Modelled after St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, but has a more pyramidal form | 1894–1904 | Peterhof |
| Rank | Height (m) | Name | Image | Notes | Years of construction | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 122,5[36] | Peter and Paul Cathedral | The three-level bell tower is part of the church. It is crowned with a gilded spire. The figure of a flying angel is at the very top of the structure. | 1712–1733 | Saint Petersburg | ||
| 2 | 116[37] | Transfiguration Cathedral in Rybinsk | Five-storey bell tower crowned by a gilded spire. | 1797–1804 | Rybinsk | ||
| 3 | 107[38] | Monastery of Our Lady of Kazan | Tallest Christian structure in the Central Federal District of Russia. | 2009–2011[39] | Tambov | ||
| 4 | 106[40] | Resurrection Cathedral in Shuya | A standalone Orthodox bell tower. Tallest in the Ivanovo Oblast. | 1810–1832 | Shuya | ||
| 5 | 97[41] | Annunciation Cathedral | Built in the Pseudo-Russian style. | 1998–2009 | Voronezh | ||
| 6 | 96,52[42] | Great Lavra Belltower | Located in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. | 1731–1745 | Kyiv | ||
| 7 | 93,7[43] | Peter and Paul Church | The highest rural bell tower in Russia. | Porechye-Rybnoye Yaroslavl Oblast | |||
| 8 | 93[44] | Nikolo-Ugresha monastery | The bell tower is adjacent to the other buildings of the monastery. | 1758–1763, rebuilt in в 1859 г. | Dzerzhinsky | ||
| 9 | 90,3[45] | Nikolo-Berlyukovsky Monastery | In old Russian measures, the height of the bell tower is equal to 127 arshin and 4 vershoks. | 1895–1899 | the village of Avdotyino Moscow Oblast | ||
| 10 | 89,5[46] | Assumption Cathedral in Kharkiv | About 3.5 million bricks and 65.5 tons of iron were used for construction. | 1821–1841 | Kharkiv | ||
| 11 | 88[47] | Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius | Five-storey bell tower. | 1740–1770 | Sergiyev Posad | ||
| 12 | 83,2[48] | Assumption Cathedral in Ryazan | Built by several different architects. Located in the Ryazan Kremlin. | 1789–1840 | Ryazan | ||
| 13 | 82[49] | All Saints Cathedral in Tula | At the corners of the first level there are sculptures of angels with trumpets. | 1776–1825 | Tula | ||
| 14 | 81,6[50] | Saint Trinity Monastery in Alatyr | The bell tower is included in the Russian Book of Records. | the monastery is founded in 1584 | Alatyr | ||
| 15–16 | 81[51] | Ivan the Great Bell Tower | Located on Cathedral Square in the Moscow Kremlin. | 1532–1543 | Moscow | ||
| 15–16 | 81[52] | Saint Assumption Sarov Monastery | In good weather the buildings of the Serafimo-Diveevsky Monastery can be seen from the bell tower. | 1789–1799 | Sarov | ||
| 17 | 80[53] | John the Evangelist Monastery in Poschupovo | The monastery is situated on the right bank of the Oka River. | 1901 | Poschupovo, Ryazan Oblast | ||
| 18 | 79.9[54] | Dormition Cathedral in Astrakhan Kremlin | The height of the bell tower is 37 sazhen. The cross is 7 metres high. | Astrakhan | |||
| 19 | 79.5[55] | John the Baptist Church | The bell tower was built in the Neo-Byzantine style after the project of engineer Kulchitsky. Sponsored by the merchant Diomid Mitrofanovich Khutaryov. | 1891–1895 | Serpukhov District of Moscow Oblast | ||
| 20 | 78.5[56] | St. Sophia Cathedral in Vologda | The bells of the tower were made by Dutch, Russian and German bellmakers in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. | 1869–1870 | Vologda | ||
| 21 | 78[57] | Novospassky Monastery | The monastery played a crucial role in repelling the attack of Crimean Tatars in 1591. | 1759–1795 | Moscow | ||
| 22 | 77[58] | Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa | The bells are controlled by an electronic device capable of playing some 99 melodies. | 2000–2001 | Odesa | ||
| 23–24 | 76[59] | Resurrection Cathedral in Kashin | The church is under restoration. | 1816–1886 | Kashin | ||
| 23–24 | 76[60] | Bell Tower of Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Kyiv | UNESCO World Heritage Site | Kyiv | |||
| 25 | 75,6[61] | Tobolsk Kremlin bell tower | The only stone kremlin in Siberia. | 1794–1809 | Tobolsk | ||
| 26–28 | 75[62] | Cathedral of the Nativity of the Theotokos | The bell ringing is heard in the radius of 42 versts around the tower. | Rostov-on-Don | |||
| 26–28 | 75[63] | St. Nicholas Church in Venyov | The church was demolished in 1950s but the bell tower still stands. | 1801–1843 | Venyov | ||
| 26–28 | ~75[64] | The Church of Saint Myrrhbearers in Kaluga | The construction cost was 64,500 rubles. | 1818–1820 | Kaluga | ||
| 29 | 74,5[65] | The Flooded Belfry | Now the bell tower stands amid the waters of the Uglich Reservoir, which covered the old city center of Kalyazin in 1939. | 1796–1800 | Kalyazin | ||
| 30 | 74[66] | Epiphany Cathedral in Kazan | There is a temple on the second level of the bell tower. | 1895–1897 | Kazan | ||
| 31–34 | 72[67] | Novodevichy Convent | The bell tower consist of six octagonal levels. | 1690 | Moscow | ||
| 31–34 | 72[68] | Monastery of the Deposition in Suzdal | The bell tower was built to commemorate the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. | 1813–1819 | Suzdal | ||
| 31–34 | 72[69] | Cathedral of Saint George the Martyr | The total weight of the bells is 18.5 tons. | 1848–1872 | Odintsovo | ||
| 31–34 | 72[70] | Valaam Monastery | The monastery is situated on the Valaam Archipelago in Karelia. | 1896 | Valaam | ||
| 35 | 70,3[71] | Serafimo-Diveevsky Monastery | In Soviet times the bell tower was used for TV transmissions. | 1848–1872 | Diveyevo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast | ||
| 36–37 | 70[72] | Ascension Monastery in Tambov | 2007–2012 | Tambov | |||
| 36–37 | 70 | Trinity Cathedral in Gus-Zhelezny | Built in the, rare for Russia, Gothic Revival style. | 1802–1868 | Gus-Zhelezny |