Taynitskaya Tower, Fortified tower in the Kremlin complex, Tverskoy District, Moscow, Russia.

Taynitskaya Tower is the central tower of the Moscow Kremlin's southern wall, built of red brick. Its lower part is a four-sided base with a rounded arched entrance and a parapet with machicolations; above it, an open arched gallery with paired openings supports a truncated pyramidal roof topped by a watchtower with a gilded weathervane. A crenellated wall extends to the left.

Built in 1485 by Italian architect Antonio Gilardi, the tower served as part of Moscow Kremlin's fortification system and included a secret passage providing direct access to the Moskva River during sieges.

The tower's name comes from the Russian word for secret: Anton Fryazin built a hidden well and a concealed passage to the Moskva River inside it in 1485. Its gates were also called Cheshkovy, Chushkovy, Sheshkovy, Potayniyskiye and Vodyanyye. Until the revolution, the Epiphany water blessing took place on the river directly opposite these gates, and Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich attended the ceremony bareheaded in the cold.

The tower stands on the southern Kremlin wall facing the Moskva River, at the end of the embankment promenade. Its gate arch is walled up on the river side but open toward the Kremlin interior, and spiral staircases run inside the side walls. Access to the Kremlin is by timed ticket through the main gates; the tower itself is viewed from outside.

The tower's name derives from the Russian word 'taynitskaya' meaning 'secret', referring to its hidden well and underground tunnel that facilitated covert movement of troops and resources under siege conditions.