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Pillar of Alexandria: history, construction features, interesting facts and legends. Alexandrian column

The center of the composition of the ensemble of Palace Square is the famous Alexander column-monument dedicated to the victory in Patriotic War 1812.

The victory was won during the reign of Alexander I, the monument was created in his honor and bears the name of the emperor.

The erection of the column was preceded by an official design competition. The French architect Auguste Montferrand, who at the same time supervised the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, proposed two projects.

The first project, the sketch of which is kept today in the library of the Institute of Railway Engineers, was rejected by Emperor Nicholas I.

Emperor Nicholas I

In accordance with it, it was supposed to erect a monumental granite obelisk 25.6 meters high. The front face was supposed to be decorated with bas-reliefs depicting the events of the war of 1812. On the pedestal with the inscription “To the Blessed - Grateful Russia”, it was supposed to install a sculptural group-rider on a horse trampling a snake underfoot. The horse is led by two allegorical female figures, the goddess of Victory follows the rider, in front of the rider is a flying double-headed eagle.

Auguste (August Augustovich) Montferrand

The second project of O. Montferrand, which was approved by the emperor on September 24, 1829, provided for the installation of a monumental triumphal column.

Alexander Column and General Staff. Lithograph by L. J. Arnoux. 1840s

The Alexander Column reproduces the type of triumphal structure of the Antiquity era (the famous Trojan Column in Rome), but it is the largest structure of its kind in the world.

Comparison of the Alexander Column, Trajan's Column, Napoleon's Column, Marcus Aurelius' Column, and the so-called "Pompey's Column"

The monument on Palace Square became the tallest column made of a monolithic block of granite.

A huge monolith for the manufacture of the column shaft was broken out in the Pyuterlak quarry near Vyborg. Extraction and pre-treatment were carried out in the years 1830-1832.

The carved granite prism was much larger than the future column, it was cleared of earth and moss, and the necessary shape was outlined with chalk.

With the help of special devices - giant levers and gates, the block was knocked over onto a bed of spruce branches. After the monolith was processed and acquired the necessary shape, it was loaded onto the St. Nicholas boat, built according to the design of the ship engineer Colonel Glasin.

By water, the monolith was delivered to the capital on July 1, 1832. Huge stones for the foundation of the future monument were cut from the same rock, some of them weighed more than 400 tons. The stones were delivered to St. Petersburg by water on a barque of a special design.

In the meantime, a suitable base was prepared for the future column. After the place for the column was approved in December 1829, 1250 pine piles were driven under the foundation. In the center of the foundation, consisting of granite blocks, a bronze box with coins minted in honor of the victory of 1812 was laid.

A 400-ton monolith was installed on the foundation, which served as the base of the pedestal. The next, no less difficult stage was the installation of the column on a stone pedestal. This required a special system of scaffolding, special lifting devices, the labor of two thousand soldiers and four hundred workers, and only 1 hour and 45 minutes of time.

After the installation of the column, it was finally processed and polished, bas-reliefs and decorative elements were fixed on the pedestal.

The height of the column, together with the sculptural completion, is 47.5 meters. The column has a Doric capital with a rectangular masonry abacus with bronze facing.

Above, on a cylindrical pedestal, there is a figure of an angel with a cross trampling a snake. This allegory of Russia's victory in the Patriotic War was created by the sculptor B.I. Orlovsky.

The bronze high reliefs of the pedestal were made by sculptors P. V. Svintsov and I. Leppe according to D. Scotti’s sketches.

The high relief from the side of the General Staff building depicts the figure of Victory, which enters into the history book memorable dates: "1812, 1813, 1814".

From the side of the Winter Palace there are two winged figures with the inscription: "Grateful Russia to Alexander I." On the other two sides, the high reliefs depict the figures of Justice, Wisdom, Mercy and Abundance.

High relief from the side of the Winter Palace

The decoration of the monument lasted 2 years, the grand opening took place on the day of St. Alexander Nevsky - August 30, 1834. The opening ceremony was attended by the royal family, the diplomatic corps, representatives of the Russian army and a 100,000-strong army.

For the passage of troops to the Palace Square, according to the project of O. Montferrand, the Yellow (Pevchesky) bridge was built across the sink.

Also, according to the project of O. Montferrand, a decorative bronze one and a half meter fence was created that surrounded the Alexander Column.

The fence was decorated with two-headed and three-headed eagles, trophy cannons, spears and banner poles. Complete work on the design of the fence was completed in 1837. In the corner of the fence there was a guardhouse, where a disabled person dressed in full dress guard uniform kept a round-the-clock watch.

The monument fits perfectly into the ensemble of the Palace Square, thanks to its absolute proportions and size.

From the windows of the Winter Palace, the Alexander Column and the arch of the General Staff appear as a solemn "duet".

During the Great Patriotic War, the monument was covered only by two-thirds, and a fragmentary trace remained on one of the wings of the angel. More than 110 traces of shell fragments were found on the reliefs of the pedestal.

A complete restoration of the monument using scaffolding was carried out in 1963 and by 300 tons summer anniversary Petersburg in the period from 2001 to 2003.

Author of the article: Parshina Elena Alexandrovna.

References:
Lisovsky V.G. Architecture of St. Petersburg, Three centuries of history. Slavia., St. Petersburg, 2004
Pilyavsky V.I., Tits A.A., Ushakov Yu.S. History of Russian architecture-Architecture_S., M., 2004,
Novopolsky P., Ivin M. Walks around Leningrad-State edition of children's literature of the RSFSR, L., 1959

The Alexander Column is one of the most famous monuments of St. Petersburg. It is often erroneously called the Pillar of Alexandria, after Pushkin's poem "Monument". Erected in 1834 by order of Emperor Nicholas I in honor of the victory of his elder brother, Emperor Alexander I over Napoleon. Style - Empire. Installed in the center of Palace Square, in front of the Winter Palace. The architect was Auguste Montferrand.

The monument is made of solid red granite. Its total height is 47.5 m. The top of the column is decorated with the figure of an angel of peace, cast in bronze. It stands on a hemisphere, also made of bronze. In the left hand of the angel is a cross with which he tramples the snake, he stretches his right hand to the sky. In the face of an angel, the features of Emperor Alexander I slip through. The height of the angel is 4.2 m, the height of the cross is 6.3 m. The column is mounted on a granite pedestal. It is noteworthy that it stands without additional supports, only under the influence of its own gravity. The pedestal is decorated with bronze bas-reliefs. On the side that faces the palace, there is an inscription: "Alexander I. Grateful Poccia."

Under these words, one can see ancient Russian weapons and figures symbolizing Peace and Victory, Mercy and Justice, Abundance and Wisdom. On the sides there are 2 allegorical figures: Vistula - in the form of a young girl and Neman - in the form of an old Aquarius. At the corners of the pedestal there are double-headed eagles, with laurel branches clamped in their claws. In the middle, in an oak wreath, the All-Seeing Eye is depicted.

The stone for the column was taken from the Piterlak quarry in Finland. This is one of the world's largest granite monoliths. Weight - more than 600 tons.

The work was fraught with enormous difficulties. First of all, it was necessary to very carefully separate a solid granite piece of the required size from the rock. Then, right there on the spot, this mass was trimmed, giving it the shape of a column. Transportation was carried out by water on a specially built vessel.

At the same time, in St. Petersburg, on Palace Square, the foundation was being created. 1250 pine piles were driven to a depth of 36 m, and on them, to equalize the area, hewn blocks of granite were laid. Then the largest block was placed as the basis for the pedestal. This task was carried out at the cost of enormous effort and a large number of mechanical devices. When the foundation was laid, there was a hard frost, and for better setting, vodka was added to the cement mortar. In the middle of the foundation was placed a bronze box with coins that were minted in honor of the victory of 1812.

It seems that the column represents the exact center of the Palace Square. However, this is not the case: it is installed 140 meters from the arch of the General Staff Building and 100 meters from the Winter Palace. It was extremely difficult to set up the column itself. Scaffolding up to 22 sazhens high was built on 2 sides of the pedestal. On an inclined plane, the column was rolled onto a special platform and wrapped with rope rings, to which blocks were attached. Appropriate blocks were also installed at the top of the scaffolding.

On August 30, 1832, the column was raised. Emperor Nicholas I and his family arrived at Palace Square. Many people came to watch this action. The people crowded into the square, at the windows and on the roof of the General Staff Building. 2000 soldiers grabbed the ropes. Slowly, the column rose and hung in the air, after which the ropes were given away, and the granite block quietly and accurately sank onto the pedestal. A loud “Hurray!” swept across the square, and the sovereign, inspired by success, said to the architect: “Montferrand, you have immortalized yourself!”

After 2 years, the last decoration of the column was completed, and in the presence of the emperor and the 100,000th army, a consecration ceremony was performed. The Alexander Column is the most tall monument in the world, created from a single piece of granite and III in height after the Grand Army Column in Boulogne-sur-Mer and London's Trafalgar Column. It is higher than similar monuments in the world: the Parisian Vendome column, the Roman column of Trajan and Pompey's column in Alexandria.

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

The esplanade of three squares: St. Isaac's, Admiralteyskaya and Dvortsovaya with the majestic buildings of the Winter Palace and the Admiralty, the expanses of the Neva and the bulk of St. Isaac's Cathedral required a different vertical for its balance. 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 architectural ensemble 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 to be an unsurpassed model in terms of perfection of form and inner harmony, he wrote: Rome in relation to the Antoninus column, and in Paris with the Napoleonic column, 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 column rod. 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 core, all the major architects, starting with Vitruvius, offered 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 opening the monument, are described in this work in full detail.

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 in detail sketched and described this operation: “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 this day resembled an amphitheater ancient rome accommodated over 10,000 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.

A unique monument rises on Palace Square in St. Petersburg - a column crowned with a sculptural image of an angel with a cross, and at the base framed by relief allegories of victory in the Patriotic War of 1812.

Dedicated to the military genius of Alexander I, the monument is called the Alexander Column, and with the light hand of Pushkin it is called the “Alexandria Pillar”.

The erection of the monument took place in the late 20s - early 30s of the nineteenth century. The process was documented, and therefore there should be no secrets in the appearance of the Alexander Column. But if there are no secrets, you really want to invent them, don't you?

What is the Alexander Column made of?

The network is full of assurances about the discovered layering in the material from which the Alexander Column is made. Say, the masters of the past, not knowing how to mechanically process solid, learned to synthesize granite-like concrete - from which the monument was cast.

The alternative view is even more radical. The Alexander Column is not monolithic at all! It is made up of separate blocks, stacked on top of each other like children's cubes, and on the outside it is lined with plaster with a large amount of granite chips.

There are completely fantastic versions that can compete with the notes from ward number 6. However, in reality the situation is not so complicated, and most importantly, the entire process of manufacturing, transportation and installation of the Alexander Column is documented. The history of the appearance of the main monument of the Palace Square is painted almost by the minute.

The choice of stone for the Alexander Column

Auguste Montferrand or, as he called himself in the Russian manner, August Montferand, before receiving an order for a monument in honor of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812, built St. Isaac's Cathedral. During the harvesting work in a granite quarry on the territory of modern Finland, Montferrand discovered a monolith measuring 35 x 7 meters.

Monoliths of this kind are very rare and even more valuable. So there is nothing surprising in the frugality of the architect, who noticed, but did not put into action a huge granite slab.

Soon the emperor had the idea of a monument to Alexander I, and Montferrand drew a sketch of the column, mindful of the availability of suitable material. The project has been approved. The extraction and delivery of stone for the Alexander Column was entrusted to the same contractor who provided the material for the construction of Isaac.

Skillful mining of granite in a quarry

For the manufacture and erection of the prepared place of the column, two monoliths were required - one for the core of the structure, the other for the pedestal. The stone for the column was carved first.

First of all, the workers cleaned the granite monolith from soft soil and any mineral debris, and Montferrand carefully examined the surface of the stone for cracks and defects. No flaws were found.

Using hammers and forged chisels, the workers roughly leveled the top of the massif and made slotted recesses for attaching the rigging, after which it was time to separate the fragment from the natural monolith.

Along the lower edge of the blank for the column, a horizontal ledge was carved for the entire length of the stone. On the upper plane, having retreated a sufficient distance from the edge, a furrow was cut along the workpiece a foot deep and half a foot wide. In the same furrow, wells were drilled by hand, with the help of forged bolts and heavy hammers, at a distance of a foot from one another.

Steel wedges were placed in the finished wells. In order for the wedges to work synchronously and give an even crack in the granite monolith, a special spacer was used - an iron beam laid in a furrow and leveling the wedges into an even palisade.

At the command of the senior hammerers, placed one by one into two or three wedges, they set to work. The crack went exactly along the line of the wells!

With the help of levers and capstans (winches with a vertical shaft arrangement), the stone was overturned onto an obliquely laid out bed of logs and spruce branches.

The granite monolith for the pedestal of the column was also mined in the same way. But if the blank for the column initially weighed about 1000 tons, the stone for the pedestal was chipped off two and a half times less - “only” 400 tons in weight.

Career work lasted two years.

Transportation of blanks for the Alexander Column

The “light” stone for the pedestal was delivered to St. Petersburg first, in the company of several granite boulders. The total weight of the cargo was 670 tons. The loaded wooden barge was placed between two ships and safely towed to the capital. The ships arrived in the first days of November 1831.

Unloading was carried out using the synchronous operation of ten dragging winches and took only two hours.

Transportation of a larger workpiece was postponed for the summer next year. A team of masons, meanwhile, chipped off excess granite from it, giving the workpiece a rounded column shape.

A ship with a carrying capacity of up to 1100 tons was built to transport the column. The workpiece was sheathed with a board in several layers. On the shore, for the convenience of loading, a pier was built from log cabins, ballasted with wild stone. The area of the pier flooring was 864 square meters.

A log-stone pier was built in the sea in front of the pier. The road to the pier was widened, cleared of vegetation and stone outcrops. Particularly strong remains had to be blown up. Of the many logs, they arranged a semblance of a pavement for unhindered rolling of the workpiece.

The movement of the prepared stone to the pier took two weeks and required the efforts of more than 400 tons of workers.

Loading the workpiece onto the ship was not without trouble. The logs, laid out in a row with one end on the pier, the other - on board the ship, could not withstand the load and broke. The stone, however, did not sink to the bottom: the ship, spread between the pier and the pier, did not allow it to drown.

The contractor had enough people and lifting equipment to rectify the situation. However, the authorities, for fidelity, called in soldiers from a nearby military unit. The help of several hundred hands turned out to be handy: in two days the monolith was lifted on board, strengthened and sent to St. Petersburg.

No one was hurt during the incident.

Preparatory work

To avoid accidents when unloading the column, Montferrand rebuilt the St. Petersburg berth so that the side of the vessel adjoined it without gaps along its entire height. The measure turned out to be successful: the transfer of cargo from the barge to the shore went flawlessly.

Further movement of the column was carried out along inclined floorings with the ultimate goal in the form of a high wooden platform with a special trolley at the top. The trolley, moved on backing rollers, was intended for the longitudinal movement of the workpiece.

The stone cut for the pedestal of the monument was delivered to the site of the column in autumn, covered with a canopy and placed at the disposal of forty masons. Having trimmed the monolith from above and from all four sides, the workers turned the stone over onto a sand pile in order to prevent the block from splitting.

After processing all six planes of the pedestal, the granite block was hoisted onto the foundation. The foundation for the pedestal rested on 1250 piles driven into the bottom of the pit to a depth of eleven meters, sawn to the level and embedded in the masonry. On top of the four-meter masonry that filled the pit, they laid out a cement mortar with soap and alcohol. The compliance of the mortar pad made it possible to set the pedestal monolith with high accuracy.

Within a few months, the masonry and cement pad of the pedestal had set and gained the required strength. By the time the column was delivered to the Palace Square, the pedestal was ready.

Column installation

Installing a 757 ton column is a challenging engineering challenge even today. However, the engineers of two hundred years ago coped with the solution of the problem "perfectly well."

The design strength of the rigging and auxiliary structures was three times. The workers and soldiers involved in raising the column acted with great enthusiasm, Montferrand notes. Competent placement of people, impeccable organization of management and ingenious scaffolding design made it possible to raise, align and install the column in less than an hour. It took another two days to straighten the verticality of the monument.

Finishing the surface, as well as the installation of the architectural details of the capital and the sculpture of the angels, took another two years.

It should be noted that there are no fastening elements between the sole of the column and the pedestal. The monument rests solely due to its gigantic size and the absence of any noticeable earthquakes in St. Petersburg.

Links to additional information

Drawings and other documents on the construction of the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg:

Alexander Column - one of famous monuments Petersburg

I erected a monument to myself not made by hands,
The folk trail will not grow to it,
He ascended higher as the head of the rebellious
Pillar of Alexandria...

A.S. Pushkin

If I remember correctly from the school bench, then the poem sounds exactly like this) After that, with the light hand of Alexander Sergeevich, they began to call the Alexander Column a pillar, moreover, Alexandria =) How did it appear and why is it so remarkable?

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

This monument complemented the composition of the Arch of the General Staff, which was dedicated to the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. The idea of building the monument was 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, the proposed idea of installing another equestrian statue He rejected Peter I.

Open competition was officially announced on behalf of Emperor Nicholas I in 1829 with the wording in memory of the “unforgettable brother”. Auguste Montferrand responded to this challenge with a project to erect a grandiose granite obelisk, but this option was rejected by the emperor. A sketch of that project has been preserved and is currently in the library of the Institute of Railway Engineers. Montferrand proposed to install a huge granite obelisk 25.6 meters high on a granite plinth 8.22 meters. 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 Count F. P. Tolstoy. On the pedestal, it was planned to carry out the inscription “To the 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. The art part of the project is excellently done watercolor technique and testifies to high skill Montferrand in various directions visual arts. Trying to defend his project, the architect acted within the chain of command, dedicating his essay “Plans et details du monument consacr ? ? la m?moire de l'Empereur Alexandre", but the idea was nevertheless rejected and Montferrand was unequivocally pointed to the column as the desired form of the monument.

The second project, which was subsequently implemented, was to install a column higher than the Vendôme column (erected in honor of Napoleon's victories). Below in the photo is a fragment of a column from Place Vendôme (author - PAUL)

Trajan's Column in Rome was offered to Auguste 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 bas-reliefs, spirally wrapping around the rod of the ancient Trajan's column. Montferrand showed the beauty of a giant polished pink granite monolith 25.6 meters high. 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.

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 blank, huge stones were cut from the same rock for the foundation of the monument, the largest of which weighed 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 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 set off for Kronstadt on a barge towed by two steamers in order to go from there to Palace embankment St. Petersburg. Arrival of the central part Alexander Column Petersburg took place on July 1, 1832.

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 exploration of the area was carried out, as a result of which a suitable sandy continent was discovered near the center of the area at a depth of 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 Russian Empire. Earlier, using the same 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. In October 1830, the work was completed.

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. Of course, at that time, installing a 400-ton stone was, to put it mildly, not easy) But I don’t think this article should describe this process, I just note that it was hard for them ... By July 1832, the column monolith was on the way , and the pedestal is already completed. It is time to start the most difficult task - placing 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 47 meters high, 60 capstans and a system of blocks, and he took advantage of all this in the following way: they rolled the column along an inclined plane to a special platform located at the foot of the scaffolding and wrapped it 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. 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. And Nicholas I then told Montferrand that he had immortalized himself.

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 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 - “By this win!”. These words are connected with the history of finding life-giving cross. Finishing and polishing of the monument lasted two years.

The opening of the monument took place on August 30, 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, 1814. In honor of the opening of the monument, a commemorative ruble with a circulation of 15,000 coins was issued.

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. On the plate of the monument is engraved “Grateful Russia to Alexander I”. This is the tallest monument in the world, made of solid granite and the third highest after the Grand Army Column in Boulogne-sur-Mer and Trafalgar in London (Nelson's column). 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.

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.

“Alexandria pillar” 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, 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. The entire space of the Palace Square was paved with ends.