Alexander Column - (often mistakenly called the Alexander Pillar, after A. S. Pushkin’s poem “Monument”, where the poet talks about the famous Alexandria lighthouse) is one of the most famous monuments of St. Petersburg.
Erected in the Empire style in 1834 in the center of Palace Square by the architect Auguste Montferrand by order of Emperor Nicholas I in memory of the victory of his elder brother Alexander I over Napoleon.
Monument to Alexander I (Alexander Column). 1834. Architect O.R. Montferand
History of creation
This monument complemented the composition of the Arch of the General Staff, which was dedicated to the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. The idea of building the monument was proposed by the famous architect Carl Rossi. When planning the space of Palace Square, he believed that a monument should be placed in the center of the square. However, he rejected the proposed idea of installing another equestrian statue of Peter I.
1. General view of the building structure
2. Foundation
3. Pedestal
4. Ramp and platform
5. Lifting the column
6. Ensemble of Palace Square
An open competition was officially announced on behalf of Emperor Nicholas I in 1829 with the wording in memory of the “unforgettable brother.” Auguste Montferrand responded to this challenge with a project to erect a grandiose granite obelisk, but this option was rejected by the emperor.
A sketch of that project has been preserved and is currently in the library of the Institute of Railway Engineers. Montferrand proposed installing a huge granite obelisk 25.6 meters (84 feet or 12 fathoms) high on a granite plinth 8.22 meters (27 feet). The front side of the obelisk was supposed to be decorated with bas-reliefs depicting the events of the War of 1812 in photographs from the famous medallions by medalist Count F. P. Tolstoy.
On the pedestal it was planned to carry the inscription “To the Blessed One - Grateful Russia.” On the pedestal, the architect saw a rider on a horse trampling a snake with his feet; a double-headed eagle flies in front of the rider, the goddess of victory follows the rider, crowning him with laurels; the horse is led by two symbolic female figures.
The sketch of the project indicates that the obelisk was supposed to surpass all monoliths known in the world in its height (secretly highlighting the obelisk installed by D. Fontana in front of St. Peter's Cathedral). The artistic part of the project is excellently executed using watercolor techniques and testifies to Montferrand’s high skill in various areas of fine art.
Trying to defend his project, the architect acted within the limits of subordination, dedicating his essay “Plans et details du monument consacr è à la mémoire de l'Empereur Alexandre” to Nicholas I, but the idea was still rejected and Montferrand was clearly pointed to the column as the desired one the shape of the monument.
Final project
The second project, which was subsequently implemented, was to install a column higher than that of Vendôme (erected in honor of Napoleon's victories). Montferrand was offered Trajan's Column in Rome as a source of inspiration.
Trajan's Column in Rome
The narrow scope of the project did not allow the architect to escape the influence of world-famous examples, and his new work was only a slight modification of the ideas of his predecessors. The artist expressed his individuality by refusing to use additional decorations, like the bas-reliefs spiraling around the core of the ancient Trajan's Column. Montferrand showed the beauty of a giant polished pink granite monolith 25.6 meters (12 fathoms) high.
Vendôme Column in Paris - a monument to Napoleon
In addition, Montferrand made his monument taller than all existing ones. In this new form, on September 24, 1829, the project without sculptural completion was approved by the sovereign.
Construction took place from 1829 to 1834. Since 1831, chairman of the “Commission on the Construction St. Isaac's Cathedral“Count Yu. P. Litta was appointed to be responsible for the installation of the column
Preparatory work
For the granite monolith - the main part of the column - the rock that the sculptor outlined during his previous trips to Finland was used. Mining and preliminary processing were carried out in 1830-1832 in the Pyuterlak quarry, which was located between Vyborg and Friedrichsgam. These works were carried out according to the method of S.K. Sukhanov, the production was supervised by masters S.V. Kolodkin and V.A. Yakovlev.
View of the Puterlax quarry during work
From the book by O. Montferrand "Plan and details of the memorial monument dedicated to Emperor Alexander I", Paris, 1836
After the stonemasons examined the rock and confirmed the suitability of the material, a prism was cut off from it, which was significantly larger in size than the future column. Giant devices were used: huge levers and gates to move the block from its place and tip it onto a soft and elastic bedding of spruce branches.
After separating the workpiece, huge stones were cut from the same rock for the foundation of the monument, the largest of which weighed about 25,000 poods (more than 400 tons). Their delivery to St. Petersburg was carried out by water, for this purpose a barge of a special design was used.
The monolith was duped on site and prepared for transportation. Transportation issues were dealt with by naval engineer Colonel Glasin, who designed and built a special boat, named “St. Nicholas,” with a carrying capacity of up to 65,000 poods (1,100 tons). To carry out loading operations, a special pier was built. Loading was carried out from a wooden platform at its end, which coincided in height with the side of the ship.
Arrival of ships with stone blocks in St. Petersburg
Having overcome all difficulties, the column was loaded on board, and the monolith went to Kronstadt on a barge towed by two steamships, from there to go to the Palace Embankment of St. Petersburg.
The arrival of the central part of the column in St. Petersburg took place on July 1, 1832. The contractor, merchant son V. A. Yakovlev, was responsible for all of the above work; further work was carried out on site under the leadership of O. Montferrand.
Yakovlev's business qualities, extraordinary intelligence and management were noted by Montferrand. Most likely, he acted independently, “at his own peril and expense” - taking upon himself all financial and other risks associated with the project. This is indirectly confirmed by the words
Yakovlev's case is over; the upcoming difficult operations concern you; I hope you have as much success as he did
— Nicholas I, to Auguste Montferrand regarding the prospects after unloading the column in St. Petersburg
Works in St. Petersburg
Construction of granite pedestal and scaffolding with stone base for column installation
Since 1829, work began on the preparation and construction of the foundation and pedestal of the column on Palace Square in St. Petersburg. The work was supervised by O. Montferrand.
Model of the rise of the Alexander Column
First, a geological survey of the area was carried out, which resulted in the discovery of a suitable sandy continent near the center of the area at a depth of 17 feet (5.2 m). In December 1829, the location for the column was approved, and 1,250 six-meter pine piles were driven under the base. Then the piles were cut to fit the spirit level, forming a platform for the foundation, according to the original method: the bottom of the pit was filled with water, and the piles were cut to the level of the water table, which ensured that the site was horizontal.
Denisov Alexander Gavrilovich. The rise of the Alexander Column. 1832
This method was proposed by Lieutenant General A. A. Betancourt, an architect and engineer, organizer of construction and transport in the Russian Empire. Previously, using a similar technology, the foundation of St. Isaac's Cathedral was laid.
The foundation of the monument was built from stone granite blocks half a meter thick. It was extended to the horizon of the square using planked masonry. In its center was placed a bronze box with coins minted in honor of the victory of 1812.
The work was completed in October 1830.
Construction of the pedestal
After laying the foundation, a huge four-hundred-ton monolith, brought from the Pyuterlak quarry, was erected on it, which serves as the base of the pedestal.
General view of building structures
The engineering problem of installing such a large monolith was solved by O. Montferrand as follows:
1. Installation of the monolith on the foundation
* The monolith was rolled on rollers through an inclined plane onto a platform built close to the foundation.
* The stone was dumped on a pile of sand, previously poured next to the platform.
“At the same time, the earth shook so much that eyewitnesses - passers-by who were in the square at that moment, felt something like an underground shock.”
* Supports were placed, then workers scooped out the sand and placed rollers.
* The supports were cut down and the block was lowered onto the rollers.
* The stone was rolled onto the foundation.
2. Precise installation of the monolith
* Ropes thrown over blocks were pulled with nine capstans, and the stone was raised to a height of about one meter.
* They took out the rollers and added a layer of slippery solution, very unique in its composition, on which they planted the monolith.
Since the work was carried out in winter, I ordered cement and vodka to be mixed and a tenth of soap added. Due to the fact that the stone initially sat incorrectly, it had to be moved several times, which was done with the help of only two capstans and with particular ease, of course, thanks to the soap that I ordered to be mixed into the solution
— O. Montferrand
Setting up the upper parts of the pedestal was a much simpler task - despite the greater height of the rise, subsequent steps consisted of stones of much smaller sizes than the previous ones, and besides, the workers gradually gained experience.
Column installation
By July 1832, the monolith of the column was on its way, and the pedestal had already been completed. It's time to begin the most difficult task - installing the column on the pedestal.
Bishebois, L. P. -A. Bayo A. J. -B. - Raising of the Alexander Column
Based on the developments of Lieutenant General A. A. Betancourt for the installation of columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral in December 1830, an original lifting system was designed. It included: scaffolding 22 fathoms (47 meters) high, 60 capstans and a system of blocks, and he took advantage of all this in the following way:
Column lifting
* The column was rolled along an inclined plane onto a special platform located at the foot of the scaffolding and wrapped in many rings of ropes to which blocks were attached;
* Another block system was located on top of the scaffolding;
* A large number of ropes encircling the stone went around the upper and lower blocks and the free ends were wound on capstans placed in the square.
After all the preparations were completed, the day of the ceremonial ascent was set.
On August 30, 1832, masses of people gathered to watch this event: they occupied the entire square, and besides this, the windows and roof of the General Staff Building were occupied by spectators. The sovereign and the entire imperial family came to the raising.
To bring the column into a vertical position on Palace Square, engineer A. A. Betancourt needed to attract the forces of 2000 soldiers and 400 workers, who installed the monolith in 1 hour 45 minutes.
The block of stone rose obliquely, slowly crawled, then lifted off the ground and was brought to a position above the pedestal. On command, the ropes were released, the column smoothly lowered and fell into place. The people shouted loudly “Hurray!” The sovereign himself was very pleased with the successful completion of the matter.
Montferrand, you have immortalized yourself!
Original text (French)
Montferrand, vous vous êtes immortalise!
— Nicholas I to Auguste Montferrand regarding the completed work
Grigory Gagarin. Alexandria Column in the woods. 1832-1833
After installing the column, all that remained was to attach the bas-relief slabs and decorative elements to the pedestal, as well as to complete the final processing and polishing of the column. The column was surmounted by a bronze capital of the Doric order with a rectangular abacus made of brickwork with bronze facing. A bronze cylindrical pedestal with a hemispherical top was installed on it.
In parallel with the construction of the column, in September 1830, O. Montferrand worked on a statue intended to be placed above it and, according to the wishes of Nicholas I, facing the Winter Palace. In the original design, the column was completed with a cross entwined with a snake to decorate the fasteners. In addition, the sculptors of the Academy of Arts proposed several options for compositions of figures of angels and virtues with a cross. There was an option to install the figure of Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky.
Sketches of figures and groups crowning the column. Projects
From the book by O. Montferrand
As a result, the figure of an angel with a cross was accepted for execution, made by the sculptor B.I. Orlovsky with expressive and understandable symbolism - “By this victory!” These words are connected with the story of the acquisition of the life-giving cross:
The Roman Emperor (274-337) Constantine the Great, entrusting Mother Helen with a trip to Jerusalem, said:
“During three battles, I saw a cross in the sky, and on it the inscription “By this victory.” Find him!
“I’ll find it,” she answered.
The finishing and polishing of the monument lasted two years.
St. Petersburg. Alexandria Column.
"Guildburg mid-19th century.
Mid-19th century Steel engraving.
Opening of the monument
The opening of the monument took place on August 30 (September 11), 1834 and marked the completion of work on the design of Palace Square. The ceremony was attended by the sovereign, the royal family, the diplomatic corps, a hundred thousand Russian troops and representatives of the Russian army. It was carried out in a distinctly Orthodox setting and was accompanied by a solemn service at the foot of the column, in which kneeling troops and the emperor himself took part.
Bishebois, L. P. -A. Bayo A. J. -B. - Grand opening of the Alexander Column
This open-air service drew a parallel with the historical prayer service of Russian troops in Paris on the day of Orthodox Easter on March 29 (April 10), 1814.
It was impossible to look without deep emotional tenderness at the sovereign, humbly kneeling in front of this numerous army, moved by his word to the foot of the colossus he had built. He prayed for his brother, and everything at that moment spoke of the earthly glory of this sovereign brother: the monument bearing his name, the kneeling Russian army, and the people among whom he lived, complacent, accessible to everyone.<…>How striking was at that moment the contrast between the greatness of life, magnificent, but fleeting, with the greatness of death, gloomy but unchanging; and how eloquent was this angel in view of both, who, unrelated to everything that surrounded him, stood between earth and heaven, belonging to the one with his monumental granite, depicting what no longer exists, and to the other with his radiant cross, a symbol of what always and forever
— Message from V. A. Zhukovsky “to Emperor Alexander”, revealing the symbolism of this act and giving an interpretation of the new prayer service
Chernetsov Grigory and Nikanor Grigorievich. Parade to mark the opening of the monument to Alexander I in St. Petersburg. August 30, 1834. 1834
Parade at the opening of the Alexandria Column in 1834. From a painting by Ladurneur
Then a military parade was held on the square. Regiments that distinguished themselves in the Patriotic War of 1812 took part in it; In total, about one hundred thousand people took part in the parade:
...no pen can describe the greatness of that moment when, following three cannon shots, suddenly from all the streets, as if born from the earth, in slender bulks, with the thunder of drums, to the sounds of the Paris March, columns of the Russian army began to march... For two hours this magnificent, unique in world spectacle... In the evening, noisy crowds wandered through the streets of the illuminated city for a long time, finally the lighting went out, the streets were empty, and in a deserted square the majestic colossus was left alone with its sentry
— From the memoirs of the poet V. A. Zhukovsky
Ruble with a portrait of Alexander I in honor of the opening of the Alexandria Pillar in 1834.
In honor of this event, a memorial ruble was issued in the same year with a circulation of 15,000.
Description of the monument
The Alexander Column is reminiscent of examples of triumphal buildings of antiquity; the monument has amazing clarity of proportions, laconism of form, and beauty of silhouette.
Text on the monument plaque:
Grateful Russia to Alexander I
It is the tallest monument in the world, made of solid granite, and the third tallest after the Column of the Grand Army in Boulogne-sur-Mer and Trafalgar (Nelson's Column) in London. It is taller than similar monuments in the world: the Vendôme Column in Paris, Trajan's Column in Rome and Pompey's Column in Alexandria.
Comparison of Alexander's Column, Trajan's Column, Napoleon's Column, Marcus Aurelius' Column, and the so-called "Pompey's Column"
Characteristics
* The total height of the structure is 47.5 m.
o The height of the trunk (monolithic part) of the column is 25.6 m (12 fathoms).
o Pedestal height 2.85 m (4 arshins),
o The height of the angel figure is 4.26 m,
o The height of the cross is 6.4 m (3 fathoms).
* The lower diameter of the column is 3.5 m (12 ft), the upper diameter is 3.15 m (10 ft 6 in).
* The size of the pedestal is 6.3×6.3 m.
* The dimensions of the bas-reliefs are 5.24×3.1 m.
* Fence dimensions 16.5×16.5 m
* The total weight of the structure is 704 tons.
o The weight of the stone column shaft is about 600 tons.
o The total weight of the column top is about 37 tons.
The column itself stands on a granite base without any additional supports, only under the influence of its own gravity.
The pedestal of the column, decorated on four sides with bronze bas-reliefs, was cast at the C. Byrd factory in 1833-1834.
Column pedestal, front side (facing the Winter Palace).
At the top is the All-Seeing Eye, in the circle of the oak wreath is the inscription of 1812, below it are laurel garlands, which are held in the paws of double-headed eagles.
On the bas-relief there are two winged female figures holding a board with the inscription Grateful Russia to Alexander I, under them are the armor of Russian knights, on both sides of the armor are figures personifying the Vistula and Neman rivers
A large team of authors worked on the decoration of the pedestal: sketch drawings were made by O. Montferrand, based on them on cardboard the artists J.B. Scotti, V. Solovyov, Tverskoy, F. Brullo, Markov painted life-size bas-reliefs. Sculptors P.V. Svintsov and I. Leppe sculpted bas-reliefs for casting. Models of double-headed eagles were made by sculptor I. Leppe, models of the base, garlands and other decorations were made by sculptor-ornamentalist E. Balin.
The bas-reliefs on the pedestal of the column in an allegorical form glorify the victory of Russian weapons and symbolize the courage of the Russian army.
The bas-reliefs include images of ancient Russian chain mail, cones and shields stored in the Armory Chamber in Moscow, including helmets attributed to Alexander Nevsky and Ermak, as well as the 17th century armor of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and that, despite Montferrand's assertions, it is completely doubtful, the shield Oleg of the 10th century, nailed by him to the gates of Constantinople.
These ancient Russian images appeared on the work of the Frenchman Montferrand through the efforts of the then president of the Academy of Arts, a famous lover of Russian antiquities A. N. Olenin.
In addition to armor and allegories, allegorical figures are depicted on the pedestal on the northern (front) side: winged female figures hold a rectangular board with the inscription in civil script: “Grateful Russia to Alexander the First.” Below the board is an exact copy of armor samples from the armory.
Symmetrically located figures on the sides of the weapons (on the left - a beautiful young woman leaning on an urn from which water is pouring out and on the right - an old Aquarius man) represent the Vistula and Neman rivers, which were crossed by the Russian army during the persecution of Napoleon.
Other bas-reliefs depict Victory and Glory, recording the dates of memorable battles, and, in addition, on the pedestal are depicted the allegories “Victory and Peace” (the years 1812, 1813 and 1814 are inscribed on the Victory shield), “Justice and Mercy”, “Wisdom and Abundance” "
At the upper corners of the pedestal there are double-headed eagles; they hold in their paws oak garlands lying on the ledge of the pedestal cornice. On the front side of the pedestal, above the garland, in the middle - in a circle bordered by an oak wreath, is the All-Seeing Eye with the signature “1812”.
All bas-reliefs depict weapons of a classical nature as decorative elements, which
...does not belong to modern Europe and cannot hurt the pride of any people.
— O. Montferrand
Sculpture of an angel on a cylindrical pedestal
Column and angel sculpture
The stone column is a solid polished element made of pink granite. The column trunk has a conical shape.
The top of the column is crowned with a bronze capital of the Doric order. Its upper part, a rectangular abacus, is made of brickwork with bronze cladding. A bronze cylindrical pedestal with a hemispherical top is installed on it, inside which is enclosed the main supporting mass, consisting of multi-layer masonry: granite, brick and two more layers of granite at the base.
The monument is crowned with a figure of an angel by Boris Orlovsky. In his left hand the angel holds a four-pointed Latin cross, and raises his right hand to heaven. The angel's head is tilted, his gaze is fixed on the ground.
According to the original design of Auguste Montferrand, the figure at the top of the column rested on a steel rod, which was later removed, and during the restoration in 2002-2003 it turned out that the angel was supported by its own bronze mass.
Alexander Column top
Not only is the column itself taller than the Vendôme Column, but the figure of the angel surpasses in height the figure of Napoleon I on the Vendôme Column. In addition, an angel tramples a serpent with a cross, which symbolizes the peace and tranquility that Russia brought to Europe, having won the victory over Napoleonic troops.
The sculptor gave the angel's facial features a resemblance to the face of Alexander I. According to other sources, the figure of the angel is a sculptural portrait of the St. Petersburg poetess Elisaveta Kulman.
The light figure of an angel, the falling folds of clothing, the clearly defined vertical of the cross, continuing the vertical of the monument, emphasize the slenderness of the column.
19th century color photolithograph, view from the east, showing a guard's box, fence and lantern candelabra
Fence and surroundings of the monument
The Alexander Column was surrounded by a decorative bronze fence designed by Auguste Montferrand. The height of the fence is about 1.5 meters. The fence was decorated with 136 double-headed eagles and 12 captured cannons (4 in the corners and 2 framed by double gates on four sides of the fence), which were crowned with three-headed eagles.
Between them were placed alternating spears and banner poles, topped with guards' double-headed eagles. There were locks on the gates of the fence in accordance with the author's plan.
In addition, the project included the installation of candelabra with copper lanterns and gas lighting.
The fence in its original form was installed in 1834, all elements were completely installed in 1836-1837.
In the north-eastern corner of the fence there was a guard box, in which there was a disabled person dressed in a full guards uniform, who guarded the monument day and night and kept order in the square.
The entire space of Palace Square was paved with ends.
Saint Petersburg. Palace Square, Alexander Column.
Stories and legends associated with the Alexander Column
* It is noteworthy that the installation of the column on the pedestal and the opening of the monument took place on August 30 (September 11, new style). This is not a coincidence: this is the day of the transfer of the relics of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky to St. Petersburg, the main day of the celebration of St. Alexander Nevsky.
Alexander Nevsky is the heavenly protector of the city, so the angel looking from the top of the Alexander Column has always been perceived primarily as a protector and guardian.
* To hold a parade of troops on Palace Square, the Yellow (now Pevchesky) Bridge was built according to the design of O. Montferrand.
* After the opening of the column, the residents of St. Petersburg were very afraid that it would fall and tried not to get close to it. These fears were based both on the fact that the column was not fixed, and on the fact that Montferrand was forced to make changes to the project at the last moment: the blocks of the power structures of the top - the abacus, on which the figure of the angel is installed, were originally conceived in granite ; but at the last moment it had to be replaced with brickwork with a lime-based bonding mortar.
In order to dispel the fears of the townspeople, the architect Montferrand made it a rule to walk every morning with his beloved dog right under the pillar, which he did almost until his death.
Sadovnikov, Vasily. View of the Palace Square and the General Staff building in St. Petersburg
Sadovnikov, Vasily. View of the Palace Square and Winter Palace in St. Petersburg
* During perestroika, magazines wrote that there was a project to install a huge statue of V.I. Lenin on the pillar, and in 2002 the media spread a message that in 1952 the figure of an angel was going to be replaced with a bust of Stalin.
"Alexander's Column and General Staff". Lithograph by L. J. Arnoux. 1840s
* During the construction of the Alexander Column, there were rumors that this monolith turned out by chance in a row of columns for St. Isaac's Cathedral. Allegedly, having received a column longer than necessary, they decided to use this stone on Palace Square.
* The French envoy to the St. Petersburg court reports interesting information about this monument:
Regarding this column, one can recall the proposal made to Emperor Nicholas by the skillful French architect Montferrand, who was present at its cutting, transportation and installation, namely: he suggested that the emperor drill a spiral staircase inside this column and demanded for this only two workers: a man and a boy with a hammer, a chisel and a basket in which the boy would carry out fragments of granite as he drilled it out; finally, two lanterns to illuminate the workers in their difficult work. In 10 years, he argued, the worker and the boy (the latter, of course, would grow up a little) would have finished their spiral staircase; but the emperor, justifiably proud of the construction of this one-of-a-kind monument, feared, and perhaps with good reason, that this drilling would not pierce the outer sides of the column, and therefore refused this proposal.
- Baron P. de Bourgoin, French envoy from 1828 to 1832
* After the restoration began in 2002-2003, unauthorized newspaper publications began to spread information that the column was not solid, but consisted of a certain number of “pancakes” so skillfully adjusted to each other that the seams between them were practically invisible.
* The newlyweds come to the Alexander Column, and the groom carries the bride in his arms around the pillar. According to legend, the number of times the groom walks around the column with the bride in his arms, the number of children they will have.
Alexander Column in St. Petersburg
Engraving by G. Jorden from the original by A. G. Vickers. 1835. Etching on steel, hand coloring. 14x10 cm
Addition and restoration work
Two years after the installation of the monument, in 1836, under the bronze top of the granite column, white-gray spots began to appear on the polished surface of the stone, spoiling appearance monument.
In 1841, Nicholas I ordered an inspection of the defects then noticed on the column, but the conclusion of the examination stated that even during the processing process, the granite crystals partially crumbled in the form of small depressions, which are perceived as cracks.
In 1861, Alexander II established the “Committee for the Study of Damage to the Alexander Column,” which included scientists and architects. Scaffolding was erected for inspection, as a result of which the committee came to the conclusion that, indeed, there were cracks on the column, originally characteristic of the monolith, but fear was expressed that an increase in the number and size of them “could lead to the collapse of the column.”
There have been discussions about the materials that should be used to seal these caverns. The Russian “grandfather of chemistry” A. A. Voskresensky proposed a composition “which was supposed to impart a closing mass” and “thanks to which the crack in the Alexander Column was stopped and closed with complete success” (D. I. Mendeleev).
For regular inspection of the column, four chains were attached to the abacus of the capital - fasteners for lifting the cradle; in addition, the craftsmen had to periodically “climb” the monument to clean the stone from stains, which was not an easy task, given the large height of the column.
The decorative lanterns near the column were made 40 years after the opening - in 1876 by the architect K. K. Rachau.
During the entire period from the moment of its discovery until the end of the 20th century, the column was subjected to restoration work five times, which was more of a cosmetic nature.
After the events of 1917, the space around the monument was changed, and on holidays the angel was covered with a red tarpaulin cap or camouflaged with balloons lowered from a hovering airship.
The fence was dismantled and melted down for cartridge casings in the 1930s.
During the siege of Leningrad, the monument was covered only 2/3 of its height. Unlike Klodt's horses or the sculptures of the Summer Garden, the sculpture remained in its place and the angel was injured: a deep fragmentation mark remained on one of the wings, in addition to this, the monument suffered more than a hundred minor damage from shell fragments. One of the fragments got stuck in a bas-relief image of the helmet of Alexander Nevsky, from where it was removed in 2003.
Arch of the General Staff and Alexandrian Column
The restoration was carried out in 1963 (foreman N.N. Reshetov, the head of the work was restorer I.G. Black).
In 1977, restoration work was carried out on Palace Square: historical lanterns were restored around the column, the asphalt surface was replaced with granite and diabase paving stones.
Raev Vasily Egorovich. Alexander Column during a thunderstorm. 1834.
V. S. Sadovnikov. Around 1830
St. Petersburg and suburbs
It seems that the history of the Pillar of Alexandria cannot have any dark spots, since the monument was created only about two hundred years ago. However, besides the official...
From Masterweb
17.04.2018 22:01The lines below from the great poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin are known to almost everyone.
“I erected a monument to myself, not made by hands,
The people's path to him will not be overgrown,
He ascended with his head rebellious
Pillar of Alexandria."
Of course, today it is difficult to say what the author’s idea was when he wrote this work. However, most historians are sure that the poet meant the same Alexandria Pillar, which stands on Palace Square and is one of the landmarks of St. Petersburg. This amazing creation evokes admiration among our contemporaries, so it is easy to imagine what a significant event the installation of this monument dedicated to the victory over Napoleon was. It seems that the history of the Pillar of Alexandria cannot have any dark spots, since the monument was created only about two hundred years ago. However, apart from the official version of its manufacture and installation, as well as small drawn albums that give a very vague idea of \u200b\u200bthe technologies of the nineteenth century, nothing has survived. Surprisingly, during the construction of St. Petersburg, the architects created incredible accurate maps, and construction technologies were described in specialized documentation. But the history of the creation of the Pillar of Alexandria is devoid of such details, and upon a closer look, it is completely replete with inconsistencies and outright blunders. All this gives historians a lot of reasons to doubt the official version of the appearance of the monument. It is overgrown with myths and legends, which we will definitely mention today, not forgetting to talk about the official version.
Sights of St. Petersburg: Pillar of Alexandria
All guests of the Northern capital are eager to see this monument. However, to fully appreciate the skill of its creators, you need to tilt your head back to see the very top of the column. On it there is a figure of an angel with a cross and a snake at his feet, which is an allegory symbolizing the victory of Alexander I over the army of Napoleon.
The size of the Alexandria Pillar is truly impressive. Many of our contemporaries, who have technical knowledge, argue that it may take decades to create such a creation today. And in order to install the column on the pedestal, even two days will not be enough. And this is taking into account that workers have a huge number of machines and various installations that make their work easier. How all this was possible in the first half of the nineteenth century is a real mystery.
The weight of the Pillar of Alexandria is six hundred tons and another hundred tons weighs the base on which the column, made of rare pink granite, is installed. It had the beautiful name “rapakivi” and was mined only in the Vyborg region in the Pyuterlak quarry. It is noteworthy that the column was cut out from a single piece of granite. According to some reports, its weight in its original form exceeded one thousand tons.
The height of the Alexandria pillar is forty-seven and a half meters. To the pride of Russian craftsmen, it should be noted that the column is significantly larger than all similar structures in the world. The photo below shows Trajan's Columns in Rome, Pompeii in Alexandria and the Vendôme Column installed in Paris, in comparison with the monument on Palace Square. This drawing alone gives an idea of this miracle of engineering, which delights all tourists without exception.
The angel installed on the top is six and four tenths meters high, and its base is almost three meters. The figure was installed on the column after it had taken its place in the square. The Alexandria Pillar, which seems absolutely incredible, is not secured to its pedestal in any way. The engineers made all the calculations so accurately that the column has stood firmly without any fastenings for almost two hundred years. Some tourists talk. that if you throw your head back near the monument and stand like that for ten minutes, you will notice how the top of the pillar sways.
Experts in the history of St. Petersburg claim that the Pillar of Alexandria on Palace Square might not have appeared. Since the project of the monument was not approved by the emperor for a long time. Ultimately, his sketch was approved, and then the material from which it was planned to create this masterpiece.
Background to the appearance of the column
The world-famous Carl Rossi was in charge of planning the space of Palace Square. He became the ideological inspirer for the creation of a monument that would become the main decoration of this place. Rossi himself made several sketches of the future design, but none of them formed the basis of the monument. The only thing that was taken from the architect’s ideas was the height of the monument. Carl Rossi wisely believed that the structure should be very tall. Otherwise, it simply will not be a single ensemble with the General Staff.
Nicholas I had great respect for Russia's advice, but decided to use the free space of the square in his own way. He announced a competition for best project monument. The authors' imagination was not limited by anything; the only nuance was compliance with the thematic focus. Nicholas I set out to immortalize his ancestor, who managed to defeat the French.
The Emperor had to look through a huge number of projects, but the works of Auguste Montferrand seemed the most interesting to him. He proposed creating a granite obelisk on which bas-reliefs depicting scenes of military battles would be placed. However, it was this project that the emperor rejected. He became interested in the Vendôme Column, erected by the Parisians in honor of Napoleon. Therefore, it is quite symbolic that the defeat of the French army was also to be immortalized by a column, but a taller and more unusual one.
The architect listened to the wishes of Nicholas I and created a design for the structure, which at that time became the tallest in the world. After some adjustments, in the twenty-ninth year of the nineteenth century, the project of the Alexandrian Pillar was approved and signed. It was time to get to work.
The first stage of creating the monument
The history of the Alexandria Pillar in St. Petersburg began with the choice of material. Since it was supposed to cut the column out of a single piece of granite, Montferrand had to go study the quarries in order to choose a suitable place for extracting such a massive block. After some time of searching, the architect decided to send his workers to the Puterlak quarry in Finland. It was there that there was a rock of suitable size, from which it was planned to break off a huge block.
In the twenty-ninth year in the Northern capital they began to create the foundation of the Alexandrian Pillar on Palace Square. A year later, work began on the extraction of granite in quarries. They lasted two years, and about four hundred workers took part in this process. According to official sources, they worked day and night in shifts. And the stone mining technology was developed by a young self-taught Samson Sukhanov. It is still unknown how exactly the block was broken off from the rock, which was later used to make the column. Not a single official document has survived where the technology would be described in the slightest detail. In Montferrand's albums it is written only that the piece of granite exceeded one thousand tons. It was broken off using some long crowbars and levers. Then the monolith was turned over and a huge piece was cut off from it for the foundation.
It took another six months to process the block. All this was done manually with the simplest tools. We advise readers to remember this fact, since in the future we will return to it and look at it from a slightly different angle. The almost finished Pillar of Alexandria was ready for the trip to St. Petersburg. It was decided to do this by water and for the difficult journey it was necessary to build a special ship, which combined in its design all the innovative technologies of that time. At the same time, a pier was being built in the Northern capital, ready to receive the unusual ship and its cargo. The architect’s plans were to immediately roll the column over a special wooden bridge to the square after unloading.
Delivery of a monolithic column
Very little is known about how the loading and unloading of the monument took place. This unique process is described very sparingly in official sources. If you trust Montferrand's albums and fragmentary information from the captain of the ship, then the column was loaded above the waterline and almost safely transported to St. Petersburg. The only unpleasant event was a storm that rocked the ship and almost threw the monument into the water. However, with great effort, the captain managed to secure the precious cargo himself.
Another incident occurred at the time of unloading the column. Under it, the logs placed for movement along the pier bent and cracked. One end of the column almost fell into the water, but it was held in place by timely ropes passed from below. The monument was kept in this position for two days. During this time, a messenger was sent to the neighboring garrison asking for help. About four hundred soldiers, in the unimaginable heat, were able to overcome the forty-kilometer distance separating them from the pier in four hours and, with their joint efforts, saved the six-hundred-ton column.
A few words about the pedestal
While the granite block was being mined in Finland, work was going on in St. Petersburg to prepare the foundation for the pedestal and the column itself. For this purpose, geological exploration was carried out on Palace Square. She identified sandstone deposits, where it was planned to begin digging a pit. It’s interesting, but visually it seems to all tourists that the Pillar of Alexandria is located exactly in the middle of the square. However, in reality this is not the case. The column is installed a little closer to the Winter Palace than to the General Staff.
While working on the pit, workers came across already installed piles. As it turned out, they were dug into the ground on the orders of Rastrelli, who planned to erect a monument here. It's amazing that seventy years later the architect managed to choose the same place. The dug hole was filled with water, but more than a thousand piles had been driven into it first. To correctly align them relative to the horizon, the piles were cut exactly along the water surface. Workers then began laying the foundation, which consisted of several granite blocks. A pedestal weighing four hundred tons was placed on it.
Fearing that the block would not be able to immediately rise as needed, the architect came up with and used an unusual solution. He added vodka and soap to the traditional mixture. As a result, the block was moved several times. Montferrand wrote that this was done quite easily with the help of just a few technical devices.
Column installation
In the middle of the summer of the thirty-second year of the nineteenth century, builders approached the final stage of creating the monument. They were faced with perhaps the most difficult task in all the past years - to roll the monolith to its destination and place it vertically.
To bring this idea to life, it was necessary to construct a complex engineering structure. It included scaffolding, levers, beams and other devices. According to the official version, almost the entire city gathered to see the installation of the column, even the emperor himself and his entourage came to look at this miracle.
About three thousand people took part in raising the column, who were able to do all the work in one hour and forty-five minutes.
The end of the work was marked by a loud cry of admiration that burst from the lips of all those present. The emperor himself was very pleased with the work of the architect and declared that the monument had immortalized its creator.
The final stage of work
It took Montferrand another two years to decorate the monument. He “dressed” himself in bas-reliefs and received other elements that made up a single decorative ensemble. This stage of work did not cause any complaints from the emperor. However, the sculptural composition that completes the column became a real stumbling block between the architect and Nicholas I.
Montferrand planned to place a huge cross entwined with a snake on the top of the column. The sculpture had to be turned towards the Winter Palace, which all members of the imperial family especially insisted on. In parallel, projects and other compositions were created. Among them were angels in various poses, Alexander Nevsky, a cross on a sphere and similar sculptures. The last word in this matter remained with the emperor; he was inclined to favor the figure of an angel with a cross. However, it also had to be redone several times.
According to Nicholas I, the face of the angel was supposed to have the features of Alexander I, but the snake not only symbolized Napoleon, but also visually resembled him. It's hard to say how readable this similarity is. Many experts claim that the angel’s face was modeled on one of the famous women of that time, while others still see him as a victorious emperor. In any case, the monument has reliably kept this secret for two hundred years.
Grand opening of the monument
In August of thirty-four, a monument was opened in honor of the victory of the Russian people over the French troops. The event was held on a truly imperial scale.
For spectators, stands were built in advance, which did not stand out from the general style. palace ensemble. The service held at the foot of the monument was attended by all the important guests, the army and even foreign ambassadors. Then a military parade was held on the square, after which mass festivities began in the city.
Myths, legends and interesting facts
The history of the Pillar of Alexandria would be incomplete without mentioning various rumors and facts related to it.
Few people know that the foundation of the monument contains a whole box of gold coins. There is also a memorial plaque with an inscription made by Montferrand. These items are still stored at the base of the column and will remain there as long as the monument stands on the pedestal.
Initially, the architect planned to cut columned staircases inside. He suggested that the emperor use two people for this purpose. They had to complete the work in ten years. But due to fears for the integrity of the column, Nicholas I abandoned this idea.
Interestingly, the city residents were very distrustful of the Pillar of Alexandria. They were afraid of his fall and avoided Palace Square. To convince them, Montferrand began to walk here every day and over time, the monument turned into the most favorite place for guests of the capital and its residents.
At the end of the nineteenth century, a rumor spread throughout the city about a mysterious letter that literally burned on a column at night. At dawn she disappears and reappears at dusk. The townspeople were concerned and came up with the most incredible explanations for this phenomenon. But everything turned out to be extremely prosaic - the smooth surface of the column simply reflected the letter from the name of the manufacturer of the lanterns that surrounded the fence near the pedestal.
One of the most common legends about the Pillar of Alexandria is the story of the inscription on its top. It was painted the night after Yuri Gagarin's space flight and glorified him. Who managed to climb to such a height is still unknown.
Unofficial version of the appearance of the monument
The most fierce debates are ongoing on this topic. Particularly meticulous and attentive archaeologists, historians and architects carefully studied the official version of the construction of the monument and found a huge number of inconsistencies in it. We will not list them all. Any readers who are interested will be able to find such information. And we will tell you only about the most obvious of them.
For example, experts cast great doubt on the very fact of raising the column in less than two hours. The fact is that not so long ago the largest tent in the world was raised and installed in Astana. It weighed one and a half thousand tons and the process took about two days. The most modern machines and technologies were used. After this, it seems strange how Russian craftsmen were able to do something like this by hand.
The production of the column itself raises even more questions. Many believe that even modern technology could not help our contemporaries create such a miracle. Since the monument is carved from a single block, it is impossible to even imagine what kind of technology was used by the craftsmen. At the moment, nothing like this exists. Moreover, authoritative experts say that even in two hundred years we could not create something similar to the Pillar of Alexandria. Therefore, stories about manual extraction of a block, its movement and processing to an ideal state seem simply fabulously funny to people who are knowledgeable in working with stone.
In addition, questions are raised about the biographies of the chief architect and inventor of stone processing technology, specifications the ship that delivered the monolith, completely different pictures of the column created by Montferrand, and many other nuances.
It is not for nothing that the great Pushkin immortalized this monument in his work. After all, all information about it requires careful study, but it is already clear that scientists, in the form of a structure known to everyone, are faced with the greatest of the mysteries of the nineteenth century.
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If we talk about the sights of St. Petersburg, the Alexander Column cannot be ignored. This is a unique architectural masterpiece that was erected in 1834. Where is the Alexander Column located in St. Petersburg? On Palace Square. In 1828, Emperor Nicholas I issued a decree on the construction of this majestic monument, designed to glorify the victory of his predecessor on the throne and elder brother Alexander I, won in the war with Napoleon Bonaparte. Information about the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg is presented to your attention in this article.
Birth of a plan
The idea of constructing the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg belonged to the architect Carl Rossi. He was faced with the task of planning the entire architectural complex of Palace Square and the buildings located on it. Initially, the idea of building an equestrian statue of Peter I in front of the Winter Palace was discussed. It would have become the second after the famous Bronze Horseman, located nearby on Senate Square, erected during the reign of Catherine II. However, Carl Rossi eventually abandoned this idea.
Two versions of the Montferrand project
In order to decide what will be installed in the center of Palace Square and who will manage this project, an open competition was organized in 1829. The winner was another St. Petersburg architect - the Frenchman Auguste Montferrand, who became famous for the fact that he had the opportunity to supervise the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral. Moreover, the initial version of the project proposed by Montferrand was rejected by the competition commission. And he had to develop a second option.
Montferrand, like Rossi, already in the first version of his project abandoned the construction of a sculptural monument. Since Palace Square is quite large in size, both architects reasonably feared that any sculpture, unless it was absolutely gigantic in size, would be visually lost in its architectural ensemble. A sketch of the first version of Montferrand's design has been preserved, but the exact date of its production is unknown. Montferrand was going to build an obelisk similar to those installed in Ancient Egypt. On its surface it was planned to place bas-reliefs illustrating the events of the Napoleonic invasion, as well as an image of Alexander I on a horse in the costume of an ancient Roman warrior, accompanied by the Goddess of Victory. Rejecting this option, the commission pointed out the need to erect the structure in the form of a column. Taking this requirement into account, Montferrand developed a second option, which was subsequently implemented.
The height of the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg
According to the architect's plan, the height of the Alexander Column surpassed the Vendôme Column in the capital of France, which glorified the military triumphs of Napoleon. It generally became the tallest in history of all similar columns made of a stone monolith. From the base of the pedestal to the tip of the cross, which the angel holds in his hands, is 47.5 meters. The construction of such a grandiose architectural structure was not a simple engineering task and took many stages.
Material for construction
Construction took 5 years, from 1829 to 1834. The same commission that supervised the construction of the Cathedral of St. Isaac was involved in this work. The material for the column was made from a monolithic rock chosen by Montferrand in Finland. The extraction methods and methods of transporting the material were the same as during the construction of the cathedral. A huge monolith in the shape of a parallelepiped was cut out of the rock. Using a system of huge levers, it was laid on a previously prepared surface, which was densely covered with spruce branches. This ensured softness and elasticity during the fall of the monolith.
The same rock was also used to cut granite blocks from it, intended for the foundation of the entire designed structure, as well as to create a sculpture of an angel, which was to crown its top. The heaviest of these blocks weighed about 400 tons. To transport all these granite blanks to Palace Square, a ship specially built for this task was used.
Laying the foundation
After examining the site where the column was to be installed, laying the foundation of the structure began. 1,250 pine piles were driven under its foundation. After this, the site was filled with water. This made it possible to create a strictly horizontal surface when cutting off the top of the piles. According to ancient custom, a bronze box filled with coins was placed at the base of the foundation. All of them were minted in 1812.
Construction of a granite monolith
In the work to implement the Montferrand project, a unique engineering lifting system developed by Major General A. A. Betancourt was used. It was equipped with dozens of capstans (winches) and blocks.
Exactly how this lifting system was used to install the granite monolith in a vertical position is clearly illustrated on the model on display at the St. Petersburg Museum, which is located in the house of the commandant of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The erection of the monument in the designated place took place on August 30, 1832. This involved the labor of 400 workers and 2,000 soldiers. The ascent process took 1 hour 45 minutes.
A great crowd of people came to the square to observe this unique event. Not only Palace Square was filled with people, but also the roof of the General Staff building. When the work was successfully completed and the column stood in its intended place, a unanimous “Hurray!” was heard. According to eyewitnesses and the sovereign, the emperor, who was present at the same time, was also very pleased and warmly congratulated the author of the project on its success, telling him: “Montferrand! You have immortalized yourself!”
After successfully erecting the column, slabs with bas-reliefs and decorative elements had to be installed on the pedestal. In addition, it was necessary to grind and polish the surface of the monolithic column itself. Completion of all this work took another two years.
Guardian angel
Simultaneously with the construction of the Alexander Column on Palace Square in St. Petersburg, since the autumn of 1830, work was underway on the sculpture that, according to Montferrand’s plan, was to be installed at the top of the structure. Nicholas I wanted this statue to be placed facing the Winter Palace. But what its appearance would be was not immediately determined. Quite a few different options were considered. There was also an option, according to which the Alexander Column would be crowned with only one cross with a snake entwined around it. It would decorate the fastening elements. According to another option, it was planned to install a statue depicting Prince Alexander Nevsky on the column.
In the end, the option with a sculpture of a winged angel was approved. In his hands is the Latin Cross. The symbolism of this image is quite clear: it means that Russia crushed the power of Napoleon and thereby established peace and prosperity for all European countries. The work on this sculpture was carried out by B.I. Orlovsky. Its height is 6.4 meters.
The opening ceremony
The official opening of the monument was scheduled for the symbolic date of August 30 (September 11). In 1724, on this day, the relics of Alexander Nevsky were transferred to the Alesandro-Nevsky Lavra, who has since been considered the protector and heavenly patron of the city on the Neva. The angel crowning the Alexander Column is also treated as the guardian angel of the city. The opening of the Alexander Column completed the final design of the entire architectural ensemble of Palace Square. The celebrations marking the official opening of the Alexander Column were attended by the entire imperial family, headed by Nicholas I, army units numbering up to 100 thousand and foreign diplomats. A church service was held. The soldiers, officers and emperor knelt. A similar service involving the army was held in Paris at Easter in 1814.
This event is immortalized in numismatics. In 1834, 15 thousand memorial coins with a face value of 1 ruble were minted.
Description of the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg
The model for Montferrand's creations was the columns erected in the era of Antiquity. But the Alexander Column surpassed all its predecessors in both height and massiveness. The material for its manufacture was pink granite. In its lower part there is a bas-relief depicting two figures of women with wings. In their hands is a board with the inscription: “Russia is grateful to Alexander I.” Below is an image of armor, to the left of it is a young woman, and to the right is an old man. These two figures symbolize two rivers located in the territory of military operations. The woman represents the Vistula, the old man represents the Neman.
Fence and surroundings of the monument
Around the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg, short description which is presented to your attention above, a one and a half meter fence was built. Double-headed eagles were placed on it. Their total number is 136. It is decorated with spears and flag poles. Along the fence there are military trophies - 12 French cannons. There was also a guard box near the fence, in which a disabled soldier was on duty around the clock.
Legends, rumors and beliefs
When the construction of the Alexander Column was underway, persistent rumors spread among St. Petersburg residents, clearly untrue, that a huge granite blank for its construction was obtained by chance during the manufacture of columns for St. Isaac's Cathedral. This monolith allegedly by mistake turned out to be larger in size than required. And then, so that it would not disappear, the idea supposedly arose - to use it to build a column on Palace Square.
After the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg (everyone who is interested in the history of the city knows briefly about it) was erected, in the first years many noble persons who were not accustomed to such a spectacle feared that it would collapse. They did not believe in the reliability of its design. In particular, Countess Tolstaya strictly ordered her coachman not to approach the column. M. Yu. Lermontov’s grandmother was also afraid to be near her. And Montferrand, trying to dispel these fears, often took long walks near the column at the end of the day.
Baron P. de Bourgoin, who served as French envoy to Russia in 1828-1832, testified that Montferrand allegedly proposed to Nicholas I to create a spiral spiral staircase inside the column, which would allow one to climb to its top. This required cutting out a cavity inside the column. Moreover, Montferrand allegedly claimed that to implement such a plan, one master, armed with a chisel and a hammer, and an apprentice boy with a basket in which he would carry out fragments of granite would be enough. The two of them would have done the work, according to the calculations of the author of the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg, Montferrand, in 10 years. But Nicholas I, fearing that such work could damage the surface of the structure, did not want to implement this plan.
In our times, a wedding ritual has arisen in which the groom carries his chosen one in his arms around a column. It is believed that the number of circles he walks, the number of children there will be in their family.
According to rumors, the Soviet authorities allegedly hatched plans to dismantle the statue of the Guardian Angel on the Alexander Column. And instead it was supposedly supposed to place a sculpture of Lenin or Stalin. There is no documentary evidence of this, but the fact that in the pre-war years, on the holidays of November 7 and May 1, the angel was hidden from human eyes is a historical fact. Moreover, two methods were used to hide it. Either it was covered with a cloth that was lowered from the airship, or it was covered with balloons filled with helium and rising from the surface of the earth.
"Wounding" of an angel during the Leningrad siege
During the Great Patriotic War, unlike many other architectural masterpieces, the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg, Interesting Facts which we have collected in this article was not completely disguised. And during the shelling and bombing, she received numerous hits from shell fragments. The guardian angel himself had his wing pierced by a shrapnel.
In 2002-2003, the largest restoration work since the creation of the Alexander Column was carried out, during which about fifty fragments that had remained there since the war were removed from it.
Once upon a time, during Soviet times, two book series, very similar in theme, volume, format and, accordingly, low price, were published in Moscow and Leningrad. The Moscow one was called “Biography of a Moscow House” (later it was supplemented by “Biography of a Moscow Monument”), the St. Petersburg one - I don’t remember how. Experts called it “black” by the color of its covers. In them one could find many interesting facts, associated with this or that house (or, more broadly speaking, a building), but... only facts. Legendary, and even more so mystical, hypostases were not in honor. So why not now fill in what is missing with small books with legends associated with this or that mansion or monument?
A holy place is never empty
A book about one of the symbols of St. Petersburg - the Alexander Column on Palace Square, opened 180 years ago, on September 11 (August 30, old style) 1834, on the day of the transfer of the relics of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky, could be very fascinating.
When excursion groups enter the Palace Square, the guides memorize the well-known “objective” that the height of the structure erected according to the design of Auguste Montferrand is 47.5 meters, the height of the column itself is 25.6 meters, the height of the angel figure is 4.5 meters, the total weight of the entire structure is 704 tons, that the column is the tallest monolithic column in the world, and so on. Finally they add: “And on top of the column there is a life-size figure of an angel...”
This is one of the most famous jokes about the building that immortalized the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. Initially, however, at this “point” - a holy place is never empty - it was planned to erect a monument to Peter I by the elder Rastrelli: the piles for its foundation were discovered during preparatory work. As for the angel - it was sculpted by the sculptor Orlovsky - a special conversation.
But the introduction of the new structure into urban folklore began immediately. It is quite natural that, contemplating the tall figure of Nicholas I at the opening of the column, someone dropped a short formula: "Pillar of pillar - pillar". That is, in translation, a monument built by Nicholas I in honor of Alexander I. Let us also pay attention in passing to how the memory of the “blessed” capital was honored: Northern - with a purely military monument, Mother See - with a public garden near the Kremlin.
And where is Rosneft looking?
And, of course, one of the first to appear was the legend that at the first strong gust of wind the granite colossus would immediately collapse - the column, as you know, is supported solely by its own 600-ton gravity. Many great creators went through similar trials: Filippo Brunelleschi and Matvey Kazakov had to personally prove the strength of the domes they designed and built. Montferrand did not need to climb “to the top”: he simply walked with his dog every morning, almost until the day of his death, right under the column...
Among the first to emerge was the version that the Alexander Column was made, as they say, from waste. That is, one of the “extra” columns of St. Isaac’s Cathedral was allegedly installed on the pedestal. And it never occurred to anyone to simply estimate, even by eye, that maximum height The cathedral's columns are only seventeen meters, and they weigh almost five times less.
It is known that when laying the foundation, a box with 105 coins minted in honor of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 was placed at the base of the monument. There is also a platinum medal with the image of the Alexander Column. So to speak, the original project - did Montferrand really foresee the coming revolutionary storms? True, no one in Northern Palmyra wanted to repeat the experience of Gustave Courbet, at whose suggestion the Vendôme Column in Paris was destroyed. In the most “fierce” years, the angel was simply covered with plywood shields. During the years of perestroika, a lot was written in the St. Petersburg press that it was supposedly supposed to install either a statue of Lenin or a bust of Stalin on top of the column... But all these “versions”, rather, are also among the later urban legends.
And the box with coins in the imagination of local inhabitants immediately turned into a box with selected champagne. (And again, no one thought that, according to the rules of winemaking, champagne cannot be stored for a long time.) At the end of the twentieth century, in accordance with technological progress, a legend was born that supposedly a huge oil reservoir lies under Palace Square (! ) lake, and the Alexander Column is nothing more than a huge plug. And as soon as the column is removed, a fountain of currently so valuable hydrocarbons will hit right in front of the Winter Palace. And where is Rosneft looking?
Along the spiral ladder
In the memoirs of the then French ambassador in St. Petersburg, there is a mention that Montferrand initially supposedly intended to break through the thickness of the column trunk - to access its upper tier - a narrow spiral staircase. As a result, a legend was born that the column is actually hollow. This folklore is already from the category of pure anecdotes: both Montferrand - not only a talented architect, but also a capable engineer, and the emperor - a pure technician by education, could not help but understand that in this case the age of the column, especially in the St. Petersburg climate, would be very short-lived ...
The most popular legend turned out to be that the face of the four-meter angel at the top of the column was given features of resemblance to the face of Alexander I. What can you say? Only that on Palace Square (unlike many other observation points in the Northern capital) there are no binoculars or telescopes. And somehow - with the help of nine-power German optics - I had to make sure that, firstly, the angel, contrary to church canons, has a woman’s breasts quite clearly visible under her clothes (who doesn’t believe it, see the corresponding sites with close-up photography on the Internet ). And secondly, the features of an angel have nothing in common with the august original. And it turns out that the more correct version is that Orlovsky sculpted the face of the heavenly messenger from memory from the face of the deceased very young poetess Elizaveta Kulman...
Flying Eagles
Different times - different songs. A real curiosity is the suggestion that briefly flashed at the end of the last century in the information flow that the Alexander Column was not carved from a single piece of Finnish granite, which Montferrand had previously liked in one of the mines, but from separate stone “pancakes” tightly fitted to each other.
But the custom that appeared relatively recently must be taken more seriously. In accordance with it, the groom must carry the bride around the column as many times as they wish to have children. Dr. Freud and his disciples would have a lot to think about.
But at the same time, legends and traditions, no matter how irresistible they may be, do not obligate anyone to anything serious. In contrast to the strict and completely uncharming reality. The features of which, in particular, include numerous ordeals with enormous efforts to restore the fence of the monument: bronze eagles from it, no matter how hard the vigilant guards of their Hermitage try (on the balance sheet of which the column is located), continue to disappear. And the years when the skating rink on Dvortsovaya was flooded were especially fruitful for losses.
No less interesting than the legends are many pages of the real history of the column. For example, its rise - thanks to the mechanism created by Augustin Betancourt - took less than two hours. A very interesting point: the monument created by a Frenchman in honor of the victory of Russian troops over his compatriots was erected according to the design of his namesake, a Russified Spaniard...
And with the recent restoration of the pillar - almost two hundred years later! - the architect’s true plan was embodied: the cracked brick abacus (the end of the column) was replaced with granite.
I have no doubt: this restoration will someday become a legend.
Alexander Column (Alexandrian Pillar)
This is not only a world-famous symbol of St. Petersburg, but the tallest free-standing triumphal column in the world (its total height is 47.5 m). That is, the column, carved from a monolithic piece of granite, is not secured in any way - it is held on the pedestal solely by its own weight, which is over 600 tons.
The foundation of the monument was built from stone granite blocks half a meter thick. It was extended to the horizon of the square using planked masonry. In its center was placed a bronze box with coins minted in honor of the victory of 1812.
The Alexander Column was designed by the architect Henri Louis Auguste Ricard de Montferrand, a native of France, who in Russia was called August Augustovich. Working at the turn of the era, Montferrand determined the paths for the further development of Russian architecture - from classicism to eclecticism.
Two thousand soldiers installed the finished column on the square in front of the Winter Palace in 1832. Manual labor and ropes were used.
After the “Alexandrian Pillar” stood on the pedestal, a thunderous “Hurray!” swept across the square, and the sovereign, turning to the architect, said: “Montferrand, you have immortalized yourself.”
Over the next two years, the monument was completed.
The column was completed with an allegorical figure of an angel trampling a snake with a cross. His light figure, flowing folds of clothing, and the strict verticality of the cross emphasize the slenderness of the column. The author of the statue is sculptor Boris Ivanovich Orlovsky.
And here’s what’s interesting: the monument on Palace Square, originally dedicated to Russia’s victory over Napoleon in the Patriotic War of 1812, almost immediately began to be perceived as a monument to the founding of the Russian state. This happened also thanks to the pedestal.
Alexander Column
The pedestal of the monument is decorated with bronze bas-reliefs depicting allegorical figures and military armor.
On three bas-reliefs there are allegories of Peace, Justice, Wisdom, Abundance and images of military armor. The armor is reminiscent of the military glory of the Russian people and the era of Rurikovich and the era of the Romanovs. Here is the shield of the prophetic Oleg, which he nailed to the gates of Constantinople-Constantinople, the helmet of the hero of the Battle of the Ice, the blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, and the helmet of the conqueror of Siberia Ermak, the armor of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov.
The pedestal ends with bronze garlands supported by double-headed eagles.
The base of the column is decorated in the form of a laurel wreath. After all, it is the wreath that is traditionally crowned with the winners.
On the bas-relief facing away Winter Palace, two figures are placed symmetrically - a woman and an old man. They personify the rivers – the Vistula and the Neman. These two rivers were crossed by the Russian army during the pursuit of Napoleon.
On August 30, 1834, the grand opening of the Alexander Column took place on Palace Square in St. Petersburg. August 30 was not chosen by chance. Since the time of Peter I, this day has been celebrated as the Day of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky - the heavenly defender of St. Petersburg. On this day, Peter I concluded “eternal peace with Sweden”; on this day the relics of Alexander Nevsky were transferred from Vladimir to St. Petersburg. That is why the angel crowning the Alexander Column has always been perceived primarily as a protector.
The memory of this event by the poet Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky has been preserved: “No pen can describe the greatness of that moment when, following three cannon shots, suddenly from all the streets, as if from the ground, in slender bulks, with the thunder of drums, to the sounds of the Paris March, columns of the Russian army began to march. ... This splendor lasted for two hours, the only spectacle in the world. In the evening, noisy crowds wandered through the streets of the illuminated city for a long time, finally, the lighting went out, the streets were empty, and a majestic colossus with its sentry remained in a deserted square.”
By the way, even then a legend arose that this very sentry - the angel crowning the column - has a portrait resemblance to Emperor Alexander I. And it did not arise by chance. The sculptor Orlovsky had to redo the sculpture of the angel several times before Nicholas I liked it. According to Orlovsky, the emperor wanted the angel’s face to be given a resemblance to Alexander I, and the head of the snake, trampled by the angel’s cross, had to certainly resemble the face of Napoleon.
Imitating his grandmother, Catherine II, who inscribed “Peter I - Catherine II” on the pedestal of the Bronze Horseman, and his father, who wrote “Great-grandfather - great-grandson” on the monument to Peter I at the Mikhailovsky Castle, Nikolai Pavlovich in official papers called the new monument “Pillar of Nicholas I” - Alexander I." By the way, it was the monument to Peter I at the Mikhailovsky Castle, made under Elizabeth Petrovna, that was once planned to be installed in the center of Palace Square.
According to legend, after the opening of the column, the residents of St. Petersburg were very afraid that it would fall and tried not to get close to it. And, they say, then the architect Montferrand made it a rule to walk every morning with his beloved dog right under the pillar, which he did almost until his death.
But still, the townspeople fell in love with the monument. And, naturally, around the pillar, as one of the symbols of the city, its own mythology began to take shape. And, of course, the monument began to be perceived as a natural dominant main square cities and symbol of the entire Russian Empire.
And the angel crowning the Alexander Column was, first of all, a protector and guardian for the townspeople. The angel seemed to be protecting and blessing the city and its inhabitants.
But it was the angel, the guardian angel, who became the cause of the more than amazing events that unfolded around the Alexander Column. These are little known pages. So, only chance saved the monument in 1917. Here, on Palace Square, they wanted to establish the main churchyard of the country. The column, as a monument to tsarism, should be toppled, and a number of memorial graves should be built along the Winter Palace.
But it turned out that collapsing a 600-ton column is not so easy. The move of the government to Moscow in the spring of 1918 saved us from further projects of turning the main square of the city and empire into a cemetery. The idea of creating a graveyard in the center of the capital, which failed in Petrograd, was implemented on the Mother See's Red Square, near the Kremlin wall.
But the most incredible events unfolded in 1924 after Lenin's death.
On November 11, 1924, the Leningrad authorities made a decision “On the reconstruction of the so-called Alexander Column, built by the architect Montferrand and standing in the middle of Uritsky Square, and erecting on it, instead of the figure of an angel with a cross now standing, a statue of the Great Leader of the Proletariat, Comrade. Lenin..." Uritsky Square is the renamed Palace Square. Only People's Commissar of Education A.V. Lunacharsky managed to convincingly prove to the city authorities the absurdity of the idea of installing Lenin on the Alexander Column.
The angel remained standing on the largest in the world (among such monuments) “Alexandria Pillar,” as A.S. called the column. Pushkin. The last time there was an attempt on his life was in 1952. There was a series of massive Stalinist renamings: the Stalinsky district appeared in the city, Moskovsky Avenue became Stalinsky. On this wave, the idea arose to install a bust of Joseph Stalin on our column. But we didn’t have time.
This text is an introductory fragment.
