On the central tower of the National Art Gallery, located in Obolensky-Nogotkov Square, city clocks were installed that began operating on November 4, 2007. Every hour, an amazing performance takes place in the square: the icon of the Mother of God "Three-Handed" appears, carried by a donkey.

This unique sculptural composition was created by a team from the student scientific and innovation center of the Volga State Technological University under the guidance of Igor Kudryavtsev, head of the "Mechatronic Systems" laboratory. The idea was for the clock not only to tell the time but also to symbolize the care of the Queen of Heaven for people, demonstrating her great mercy. For the republic, the icon "Three-Handed" holds special significance, as it is associated with the founding of the Yoshkar-Ola and Mari diocese fourteen years ago.

The clock illustrates a historical story with the donkey. In the 13th century, the icon was in Serbia. When the Turks invaded the country, the Serbs placed the icon on a donkey to save it, which traveled to Greece, to Mount Athos, and stopped at the gates of the Helenar Monastery. From there, the icon spread across Orthodox lands.

After the ringing of the bells, musical accompaniment plays, and in the upper left corner of the clock, gates open, revealing the blessing image of the Mother of God. Then, from the lower left gates, the donkey with the icon emerges, symbolizing the arrival of the Mother of God to the Mari land. The donkey enters the lower right gates, which close, and in the upper right corner, the image of the Queen of Heaven reappears. The story was approved and blessed by Archbishop John of Yoshkar-Ola and Mari, and the musical accompaniment was chosen from the liturgy of S. Rachmaninoff "The Virgin Mother of God." On major holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, Orthodox hymns are heard in the square.