In the 17th century, at the height of the struggle for power, Peter I imprisoned Tsarevna Sophia and her sisters in the Novodevichy Convent, which, like other monasteries, used to be often used as dungeons. Since that time, the construction of the main and most famous buildings of the monastery began. In 1690, on the territory of the monastery, architect Yakov Bukhvostov erected a bell tower in the Moscow Baroque style, wrapped in white stone lace, which soon became associated with the Novodevichy Convent. The bell tower turned out to be so large (six tiers) that it easily accommodated several temples, including the temple of St. Barlaam and Joasaph, located on the lower tier.