Alexander Column monument monument
Opening date: 1834.08.30 Authors: Montferrand O. Where is located: Palace Square Nearest metro stations: Admiralteyskaya
Address:
St. Petersburg
For the first time, a place in the center of Palace Square was prepared for the installation of a monument in the mid-1760s. The project of the architect F.B. Rastrelli envisaged the installation of a monument to Peter I here. But Rastrelli did not have time to do this; he was removed from business by Catherine II. The workers only managed to strengthen the soil.
In 1819, when the architect Carl Rossi designed the General Staff building, he also developed a project for the improvement of the entire adjacent territory. The architect planned to decorate the center of Palace Square with a large obelisk. This project was also not implemented.
Around the same years, during the reign of Alexander I, the idea arose to erect a monument in St. Petersburg in honor of Russia's victory over Napoleon. The Senate proposed creating a monument that would glorify the Russian emperor, who led the country. From the Senate resolution:
“Erect a monument in the throne city with the inscription: Alexander the Blessed, Emperor of All Russia, Great Powers, Restorer, in gratitude to Russia” [Cit. from: 1, p. 150].
Alexander I did not support this idea:
"Expressing my complete gratitude, I convince the state estates to leave it without any fulfillment. May a monument be built for me in my feelings for you! May my people bless me in their hearts, as I bless them in my heart! May Russia prosper, and may it be necessary God's blessing upon me and upon her" [Ibid.].
The project for the monument was adopted only under the next tsar, Nicholas I. In 1829, the work on its creation was entrusted to Auguste Montferrand. It is interesting that by this time Montferrand had already created a project for an obelisk monument dedicated to those killed in the battle of Leipzig. It is possible that Nicholas I took this fact into account, as well as the fact that the Frenchman already had experience working with granite monoliths during the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral. The fact that the idea of the monument belonged to the emperor is proven by the words of Montferrand:
“The main conditions for the construction of the monument were explained to me. The monument should be a granite obelisk made of one piece with a total height of 111 feet from the base” [Cit. from: 4, p. 112].
Montferrand initially conceived the monument in the form of an obelisk 35 meters high. He created several options that differed only in the design of the pedestal. In one of the options, it was proposed to decorate it with bas-reliefs of Fyodor Tolstoy on the theme of the War of 1812 and on the front side to depict Alexander I in the image of a victorious victor riding a quadriga. In the second case, the architect proposed placing figures of Glory and Abundance on the pedestal. Another interesting proposal was in which the obelisk was supported by figures of elephants. In 1829, Montferrand created another version of the monument - in the form of a triumphal column topped with a cross. As a result, the last option was adopted as the basis. This decision had a beneficial effect on the overall composition of Palace Square. It was just such a monument that could connect the facades of the Winter Palace and the General Staff Building, the important motif of which is the colonnades. Montferrand wrote:
“Trajan’s Column appeared before me as a prototype of the most beautiful thing that a person of this kind can only create. I had to try to come as close as possible to this majestic example of antiquity, as was done in Rome for the Antoninus Column, in Paris for the Napoleon Column "[Cit. from: 3, p. 231].
Preparation of a huge monolith and its delivery to St. Petersburg is still very difficult. And in the first half of the 19th century, this seemed completely impossible to many. A member of the Commission on the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral, engineer-general Count K. I. Opperman, believed that “the granite rock from which the architect Montferrand proposes to break out a column for the obelisk contains various heterogeneous parts with crumbly veins, which is why different parts are broken out of the same rock for St. Isaac's Cathedral columns, some did not come out of the proper size, and others with cracks and other shortcomings, for which they could not be accepted; one, already due to the load and unloading, broke when rolling from the local pier to the barn for clean finishing, and the column supposed for the obelisk was five fathoms longer and almost twice as thick as the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral, and therefore success in breaking out, in lucky loading, unloading and moving is much more doubtful than similar enterprises for the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral" [Cit. by: 5, p. 162].
Montferrand had to prove he was right. Also in 1829, he explained to the members of the Commission:
“My frequent trips to Finland for eleven years to observe the breaking of 48 columns for St. Isaac’s Cathedral assured me that if some columns were broken, then this was due to the greed of the people used for this, and why I dare to confirm the success of this work, if precautions will be taken to multiply the number of drills or holes, to cut the mass from below throughout its entire thickness and, finally, to firmly support it in order to separate it without shaking...
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The means I propose for raising the column are the same as those used for the forty columns that have been successfully erected to this day during the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral. I will use the same machines and part of the scaffolding, which within two years will not be needed for the cathedral and will be dismantled in the coming winter." [Quoted from: 5, pp. 161, 163]
The Commission accepted the architect's explanations, and in early November of the same year the project was approved. On November 13, the plan for Palace Square with the proposed location for the Alexander Column, approved by Nicholas I in early December, was submitted for approval. Montferrand assumed that if the foundation, pedestal and bronze decorations were made in advance, the monument could be opened in 1831. The architect expected to spend 1,200,000 rubles on all the work.
According to one of the St. Petersburg legends, this column was supposed to be used specifically for the construction of the temple. But having received a longer monolith than necessary, it was decided to use it on Palace Square. In fact, this column was carved by special order for the monument.
From the side, the installation point of the column looks like the exact center of Palace Square. But in fact, it is located 100 meters from the Winter Palace and almost 140 meters from the arch of the General Staff building.
The contract for the construction of the foundation was given to the merchant Vasily Yakovlev. By the end of 1829, the workers managed to dig a foundation pit. While strengthening the foundation for the Alexander Column, workers came across piles that had strengthened the ground back in the 1760s. It turned out that Montferrand repeated, following Rastrelli, the decision on the location for the monument, landing on the same point. For three months, peasants Grigory Kesarinov and Pavel Bykov drove new six-meter pine piles here. A total of 1,101 piles were needed [5, p. 169]. Granite blocks half a meter thick were placed on them. There was severe frost when the foundation was laid. Montferrand added vodka to the cement mortar for better setting.
A granite block measuring 52x52 centimeters was placed in the center of the foundation. A bronze box with 105 coins minted in honor of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 was installed in it. A platinum medal minted according to Montferrand’s design with the image of the Alexander Column and the date “1830” was also placed there, as well as a mortgage plaque. Montferrand proposed the following text for her:
“This stone was laid in the year of the Nativity of Christ in the 1830s, the reign of Emperor Nicholas I in the 5th year, during the construction of the monument of blessed memory to Emperor Alexander I. During the construction, the highest approved Commission sat: the actual privy councilor Lanskoy, engineer General Count Opperman, Acting Privy Councilor Olenin, Engineer Lieutenant General Carboniere. Senators: Count Kutaisov, Gladkov, Vasilchikov and Bezrodny. The construction was managed by the architect Montferrand." [Cit. by: 5, p. 169]
Olenin, in turn, proposed a similar text, which was accepted with minor adjustments. The inscription on the board was engraved “St. Petersburg tradesman Vasily Danilovich Berilov.” According to the architect Adamini, the foundation work was completed by the end of July 1830.
The granite block of the pedestal, worth 25,000 poods, was made from a block mined in the Letsaarma region. He was delivered to St. Petersburg on November 4, 1831. It was supposed to be unloaded in two days, and then completely processed on site in four to five days. Before the installation of the pedestal in early November, Nicholas I allowed the second bronze foundation plaque to be placed at the base of the Alexander Column, while ordering “to place a newly embossed medal for the storming of Warsaw.” At the same time, he approved the text of the second mortgage board, made by bronze master A. Guerin:
“In the summer of Christ 1831, the construction of a monument began, erected to Emperor Alexander by grateful Russia on a granite foundation laid on the 19th day of November 1830. In St. Petersburg, the construction of this monument was presided over by Count Yu. Litta. ". Volkonsky, A. Olenin, Count P. Kutaisov, I. Gladkov, L. Carboniere, A. Vasilchikov. The construction was carried out according to the drawings of the same architect Augustine de Montferande." [Cit. by: 5, p. 170]
The second mortgage board and the medal for the capture of Warsaw were placed at the base of the Alexander Column on February 13, 1832 at 2 o'clock in the afternoon in the presence of all members of the Commission.
“For breaking, trimming and polishing this column, as well as for building a pier and delivery to the building site, in addition to loading, unloading and transportation through water,” the merchant of the 1st guild Arkhip Shikhin asked for 420,000 rubles. On December 9, 1829, Samson Sukhanov offered to take on the same work, asking for 300,000 rubles. The next day, the self-taught merchant and technician Vasily Yakovlev announced the same price. When new auctions were held, the price was reduced to 220,000 rubles, and after rebidding on March 19, 1830, Arkhip Shikhin undertook to fulfill the contract for 150,000 [5, p. 164, 165]. However, the order for the same price went to 20-year-old Yakovlev. He took upon himself the obligation, in case of failure with the first, “to recapture and deliver to St. Petersburg free of charge the second, third, and so on until the required stone takes its place on Palace Square.”
The monolith was carved in 1830-1831, without a break for the winter. Montferrand personally went to the quarries on May 8 and September 7, 1831. “The granite was overturned in 7 minutes on September 19 at 6 o’clock in the evening in the presence of the chief architect sent there by the Commission on the construction of St. Isaac’s Cathedral... the huge rock, shaking at its base, slowly and silently fell onto the bed prepared for it.” [Cit. by: 5, p. 165]
It took half a year to trim the monolith. 250 people worked on this every day. Montferrand appointed mason master Eugene Pascal to lead the work. In mid-March 1832, two-thirds of the column were ready, after which the number of participants in the process was increased to 275 people. On April 1, Vasily Yakovlev reported on the complete completion of the work.
In June, the transportation of the column began. At the same time, an accident occurred - the beams along which it was supposed to roll onto the ship could not withstand the weight of the column, and it almost collapsed into the water. The monolith was loaded by 600 soldiers, who completed a forced march of 36 miles from a neighboring fortress in four hours. The flat boat "St. Nicholas" with the column was towed by two steamships to St. Petersburg. She arrived in the city on July 1, 1832. For the operation of transporting the column, the Chairman of the Commission, Count Y. P. Litta, received the Order of St. Vladimir.
On July 12, in the presence of Nicholas I and his wife, representatives of the imperial family, Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and a large public, the convoy was unloaded ashore. Spectators were located on scaffolding for lifting the column and on ships on the Neva. This operation was performed by 640 workers.
The date for raising the column to the pedestal (August 30 - the name day of Alexander I) was approved on March 2, 1832, as well as a new estimate for the construction of the monument totaling 2,364,442 rubles, which almost doubled the original one.
Rising of the Alexander Column
Rising of the Alexander Column
Since the lifting of a 600-ton monolith was carried out for the first time in the world, Montferrand developed detailed instructions. Special scaffolding was erected on Palace Square, which occupied it almost completely. For the ascent, 60 gates were used, arranged in two rows around the scaffolding. Each gate was set in motion by 29 people: “16 soldiers at the levers, 8 in reserve, 4 sailors for pulling and cleaning the rope as the column was raised, 1 non-commissioned officer... To achieve the correct movement of the gate, so that the ropes were pulled as equally as strong as possible, 10 people will be appointed as foremen" [Cit. by: 5, p. 171]. The blocks were monitored by 120 people at the top of the scaffolding and 60 at the bottom “to look after the idler pulleys. 2 foremen with 30 carpenters will be placed along large scaffolding at different heights to position the log supports on which the column will lie, if it were lifted it was necessary to stop. 40 people of workers will be placed near the column, on the right and left sides, to remove the rollers from under the sleigh and to drag them into place. 30 people of workers will be placed under the platform with the ropes holding the gate. 6 people of masons will be used for filling lime mortar between the column and the base. 15 carpenters and 1 foreman will be on standby in case of an unforeseen... The doctor assigned to the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral will be at the production site during the entire raising of the column" [Ibid].
It took only 40 minutes to raise the Alexander Column. 1,995 soldiers were involved in the column operation, and together with commanders and guards - 2,090 [4, p. 122].
Rising of the Alexander Column
More than 10,000 people watched the installation of the column, and foreign guests came specially. Montferrand placed 4,000 seats for spectators on the platform. On August 23, that is, a week before the event described, Nicholas I ordered the transfer “so that by the day of raising the column for the monument to Emperor Alexander I, the following places would be built on the stage: 1st for the imperial family; 2nd for the Highest Court; 3rd for His Majesty's retinue; 4th for the diplomatic corps; 5th for the State Council; 6th for the Senate; 7th for the guard generals; 8th for the cadets who will be dressed up from the corps; adding to the fact that in on the day of raising the column, a guard from a company of guards grenadiers will also be placed at the top of the stage, and that His Majesty wishes that, in addition to the guard and the persons for whom places will be arranged, no one else from outside will be allowed onto the stage" [Cit. from: 4, p. 122, 123].
This list was expanded by the Minister of the Imperial Court Pyotr Mikhailovich Volkonsky. He reported to the Chairman of the Commission for the Reconstruction of St. Isaac's Cathedral, which was involved in the installation of the monument:
“I have the honor to inform Your Excellency that, in addition to those persons for whom places are arranged, the Sovereign Emperor His Majesty allows to be on the platform during the raising of the Alexander Column: 1st - to foreign architects who deliberately came here for this occasion; 2nd - to members of the Academy of Arts professors of architecture; 3rd - to academicians preparing for the art of architecture. and 4th - to our and foreign artists in general" [Cit. from: 4, p. 123].
“Artists” in this case should be considered artists. The process of raising the column onto a pedestal attracted the attention of a huge number of public. Montferrand described it this way:
“The streets leading to Palace Square, the Admiralty and the Senate were completely crowded with the public, attracted by the novelty of such an extraordinary spectacle. The crowd soon grew to such an extent that horses, carriages and people mixed into one whole. The houses were filled with people to the very roofs. Not a single window, not a single ledge remained free, so great was the interest in the monument. The semicircular building of the General Staff, which on that day was likened to the amphitheater of Ancient Rome, accommodated more than 10,000 people. Nicholas I and his family were located in a special pavilion. In another, envoys of Austria , England, France, ministers, commissioners for affairs, constituting the foreign diplomatic corps.Then there are special places for the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Arts, university professors, for foreigners, persons close to art, who arrived from Italy, Germany to attend this ceremony. .." [Quoted. from: 4, p. 124, 125].
It took exactly two years to complete the final processing of the monolith (grinding and polishing), designing its top, and decorating the pedestal.
Figure of an angel on the Alexander Column
Figure of an angel on the Alexander Column
Montferrand originally planned to install a cross at the top of the column. While working on the monument, he decided to complete the column with the figure of an angel, which in his opinion should have been created by the sculptor I. Leppe. However, at the insistence of Olenin, a competition was announced, in which academicians S.I. Galberg and B.I. Orlovsky took part. The second one won the competition. On November 29, 1832, Nicholas I examined the model of the angel and ordered “to give a face to the statue of the late Emperor Alexander.” At the end of March 1833, Montferrand proposed completing the Alexander Column with not one, but two angels supporting the cross. Nicholas I initially agreed with him, but after learning “that many of the artists refute the idea of staging two angels,” he decided to gather artists and sculptors to discuss this issue. During the negotiations, Montferrand proposed placing three angels on the column at once, but the majority spoke in favor of one figure. Nicholas I took the position of the majority. The Emperor decided to place the angel facing the Winter Palace.
According to Montferrand's plan, the figure of the angel was to be gilded. Due to the rush to open the Alexander Column, they decided to do the gilding in oil, which could be done not only quickly, but also cheaply. However, the low reliability of this method was pointed out by Olenin, who addressed the Minister of the Imperial Court Volkonsky:
"...judging by the gilded statues in Peterhof, the effect of a gold-covered statue of an angel will be very mediocre and unattractive, because gilding in oil always has the appearance of gold leaf, and moreover, it will probably not last even to our grandchildren, being exposed to our harsh climate in the impossibility of temporarily renewing gilding due to the large costs each time of constructing scaffolding for this work" [Cit. by: 5, p. 181].
As a result, Olenin’s proposal was accepted not to gild the angel at all.
The pedestal of the Alexander Column is decorated with bas-reliefs made by artists Scotti, Solovyov, Bryullo, Markov, Tversky, and sculptors Svintsov and Leppe. On the bas-relief on the side of the General Staff building there is a figure of Victory, recording memorable dates in the Book of History: “1812, 1813, 1814”. From the side of the Winter Palace there are two winged figures with the inscription: “Grateful Russia to Alexander I.” On the other two sides the bas-reliefs depict figures of Justice, Wisdom, Mercy and Abundance. In the process of coordinating the decoration of the column, the emperor expressed wishes to replace the antique military fittings on the bas-reliefs with ancient Russian ones.
The grand opening of the monument took place on August 30, 1834.
Opening ceremony of the Alexander Column, August 30, 1834
To accommodate the guests of honor, Montferrand built a special platform in front of the Winter Palace in the form of a three-span arch. It was decorated in such a way as to architecturally connect with the Winter Palace. Nicholas I also contributed to this, who ordered the purple cloth to be torn off the stairs and fawn-colored fabric used instead, in the then color of the imperial residence. For the construction of the tribune, a contract was concluded with the peasant Stepan Samarin on June 12, 1834, which was completed by the end of August. Decorative details from plaster were made by the “moulding master” Evstafy and Poluekt Balina, Timofey Dylev, Ivan Pavlov, Alexander Ivanov.
For the public, stands were built in front of the Exertsirhaus building and on the side of Admiralteysky Boulevard. Since the façade of the amphitheater was larger in size than the façade of the exertzirhaus, the roof of the latter was dismantled to construct log stands, and neighboring buildings were also demolished.
Before the opening of the Alexander Column, Montferrand tried to refuse to participate in the ceremony due to fatigue. But the emperor insisted on his presence, who wanted to see all members of the Commission, including the chief architect and his assistants, on the day of the opening of the monument.
At the solemn ceremony, the emperor addressed the architect in French: “Montferrand, your creation is worthy of its purpose, you have erected a monument to yourself” [Cit. from: 4, p. 127].
Parade 30 August 1834
Parade 30 August 1834
From the newspaper "Northern Bee" dated September 3, 1834:
"...The opening celebrations were appropriate. A magnificently decorated balcony was built above the main gate of the Winter Palace with gatherings on both sides of the square... Along all the buildings of Palace Square, amphitheaters were built in several tiers for spectators. People crowded on Admiralty Boulevard; all the windows around the lying houses were dotted with those eager to enjoy this unique spectacle..." [Cit. from: 1, p. 161, 162]
From the memoirs of the romantic poet Vasily Zhukovsky:
“And 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 masses, with the thunder of drums, columns of the Russian army began to march to the sounds of the Paris March...
The ceremonial march began: the Russian army passed by the Alexander Column; This magnificent, unique spectacle in the world lasted for two hours...
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 the deserted square the majestic colossus was left alone with its sentry" [Quoted from: 4, pp. 128, 129].
The impressions of a representative of the ordinary public have also been preserved. Maria Fedorovna Kamenskaya, daughter of Count Fyodor Tolstoy, wrote down memories of the opening of the Alexander Column:
“Opposite the Hermitage, on the square, on the corner where the state archive building currently stands, high walkways were then erected, on which places were assigned for officials of the Ministry of the Court, and therefore for the Academy of Arts. We had to get there early, because that after that no one was allowed into the square. The prudent girls of the Academy, fearing to go hungry, took baskets of breakfast with them and sat in the front row. The opening ceremony of the monument, as far as I remember, did not represent anything special and was very similar to ordinary May parades, with adding only the clergy and prayers. It was quite difficult to see what was happening near the column itself, because we were still sitting quite far from it. What involuntarily caught our eye most of all was the Chief of Police (if I’m not mistaken, then the Chief of Police was Kokoshkin), who was especially zealous about something, hilariously galloping on his big horse, rushing around the square and yelling at the top of his lungs.
So we looked and looked, got hungry, unpacked our boxes and began to destroy the provisions we had taken with us. The public, sitting on the walkways next to us, stretching all the way to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, followed our good example and also began to unfold pieces of paper and chew something. The zealous chief of police now noticed these disorders during the parade, became furious, galloped up to the bridge and, forcing his horse to break and stand up, began shouting in a thunderous voice:
- Unscrupulous, heartless people! How, on the day when the monument to the war of 1812 was erected, when all the grateful Russian hearts gathered here to pray, you, you hearts of stone, instead of remembering the holy soul of Alexander the Blessed, the liberator of Russia from twelve languages, and sending up ardent words to heaven prayers for the health of the now safely reigning Emperor Nicholas I, you couldn’t think of anything better than to come here to eat! Down with everything from the bridge! Go to church, to the Kazan Cathedral, and fall on your face before the throne of the Almighty!
- Fool! - someone's voice shouted from above, behind us.
- Fool, fool, fool! - they picked up, like an echo, in a gulp of unknown whose voices, and the embarrassed uninvited preacher, in impotent anger, was forced to give spurs to his horse to the music of the troops and frantic laughter on the bridge, as if nothing had happened, beautifully bending, galloped somewhere further" [Cit. from: 4, pp. 129-131].
As the historian M.N. Mikishatyev rightly noted (from whose book this quote is given), Maria Fedorovna was not mistaken with the identity of the Chief of Police. At that time he was Sergei Aleksandrovich Kokoshkin. But she confused the building of the state archive with the building of the Guard headquarters.
Alexander Column, 1835
Initially, the Alexander Column was framed by a temporary wooden fence with lamps in the form of antique tripods and plaster lion masks. The carpentry work for the fence was carried out by “carved master” Vasily Zakharov. Instead of a temporary fence, at the end of 1834 it was decided to install a permanent metal one “with three-headed eagles under the lanterns,” the design of which was drawn up by Montferrand in advance. Its composition was supposed to use gilded bronze decorations, crystal balls on three-headed eagles mounted on captured Turkish cannons, which were accepted by the architect from the arsenal on December 17.
The metal fence was produced at the Byrd plant. In February 1835, he proposed gas lighting for crystal balls. The glass balls were made at the Imperial Glass Factory. They were lit not by gas, but by oil, which leaked and left soot. On December 25, 1835, one of the balloons burst and fell apart. On October 11, 1836, “the highest order was issued to install cast-iron candelabra with lanterns according to approved designs for gas lighting at the monument to Emperor Alexander I” [Cit. by: 5, p. 184]. The laying of gas pipes was completed in August 1837, and candelabra were installed in October.
Mikhail Nikolaevich Mikishatyev in the book “Walks in the Central District. From Dvortsovaya to Fontanka” debunks the myth that in the poem “Monument” A. S. Pushkin mentions the Alexander Column, calling it the “Pillar of Alexandria”. He convincingly proves that Pushkin’s work literally refers to the Pharos lighthouse, which was once located near the harbor of the Egyptian city of Alexandria. So it was called the Pillar of Alexandria. But thanks to the political nature of the poem, the latter became a direct allusion to the monument to Alexander I. Only a hint, although descendants equated them to each other.
The column is not dug into the ground or supported by a foundation. It is supported only by precise calculation and its weight. This is the tallest triumphal column in the world. Its weight is 704 tons [3]. The height of the monument is 47.5 meters, the granite monolith is 25.88 meters. It is slightly higher than the Vendôme Column, erected in 1810 in honor of Napoleon's victories in Paris.
There are often stories that in the first time after the installation of the Alexander Column, many ladies were afraid to be near it. They assumed that the column could fall at any moment and walked around the perimeter of the square. This legend is sometimes modified: only one lady is shown to be so fearful, who ordered her coachman to stay away from the monument.
In 1841, cracks appeared on the column. By 1861 they had become so prominent that Alexander II established a committee to study them. The committee came to the conclusion that there were cracks in the granite initially, and they were sealed with mastic. In 1862, the cracks were repaired with Portland cement. At the top there were fragments of chains that were used to climb the column annually to inspect it.
Stories similar to mystical ones happened with the Alexander Column. On December 15, 1889, Foreign Minister Lamsdorff reported in his diary that at nightfall, when the lanterns are lit, a luminous letter “N” appears on the monument. Rumors began to spread around St. Petersburg that this was an omen of a new reign in the new year. The next day, the count figured out the reasons for the phenomenon. The name of their manufacturer was etched on the glass of the lanterns: "Simens". When the lamps were working from the side of St. Isaac's Cathedral, this letter was reflected on the column.
In 1925, it was decided that the presence of an angel figure on the main square of Leningrad was inappropriate. An attempt was made to cover it with a cap, which attracted a fairly large number of passers-by to Palace Square. A hot air balloon hung above the column. However, when he flew up to the required distance, the wind immediately blew and drove the ball away. By evening, attempts to hide the angel stopped. A little later, a plan emerged to replace the angel with the figure of V.I. Lenin. However, this was not implemented either.
In 1819, when the architect Carl Rossi designed the General Staff building, he also developed a project for the improvement of the entire adjacent territory. The architect planned to decorate the center of Palace Square with a large obelisk. This project was also not implemented.
Around the same years, during the reign of Alexander I, the idea arose to erect a monument in St. Petersburg in honor of Russia's victory over Napoleon. The Senate proposed creating a monument that would glorify the Russian emperor, who led the country. From the Senate resolution:
“Erect a monument in the throne city with the inscription: Alexander the Blessed, Emperor of All Russia, Great Powers, Restorer, in gratitude to Russia” [Cit. from: 1, p. 150].
Alexander I did not support this idea:
"Expressing my complete gratitude, I convince the state estates to leave it without any fulfillment. May a monument be built for me in my feelings for you! May my people bless me in their hearts, as I bless them in my heart! May Russia prosper, and may it be necessary God's blessing upon me and upon her" [Ibid.].
The project for the monument was adopted only under the next tsar, Nicholas I. In 1829, the work on its creation was entrusted to Auguste Montferrand. It is interesting that by this time Montferrand had already created a project for an obelisk monument dedicated to those killed in the battle of Leipzig. It is possible that Nicholas I took this fact into account, as well as the fact that the Frenchman already had experience working with granite monoliths during the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral. The fact that the idea of the monument belonged to the emperor is proven by the words of Montferrand:
“The main conditions for the construction of the monument were explained to me. The monument should be a granite obelisk made of one piece with a total height of 111 feet from the base” [Cit. from: 4, p. 112].
Montferrand initially conceived the monument in the form of an obelisk 35 meters high. He created several options that differed only in the design of the pedestal. In one of the options, it was proposed to decorate it with bas-reliefs of Fyodor Tolstoy on the theme of the War of 1812 and on the front side to depict Alexander I in the image of a victorious victor riding a quadriga. In the second case, the architect proposed placing figures of Glory and Abundance on the pedestal. Another interesting proposal was in which the obelisk was supported by figures of elephants. In 1829, Montferrand created another version of the monument - in the form of a triumphal column topped with a cross. As a result, the last option was adopted as the basis. This decision had a beneficial effect on the overall composition of Palace Square. It was just such a monument that could connect the facades of the Winter Palace and the General Staff Building, the important motif of which is the colonnades. Montferrand wrote:
“Trajan’s Column appeared before me as a prototype of the most beautiful thing that a person of this kind can only create. I had to try to come as close as possible to this majestic example of antiquity, as was done in Rome for the Antoninus Column, in Paris for the Napoleon Column "[Cit. from: 3, p. 231].
Preparation of a huge monolith and its delivery to St. Petersburg is still very difficult. And in the first half of the 19th century, this seemed completely impossible to many. A member of the Commission on the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral, engineer-general Count K. I. Opperman, believed that “the granite rock from which the architect Montferrand proposes to break out a column for the obelisk contains various heterogeneous parts with crumbly veins, which is why different parts are broken out of the same rock for St. Isaac's Cathedral columns, some did not come out of the proper size, and others with cracks and other shortcomings, for which they could not be accepted; one, already due to the load and unloading, broke when rolling from the local pier to the barn for clean finishing, and the column supposed for the obelisk was five fathoms longer and almost twice as thick as the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral, and therefore success in breaking out, in lucky loading, unloading and moving is much more doubtful than similar enterprises for the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral" [Cit. by: 5, p. 162].
Montferrand had to prove he was right. Also in 1829, he explained to the members of the Commission:
“My frequent trips to Finland for eleven years to observe the breaking of 48 columns for St. Isaac’s Cathedral assured me that if some columns were broken, then this was due to the greed of the people used for this, and why I dare to confirm the success of this work, if precautions will be taken to multiply the number of drills or holes, to cut the mass from below throughout its entire thickness and, finally, to firmly support it in order to separate it without shaking...
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The means I propose for raising the column are the same as those used for the forty columns that have been successfully erected to this day during the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral. I will use the same machines and part of the scaffolding, which within two years will not be needed for the cathedral and will be dismantled in the coming winter." [Quoted from: 5, pp. 161, 163]
The Commission accepted the architect's explanations, and in early November of the same year the project was approved. On November 13, the plan for Palace Square with the proposed location for the Alexander Column, approved by Nicholas I in early December, was submitted for approval. Montferrand assumed that if the foundation, pedestal and bronze decorations were made in advance, the monument could be opened in 1831. The architect expected to spend 1,200,000 rubles on all the work.
According to one of the St. Petersburg legends, this column was supposed to be used specifically for the construction of the temple. But having received a longer monolith than necessary, it was decided to use it on Palace Square. In fact, this column was carved by special order for the monument.
From the side, the installation point of the column looks like the exact center of Palace Square. But in fact, it is located 100 meters from the Winter Palace and almost 140 meters from the arch of the General Staff building.
The contract for the construction of the foundation was given to the merchant Vasily Yakovlev. By the end of 1829, the workers managed to dig a foundation pit. While strengthening the foundation for the Alexander Column, workers came across piles that had strengthened the ground back in the 1760s. It turned out that Montferrand repeated, following Rastrelli, the decision on the location for the monument, landing on the same point. For three months, peasants Grigory Kesarinov and Pavel Bykov drove new six-meter pine piles here. A total of 1,101 piles were needed [5, p. 169]. Granite blocks half a meter thick were placed on them. There was severe frost when the foundation was laid. Montferrand added vodka to the cement mortar for better setting.
A granite block measuring 52x52 centimeters was placed in the center of the foundation. A bronze box with 105 coins minted in honor of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 was installed in it. A platinum medal minted according to Montferrand’s design with the image of the Alexander Column and the date “1830” was also placed there, as well as a mortgage plaque. Montferrand proposed the following text for her:
“This stone was laid in the year of the Nativity of Christ in the 1830s, the reign of Emperor Nicholas I in the 5th year, during the construction of the monument of blessed memory to Emperor Alexander I. During the construction, the highest approved Commission sat: the actual privy councilor Lanskoy, engineer General Count Opperman, Acting Privy Councilor Olenin, Engineer Lieutenant General Carboniere. Senators: Count Kutaisov, Gladkov, Vasilchikov and Bezrodny. The construction was managed by the architect Montferrand." [Cit. by: 5, p. 169]
Olenin, in turn, proposed a similar text, which was accepted with minor adjustments. The inscription on the board was engraved “St. Petersburg tradesman Vasily Danilovich Berilov.” According to the architect Adamini, the foundation work was completed by the end of July 1830.
The granite block of the pedestal, worth 25,000 poods, was made from a block mined in the Letsaarma region. He was delivered to St. Petersburg on November 4, 1831. It was supposed to be unloaded in two days, and then completely processed on site in four to five days. Before the installation of the pedestal in early November, Nicholas I allowed the second bronze foundation plaque to be placed at the base of the Alexander Column, while ordering “to place a newly embossed medal for the storming of Warsaw.” At the same time, he approved the text of the second mortgage board, made by bronze master A. Guerin:
“In the summer of Christ 1831, the construction of a monument began, erected to Emperor Alexander by grateful Russia on a granite foundation laid on the 19th day of November 1830. In St. Petersburg, the construction of this monument was presided over by Count Yu. Litta. ". Volkonsky, A. Olenin, Count P. Kutaisov, I. Gladkov, L. Carboniere, A. Vasilchikov. The construction was carried out according to the drawings of the same architect Augustine de Montferande." [Cit. by: 5, p. 170]
The second mortgage board and the medal for the capture of Warsaw were placed at the base of the Alexander Column on February 13, 1832 at 2 o'clock in the afternoon in the presence of all members of the Commission.
“For breaking, trimming and polishing this column, as well as for building a pier and delivery to the building site, in addition to loading, unloading and transportation through water,” the merchant of the 1st guild Arkhip Shikhin asked for 420,000 rubles. On December 9, 1829, Samson Sukhanov offered to take on the same work, asking for 300,000 rubles. The next day, the self-taught merchant and technician Vasily Yakovlev announced the same price. When new auctions were held, the price was reduced to 220,000 rubles, and after rebidding on March 19, 1830, Arkhip Shikhin undertook to fulfill the contract for 150,000 [5, p. 164, 165]. However, the order for the same price went to 20-year-old Yakovlev. He took upon himself the obligation, in case of failure with the first, “to recapture and deliver to St. Petersburg free of charge the second, third, and so on until the required stone takes its place on Palace Square.”
The monolith was carved in 1830-1831, without a break for the winter. Montferrand personally went to the quarries on May 8 and September 7, 1831. “The granite was overturned in 7 minutes on September 19 at 6 o’clock in the evening in the presence of the chief architect sent there by the Commission on the construction of St. Isaac’s Cathedral... the huge rock, shaking at its base, slowly and silently fell onto the bed prepared for it.” [Cit. by: 5, p. 165]
It took half a year to trim the monolith. 250 people worked on this every day. Montferrand appointed mason master Eugene Pascal to lead the work. In mid-March 1832, two-thirds of the column were ready, after which the number of participants in the process was increased to 275 people. On April 1, Vasily Yakovlev reported on the complete completion of the work.
In June, the transportation of the column began. At the same time, an accident occurred - the beams along which it was supposed to roll onto the ship could not withstand the weight of the column, and it almost collapsed into the water. The monolith was loaded by 600 soldiers, who completed a forced march of 36 miles from a neighboring fortress in four hours. The flat boat "St. Nicholas" with the column was towed by two steamships to St. Petersburg. She arrived in the city on July 1, 1832. For the operation of transporting the column, the Chairman of the Commission, Count Y. P. Litta, received the Order of St. Vladimir.
On July 12, in the presence of Nicholas I and his wife, representatives of the imperial family, Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and a large public, the convoy was unloaded ashore. Spectators were located on scaffolding for lifting the column and on ships on the Neva. This operation was performed by 640 workers.
The date for raising the column to the pedestal (August 30 - the name day of Alexander I) was approved on March 2, 1832, as well as a new estimate for the construction of the monument totaling 2,364,442 rubles, which almost doubled the original one.
Rising of the Alexander Column
Rising of the Alexander Column
Since the lifting of a 600-ton monolith was carried out for the first time in the world, Montferrand developed detailed instructions. Special scaffolding was erected on Palace Square, which occupied it almost completely. For the ascent, 60 gates were used, arranged in two rows around the scaffolding. Each gate was set in motion by 29 people: “16 soldiers at the levers, 8 in reserve, 4 sailors for pulling and cleaning the rope as the column was raised, 1 non-commissioned officer... To achieve the correct movement of the gate, so that the ropes were pulled as equally as strong as possible, 10 people will be appointed as foremen" [Cit. by: 5, p. 171]. The blocks were monitored by 120 people at the top of the scaffolding and 60 at the bottom “to look after the idler pulleys. 2 foremen with 30 carpenters will be placed along large scaffolding at different heights to position the log supports on which the column will lie, if it were lifted it was necessary to stop. 40 people of workers will be placed near the column, on the right and left sides, to remove the rollers from under the sleigh and to drag them into place. 30 people of workers will be placed under the platform with the ropes holding the gate. 6 people of masons will be used for filling lime mortar between the column and the base. 15 carpenters and 1 foreman will be on standby in case of an unforeseen... The doctor assigned to the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral will be at the production site during the entire raising of the column" [Ibid].
It took only 40 minutes to raise the Alexander Column. 1,995 soldiers were involved in the column operation, and together with commanders and guards - 2,090 [4, p. 122].
Rising of the Alexander Column
More than 10,000 people watched the installation of the column, and foreign guests came specially. Montferrand placed 4,000 seats for spectators on the platform. On August 23, that is, a week before the event described, Nicholas I ordered the transfer “so that by the day of raising the column for the monument to Emperor Alexander I, the following places would be built on the stage: 1st for the imperial family; 2nd for the Highest Court; 3rd for His Majesty's retinue; 4th for the diplomatic corps; 5th for the State Council; 6th for the Senate; 7th for the guard generals; 8th for the cadets who will be dressed up from the corps; adding to the fact that in on the day of raising the column, a guard from a company of guards grenadiers will also be placed at the top of the stage, and that His Majesty wishes that, in addition to the guard and the persons for whom places will be arranged, no one else from outside will be allowed onto the stage" [Cit. from: 4, p. 122, 123].
This list was expanded by the Minister of the Imperial Court Pyotr Mikhailovich Volkonsky. He reported to the Chairman of the Commission for the Reconstruction of St. Isaac's Cathedral, which was involved in the installation of the monument:
“I have the honor to inform Your Excellency that, in addition to those persons for whom places are arranged, the Sovereign Emperor His Majesty allows to be on the platform during the raising of the Alexander Column: 1st - to foreign architects who deliberately came here for this occasion; 2nd - to members of the Academy of Arts professors of architecture; 3rd - to academicians preparing for the art of architecture. and 4th - to our and foreign artists in general" [Cit. from: 4, p. 123].
“Artists” in this case should be considered artists. The process of raising the column onto a pedestal attracted the attention of a huge number of public. Montferrand described it this way:
“The streets leading to Palace Square, the Admiralty and the Senate were completely crowded with the public, attracted by the novelty of such an extraordinary spectacle. The crowd soon grew to such an extent that horses, carriages and people mixed into one whole. The houses were filled with people to the very roofs. Not a single window, not a single ledge remained free, so great was the interest in the monument. The semicircular building of the General Staff, which on that day was likened to the amphitheater of Ancient Rome, accommodated more than 10,000 people. Nicholas I and his family were located in a special pavilion. In another, envoys of Austria , England, France, ministers, commissioners for affairs, constituting the foreign diplomatic corps.Then there are special places for the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Arts, university professors, for foreigners, persons close to art, who arrived from Italy, Germany to attend this ceremony. .." [Quoted. from: 4, p. 124, 125].
It took exactly two years to complete the final processing of the monolith (grinding and polishing), designing its top, and decorating the pedestal.
Figure of an angel on the Alexander Column
Figure of an angel on the Alexander Column
Montferrand originally planned to install a cross at the top of the column. While working on the monument, he decided to complete the column with the figure of an angel, which in his opinion should have been created by the sculptor I. Leppe. However, at the insistence of Olenin, a competition was announced, in which academicians S.I. Galberg and B.I. Orlovsky took part. The second one won the competition. On November 29, 1832, Nicholas I examined the model of the angel and ordered “to give a face to the statue of the late Emperor Alexander.” At the end of March 1833, Montferrand proposed completing the Alexander Column with not one, but two angels supporting the cross. Nicholas I initially agreed with him, but after learning “that many of the artists refute the idea of staging two angels,” he decided to gather artists and sculptors to discuss this issue. During the negotiations, Montferrand proposed placing three angels on the column at once, but the majority spoke in favor of one figure. Nicholas I took the position of the majority. The Emperor decided to place the angel facing the Winter Palace.
According to Montferrand's plan, the figure of the angel was to be gilded. Due to the rush to open the Alexander Column, they decided to do the gilding in oil, which could be done not only quickly, but also cheaply. However, the low reliability of this method was pointed out by Olenin, who addressed the Minister of the Imperial Court Volkonsky:
"...judging by the gilded statues in Peterhof, the effect of a gold-covered statue of an angel will be very mediocre and unattractive, because gilding in oil always has the appearance of gold leaf, and moreover, it will probably not last even to our grandchildren, being exposed to our harsh climate in the impossibility of temporarily renewing gilding due to the large costs each time of constructing scaffolding for this work" [Cit. by: 5, p. 181].
As a result, Olenin’s proposal was accepted not to gild the angel at all.
The pedestal of the Alexander Column is decorated with bas-reliefs made by artists Scotti, Solovyov, Bryullo, Markov, Tversky, and sculptors Svintsov and Leppe. On the bas-relief on the side of the General Staff building there is a figure of Victory, recording memorable dates in the Book of History: “1812, 1813, 1814”. From the side of the Winter Palace there are two winged figures with the inscription: “Grateful Russia to Alexander I.” On the other two sides the bas-reliefs depict figures of Justice, Wisdom, Mercy and Abundance. In the process of coordinating the decoration of the column, the emperor expressed wishes to replace the antique military fittings on the bas-reliefs with ancient Russian ones.
The grand opening of the monument took place on August 30, 1834.
Opening ceremony of the Alexander Column, August 30, 1834
To accommodate the guests of honor, Montferrand built a special platform in front of the Winter Palace in the form of a three-span arch. It was decorated in such a way as to architecturally connect with the Winter Palace. Nicholas I also contributed to this, who ordered the purple cloth to be torn off the stairs and fawn-colored fabric used instead, in the then color of the imperial residence. For the construction of the tribune, a contract was concluded with the peasant Stepan Samarin on June 12, 1834, which was completed by the end of August. Decorative details from plaster were made by the “moulding master” Evstafy and Poluekt Balina, Timofey Dylev, Ivan Pavlov, Alexander Ivanov.
For the public, stands were built in front of the Exertsirhaus building and on the side of Admiralteysky Boulevard. Since the façade of the amphitheater was larger in size than the façade of the exertzirhaus, the roof of the latter was dismantled to construct log stands, and neighboring buildings were also demolished.
Before the opening of the Alexander Column, Montferrand tried to refuse to participate in the ceremony due to fatigue. But the emperor insisted on his presence, who wanted to see all members of the Commission, including the chief architect and his assistants, on the day of the opening of the monument.
At the solemn ceremony, the emperor addressed the architect in French: “Montferrand, your creation is worthy of its purpose, you have erected a monument to yourself” [Cit. from: 4, p. 127].
Parade 30 August 1834
Parade 30 August 1834
From the newspaper "Northern Bee" dated September 3, 1834:
"...The opening celebrations were appropriate. A magnificently decorated balcony was built above the main gate of the Winter Palace with gatherings on both sides of the square... Along all the buildings of Palace Square, amphitheaters were built in several tiers for spectators. People crowded on Admiralty Boulevard; all the windows around the lying houses were dotted with those eager to enjoy this unique spectacle..." [Cit. from: 1, p. 161, 162]
From the memoirs of the romantic poet Vasily Zhukovsky:
“And 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 masses, with the thunder of drums, columns of the Russian army began to march to the sounds of the Paris March...
The ceremonial march began: the Russian army passed by the Alexander Column; This magnificent, unique spectacle in the world lasted for two hours...
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 the deserted square the majestic colossus was left alone with its sentry" [Quoted from: 4, pp. 128, 129].
The impressions of a representative of the ordinary public have also been preserved. Maria Fedorovna Kamenskaya, daughter of Count Fyodor Tolstoy, wrote down memories of the opening of the Alexander Column:
“Opposite the Hermitage, on the square, on the corner where the state archive building currently stands, high walkways were then erected, on which places were assigned for officials of the Ministry of the Court, and therefore for the Academy of Arts. We had to get there early, because that after that no one was allowed into the square. The prudent girls of the Academy, fearing to go hungry, took baskets of breakfast with them and sat in the front row. The opening ceremony of the monument, as far as I remember, did not represent anything special and was very similar to ordinary May parades, with adding only the clergy and prayers. It was quite difficult to see what was happening near the column itself, because we were still sitting quite far from it. What involuntarily caught our eye most of all was the Chief of Police (if I’m not mistaken, then the Chief of Police was Kokoshkin), who was especially zealous about something, hilariously galloping on his big horse, rushing around the square and yelling at the top of his lungs.
So we looked and looked, got hungry, unpacked our boxes and began to destroy the provisions we had taken with us. The public, sitting on the walkways next to us, stretching all the way to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, followed our good example and also began to unfold pieces of paper and chew something. The zealous chief of police now noticed these disorders during the parade, became furious, galloped up to the bridge and, forcing his horse to break and stand up, began shouting in a thunderous voice:
- Unscrupulous, heartless people! How, on the day when the monument to the war of 1812 was erected, when all the grateful Russian hearts gathered here to pray, you, you hearts of stone, instead of remembering the holy soul of Alexander the Blessed, the liberator of Russia from twelve languages, and sending up ardent words to heaven prayers for the health of the now safely reigning Emperor Nicholas I, you couldn’t think of anything better than to come here to eat! Down with everything from the bridge! Go to church, to the Kazan Cathedral, and fall on your face before the throne of the Almighty!
- Fool! - someone's voice shouted from above, behind us.
- Fool, fool, fool! - they picked up, like an echo, in a gulp of unknown whose voices, and the embarrassed uninvited preacher, in impotent anger, was forced to give spurs to his horse to the music of the troops and frantic laughter on the bridge, as if nothing had happened, beautifully bending, galloped somewhere further" [Cit. from: 4, pp. 129-131].
As the historian M.N. Mikishatyev rightly noted (from whose book this quote is given), Maria Fedorovna was not mistaken with the identity of the Chief of Police. At that time he was Sergei Aleksandrovich Kokoshkin. But she confused the building of the state archive with the building of the Guard headquarters.
Alexander Column, 1835
Initially, the Alexander Column was framed by a temporary wooden fence with lamps in the form of antique tripods and plaster lion masks. The carpentry work for the fence was carried out by “carved master” Vasily Zakharov. Instead of a temporary fence, at the end of 1834 it was decided to install a permanent metal one “with three-headed eagles under the lanterns,” the design of which was drawn up by Montferrand in advance. Its composition was supposed to use gilded bronze decorations, crystal balls on three-headed eagles mounted on captured Turkish cannons, which were accepted by the architect from the arsenal on December 17.
The metal fence was produced at the Byrd plant. In February 1835, he proposed gas lighting for crystal balls. The glass balls were made at the Imperial Glass Factory. They were lit not by gas, but by oil, which leaked and left soot. On December 25, 1835, one of the balloons burst and fell apart. On October 11, 1836, “the highest order was issued to install cast-iron candelabra with lanterns according to approved designs for gas lighting at the monument to Emperor Alexander I” [Cit. by: 5, p. 184]. The laying of gas pipes was completed in August 1837, and candelabra were installed in October.
Mikhail Nikolaevich Mikishatyev in the book “Walks in the Central District. From Dvortsovaya to Fontanka” debunks the myth that in the poem “Monument” A. S. Pushkin mentions the Alexander Column, calling it the “Pillar of Alexandria”. He convincingly proves that Pushkin’s work literally refers to the Pharos lighthouse, which was once located near the harbor of the Egyptian city of Alexandria. So it was called the Pillar of Alexandria. But thanks to the political nature of the poem, the latter became a direct allusion to the monument to Alexander I. Only a hint, although descendants equated them to each other.
The column is not dug into the ground or supported by a foundation. It is supported only by precise calculation and its weight. This is the tallest triumphal column in the world. Its weight is 704 tons [3]. The height of the monument is 47.5 meters, the granite monolith is 25.88 meters. It is slightly higher than the Vendôme Column, erected in 1810 in honor of Napoleon's victories in Paris.
There are often stories that in the first time after the installation of the Alexander Column, many ladies were afraid to be near it. They assumed that the column could fall at any moment and walked around the perimeter of the square. This legend is sometimes modified: only one lady is shown to be so fearful, who ordered her coachman to stay away from the monument.
In 1841, cracks appeared on the column. By 1861 they had become so prominent that Alexander II established a committee to study them. The committee came to the conclusion that there were cracks in the granite initially, and they were sealed with mastic. In 1862, the cracks were repaired with Portland cement. At the top there were fragments of chains that were used to climb the column annually to inspect it.
Stories similar to mystical ones happened with the Alexander Column. On December 15, 1889, Foreign Minister Lamsdorff reported in his diary that at nightfall, when the lanterns are lit, a luminous letter “N” appears on the monument. Rumors began to spread around St. Petersburg that this was an omen of a new reign in the new year. The next day, the count figured out the reasons for the phenomenon. The name of their manufacturer was etched on the glass of the lanterns: "Simens". When the lamps were working from the side of St. Isaac's Cathedral, this letter was reflected on the column.
In 1925, it was decided that the presence of an angel figure on the main square of Leningrad was inappropriate. An attempt was made to cover it with a cap, which attracted a fairly large number of passers-by to Palace Square. A hot air balloon hung above the column. However, when he flew up to the required distance, the wind immediately blew and drove the ball away. By evening, attempts to hide the angel stopped. A little later, a plan emerged to replace the angel with the figure of V.I. Lenin. However, this was not implemented either.
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