Fire engulfs bell tower of Moscow's landmark Novodevichy Convent

The bell tower of Moscow's Novodevichy Convent, one of the city's main tourist attractions, is on fire.

Video from RT news showed fire spreading across the bell tower of the monastery, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The fire burned for 90 minutes before being brought under control, at times reaching a size of 100sqm, the UK Telegraph reports.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, but reports suggest it may have started in scaffolding.

The building had reportedly been undergoing major repair work.

The Orthodox Christian convent is home to Russia’s most famous cemetery where luminaries of Russian culture and politics are buried. 

The graves include those of writers Anton Chekhov, Nikolai Gogol and Mikhail Bulgakov, as well as Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and former Russian president Boris Yeltsin.