The silhouette of the bell tower at Sanaksar Monastery resembles the outlines of the bell towers and the fence towers of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. Pilgrims from St. Petersburg often note this similarity. Interestingly, at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, when it was still a monastery, the venerable Theodor of Sanaksar lived there for some time. The construction of the bell tower in Sanaksar began during his lifetime and was completed in 1776 under the guidance of the new abbot, hieromonk Ioil. At that time, the church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord was consecrated, with decorations done by hierodeacon Philaret Bylynin. The architecture of the bell tower combines elements of Baroque and Classicism. In the 19th century, the belfry had 12 bells, one of which, cast in 1788 with the help of benefactors, weighed 237 poods.

With the advent of Soviet power, the bell tower building, like other structures of the monastery, was nationalized. Valuables were confiscated from the Church of the Transfiguration under the pretext of helping the starving and strengthening the economy. In the 1920s, a commune called 'New Life' operated in the monastery, and the ringing of the bells was prohibited. The monastery was subjected to plundering, and in 1929 it was finally closed. Vandals removed the crosses and domes from the bell tower, the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and other churches, as well as threw down the bells. The frescoes of saints in the passage arch under the bell tower were mutilated. Later, the bell tower building and the Church of the Transfiguration were handed over to a school for rural mechanizers, and some buildings were converted into garages. To allow for the passage of machinery, the entrance arch was widened, which threatened the collapse of the bell tower. This situation persisted until the 1970s, when, thanks to the efforts of concerned individuals, a decision was made to restore Sanaksar as an architectural monument.