Alexandrian column in honor of what. Pillar of Alexandria. Interesting facts

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 a monument was given 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.

An open competition was officially announced on behalf of Emperor Nicholas I in 1829 with the wording in memory of " unforgettable brother". Auguste Montferrand responded to this challenge with the project of erecting a grandiose granite obelisk, but this option was rejected by the emperor.

A sketch of that project has survived and is currently in the library. Montferrand proposed to erect a huge granite obelisk 25.6 meters (84 feet or 12 fathoms) high on an 8.22 meters (27 feet) granite plinth. 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 made by the medalist Count F. P. Tolstoy.

On the pedestal it was planned to carry out the inscription "Blessed - grateful Russia." On the pedestal, the architect saw a rider on a horse trampling a snake underfoot; a double-headed eagle flies ahead 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 known monoliths in the world with 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 in watercolor technique and testifies to high skill Montferrand in various directions visual arts.

Trying to defend his project, the architect acted within the limits of subordination, dedicating his essay to Nicholas I " Plans et details du monument consacré à la mémoire de l'Empereur Alexandre”, but the idea was nevertheless rejected and Montferrand was unambiguously pointed out to the column as the desired form of the monument.

Final project

The second project, which was subsequently implemented, was to install a column higher than the Vendôme column (erected in honor of Napoleon's victories). Trajan's Column in Rome was suggested to Montferrand as a source of inspiration.

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 shaft of the ancient Trajan's column. Montferrand showed the beauty of a gigantic polished pink granite monolith 25.6 meters high (12 fathoms).

In addition, Montferrand made his monument higher than all existing monolithic columns. In this new form, on September 24, 1829, the project without sculptural completion was approved by the sovereign.

Construction was carried out from 1829 to 1834. Since 1831, Count Yu. P. Litta was appointed chairman of the "Commission for the construction of St.

Preparatory work

After separating the blank, huge stones were cut from the same rock for the foundation of the monument, the largest of which weighed about 25 thousand pounds (more than 400 tons). Their delivery to St. Petersburg was carried out by water, for this a special design barge was involved.

The monolith was duped on the spot and prepared for transportation. Ship engineer Colonel K.A. dealt with transportation issues. Glazyrin, who designed and built a special boat, named "Saint Nicholas", with a carrying capacity of up to 65 thousand pounds (1100 tons). To perform loading operations, a special pier was built. Loading was carried out from a wooden platform at its end, coinciding in height with the ship's side.

Having overcome all difficulties, the column was loaded on board, and the monolith went to Kronstadt on a barge towed by two steamers, in order to go from there 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, the merchant's son V. A. Yakovlev, was responsible for all of the above work, further work was carried out on the spot under the guidance of O. Montferrand.

Business qualities, unusual intelligence and diligence of Yakovlev were noted by Montferrand. He most likely acted on his own. at your own expense» - assuming all financial and other risks associated with the project. This is indirectly confirmed by the words

Yakovlev's case is over; upcoming difficult operations concern you; I hope you have as much success as him

Nicholas I, to Auguste Montferrand about the prospects after the unloading of the column to St. Petersburg

Works in St. Petersburg

Since 1829, on Palace Square in St. Petersburg, work began on the preparation and construction of the foundation and pedestal of the column. O. Montferrand supervised the work.

First, a geological survey of the area was carried out, as a result of which a suitable sandy mainland was found near the center of the area at a depth of 17 feet (5.2 m). In December 1829, the place for the column was approved, and 1250 six-meter pine piles were driven under the foundation. Then the piles were cut to the 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 at the level of the water table, which ensured the horizontality of the site.

The foundation of the monument was built from stone granite blocks half a meter thick. It was brought out to the horizon of the square with a plank masonry. In its center was placed a bronze casket with coins minted in honor of the 1812 victory.

The work was completed in October 1830.

Building a pedestal

After laying the foundation, a huge four-hundred-ton monolith, brought from the Pyuterlak quarry, was hoisted onto it, which serves as the base of the pedestal.

The engineering problem of installing such a large monolith was solved by O. Montferrand as follows:

1. Installing the monolith on the foundation
2. Precise installation of the monolith
   • The ropes, thrown over the blocks, were pulled by nine capstans and raised the stone to a height of about one meter.
   • They took out the rollers and added a layer of slippery solution, very peculiar in its composition, on which they planted a monolith.

Since the work was carried out in winter, I ordered to mix cement with vodka and add a tenth of soap. 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, which I ordered to be mixed into the solution.

O. Montferrand

The setting of the upper parts of the pedestal was a much simpler task - despite the greater height of the rise, the subsequent steps consisted of stones much smaller than the previous ones, moreover, the workers gradually gained experience.

Column installation

The rise of the Alexander Column

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 for everyone, - “ Sim win!". These words are connected with the story of finding the life-giving cross:

Finishing and polishing of the monument lasted two years.

Opening of the monument

The opening of the monument took place on August 30 (September 11) 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 thousandth Russian army and representatives of the Russian army. It was carried out in an emphatically Orthodox entourage and was accompanied by a solemn divine service at the foot of the column, in which the kneeling troops and the emperor himself took part.

This worship service open sky drew a parallel with the historical prayer service of the Russian troops in Paris on the day of Orthodox Easter on March 29 (April 10) of the year.

It was impossible to look without deep spiritual tenderness at the sovereign, humbly kneeling in front of this numerous army, moved by his word to the foot of the colossus he built. He prayed for his brother, and everything at that moment spoke of the earthly glory of this sovereign brother: the monument that bears his name, and the kneeling Russian army, and the people in the midst of whom he lived, complacent, accessible to everyone.<…>How striking was at that moment this contrast of worldly grandeur, magnificent, but fleeting, with the grandeur of death, gloomy, but unchanged; and how eloquent was this angel, in view of both, who, not involved in everything that surrounded him, stood between earth and heaven, belonging to 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

In honor of this event, in the same year, a memorial ruble was issued with a circulation of 15,000.

Description of the monument

The Alexander Column resembles samples of the triumphal buildings of antiquity, the monument has an amazing clarity of proportions, laconic form, and beauty of the silhouette.

Text on the plaque:

Grateful Russia to Alexander I

This is the tallest monument in the world, made of solid granite and the third tallest after the Grand Army Column in Boulogne-sur-Mer and Trafalgar (Nelson's Column) in London. It is taller than similar monuments in the world: the Vendome Column in Paris, Trajan's Column in Rome and Pompey's Column in Alexandria.

Characteristics

View from the south

• The total height of the structure is 47.5 m.
  • The height of the trunk (monolithic part) of the column is 25.6 m (12 fathoms).
  • The height of the pedestal is 2.85 m (4 arshins),
  • The height of the angel figure is 4.26 m,
  • The height of the cross is 6.4 m (3 fathoms).
• The bottom diameter of the column is 3.5 m (12 ft), the top 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.
  • The weight of the stone shaft of the column is about 600 tons.
  • The total weight of the top of the column is about 37 tons.

The column itself stands on a granite base without any additional supports, only under the influence of its own gravity.

Pedestal

The pedestal of the column, front side (facing the Winter Palace). Above - the All-Seeing Eye, in the circle of an oak wreath - an inscription of 1812, below it - laurel garlands, which are held in their paws by double-headed eagles.
On the bas-relief - two winged female figures hold a board with the inscription to Alexander I grateful Russia, under them are the armor of Russian knights, on both sides of the armor are figures personifying the Vistula and Neman rivers

The pedestal of the column, decorated on four sides with bronze bas-reliefs, was cast at C. Byrd's factory in 1833-1834.

A large team of authors worked on decorating the pedestal: sketch drawings were made by O. Montferrand, artists J. B. Scotty, V. Solovyov, Tverskoy, F. Brullo, Markov painted life-size bas-reliefs on cardboard. Sculptors P. V. Svintsov and I. Leppe sculpted bas-reliefs for casting. The models of double-headed eagles were made by the sculptor I. Leppe, the models of the base, garlands and other decorations were made by the ornamental sculptor E. Balin.

The bas-reliefs on the pedestal of the column in allegorical form glorify the victory of Russian weapons and symbolize the courage of the Russian army.

The bas-reliefs include images of Old Russian chain mail, cones and shields, kept in the Armory in Moscow, including helmets attributed to Alexander Nevsky and Yermak, as well as the armor of the 17th century Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and that, despite Montferrand's claims, it is highly doubtful that 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 well-known lover of Russian antiquity, A. N. Olenin.

In addition to armor and allegories, allegorical figures are depicted on the pedestal from the northern (front) side: winged female figures hold a rectangular board on which the inscription in civil script: "Grateful Russia to Alexander the First." Under the board is shown exact copy samples of armor from the armory.

Symmetrically located figures on the sides of the armament (on the left - a beautiful young woman leaning on an urn from which water pours out and on the right - an old aquarius man) personify the Vistula and Neman rivers, which were forced by the Russian army during the pursuit of Napoleon.

Other bas-reliefs depict Victory and Glory, recording the dates of memorable battles, and, in addition, the pedestal depicts the allegories of Victory and Peace (the years 1812, 1813 and 1814 are inscribed on the Victory shield), Justice and Mercy, Wisdom and Abundance ".

On the upper corners of the pedestal there are double-headed eagles, they hold oak garlands in their paws, lying on the ledge of the cornice of the pedestal. On the front side of the pedestal, above the garland, in the middle - in a circle bordered with an oak wreath, the All-Seeing Eye with the signature "1812".

On all the bas-reliefs, weapons of a classical nature are depicted as decorative elements, which

... does not belong to modern Europe and cannot hurt the pride of any people.

Column and sculpture of an angel

Sculpture of an angel on a cylindrical pedestal

The stone column is a single piece of polished pink granite. The trunk of the column has a conical shape.

The top of the column is crowned with a bronze Doric capital. Its upper part, a rectangular abacus, is made of brickwork with bronze lining. A bronze cylindrical pedestal with a hemispherical top is installed on it, inside which is the main support array, consisting of multi-layered masonry: granite, brick and two more layers of granite at the base.

Not only is the column itself taller than the Vendôme column, the figure of the angel surpasses in height the figure of Napoleon I on the Vendome column. In addition, the angel tramples the snake with a cross, which symbolizes the peace and tranquility that Russia brought to Europe by defeating the Napoleonic troops.

The sculptor gave the features of the angel's face 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 expressed vertical of the cross, continuing the vertical of the monument, emphasize the harmony of the column.

The fence and surroundings of the monument

Color photolithograph of the 19th century, view from the east side, depicts a sentry box, a fence and candelabra of lanterns

The Alexander Column was surrounded by a decorative bronze fence about 1.5 meters high, designed by Auguste Montferrand. The fence was decorated with 136 double-headed eagles and 12 captured cannons (4 in the corners and 2 are framed by double-leaf gates on four sides of the fence), which were crowned with three-headed eagles.

Between them were placed alternating spears and staffs of banners, topped with guards double-headed eagles. Locks were hung on the gates of the fence in accordance with the author's intention.

In addition, the project included the installation of a chandelier with copper lanterns and gas lighting.

fence in its original form was installed in 1834, completely all the elements were installed in 1836-1837. In the north-eastern corner of the fence there was a guardhouse, in which there was a disabled person dressed in full dress guard uniform, guarding the monument day and night and keeping order in the square.

Throughout the entire space of the Palace Square, an end pavement was made.

Stories and legends associated with the Alexander Column

legends

• 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 at the St. Petersburg court reports interesting information about this monument:

With regard to this column, we can recall the proposal made to Emperor Nicholas by the skillful French architect Montferrand, who was present at its excision, transportation and setting, namely: he proposed to the emperor to drill a spiral staircase inside this column and required only two workers for this: 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; finally, two lanterns to illuminate the workers in their hard work. In 10 years, he argued, the worker and the boy (the latter would grow a little, of course) would have completed their spiral staircase; but the emperor, rightly proud of the erection of this one of a kind monument, feared, and perhaps with good reason, that this drill would not penetrate the outer sides of the column, and therefore refused this proposal.

Baron P. de Burgoin, French envoy from 1828 to 1832

Addition and restoration work

Two years after the installation of the monument, in 1836, white-gray spots began to appear on the polished surface of the stone under the bronze top of the granite column, spoiling appearance monument.

In 1841, Nicholas I ordered an inspection of the flaws noticed then on the column, but the conclusion of the survey stated that even during the processing, 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 that were originally characteristic of the monolith, but it was feared that an increase in the number and size of them "may give rise to the collapse of the column."

There were discussions about the materials that should be used to seal these cavities. The Russian “grandfather of chemistry” A. A. Voskresensky proposed a composition “which should have been given to the 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 fixed on the abacus of the capitals - 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 great height of the column.

The decorative lanterns near the column were made 40 years after the opening - in 1876 by the architect K. K. Rakhau.

For all the time 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 for the holidays the angel was covered with a red-painted canvas cap or masked with balloons descended from a hovering airship.

The fence was dismantled and melted down for cartridge cases in the 1930s.

The restoration was carried out in 1963 (foreman N. N. Reshetov, the work was supervised by the restorer I. G. Black).

In 1977, restoration work was carried out on Palace Square: historical lanterns were restored around the column, the asphalt pavement was replaced with granite and diabase paving stones.

Engineering and restoration work at the beginning of the XXI century

Metal scaffolding around the column during restoration

At the end of the 20th century, after a certain time had passed since the previous restoration, the need for serious restoration work and, first of all, a detailed study of the monument began to be felt more and more acutely. The prologue to the start of work was the study of the column. They were forced to be produced on the recommendation of specialists from the Museum of Urban Sculpture. The alarm of specialists was caused by large cracks at the top of the column, visible through binoculars. The inspection was carried out from helicopters and climbers, who in 1991, for the first time in the history of the St. Petersburg restoration school, landed a research “landing party” on top of the column using a special Magirus Deutz fire hydrant.

Having fixed at the top, the climbers took photos and videos of the sculpture. The conclusion was made about the need for urgent restoration work.

The restoration was financed by the Moscow association Hazer International Rus. To carry out work worth 19.5 million rubles on the monument, the Intarsia company was chosen; this choice was made because of the presence in the organization of personnel with great experience work on similar responsible objects. L. Kakabadze, K. Efimov, A. Poshekhonov, P. Portuguese were engaged in the work at the facility. The work was supervised by the restorer of the first category Sorin V.G.

By the autumn of 2002, the scaffolding had been erected, and the conservators carried out on-site surveys. Almost all the bronze elements of the pommel were in disrepair: everything was covered with a “wild patina”, a “bronze disease” began to develop in fragments, the cylinder on which the figure of an angel relied cracked and took on a barrel-shaped shape. The internal cavities of the monument were examined using a flexible three-meter endoscope. As a result, the restorers were also able to establish what the general design of the monument looks like and determine the differences between the original project and its actual implementation.

One of the results of the study was the solution of the emerging spots in the upper part of the column: they turned out to be a product of the destruction of the brickwork, flowing out.

Carrying out work

Years of rainy St. Petersburg weather led to the following destruction of the monument:

• The brickwork of the abacus was completely destroyed; at the time of the study, the initial stage of its deformation was recorded.
• Inside the cylindrical pedestal of the angel, up to 3 tons of water accumulated, which got inside through dozens of cracks and holes in the shell of the sculpture. This water, seeping down into the pedestal and freezing in winter, ruptured the cylinder, giving it a barrel shape.

The following tasks were set for the restorers:

1. Get rid of water:
   • Remove water from the cavities of the top;
   • Prevent water accumulation in the future;
2. Restore the structure of the abacus support.

The work was carried out mainly in winter time on high altitude without dismantling the sculpture, both outside and inside the structure. Control over the work was carried out by both specialized and non-core structures, including the administration of St. Petersburg.

The restorers carried out work to create a drainage system for the monument: as a result, all the cavities of the monument were connected, and the cavity of the cross, about 15.5 meters high, was used as an “exhaust pipe”. The created drainage system provides for the removal of all moisture, including condensation.

The brick weight of the finial in the abacus was replaced with granite, self-jamming constructions without binders. Thus, the original intention of Montferrand was again realized. The bronze surfaces of the monument were protected by patination.

In addition, more than 50 fragments left over from the blockade of Leningrad were removed from the monument.

Scaffolding from the monument was removed in March 2003.

Fence repair

... "jewelry work" was carried out, and when recreating the fence, "iconographic materials, old photographs were used." "Palace Square got the finishing touch."

Vera Dementieva, Chairman of the Committee for State Control, Use and Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments

The fence was made according to a project completed in 1993 by the Lenproektrestavratsiya Institute. The work was financed from the city budget, the costs amounted to 14 million 700 thousand rubles. The historical fence of the monument was restored by the specialists of Intarsia LLC. Installation of the fence began on November 18, the grand opening took place on January 24, 2004.

Soon after the discovery, a part of the lattice was stolen as a result of two "raids" of vandals - hunters for non-ferrous metals.

The theft could not be prevented, despite the 24-hour surveillance cameras on Palace Square: they did not record anything in the dark. To monitor the area at night, it is necessary to use special expensive cameras. The leadership of the St. Petersburg Central Internal Affairs Directorate decided to establish a round-the-clock police post near the Alexander Column.

Ice rink around the column

At the end of March 2008, an examination of the condition of the column fence was carried out, a defective statement was drawn up for all the loss of elements. It recorded:

• 53 places of deformation,
• 83 lost parts,
  • Loss of 24 small eagles and one large eagle,
  • 31 partial loss of details.

• 28 eagles
• 26 spades

The loss did not receive an explanation from the St. Petersburg officials and was not commented on by the organizers of the rink.

The organizers of the skating rink undertook obligations to the city administration to restore the lost elements of the fence. Work was to begin after the May holidays of 2008.

References in art

Cover of the album "Love" of the rock band DDT

Also, the column is depicted on the cover of the album "Lemur of the Nine" by the St. Petersburg group "Refawn".

Column in literature

• « Alexandria pillar" is mentioned in the famous poem by A. S. Pushkin "". Pushkin's Alexander Pillar is a complex image, it contains not only a monument to Alexander I, but also an allusion to the obelisks of Alexandria and Horace. At the first publication, the name "Alexandria" was replaced by V. A. Zhukovsky out of fear of censorship for "Napoleons" (meaning the Vendome column).

In addition, contemporaries attributed to Pushkin a couplet:

Everything in Russia breathes military craft
And the angel makes a cross on guard

commemorative coin

On September 25, 2009, the Bank of Russia issued a 25-ruble commemorative coin dedicated to the 175th anniversary of the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg. The coin is made of 925 sterling silver with a circulation of 1000 pieces and weighs 169.00 grams. http://www.cbr.ru/bank-notes_coins/base_of_memorable_coins/coins1.asp?cat_num=5115-0052

Notes

1. On October 14, 2009, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation issued an order to assign the Alexander Column to the rights of operational management
2. Alexander Column "Science and Life"
3. According to the encyclopedia of St. Petersburg on spbin.ru, construction began in 1830
4. Yuri Yepatko Knight of Malta against the background of the Alexander Column, St. Petersburg Vedomosti, No. 122 (2512), July 7, 2001
5. According to the description in ESBE.
6. Architectural and artistic monuments of Leningrad. - L .: "Art", 1982.
7. Less common, but more detailed description:

   1440 guardsmen, 60 non-commissioned officers, 300 sailors with 15 non-commissioned officers of the guards crew and officers from the guards sappers were seconded

8. Sim win!
9. Alexander Column on skyhotels.ru
10. Auction page numizma.ru selling a commemorative coin
11. Auction page wolmar.ru selling a commemorative coin
12. After crossing the Vistula, there was practically nothing left of the Napoleonic troops
13. The crossing of the Neman was the expulsion of the Napoleonic armies from the territory of Russia
14. In this remark, the tragedy of trampling on the national feeling of the Frenchman, who had to build a monument to the winner of his fatherland

Alexander Column(often called Alexandria pillar, based on the poem by A. S. Pushkin "Monument") - one of famous monuments Petersburg.

It is under the jurisdiction of the Museum of Urban Sculpture.

Erected in the Empire style in 1834 in the center of the Palace Square by the architect Auguste Montferrand by decree of Emperor Nicholas I in memory of the victory of his elder brother Alexander I over Napoleon.

History of creation

This monument complemented the composition of the Arch of the General Staff, which was dedicated to the victory in Patriotic war 1812. The idea of ​​building the monument was given 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.

An open competition was officially announced on behalf of Emperor Nicholas I in 1829 with the wording in memory of " 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 to erect a huge granite obelisk 25.6 meters (84 feet or 12 fathoms) high on an 8.22 meters (27 feet) granite plinth. 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 made by the medalist Count F. P. Tolstoy.

On the pedestal it was planned to carry out the inscription "Blessed - grateful Russia." On the pedestal, the architect saw a rider on a horse trampling a snake underfoot; a double-headed eagle flies ahead 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 known monoliths in the world with 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 done in watercolor technique and testifies to the high skill of Montferrand in various areas of fine art.

Trying to defend his project, the architect acted within the limits of subordination, dedicating his essay to Nicholas I " Plans et details du monument consacr e a la memoire de l'Empereur Alexandre”, but the idea was nevertheless rejected and Montferrand was unambiguously pointed out to the column as the desired form of the monument.

Final project

The second project, which was subsequently implemented, was to install a column higher than the Vendôme column (erected in honor of Napoleon's victories). Trajan's Column in Rome was suggested to Montferrand as a source of inspiration.

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, such as the bas-reliefs that spirally wrap around the rod of the ancient Trajan's column. Montferrand showed the beauty of a gigantic polished pink granite monolith 25.6 meters high (12 fathoms).

In addition, Montferrand made his monument higher than all existing ones. In this new form, on September 24, 1829, the project without sculptural completion was approved by the sovereign.

Construction was carried out from 1829 to 1834. Since 1831, Count Yu. P. Litta was appointed chairman of the "Commission for the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral", which was also responsible for the installation of the column.

Preparatory work

For the granite monolith - the main part of the column - a rock was used, which the sculptor outlined during his previous trips to Finland. Extraction and preliminary processing were carried out in 1830-1832 in the Pyuterlak quarry, which was located between Vyborg and Friedrichsham. 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.

After the masons, having examined the rock, confirmed the suitability of the material, a prism was cut off from it, much larger than the future column. Giant devices were used: huge levers and gates in order to move the block from its place and overturn it on 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 pounds (more than 400 tons). Their delivery to St. Petersburg was carried out by water, for this a special design barge was involved.

The monolith was duped on the spot and prepared for transportation. Ship engineer Colonel Glasin dealt with transportation issues, who designed and built a special boat, named "Saint Nicholas", with a carrying capacity of up to 65,000 pounds (1,100 tons). To perform loading operations, a special pier was built. Loading was carried out from a wooden platform at its end, coinciding in height with the ship's side.

Having overcome all difficulties, the column was loaded on board, and the monolith set off for Kronstadt on a barge towed by two steamers in order to go from there to Palace embankment St. Petersburg.

The arrival of the central part of the column in St. Petersburg took place on July 1, 1832. The contractor, the merchant's son V. A. Yakovlev, was responsible for all of the above work, further work was carried out on the spot under the guidance of O. Montferrand.

Business qualities, extraordinary intelligence and diligence of Yakovlev were noted by Montferrand. He most likely acted on his own. at your own expense» - assuming all financial and other risks associated with the project. This is indirectly confirmed by the words

Works in St. Petersburg

Since 1829, on Palace Square in St. Petersburg, work began on the preparation and construction of the foundation and pedestal of the column. O. Montferrand supervised the work.

First, a geological survey of the area was carried out, as a result of which a suitable sandy continent was found near the center of the area at a depth of 17 feet (5.2 m). In December 1829, the place for the column was approved, and 1250 six-meter pine piles were driven under the foundation. Then the piles were cut to the 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 at the level of the water table, which ensured the horizontality of the site.

This method was proposed by Lieutenant General A. A. Betancourt, an architect and engineer, organizer of construction and transport in the Russian Empire. Earlier, 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 brought out to the horizon of the square with a plank masonry. In its center was laid a bronze box with coins minted in honor of the victory of 1812.

The work was completed in October 1830.

Building a pedestal

After laying the foundation, a huge four-hundred-ton monolith, brought from the Pyuterlak quarry, was hoisted onto it, which serves as the base of the pedestal.

The engineering problem of installing such a large monolith was solved by O. Montferrand as follows:

1. Installing 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 heap of sand, which had previously been poured next to the platform.

“At the same time, the earth trembled so much that the eyewitnesses - passers-by who were on the square at that moment, felt, as it were, an underground shock.”

• Supports were brought up, then the workers shoveled the sand and placed rollers.
• The props were cut and the block sank onto the rollers.
• The stone was rolled onto the foundation.

Precise installation of the monolith

• The ropes thrown over the blocks were stretched with nine capstans, and the stone was lifted to a height of about one meter.
• They took out the rollers and added a layer of slippery solution, very peculiar in its composition, on which they planted a monolith.

The setting of the upper parts of the pedestal was a much simpler task - despite the greater height of the rise, the subsequent steps consisted of stones much smaller than the previous ones, moreover, the workers gradually gained experience.

Column installation

By July 1832, the column monolith was on the way, and the pedestal had already been completed. The time has come to begin the most difficult task - the installation of the column on the pedestal.

This part of the work was also carried out by Lieutenant General A. A. Betancourt. In December 1830, he designed an original lifting system. It included: scaffolding 22 fathoms (47 meters) high, 60 capstans and a system of blocks, and he took advantage of all this as follows:

• On an inclined plane, the column was rolled up to a special platform located at the foot of the scaffolding and wrapped around with many rings of ropes to which blocks were attached;
• Another system of blocks was at the top of the scaffolding;
• Big number the ropes encircling the stone went around the upper and lower blocks and were wound with free ends on capstans placed on the square.

At the end of all preparations, the day of the solemn rise was appointed.

On August 30, 1832, masses of people gathered to watch this event: they occupied the entire square, and besides this window and the 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 to a vertical position on Palace Square, engineer A. A. Betancourt needed to involve the forces of 2000 soldiers and 400 workers, who installed the monolith in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

The block of stone rose obliquely, slowly crawled, then broke away from the ground and was brought to a position above the pedestal. On command, the ropes were released, the column smoothly lowered and took its place. The people shouted "Hurrah!" loudly. The sovereign himself was very pleased with the successful completion of the case.

The final stage

After the installation of the column, it remained to fix the bas-relief plates and decorative elements on the pedestal, as well as to complete the final processing and polishing of the column. The column was topped with a Doric bronze capital with a rectangular masonry abacus 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 that was supposed to be placed above it and, according to the wishes of Nicholas I, facing the Winter Palace. In the original project, the column was completed by a cross wrapped around with a snake to decorate the fasteners. In addition, the sculptors of the Academy of Arts proposed several options for the compositions of the figures of angels and virtues with a cross. There was a variant with the installation of the figure of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky.

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 for everyone, - “ Sim win!". These words are connected with the story of the discovery life-giving cross:

Finishing and polishing of the monument lasted two years.

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 thousandth Russian army and representatives of the Russian army. It was carried out in an emphatically Orthodox entourage and was accompanied by a solemn divine service at the foot of the column, in which the kneeling troops and the emperor himself took part.

This open-air service drew a parallel with the historical prayer service of the Russian troops in Paris on the day of Orthodox Easter on March 29 (April 10), 1814.

It was impossible to look without deep spiritual tenderness at the sovereign, humbly kneeling in front of this numerous army, moved by his word to the foot of the colossus he built. He prayed for his brother, and everything at that moment spoke of the earthly glory of this sovereign brother: the monument that bears his name, and the kneeling Russian army, and the people in the midst of whom he lived, complacent, accessible to everyone. How striking was this contrast at that moment. worldly grandeur, magnificent, but fleeting, with the grandeur of death, gloomy, but unchanged; and how eloquent was this angel, in view of both, who, not involved in everything that surrounded him, stood between earth and heaven, belonging to 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 V. A. Zhukovsky’s message to “Emperor Alexander”, revealing the symbolism of this act and giving an interpretation to the new prayer service

Then a military parade was held on the square. It was attended by regiments that distinguished themselves in the Patriotic War of 1812; in total, about a hundred thousand people took part in the parade:

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 resembles samples of the triumphal buildings of antiquity, the monument has an amazing clarity of proportions, laconic form, and beauty of the silhouette.

Text on the plaque:

Grateful Russia to Alexander I

This is the tallest monument in the world, made of solid granite and the third tallest after the Grand Army Column 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.

Characteristics

• The total height of the structure is 47.5 m.
• The height of the trunk (monolithic part) of the column is 25.6 m (12 fathoms).
• The height of the pedestal is 2.85 m (4 arshins),
• The height of the angel figure is 4.26 m,
• The height of the cross is 6.4 m (3 fathoms).
• The bottom diameter of the column is 3.5 m (12 ft), the top 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.
• The weight of the stone shaft of the column is about 600 tons.
• The total weight of the top of the column is about 37 tons.

The column itself stands on a granite base without any additional supports, only under the influence of its own gravity.

Pedestal

The pedestal of the column, decorated on four sides with bronze bas-reliefs, was cast at C. Byrd's factory in 1833-1834.

A large team of authors worked on the decoration of the pedestal: sketch drawings were made by O. Montferrand, artists J. B. Scotty, V. Solovyov, Tverskoy, F. Brullo, Markov painted life-size bas-reliefs on cardboard. Sculptors P. V. Svintsov and I. Leppe sculpted bas-reliefs for casting. The models of double-headed eagles were made by the sculptor I. Leppe, the models of the base, garlands and other decorations were made by the ornamental sculptor E. Balin.

The bas-reliefs on the pedestal of the column in 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 kept in the Armory in Moscow, including helmets attributed to Alexander Nevsky and Yermak, as well as the armor of the 17th century of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and that, despite Montferrand's claims, it is completely doubtful that the shield Oleg of the X 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 well-known lover of Russian antiquity A. N. Olenin.

In addition to armor and allegories, allegorical figures are depicted on the pedestal from the northern (front) side: winged female figures hold a rectangular board on which the inscription in civil script: "Grateful Russia to Alexander the First." Under the board is an exact copy of armor samples from the armory.

The symmetrically located figures on the sides of the armament (on the left - a beautiful young woman leaning on an urn from which water pours out and on the right - an old aquarius) personify the Vistula and Neman rivers, which were forced 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, the pedestal depicts the allegories of Victory and Peace (the years 1812, 1813 and 1814 are inscribed on the Victory shield), Justice and Mercy, Wisdom and Abundance ".

On the upper corners of the pedestal there are double-headed eagles, they hold oak garlands in their paws, lying on the ledge of the cornice of the pedestal. On the front side of the pedestal, above the garland, in the middle - in a circle bordered with an oak wreath, the All-Seeing Eye with the signature "1812".

On all the bas-reliefs, weapons of a classical nature are depicted as decorative elements, which

Column and sculpture of an angel

The stone column is a single piece of polished pink granite. The trunk of the column has a conical shape.

The top of the column is crowned with a bronze Doric capital. Its upper part, a rectangular abacus, is made of brickwork with bronze lining. A bronze cylindrical pedestal with a hemispherical top is installed on it, inside which is the main support array, consisting of multi-layered masonry: granite, brick and two more layers of granite at the base.

The monument is crowned with the 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 head of the angel 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 bar, which was later removed, and during the restoration of 2002-2003, it turned out that the angel is held by its own bronze mass.

Not only is the column itself taller than the Vendome column, the figure of an angel surpasses in height the figure of Napoleon I on the Vendome column. The sculptor gave the angel's facial features a resemblance to the face of Alexander I. In addition, the angel tramples a snake with a cross, which symbolizes the peace and tranquility that Russia brought to Europe by defeating the Napoleonic troops.

The light figure of an angel, the falling folds of clothing, the clearly expressed vertical of the cross, continuing the vertical of the monument, emphasize the harmony of the column.

The 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 are framed by double-leaf gates on four sides of the fence), which were crowned with three-headed eagles.

Between them were placed alternating spears and staffs of banners, topped with guards double-headed eagles. Locks were hung on the gates of the fence in accordance with the author's intention.

In addition, the project included the installation of a chandelier with copper lanterns and gas lighting.

The fence in its original form was installed in 1834, all the elements were completely installed in 1836-1837.

In the north-eastern corner of the fence there was a guardhouse, in which there was a disabled person dressed in full dress guard uniform, guarding the monument day and night and keeping order in the square.

The entire space of the Palace Square was paved with ends.

Stories and legends associated with the Alexander Column

• It is noteworthy that both the installation of the column on the pedestal and the opening of the monument took place on August 30 (September 11, according to the new style). This is not an accidental 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, therefore the angel, looking from the top of the Alexander Column, has always been perceived primarily as a protector and guardian.

• For the parade of troops on Palace Square, the Yellow (now Pevchesky) Bridge was built according to the project of O. Montferrand.
• After the opening of the column, Petersburgers were very afraid that it would fall and tried not to approach 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 power structures of the top - the abacus, on which the figure of an angel is mounted, was originally conceived in granite ; but at the last moment it had to be replaced with brickwork with a lime-based binder.

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.

• 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 the message that in 1952 they were going to replace the figure of an angel with a bust of Stalin.

legends

• 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 at the St. Petersburg court reports interesting information about this monument:

With regard to this column, we can recall the proposal made to Emperor Nicholas by the skillful French architect Montferrand, who was present at its excision, transportation and setting, namely: he proposed to the emperor to drill a spiral staircase inside this column and required only two workers for this: 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; finally, two lanterns to illuminate the workers in their hard work. In 10 years, he argued, the worker and the boy (the latter would grow a little, of course) would have completed their spiral staircase; but the emperor, rightly proud of the erection of this one of a kind monument, feared, and perhaps with good reason, that this drill would not penetrate the outer sides of the column, and therefore refused this proposal. Baron P. de Burgoin, French envoy from 1828 to 1832

• After the restoration began in 2002-2003, non-authoritative newspaper publications began to spread information that the column was not solid, but consisted of a certain number of "pancakes" so skillfully fitted to each other that the seams between them were practically invisible.
• 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 bridegroom with the bride in his arms goes around the column, so many children will be born to them.

Addition and restoration work

Two years after the installation of the monument, in 1836, white-gray spots began to appear on the polished surface of the stone under the bronze top of the granite column, spoiling the appearance of the monument.

In 1841, Nicholas I ordered an inspection of the flaws noticed then on the column, but the conclusion of the survey stated that even during the processing, 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 that were originally characteristic of the monolith, but it was feared that an increase in the number and size of them "may give rise to the collapse of the column."

There were discussions about the materials that should be used to seal these cavities. The Russian “grandfather of chemistry” A. A. Voskresensky proposed a composition “which should have been given to the 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 fixed on the abacus of the capitals - 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 great height of the column.

The decorative lanterns near the column were made 40 years after the opening - in 1876 by the architect K. K. Rakhau.

For all the time 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 for the holidays the angel was covered with a red-painted canvas cap or masked with balloons descended from a hovering airship.

The fence was dismantled and melted down for cartridge cases in the 1930s.

During the blockade of Leningrad, the monument was covered only by 2/3 of the height. Unlike Klodt's horses or sculptures summer garden the sculpture remained in its place and the angel was injured: on one of the wings there was a deep fragmentation mark, in addition to this, more than a hundred minor damages were caused to the monument by fragments of shells. One of the fragments was stuck in the bas-relief image of the helmet of Alexander Nevsky, from where it was removed in 2003.

The restoration was carried out in 1963 (foreman N. N. Reshetov, the work was supervised by the restorer I. G. Black).

In 1977, restoration work was carried out on Palace Square: historical lanterns were restored around the column, the asphalt pavement was replaced with granite and diabase paving stones.

Engineering and restoration work at the beginning of the XXI century

At the end of the 20th century, after a certain time had passed since the previous restoration, the need for serious restoration work and, first of all, a detailed study of the monument began to be felt more and more acutely. The prologue to the start of work was the study of the column. They were forced to be produced on the recommendation of specialists from the Museum of Urban Sculpture. The alarm of specialists was caused by large cracks at the top of the column, visible through binoculars. The inspection was carried out from helicopters and climbers, who in 1991, for the first time in the history of the St. Petersburg restoration school, landed a research “landing party” on top of the column using a special Magirus Deutz fire hydrant.

Having fixed at the top, the climbers took photos and videos of the sculpture. It was concluded that the urgent need for restoration work.

The restoration was financed by the Moscow association Hazer International Rus. To carry out works worth 19.5 million rubles on the monument, the company Intarsia was chosen; this choice was made due to the presence in the organization of personnel with extensive experience in such critical facilities. L. Kakabadze, K. Efimov, A. Poshekhonov, P. Portuguese were engaged in the work at the facility. The work was supervised by the restorer of the first category Sorin V.G.

By the autumn of 2002, the scaffolding had been erected, and the conservators carried out on-site surveys. Almost all the bronze elements of the pommel were in disrepair: everything was covered with a “wild patina”, “bronze disease” began to develop in fragments, the cylinder on which the figure of an angel relied cracked and took on a barrel-shaped shape. The internal cavities of the monument were examined using a flexible three-meter endoscope. As a result, the restorers were also able to establish what the general design of the monument looks like and determine the differences between the original project and its actual implementation.

One of the results of the study was the solution of the emerging spots in the upper part of the column: they turned out to be a product of the destruction of the brickwork, flowing out.

Carrying out work

Years of rainy St. Petersburg weather led to the following destruction of the monument:

• The brickwork of the abacus was completely destroyed; at the time of the study, the initial stage of its deformation was recorded.
• Inside the cylindrical pedestal of the angel, up to 3 tons of water accumulated, which got inside through dozens of cracks and holes in the shell of the sculpture. This water, seeping down into the pedestal and freezing in winter, ruptured the cylinder, giving it a barrel shape.

The following tasks were set for the restorers:

1. Get rid of water:

• Remove water from the cavities of the top;
• Prevent water accumulation in the future;

Restore the structure of the abacus support.

The work was carried out mainly in winter at high altitude without dismantling the sculpture, both outside and inside the structure. Control over the work was carried out by both specialized and non-core structures, including the Administration of St. Petersburg.

The restorers carried out work to create a drainage system for the monument: as a result, all the cavities of the monument were connected, and the cavity of the cross, about 15.5 meters high, was used as an “exhaust pipe”. The created drainage system provides for the removal of all moisture, including condensation.

The brick weight of the finial in the abacus was replaced with granite, self-jamming constructions without binders. Thus, the original intention of Montferrand was again realized. The bronze surfaces of the monument were protected by patination.

In addition, more than 50 fragments left over from the blockade of Leningrad were removed from the monument.

Scaffolding from the monument was removed in March 2003.

Fence repair

The fence was made according to a project completed in 1993 by the Lenproektrestavratsiya Institute. The work was financed from the city budget, the costs amounted to 14 million 700 thousand rubles. The historical fence of the monument was restored by the specialists of Intarsia LLC. Installation of the fence began on November 18, and the grand opening took place on January 24, 2004.

Soon after the discovery, a part of the lattice was stolen as a result of two "raids" of vandals - hunters for non-ferrous metals.

The theft could not be prevented, despite the 24-hour surveillance cameras on Palace Square: they did not record anything in the dark. To monitor the area at night, it is necessary to use special expensive cameras. The leadership of the St. Petersburg Central Internal Affairs Directorate decided to establish a round-the-clock police post near the Alexander Column.

Ice rink around the column

At the end of March 2008, an examination of the condition of the column fence was carried out, a defective statement was drawn up for all the loss of elements. It recorded:

• 53 places of deformation,
• 83 lost parts,
• Loss of 24 small eagles and one large eagle,
• 31 partial loss of details.

• 28 eagles
• 26 spades

The loss did not receive an explanation from the St. Petersburg officials and was not commented on by the organizers of the rink.

The organizers of the skating rink undertook obligations to the city administration to restore the lost elements of the fence. Work was to begin after the May holidays of 2008.

References in art

According to art historians, the talented work of O. Montferrand has clear proportions, laconism of form, beauty of lines and silhouette. Both immediately after its creation and subsequently, this architectural work has repeatedly inspired artists.

As an iconic element of the urban landscape, it has been repeatedly depicted by landscape painters.

indicative contemporary example serves as a video clip for the song "Love" (directed by S. Debezhev, author - Y. Shevchuk) from the album of the same name by the DDT group. In this clip, among other things, an analogy is made between the column and the silhouette of a space rocket. In addition to being used in the video clip, a snapshot of the bas-relief of the pedestal was used to design the album sleeve.

Also, the column is depicted on the cover of the album "Lemur of the Nine" by the St. Petersburg group "Refawn".

Column in literature

• The "Pillar of Alexandria" is mentioned in the famous poem by A. S. Pushkin "Monument". Pushkin's Alexandria Pillar is a complex image, it contains not only a monument to Alexander I, but also an allusion to the obelisks of Alexandria and Horace. At the first publication, the name "Alexandria" was replaced by V. A. Zhukovsky out of fear of censorship for "Napoleons" (meaning the Vendome column).

In addition, Pushkin's contemporaries attributed the couplet.

An open competition for the creation of the monument was officially announced on behalf of Emperor Nicholas I in 1829 with the wording in memory of " unforgettable brother» . Auguste Montferrand responded to this competition with a project to erect a grandiose granite obelisk. Taking into account the size of the square, Montferrand did not consider options for a sculptural monument, realizing that, not having a colossal size, he would simply be lost in her ensemble.

A sketch of that project has been preserved and is currently in the library, it has no date, according to Nikitin, the project belongs to the first half of 1829. Montferrand proposed to install a granite obelisk similar to the ancient Egyptian obelisks on a granite plinth. The total height of the monument was 33.78 meters. The front face was supposed to be decorated with bas-reliefs depicting the events of the war of 1812 in pictures from the famous medallions by the medalist Count F. P. Tolstoy.

On the pedestal it was planned to carry out the inscription "Blessed - grateful Russia." On the pedestal, the architect placed bas-reliefs (the author of which was the same Tolstoy) depicting Alexander in the form of a Roman soldier on a horse trampling a snake under his feet; a double-headed eagle flies ahead 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 known monoliths in the world with its height. The artistic part of the project is excellently done in watercolor technique and testifies to the high skill of Montferrand in various areas of fine art. The project itself was also made "with great skill."

Trying to defend his project, the architect acted within the limits of subordination, dedicating his essay to Nicholas I " Plans et details du monument consacré à la mémoire de l'Empereur Alexandre”, but the idea was nevertheless rejected and Montferrand was unambiguously pointed out to the column as the desired form of the monument.

Final project

The second project, which was subsequently implemented, was to install a column higher than the Vendôme column (erected in Paris in honor of Napoleon's victories). As sources for his project, Montferrand used the columns of Trajan and Antoninus in Rome, Pompey in Alexandria, as well as the Vendôme.

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. Montferrand abandoned the use of additional decorations, such as bas-reliefs, spirally wrapping around the rod of the ancient Trajan column, since, according to him, contemporary artists could not compete with the ancient masters, and settled on a version of the column with a smooth rod made of a giant polished pink granite monolith 25.6 meters high (12 sazhens). The bottom diameter of the column is 3.66 m (12 ft) and the top diameter is 3.19 m (10 ft 6 in). He copied the pedestal and base almost unchanged from Trajan's column.

Together with the pedestal and crowning sculpture, the height of the monument was 47.5 m - higher than all existing monolithic columns. In a new form, on September 24, 1829, the project without sculptural completion was approved by the emperor. A few days later, Montferrand was appointed builder of the column.

Construction was carried out from 1829 to 1834. Since 1831, the chairman of the "Commission for the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral", which was also responsible for the installation of the column, was appointed Count Yu.

Preparatory work

The work was completed in October 1830.

Building a pedestal

After laying the foundation, a huge four-hundred-ton monolith was hoisted onto it, hewn and taken out of the Letzarma area, which is five miles from Pyuterlax, which serves as the base of the pedestal. To install the monolith on the foundation, a platform was built, on which it was pumped using rollers along an inclined plane. The stone was dumped on a heap of sand, which had previously been poured next to the platform.

“At the same time, the earth trembled so much that the eyewitnesses - passers-by who were on the square at that moment, felt, as it were, an underground shock.”

After the supports were placed under the monolith, the workers removed the sand and placed rollers. The props were cut, and the block sank onto the rollers. The stone was rolled onto the foundation and accurately installed. The ropes, thrown over the blocks, were pulled by nine capstans and raised the stone to a height of about one meter. They took out the rollers and added a layer of slippery solution, very peculiar in its composition, on which they planted a monolith.

Since the work was carried out in winter, I ordered to mix cement with vodka and add a tenth of soap. 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, which I ordered to be mixed into the solution.

O. Montferrand

The setting of the upper parts of the pedestal was a much simpler task - despite the greater height of the rise, the subsequent steps consisted of stones much smaller than the previous ones, moreover, the workers gradually gained experience. The remaining parts of the pedestal (hewn granite blocks) were installed on the plinth with mortar and fastened with steel brackets.

Column installation

• On an inclined plane, the column was rolled up to a special platform located at the foot of the scaffolding and wrapped around with many rings of ropes to which blocks were attached;
• Another system of blocks was at the top of the scaffolding;
• A large number of ropes encircling the stone went around the upper and lower blocks and were wound with free ends on capstans placed on the square.

At the end of all preparations, the day of the solemn rise was appointed.

In parallel with the construction of the column, in September 1830, O. Montferrand worked on a statue that was supposed to be placed above it and, according to the wishes of Nicholas I, facing the Winter Palace. In the original project, the column was completed by a cross wrapped around with a snake to decorate the fasteners. In addition, the sculptors of the Academy of Arts proposed several variants of compositions for the figures of angels and virtues with a cross. There was a variant with the installation of the figure of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky.

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 for everyone, - “ Sim win!". These words are connected with the story of the acquisition of the life-giving cross:

Finishing and polishing of the monument lasted two years.

Opening of the monument

The opening of the monument took place on August 30 (September 11) 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 thousandth Russian army and representatives of the Russian army. It was accompanied by a solemn divine service at the foot of the column, in which the kneeling troops and the emperor himself took part.

This open-air service drew a parallel with the historical prayer service of the Russian troops in Paris on the day of Orthodox Easter on March 29 (April 10).

It was impossible to look without deep spiritual tenderness at the sovereign, humbly kneeling in front of this numerous army, moved by his word to the foot of the colossus he built. He prayed for his brother, and everything at that moment spoke of the earthly glory of this sovereign brother: the monument that bears his name, and the kneeling Russian army, and the people in the midst of whom he lived, complacent, accessible to everyone.<…>How striking was at that moment this contrast of worldly grandeur, magnificent, but fleeting, with the grandeur of death, gloomy, but unchanged; and how eloquent was this angel, in view of both, who, not involved in everything that surrounded him, stood between earth and heaven, belonging to 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

... no pen can describe the greatness of that moment when, through three cannon shots, suddenly from all the streets, as if born from the earth, in slender bulks, with drum thunder, to the sounds of the Paris March, the columns of the Russian army went ... For two hours this magnificent, the only one in a spectacle in the world ... In the evening, for a long time, noisy crowds wandered through the streets of the illuminated city, finally the lighting went out, the streets were empty, in the deserted square there was a majestic colossus alone with his sentinel

In honor of this event, in the same year, a memorial ruble was issued with a circulation of 15,000.

Description of the monument

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 Alexander Column resembles samples of the triumphal buildings of antiquity, the monument has an amazing clarity of proportions, laconic form, and beauty of the silhouette.

Text on the plaque:

ALEXANDER I
Grateful Russia

This is the tallest monument in the world, made of solid granite and the third tallest of all monumental columns - after the Great Army Column in Boulogne-sur-Mer and Trafalgar (Nelson's Column) in London; The Alexander Column is higher than the Vendôme Column in Paris, Trajan's Column in Rome and Pompey's Column in Alexandria.

The column shaft is the tallest and heaviest monolith ever installed in the form of a column or an obelisk vertically, and one of the largest (the fifth in history and the second - after the Thunder-stone - in modern times) monoliths displaced by man.

Characteristics

• The total height of the structure is 47.5 m
  • height of the figure of an angel - 4.26 m (2 sazhens)
  • cross height - 6.4 m (3 fathoms)
• height of the top of the column with a cross ~12 m
• stem height (monolithic part of the column) - 25.6 m (12 sazhens)
  • lower column diameter - 3.66 m (12 ft), upper - 3.15 m (10 ft 6 in)
• the height of the pedestal of the column of 8 granite blocks laid in three rows - 4.25 m
  • dimensions of bas-reliefs - 5.24 × 3.1 m
• height of the socle from monolithic granite - 3.9 m
  • horizontal dimensions of the plinth - 6.3 × 6.3 m
• column height to the shaft ~10 m
• Plinth and pedestal weight - 704 tons
• Weight of granite column shaft 612 tons
• The weight of the top of the column is 37 tons
• Fence dimensions 16.5×16.5×1.5 m

The trunk of the column stands on a granite base without additional supports, only under the action of gravity.

Pedestal

The pedestal of the column is decorated on four sides with bronze bas-reliefs cast at the C. Byrd factory in 1833-1834.

A large team of authors worked on the decoration of the pedestal: sketch drawings were made by O. Montferrand, who proved himself an excellent draftsman here. His drawings for bas-reliefs and bronze jewelry are distinguished by "clearness, confidence of lines and thoroughness in drawing details."

The bas-reliefs on the pedestal of the column in 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 kept in the Armory in Moscow, including helmets attributed to Alexander Nevsky and Yermak, as well as the armor of the 17th century Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and that, despite Montferrand's claims, it is completely doubtful that the shield Oleg of the 10th century, nailed by him to the gates of Tsargrad.

Based on the drawings by Montferrand, the artists J. B. Scotty, V. Solovyov, Tverskoy, F. Brullo, Markov made life-size cardboard for bas-reliefs. Sculptors P. V. Svintsov and I. Leppe sculpted bas-reliefs for casting. Models of two-headed eagles were made by the sculptor I. Leppe, models of the base, garlands and other decorations - by the ornamental sculptor E. Balin.

These images appeared on the work of the Frenchman Montferrand through the efforts of the then president of the Academy of Arts, a well-known lover of Russian antiquity A. N. Olenin. However, the style of depicting military fittings most likely dates back to the Renaissance.

In addition to armor and allegories, allegorical figures are depicted on the pedestal from the northern (front) side: winged female figures hold a rectangular board on which the inscription in civil script: "Grateful Russia to Alexander the First." Under the board is an exact copy of armor samples from the armory.

Symmetrically located figures on the sides of the armament (on the left - a beautiful young woman leaning on an urn from which water pours out and on the right - an old aquarius man) personify the Vistula and Neman rivers, which were forced by the Russian army during the pursuit of Napoleon.

Other bas-reliefs depict Victory and Glory, recording the dates of memorable battles, and, in addition, the pedestal depicts the allegories of Victory and Peace (the years 1812, 1813 and 1814 are inscribed on the Victory shield), Justice and Mercy, Wisdom and Abundance ".

On the upper corners of the pedestal there are double-headed eagles, they hold oak garlands in their paws, lying on the ledge of the cornice of the pedestal. On the front side of the pedestal, above the garland, in the middle - in a circle bordered with an oak wreath, the All-Seeing Eye with the signature "1812".

On all the bas-reliefs, weapons of a classical nature are depicted as decorative elements, which

... does not belong to modern Europe and cannot hurt the pride of any people.

Column and sculpture of an angel

The stone column is a single piece of polished pink granite. The trunk of the column has a conical shape with entasis (thickening of the trunk to eliminate the optical concavity of the trunk) from bottom to top.

The top of the column is crowned with a bronze capital of the Doric order. Its base - a rectangular abacus - is made of brickwork with a bronze lining. A bronze cylindrical pedestal with a hemispherical top is installed on it, inside of which is enclosed the main support array, consisting of multi-layered masonry: granite, brick and two more layers of granite.

The column itself is taller than the Vendôme one, and the figure of an angel surpasses in height the figure of Napoleon I on the last one. The angel tramples the snake with a cross, which symbolizes the peace and tranquility that Russia brought to Europe, defeating the Napoleonic troops.

The sculptor gave the facial features of the angel 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 expressed vertical of the cross, continuing the vertical of the monument, emphasize the harmony of the column.

Montferrand transferred the pedestal and base of Trajan's column, as well as the lower diameter of the rod, equal to 12 feet (3.66 m), to his project without changes. The shaft height of the Alexander Column was taken to be 3 feet less than Trajan's Column: 84 feet (25.58 m), and the top diameter was 10 feet and 6 inches (3.19 m). The height of the column, as in the Roman Doric order, was eight of its upper diameters. The architect developed his own system for thinning the column rod - an important element that affects general perception monument. Contrary to the classical thinning system, Montferrand began it not from a height equal to one third of the rod, but immediately from the base, drawing a thinning curve using divisions of tangent lines drawn to segments of the base section arc. In addition, he used more divisions than usual: twelve. As Nikitin notes, the system of thinning the Alexander Column is Montferrand's undoubted success.

The fence and surroundings of the monument

The Alexander Column was surrounded by a decorative bronze fence about 1.5 meters high, designed by Auguste Montferrand. The fence was decorated with 136 double-headed eagles and 12 captured cannons (4 in the corners and 2 are framed by double-leaf gates on four sides of the fence), which were crowned with three-headed eagles.

Between them were placed alternating spears and staffs of banners, topped with guards double-headed eagles. Locks were hung on the gates of the fence in accordance with the author's intention.

In addition, the project included the installation of a chandelier with copper lanterns and gas lighting.

The fence in its original form was installed in 1834, all the elements were completely installed in 1836-1837. In the north-eastern corner of the fence there was a guardhouse, in which there was a disabled person who was on duty and dressed in full dress guard uniform, day and night guarding the monument and keeping order on the square.

The end pavement was laid out throughout the Palace Square.

Stories and legends associated with the Alexander Column

legends

With regard to this column, we can recall the proposal made to Emperor Nicholas by the skillful French architect Montferrand, who was present at its excision, transportation and setting, namely: he proposed to the emperor to drill a spiral staircase inside this column and required only two workers for this: 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; finally, two lanterns to illuminate the workers in their hard work. In 10 years, he argued, the worker and the boy (the latter would grow a little, of course) would have completed their spiral staircase; but the emperor, rightly proud of the erection of this one of a kind monument, feared, and perhaps with good reason, that this drill would not penetrate the outer sides of the column, and therefore refused this proposal.

Addition and restoration work

Two years after the installation of the monument, in 1836, white-gray spots began to appear on the polished surface of the stone under the bronze top of the granite column, spoiling the appearance of the monument.

In 1841, Nicholas I ordered an inspection of the flaws noticed then on the column, but the conclusion of the survey stated that even during the processing, 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 that were originally characteristic of the monolith, but it was feared that an increase in the number and size of them "may give rise to the collapse of the column" .

There were discussions about the materials that should be used to seal these cavities. The Russian “grandfather of chemistry” A. A. Voskresensky proposed a composition “which should have been given to the 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 fixed on the abacus of the capitals - 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 great height of the column.

Decorative lanterns near the column were made 42 years after its opening - in 1876 by the architect K.K. Rakhau.

For all the time 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 for the holidays the angel was covered with a red-painted canvas cap or masked with balloons descended from a hovering airship. In the 1930s, the fence was dismantled and melted down for cartridge cases [ ] .

The restoration was carried out in 1963 (foreman N. N. Reshetov, the work was supervised by the restorer I. G. Black).

In 1977, restoration work was carried out on Palace Square: historical lanterns were restored around the column, the asphalt pavement was replaced with granite and diabase paving stones.

Engineering and restoration work at the beginning of the XXI century

At the end of the 20th century, after a certain time had passed since the previous restoration, the need for serious restoration work and, first of all, a detailed study of the monument began to be felt more and more acutely. The prologue to the start of work was the study of the column. They were forced to be produced on the recommendation of specialists from the museum urban sculpture. The alarm of specialists was caused by large cracks at the top of the column, visible through binoculars. The inspection was carried out from helicopters and climbers, who in 1991, for the first time in the history of the St. Petersburg restoration school, landed a research “landing party” on top of the column using a special Magirus Deutz fire crane.

Having fixed at the top, the climbers took photos and videos of the sculpture. It was concluded that it was necessary to urgently carry out restoration work.

The restoration was financed by the Moscow association Hazer International Rus. To carry out work worth 19.5 million rubles on the monument, the Intarsia company was chosen; this choice was made due to the presence in the organization of personnel with extensive experience in such critical facilities. L. Kakabadze, K. Efimov, A. Poshekhonov, P. Portuguese were engaged in the work at the facility. The work was supervised by the restorer of the first category Sorin V.G.

By the autumn of 2002, the scaffolding had been erected, and the conservators carried out on-site surveys. Almost all the bronze elements of the pommel were in disrepair: everything was covered with a “wild patina”, a “bronze disease” began to develop in fragments, the cylinder on which the figure of an angel relied cracked and took on a barrel-shaped shape. The internal cavities of the monument were examined using a flexible three-meter endoscope. As a result, the restorers were also able to establish what the general design of the monument looks like and determine the differences between the original project and its actual implementation.

One of the results of the study was the solution of the emerging spots in the upper part of the column: they turned out to be a product of the destruction of the brickwork, flowing out.

Carrying out work

Years of rainy St. Petersburg weather led to the following destruction of the monument:

• The brickwork of the abacus was completely destroyed; at the time of the study, the initial stage of its deformation was recorded.
• Inside the cylindrical pedestal of the angel, up to 3 tons of water accumulated, which got inside through dozens of cracks and holes in the shell of the sculpture. This water, seeping down into the pedestal and freezing in winter, ruptured the cylinder, giving it a barrel shape.

The following tasks were set for the restorers: to remove water from the cavities of the pommel, to prevent the accumulation of water in the future, and to restore the structure of the abacus support. The work was carried out mainly in winter at high altitude without dismantling the sculpture, both outside and inside the structure. Control over the work was carried out by both specialized and non-core structures, including the administration of St. Petersburg.

The restorers carried out work to create a drainage system for the monument: as a result, all the cavities of the monument were connected, and the cavity of the cross, about 15.5 meters high, was used as an “exhaust pipe”. The created drainage system provides for the removal of all moisture, including condensation.

The brick weight of the finial in the abacus was replaced with granite, self-jamming constructions without binders. Thus, the original intention of Montferrand was again realized. The bronze surfaces of the monument were protected by patination.

In addition, more than 50 fragments left over from the blockade of Leningrad were removed from the monument.

Scaffolding from the monument was removed in March 2003.

Fence repair

... "jewelry work" was carried out, and when recreating the fence, "iconographic materials, old photographs were used." "Palace Square got the finishing touch."

The fence was made according to a project completed in 1993 by the Lenproektrestavratsiya Institute. The work was financed from the city budget, the costs amounted to 14 million 700 thousand rubles. The historical fence of the monument was restored by the specialists of Intarsia LLC. The installation of the fence began on November 18, the grand opening took place on January 24, 2004.

Soon after the discovery, a part of the lattice was stolen as a result of two "raids" of vandals - hunters for non-ferrous metals.

The theft could not be prevented, despite the 24-hour surveillance cameras on Palace Square: they did not record anything in the dark. To monitor the area at night, it is necessary to use special expensive cameras. The leadership of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate of St. Petersburg decided to establish a round-the-clock police post near the Alexander Column.

Ice rink around the column

At the end of March 2008, an examination of the condition of the column fence was carried out, a defective statement was drawn up for all the loss of elements. It recorded:

• 53 places of deformation,
• 83 lost parts,
  • loss of 24 small eagles and one large eagle,
  • partial loss of 31 details.

• 28 eagles
• 26 spades

The loss did not receive an explanation from St. Petersburg officials and was not commented on by the organizers of the skating rink.

The organizers of the skating rink undertook obligations to the city administration to restore the lost elements of the fence. The works were supposed to start after the May holidays in 2008 .

References in art

Also, the column is depicted on the cover of the album "Lemur of the Nine" by the St. Petersburg group "Refawn".

Column in literature

• The "Pillar of Alexandria" is mentioned in the famous poem by A. S. Pushkin "". The Alexander Pillar of Pushkin is a complex image, it contains not only a monument to Alexander I, but also an allusion to the obelisks of Alexandria and Horace. During the first publication, the name "Alexandria" was replaced by V. A. Zhukovsky out of fear of censorship for "Napoleons" (meaning the Vendôme column).

In addition, contemporaries attributed to Pushkin a couplet:

Everything in Russia breathes military craft
And the angel makes a cross on guard

commemorative coin

On September 25, 2009, the Bank of Russia issued a 25-ruble commemorative coin dedicated to the 175th anniversary of the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg. The coin is made of 925 sterling silver with a circulation of 1000 copies and a weight of 169.00 grams

The idea of ​​installing a triumphal column in St. Petersburg belongs to Montferrand himself. Back in 1814, presenting his album to Alexander I in Paris, he hoped to interest the emperor of the victorious power by installing in Russia a “triumphal column dedicated to the Universal Peace”, and presented a draft of this column, consisting of three parts: a base with a pedestal, a column body ( fust) and the figure of Alexander I crowning the column in antique clothes. I liked the idea, but Montferrand did not receive an order for its implementation and, as we know, for a whole decade, from 1818 to 1828, he was busy designing and building St. Isaac's Cathedral. Meanwhile, after the death of Alexander I, wishing to confirm the deeds of his predecessor, Nicholas I found it necessary to create a monument on the square in front of the Winter Palace.

Montferrand, by that time appointed chief architect of St. Isaac's Cathedral, became the author of several other buildings. Having received an order for the project of the monument, Montferrand wrote: “Thinking about the place that was intended for it, it was easy for me to understand that the sculptural monument, whatever its proportions, could never be coordinated with the vast buildings surrounding it” [ 63 ] . Having abandoned the sculptural image, the architect began designing the monument, conceived it in the form of a tetrahedral obelisk from a single piece of granite, in its proportions approaching the Egyptian obelisks of the Middle Kingdom (the obelisk of Senusret, the first third of the 2nd millennium BC). bas-reliefs by the sculptor Fyodor Tolstoy depicting episodes of the war of 1812 were placed.

Here is how the architect himself justified the choice of the idea of ​​a memorial monument: “Monuments are always open page where the people can draw knowledge about past events at all times, imbued with just pride at the sight of wonderful examples that glorious ancestors bequeathed to them ... Citizens will love cities enriched with monuments that will remind them of the glory of the Fatherland.

Soon I had to abandon the idea of ​​​​installing an obelisk on Palace Square. The main reason was that it did not correspond to the character of the architecture of the ensemble of the square, which was formed in connection with the construction of the General Staff building and acquired features of completeness, despite the diversity of time and stylistic heterogeneity of the buildings included in it.

Panorama of Palace Square

Esplanade of three squares: Isaakievskaya, Admiralteyskaya and Dvortsovaya with majestic buildings Winter Palace and the Admiralty, the vastness of the Neva and the bulk of St. Isaac's Cathedral required for its balance a different vertical in nature. Montferrand finally established himself in the idea that such a dominant should be a column that would not exceed the height of the spire of the Admiralty and the dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral, but was proportionate to Palace Square and was a necessary compositional element in the spatial structure of the architectural ensemble of the central squares of the city. It was about creating a monument that adequately meets the goal of emphasizing the center of Palace Square.

Thinking over the architectural, plastic solution of the monument, Montferrand, in search of possible prototypes, again turned to historical analogies. Now no longer Ancient Egypt, and imperial Rome became a source of artistic inspiration. Of the three ancient triumphal columns - Antoninus and Trajan in Rome and Pompey in Alexandria - Trajan's column attracted his attention. There was another example - the column of Glory, 43 meters high, installed on the Place Vendôme in Paris in 1806–1810. designed by the architect J. Lemaire, who was strongly influenced by artistic image Trajan's columns. It was at that time the tallest monument of its type. In his project of the triumphal column, Montferrand decided to surpass this particular column in height.

Considering Trajan's column as an unsurpassed example in terms of perfection of form and inner harmony, he wrote: “Trajan’s column, this most beautiful example created by people of this kind, naturally presented itself to my mind, and I had to continue in the future, just as they did in Rome with respect to the Antoninus column, and in Paris with the column Napoleon, to try as close as possible to the beautiful antique model" [63].

At the same time, Montferrand considered it unacceptable to completely repeat the ancient model; he wanted to give the column a specific character. “I replaced the spiral sculptures of this monument with a monolithic rod 12 feet in diameter (3.66 m) and 84 feet high (25.56 m) carved from a block of granite, which I noticed during my frequent trips to Finland in the last 13 years ", - wrote Montferrand. In addition, he was also guided by practical considerations: “A block of red granite, which has no flaws, is able to get the best polish, is best granite East, is located in the Püterlax quarry, near Friedrichsham, at the very place from which 48 granite columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral were extracted" [ 63 ].

Having decided to leave the monument smooth, without relief compositions, Montferrand paid great attention to building the most accurate and correct form of the column core. The ratio of the upper and lower diameters, the outlines of the outer contour, the ratio of the base to the total height - all this required the most careful study. But the most important was the choice of the thinning curve of the column rod. To achieve the most perfect form of the rod, all the major architects, starting with Vitruvius, proposed their own methods of thinning. Renaissance architects Vignola and A. Palladio believed that the column was cylindrical for one third of its height, then it got some thickening, after which the trunk gradually thinned. In each case, such constructions were made using calculations.

To build the shape of the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral, Montferrand used these calculations. When designing the Alexander Column, the architect took the pedestal and the base of the Troyan column as a basis, taking the diameter of the base of the rod 12 feet (3.66 m), the height of the rod 84 feet (25.58 m), the diameter of the upper base of the rod 10 feet 6 inches (3.19 m). It turned out that the diameter of the column fit into its height 8 times. It follows that the ratio of the upper diameter to the lower one is 3.19: 3.66, i.e., equal to the ratio 8: 9.

The most important task - the thinning of the column rod, Montferrand solved in his own way. He, unlike Vitruvius, Vignola and Palladio, believed that thinning should begin not from one third of the height, but from the very base, and supported this point of view with calculations made according to the method of the mathematician Lame. This calculation confirmed the correctness of the task set by Montferrand and made it possible to create a beautiful smooth curved line of the outer contour of the column. Assessing its artistic effect, Lame wrote: “The sight of a towering column, elegantly and firmly built, causes real pleasure, mixed with surprise. The contented eye gazes lovingly at the details and rests on the whole. A particular reason for its effect is the happy choice of the meridian curve. The impression that the appearance of a new building makes depends as much on the viewer’s thought about its strength as on the elegance of forms and proportions” [63].

Quarry plan in Püterlax. Engraving by Schreiber after a drawing by O. Montferrand. 1836

The thinning curve of the barrel, built according to the Montferrand method, gives an amazingly smooth contour line, successfully combined with perspective reduction. The method proposed by Montferrand for constructing a thinning curve fully meets the most stringent requirements that can be presented to a free-standing column that can be viewed from all sides. This is his great merit.

Comparative height of the columns of Alexander I, Napoleon, Trajan, Pompey and Antoninus. Muller's lithograph based on a drawing by O. Montferrand. 1836

The project was approved on September 24, 1829, and Montferrand was appointed the builder of the monument. The Academy of Fine Arts, which had not previously recognized the architect, now paid tribute to him in the same meeting room where, ten years earlier, the discussion of Maudui's note and Montferrand's answers had taken place. On September 29, 1831, the Council of the Academy, at the suggestion of President Olenin, awarded him the title of "honorary free community member." This title was usually awarded to titled domestic persons or very famous, outstanding foreign artists.

Type of work in the quarry. Lithograph by Bichebois and Watteau after a drawing by O. Montferrand. 1836

The history of the creation of the Alexander Column is described in the album published by Montferrand in 1836 under the title "Plan and details of the memorial monument dedicated to Emperor Alexander." The whole process associated with the search for the desired monolith in the Pyuterlax quarry, with its delivery on a special ship to St. Petersburg, unloading and transportation to Palace Square, as well as the moment of the opening of the monument are described in this work with all the details.

Fragment of the scaffolding for lifting the column. Bichebois lithograph based on a drawing by O. Montferrand. 1836

Therefore, without dwelling in detail on the description of all the works, I would still like to note some curious episodes that accompanied this unusual construction. When the column was already prepared for lifting, the ceremony of handing over the casket with medals to Montferrand took place so that he would put it in a special recess in the center of the pedestal. The box contained coins and medals depicting Alexander I. Among them is a platinum medal, made according to a drawing by Montferrand, with the image of the Alexander Column and the date "1830". On the rim of the medal there is an inscription: "Grateful Russia to Alexander the Blessed". In addition, the casket contained a plate of gilded bronze with the inscription: “In the summer of the Nativity of Christ 1831, construction began on a monument erected by grateful Russia to Emperor Alexander on a granite base laid on the 19th day of November 1830 in St. Petersburg. During the construction of this monument, Count Yu. Litta presided. Sessiond: Prince P. Volynsky. A. Olenin, Count P. Kutaisov, I. Gladkov, L. Carbonner, A. Vasilchikov. The construction was carried out according to the design of the same architect Augustine de Montferrand.

Details of the Alexander Column. Pedestal, base, capital and sculpture. Lithograph by Arnoux after a drawing by O. Montferrand. 1836

On August 30, 1832, the raising of the column to the pedestal was scheduled. This construction operation resulted in an event of national importance. Montferrand sketched and described this operation in detail: “The streets leading to the 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 mingled into one. 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 resembled the amphitheater of Ancient Rome, accommodated more than ten thousand people. Nicholas I and his family settled in a special pavilion. In another, the envoys of Austria, England, France, ministers, commissioners for affairs, who make up the foreign diplomatic corps. Then there are special places for the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Arts, university professors, for foreigners, people close to art, who came from Italy, Germany to attend this ceremony.” .

Column lift. Bichebois lithograph based on a drawing by O. Montferrand. 1836

Over the next two years, the monument was finalized: the barrel was polished, the entasis was refined, bronze decorations were installed on the pedestal and the figure of an angel, which, according to the architect, was supposed to complete the column. The creation of sketches and the manufacture of preliminary models were entrusted to the sculptors S. I. Galberg, I. Leppe and B. I. Orlovsky. Academician B. I. Orlovsky, despite the difficult working conditions caused by the unceremonious intervention of Nicholas I, for eight months molded in clay and cast in plaster the figure of an angel in the design size. However, the issue of the size of the base for the figure of an angel was discussed in detail in the Construction Commission. Opinions were expressed to reduce its magnitude. Prince G. G. Gagarin, member of the Commission, believed: “If the column erected in honor of Alexander I should be crowned with his image, then it is necessary that this final part triumph over the entire monument, but since we are talking about a symbolic image, then ... this the emblem must look as simple as possible, and in this case all the requirements of art should be directed mainly to showing the incomparable block of granite and its beautiful pedestal.

Construction of granite pedestal and scaffolding with stone base for column installation. Lithograph of Roux after a drawing by O. Montferrand. 1836

Alexander Column, Admiralteyskaya and St. Isaac's Squares. Lithograph by Arnoux and Bayot after a drawing by Montferrand. 1836

Angel with a cross. Sculptor B. I. Orlovsky

Bas-relief on the pedestal of a column. Artist D. Scotti, sculptors P. Svintsov and I. Leppe. Photo 1920 Published for the first time

Alexander Column

As a result of careful discussion and voting, the members of the Commission came to the decision that the pedestal and hemisphere should be lowered, the figure of the angel should not be enlarged, and gilding should be abandoned. This decision is logically justified and reveals the artistic idea of ​​the monument as a monument to the heroic deed of the people in the Patriotic War of 1812.

For forty years of his life in Russia, Montferrand creatively survived two historical eras, being a contemporary and executor of the will of two Russian emperors - Alexander I and Nicholas I. In artistic style, these are three stages in the development of Russian classicism: early, mature and late, and the beginning of eclecticism, which could not not be reflected in his work on two monuments, so unlike one another. The Alexander Column is a monument to Alexander I. When designing it, Montferrand deviated from the traditional crowning of the column with a statue of the emperor and completed it with an allegorical group depicting an angel with a cross and a snake writhing in front of him. This image is generalized and deep in content, although the monument does not contain a single image, even in bas-reliefs, directly related to episodes of the Patriotic War or the deeds of the emperor, with the exception of the figures of Victory and Peace, which record the dates of the historical victories of Russian weapons on the tablets.

Alexander Column through the lattice gate of the Winter Palace

Montferrand constantly reminded that the Alexander Column was a kind of Trajan's Column. Noting the similarity, he also saw the difference, which, from his point of view, consisted in the fact that the Alexander Column, unlike the Trajan Column, was devoid of a continuous ribbon of bas-reliefs dedicated to the events of the war. However, this is more of an outward sign. The difference is much deeper.

The figure of an angel with a cross crowning the Alexander Column is symbolic. It is made plastically enlarged, without unnecessary details, and is merged into one with the foot and pedestal, which is given a treatment different from the column core. On the four bas-reliefs of the pedestal are symbolic images of the Neman and Vistula rivers, which are associated with the events of the Patriotic War of 1812, as well as allegories of Victory, Peace, Wisdom, Justice, Mercy and Abundance, surrounded by ancient Roman military symbols and Russian combat armor.

The compositions of the bas-reliefs were drawn by Montferrand. He perfectly linked the scale of these compositions with the monumental forms of the column. The bas-reliefs were made to the design size by the artist D.-B. Scotty. Models were made by sculptors P. Svintsov and I. Leppe, ornamental decorations by sculptor E. Balin, and bronze castings were made at the Byrd factory (now Admiralteysky).

If we continue to compare the Alexander Column with the Trajan Column, it should be noted that the latter during the period of creation was crowned with a bronze eagle - a symbol of imperial power, and only after the death of Trajan - with a sculptural image of the emperor (in the Middle Ages, a statue of the Apostle Paul was installed). Thus, the original symbolic content of this monument was expressed more definitely, and this makes the two monuments more related than separates them, although other characteristic features testify to their difference.

The Alexander Column was created from a different material, which has a different color and surface structure, different proportions and outlines of the trunk contour, and even a different composition. Unlike Trajan's column, Montferrand placed the pedestal of the column on a broadened stylobate and a small stepped terrace. From this, the building only benefited in terms of monumentality, because in the ancient prototype, the transition from the horizontal of the base to the vertical of the column seems not to be smooth enough. All this allowed Montferrand to create not a likeness and not an imitation, but an independent monument, the excellent qualities of which do not prevent, however, from seeing the inimitable features of the ancient original.

Grand opening The monument took place exactly two years after the installation of the column on the pedestal - August 30, 1834. The memory of this event by the poet V. A. Zhukovsky has been preserved: “And no pen can describe the greatness of that moment when, by three cannon shots, suddenly from all the streets, as if born from the earth, in slender bulks, with drum thunder, to the sounds of the Paris march, the columns of the Russian army went ... The ceremonial march began: the Russian army passed by the Alexander Column; this splendor lasted for two hours, the only spectacle in the world ... In the evening, noisy crowds roamed the streets of the illuminated city for a long time, finally the lighting went out, the streets were empty, a majestic colossus with his sentry remained in the deserted square.

The column harmoniously blended into the ensemble of the Palace Square and became inseparable from the arch of the General Staff building. Montferrand placed it not in the geometric center of the square, but on the axis of the arch of the General Staff and the central passage of the Winter Palace. With the installation of the Alexander Column, a certain dominant connection arose between the dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Admiralty Tower and the vertical of the column. It became possible to consider them together as a three-dimensional structure of the entire architectural ensemble of the central squares of the city. Montferrand's urban planning talent manifested itself in the fact that he managed to make close in scale and thereby connect two of his creations - St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Alexander Column, which are completely different in absolute size and mass - with the main urban accent of the city - the Admiralty Tower.

The column is visible from the perspective of four streets leading to the Palace Square, and its architectural perception changes depending on the viewing location. The most interesting is the well-known perspective that opens from Nevsky Prospekt along Herzen Street to the arch of the General Staff and further to the square itself, the compositional center of which is the arch.

He also developed a project for the improvement of the entire territory adjacent to it. The architect planned to decorate the center of Palace Square with a large obelisk. This project was also not implemented.

Approximately in 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 to create a monument that would glorify the Russian emperor, who led the country at the same time. From the Senate resolution:

"To erect a monument in the throne city with the inscription: Alexander the Blessed, Emperor of All Russia, Great Powers, Restorer from grateful Russia" [Cit. according to: 1, p. 150].

Alexander I did not support this idea:

"Expressing my complete gratitude, I urge the state estates to leave it without any execution. May a monument be erected to 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 me and God's blessing upon her" [Ibid.].

The project of the monument was accepted 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 belongs to the emperor is proved 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 from one piece with a total height of 111 feet from the foot" [Cit. according to: 4, p. 112].

Initially, Montferrand conceived the monument in the form of an obelisk 35 meters high. He created several versions 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 depict Alexander I on the front side in the form of a victorious victor riding a quadriga. In the second case, the architect proposed placing the figures of Glory and Abundance on the pedestal. Another proposal was interesting, in which the figures of elephants supported the obelisk. In 1829, Montferrand created another version of the monument - in the form of a triumphal column crowned with a cross. As a result, the latter option was adopted as a basis. This decision had a beneficial effect on the overall composition of Palace Square. It was this kind of monument that was able to connect the facades of the Winter Palace and the General Staff Building, an important motif of which is precisely the colonnades. Montferrand wrote:

“The column of Trajan appeared before me as a prototype of the most beautiful thing that a person of this kind is capable of creating. I had to try to get as close as possible to this majestic model of antiquity, as was done in Rome for the Antonin column, in Paris for the Napoleon column " [Cit. according to: 3, p. 231].

Preparation of a huge monolith and its delivery to St. Petersburg is a great challenge even now. And in the first half of the 19th century, this seemed to many to be completely impossible. 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 columns, broken out from the same rock for St. who could not accept them; one, already in terms of loading and unloading, broke when rolling from the local pier to a shed for clean finishing, and the column intended for the obelisk is five fathoms longer and almost twice as thick as the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral, and therefore success in breaking out, in happy loading, unloading and transferring is much more doubtful than similar enterprises for the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral"[Quoted in: 5, p. 162].

Montferrand had to prove his case. In the same year, 1829, he explained to the members of the Commission:

"My frequent trips to Finland for eleven years to review 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 that, and why I dare to certify the success of this work, if the precaution will be taken to multiply the number of drills or holes, cut the mass from below along the entire thickness and, finally, firmly support it in order to separate it without shaking ...
<...>
The means that I propose for raising the column are the same network that was used for the forty columns that have been successfully installed to this day during the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral. I will use the same machines and part of the scaffolding, which will not be needed for the cathedral for two years and will be dismantled in the coming winter.

The commission accepted the architect's explanations, and in early November of the same year the project was approved. On November 13, the plan of Palace Square with a proposed site for the Alexander Column was submitted for approval, approved by Nicholas I in early December. Montferrand assumed that with the advance manufacture of the foundation, pedestal and bronze decorations, the monument could be opened in 1831. The architect expected to spend 1,200,000 rubles for all the work.

According to one of the Petersburg legends, this column was supposed to be used specifically for the construction of the temple. But having received a monolith longer than necessary, it was decided to use it on Palace Square. In fact, this column was carved by special order for the monument.

The installation point of the column from the side looks like the exact center of the 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. Until the end of 1829, the workers managed to dig a foundation pit. While strengthening the foundation for the Alexander Column, the workers stumbled upon piles, which had been used to strengthen the soil back in the 1760s. It turned out that Montferrand repeated after Rastrelli the decision on the place for the monument, hitting the same point. For three months, new six-meter pine piles were hammered here by peasants Grigory Kesarinov and Pavel Bykov. In total, 1,101 piles were needed. Granite blocks half a meter thick were placed on them. When laying the foundation, hard frost. Montferrand added vodka to the cement mortar for better setting.

In the center of the foundation was placed a mortgage block of granite with dimensions of 52x52 centimeters. A bronze box with 105 coins minted in honor of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 was built into it. A platinum medal minted according to the Montferrand project with the image of the Alexander Column and the date "1830", as well as a mortgage plaque, were also placed there. For her, Montferrand offered the following text:

"This stone was laid in the summer of the Nativity of Christ in the 1830s, the reign of Emperor Nicholas the First in the 5th summer, during the construction of a monument of blessed memory to Emperor Alexander I. During the construction of the Commission, the highest approved meeting was: Actual Privy Councilor Lanskoy, engineer- General Count Opperman, Actual Privy Councilor Olenin, Lieutenant-General Engineer Carbonier. Senators: Count Kutaisov, Gladkov, Vasilchikov and Bezrodny. The building was managed by the architect Montferrand." [Cit. according to: 5, p. 169]

Olenin, in turn, proposed a similar text, which was adopted with minor adjustments. The inscription on the board 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 of 25,000 pounds was made from a block mined in the Letsaarma region. He was brought to St. Petersburg on November 4, 1831. It was supposed to be unloaded in two days, and then completely processed on the spot in four or five days. Before the installation of the pedestal in early November, Nicholas I allowed the second bronze mortgage plate to be placed at the base of the Alexander Column, while commanding " put, moreover, a newly knocked out medal for the storming of Warsaw". Then he approved the text of the second mortgage board, made by the bronze craftsman A. Guerin:

"In the summer of the Nativity of Christ 1831, the construction of a monument erected to Emperor Alexander by grateful Russia began on a granite foundation, laid on the 19th day of November 1830. In St. Petersburg, during the construction of this monument, Count Y. Litta presided. The meeting was: Prince P Volkonsky, A. Olenin, Count P. Kutaisov, I. Gladkov, L. Carbonier, A. Vasilchikov. The construction was carried out according to the design of the same architect Augustine de Montferand". [Cit. according to: 5, p. 170]

The second mortgage plaque and the medal for the capture of Warsaw were placed at the base of the Alexander Column on February 13, 1832 at 2 pm in the presence of all members of the Commission.

"For breaking, trimming and polishing this column, as well as for the construction of a pier and delivery to the building site, except for loading, unloading and transportation through water"The merchant of the 1st guild Arkhip Shikhin requested 420,000 rubles. On December 9, 1829, Samson Sukhanov offered to undertake the same work, requesting 300,000 rubles. The next day, the self-taught technician merchant Vasily Yakovlev announced the same price. When conducting new auctions, the price were reduced to 220,000 rubles, and after the re-bidding on March 19, 1830, Arkhip Shikhin undertook to fulfill the contract for 150,000. However, the order for the same price went to 20-year-old Yakovlev. He committed himself in case of failure with the first, " gratuitously beat off and deliver to St. Petersburg 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. " Granite was overturned at 7 minutes on September 19 at 6 pm in the presence of the chief architect sent there by the Commission for the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral ... a huge rock, shaking at its base, slowly and without noise fell on the bed prepared for it". [Quoted in: 5, p. 165]

It took half a year to trim the monolith. 250 people worked on this daily. The stone master Eugene Pascal was appointed the head of the Montferrand 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 completion work.

In June, the transportation of the column began. At the same time, an accident occurred - the weight of the column could not withstand the bars along which it was supposed to roll onto the ship, and it almost collapsed into the water. The monolith was loaded by 600 soldiers, who made a march 36 miles long from a neighboring fortress in four hours. Before St. Petersburg, the flat boat "St. Nicholas" with a column was towed by two steamers. She arrived in the city on July 1, 1832. For the operation of transporting the column, the chairman of the Commission, Count Yu. 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 audience, the column was unloaded ashore. Spectators were located on the scaffolding for lifting the column and on the ships on the Neva. This operation was performed by 640 workers.

The date of 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 for a total of 2,364,442 rubles, which almost doubled the original one.

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 built 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 back and cleaning the rope as the column is raised, 1 non-commissioned officer ... To achieve the correct movement of the gate, so that the ropes are pulled as equivalent as possible, 10 foremen will be placed"[Quoted from: 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 pulleys. 2 foremen with 30 carpenters will be placed in large scaffolding on different heights for the position of the log supports, on which the column will lie, if the raising of it had to be suspended. 40 workers will be posted near the column, on the right and left sides, to remove the skating rinks from under the sled and to haul them back to their place. 30 workers will be placed under the platform with the ropes holding the gate. 6 masons will be used to add lime mortar between the column and the base. 15 carpenters and 1 foreman will be on standby in case of an unforeseen event... The healer, who is involved in the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral, will be at the production site during the entire time the column is raised"[Ibid.].

It took only 40 minutes to raise the Alexander Column. 1,995 soldiers were employed in the operation of the column, and 2,090 together with commanders and guards.

More than 10,000 people watched the installation of the column, foreign guests specially came. On the platform, Montferrand placed 4,000 seats for spectators. On August 23, that is, a week before the event described, Nicholas I ordered to transfer " so that by the day of the raising of the columns for the monument to Emperor Alexander I, places were arranged at the top of the stage: 1st for the imperial family; 2nd for the Supreme Court; 3rd for the retinue of His Majesty; 4th for the diplomatic corps; 5th for the Council of State; 6th for the Senate; 7th for guard generals; 8th for cadets who will be dressed up from the corps; adding to the fact that on the day of the raising of 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 from third parties will be allowed on the stage"[Quoted in: 4, pp. 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 Restructuring of St. Isaac's Cathedral, which was involved in the installation of the monument:

“I have the honor to notify Your Excellency that, in addition to those persons for whom places are arranged, the Sovereign Emperor, the Highest, allows to be on the platform when the Alexander Column is raised: 1st - foreign architects who deliberately came here for this occasion; 2nd - members of the Academy of Arts professors of architecture, 3rd - to academicians preparing for architectural art, and 4th - to artists in general, both ours and foreign" [Cit. according to: 4, p. 123].

"The streets leading to the 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 not a single window, not a single protrusion remained free, so great was the interest in the monument.The semicircular building of the General Staff, which on that day resembled the amphitheater of Ancient Rome, accommodated more than 10,000 people. Nicholas I and his family settled in a special pavilion.In another, envoys of Austria , England, France, ministers commissioners, constituting the foreign diplomatic corps.Then special places for the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Arts, university professors, for foreigners, persons close to the arts, who came from Italy, Germany to attend this ceremony. .." [op. according to: 4, p. 124, 125].

It took exactly two years for the final processing of the monolith (grinding and polishing), the design of its top, and the decoration of the pedestal.

At the top of the column, Montferrand originally planned to install a cross. In the process of 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 an angel and commanded " to give a face to the statue of the late Emperor Alexander". At the end of March 1833, Montferrand proposed to complete the Alexander Column with not one, but two angels supporting the cross. Nicholas I at first agreed with him, but after learning " that many of the artists refute the idea of ​​staging two angels", 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 voted for one figure. Nicholas I took the position of the majority. The emperor decided to put the angel facing the Winter Palace.

The figure of an angel, according to Montferrand's plan, was to be gilded. Because of the haste with the opening of the Alexander Column, they decided to make 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 turned to 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 not very attractive, because gilding on oil always has the appearance of gold leaf, and moreover, it probably will not even stand up to our grandchildren, being exposed to our cruel climate under the impossibility of temporarily resuming the gilding due to the large costs of building scaffolding for this work each time" [Cit. according to: 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 Scotty, Solovyov, Brullo, Markov, Tverskoy, sculptors Svintsov and Leppe. On the bas-relief from the side of the building of the General Staff is placed the figure of Victory, which is entered in the history book memorable dates: "1812, 1813, 1814". From the side of the Winter Palace - two winged figures with the inscription: "Grateful Russia to Alexander I." On the other two sides, the bas-reliefs depict the figures of Justice, Wisdom, Mercy and Abundance. In the process of coordinating the decoration of the column, the emperor expressed a desire to replace antique military fittings on the bas-reliefs with old Russian ones.

To accommodate honored guests, Montferrand built a special tribune in front of the Winter Palace in the form of a three-span arch. It was decorated in such a way as to connect architecturally with the Winter Palace. This was also facilitated by Nicholas I, who ordered to tear off the purple cloth from the stairs and use fawn-colored fabric instead, in the color of the imperial residence at that time. For the construction of the podium with the peasant Stepan Samarin, a contract was signed on June 12, 1834, which was completed by the end of August. Decorative plaster details were made by the "stucco work of the master" Evstafiy and Poluekt Balina, Timofey Dylev, Ivan Pavlov, Alexander Ivanov.

Tribunes were built for the public in front of the Exercierhaus and on the side of Admiralteisky Boulevard. Since the facade of the amphitheater was larger than the facade of the exercierhaus, the roof was dismantled for the construction of log racks, and neighboring buildings were also demolished.

Before the opening of the Alexander Column, Montferrand tried to withdraw from 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 with 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 destiny, you erected a monument to yourself"[Quoted in: 4, p. 127].

"... The opening celebrations corresponded. Above the main gates of the Winter Palace, a magnificently decorated balcony was built with gatherings on both sides of the square ... Amphitheaters for spectators were made along all the buildings of Palace Square in several tiers. The people crowded on Admiralteisky Boulevard; all the windows around lying houses were littered with thirsty to enjoy this one spectacle ... "[op. according to: 1, p. 161, 162]

From the memoirs of the romantic poet Vasily Zhukovsky:

“And no pen can describe the greatness of that moment when, along three cannon shots, suddenly from all the streets, as if born from the earth, in slender bulks, with drum thunder, to the sounds of the Paris March, the columns of the Russian army went ...
A ceremonial march began: the Russian army passed by the Alexander Column; This magnificent, the only spectacle in the world lasted for two hours...
In the evening, noisy crowds roamed the streets of the illuminated city for a long time, finally the lighting went out, the streets were empty, and the majestic colossus alone with his sentry remained in the deserted square" [Cited in: 4, pp. 128, 129].

The impressions of a representative of the ordinary public have also been preserved. Memories of the opening of the Alexander Column were recorded by Maria Fedorovna Kamenskaya, daughter of Count Fyodor Tolstoy:

"Against the Hermitage, on the square, on the corner where the building currently stands state archive, high bridges were then set up, on which places were assigned for the ranks of the Ministry of the Court, and therefore for the Academy of Arts. We had to get there early, because after that no one was allowed into the square. The prudent girls of the Academy, afraid of getting hungry, took their breakfast baskets with them and sat down 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 the addition of 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. Involuntarily, the chief police chief caught our eye most of all (if I’m not mistaken, Kokoshkin was then the chief police chief), who was especially zealous for something, hilariously cabring on his big horse, rushing around the square and yelling at the top of his lungs.
So we looked, looked, got hungry, unpacked our boxes and began to destroy the provisions we had taken with us. The public, who were sitting on the sidewalks next to us, which stretched all the way to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, followed our good example, began to unfold papers and chew something. The zealous Chief of Police just noticed these disturbances during the parade, became furious, galloped to the footbridge and, forcing his horse to break and stand up, began to shout in a thunderous voice:
- Shameless, heartless people! How, on the day when the monument to the war of 1812 is erected, when all the grateful Russian hearts have gathered here to pray, you, you stone hearts, instead of remembering the holy soul of Alexander the Blessed, the liberator of Russia from the twelve tongues, and sending up to heaven the hot prayers for the health of the now prosperously reigning Emperor Nicholas I, you better not have invented anything, how to come here to eat! Down with everything from the bridges! To the church, to the Kazan Cathedral, and prostrate yourself before the throne of the Most High!
- Fool! shouted a voice from above, behind us.
- Fool, fool, fool! - they picked up, like an echo, in a gulp of unknown voices, and the embarrassed, uninvited preacher in impotent rage was forced to spur his horse to the music of the troops and the frantic laughter on the bridges, as if nothing had happened, beautifully bending, galloped somewhere further "[Cit. according to: 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 personality of the chief police officer. It then was Sergey Aleksandrovich Kokoshkin. But she confused the building of the state archive with the building of the headquarters of the Guard.

Initially, the Alexander Column was framed by a temporary wooden fence with lamps in the form of antique tripods and plaster lion masks. The carpenter's work from the manufacture of the fence was carried out by the "carved master" Vasily Zakharov. Instead of a temporary fence at the end of 1834, it was decided to put a permanent metal one "with three-headed eagles under the lanterns", the project of which Montferrand had drawn up in advance. In her composition, it was supposed to use decorations made of gilded bronze, 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 factory. In February 1835, he proposed to bring to crystal balls gaslight. The glass balls were made at the Imperial Glass Factory. They were illuminated not by gas, but by oil, which leaked and left soot. On December 25, 1835, one of the balloons burst and fell apart. October 11, 1836 "followed by the highest command to arrange at the monument of Emperor Alexander I cast-iron candelabra with lanterns according to approved drawings for gas lighting"[Quoted from: 5, p. 184]. The laying of gas pipes was completed in August 1837, and the candelabra was installed in October.

Mikhail Nikolaevich Mikishatyev in his book "Walks in the Central District. From the Palace to the 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 at the harbor of the Egyptian city of Alexandria. So it was called the Pillar of Alexandria. But due to the political nature of the poem, the latter became a direct allusion to the monument to Alexander I. Only a hint, although the descendants equated them to each other.

The column is not dug into the ground and is not fixed on the foundation. It holds only due to the exact calculation and its weight. It is the tallest triumphal column in the world. Its weight is 704 tons. The height of the monument is 47.5 meters, the granite monolith is 25.88 meters. It is slightly taller than the Vendôme Column, erected in 1810 in honor of Napoleon's victories in Paris.

There are often stories that at first 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 went around the area around the perimeter. 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 set up a committee to study them. The committee concluded that there were cracks in the granite from the beginning, and they were sealed with mastic. In 1862, the cracks were sealed with Portland cement. Above were fragments of chains, which were used for the annual climb to the column in order to inspect it.

Stories similar to mystical ones happened with the Alexander Column. On December 15, 1889, Foreign Minister Lamsdorf 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 causes of the phenomenon. The name of their manufacturer was etched on the glass of the lamps: "Siemens". 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 him with a cap, which gathered a fairly large number of passers-by on Palace Square. hung over the column balloon. However, when he flew up to her at 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 appeared to replace the angel with the figure of V. I. Lenin. However, this was not implemented either.

№	Source	Pages	date of the application
1)		(pp. 149-162)	02/09/2012 22:50
2)		(p. 507)	03/03/2012 23:33
3)		(pp. 230-234)	February 24, 2014 6:05 pm
4)		(pp. 110-136)	May 14, 2014 5:05 pm
5)			06/09/2014 15:20