The Alexandrian pillar history of creation briefly. Alexander Column - an artifact that refutes the official version of history

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 Karl 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.

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. 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 executed in watercolor technique and testifies to high skill Montferrand in various areas of fine arts. 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 honor of Napoleon's victories). As sources for his project, Montferrand used the columns of Trajan and Antoninus in Rome, Pompey in Alexandria and, finally, the Vendome column of Paris.

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 a column with a smooth rod made of a giant polished pink granite monolith high 25.6 meters (12 fathoms). He copied the pedestal and base almost unchanged from Trajan's column.

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

Construction was carried out from 1829 to 1834. Since 1831, Count Yu.

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. Glazyrin was engaged in transportation issues, who designed and built a special boat, named "Saint Nicholas", with a carrying capacity of up to 65 thousand pounds (about 1100 tons). To perform loading operations, a pier and a pier were built (its dimensions are 50 x 40 m). Loading was carried out from a wooden platform, completing the pier and coinciding in height with the side of the vessel.

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.

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 in 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. 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

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:

TO ALEXANDER IMU 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.
  • 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, 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 courage 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.

According to the drawings of Montferrand, the artists J. B. Scotty, V. Solovyov, Tverskoy, F. Brullo, Markov made cardboards for bas-reliefs in life size. 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 upper corners There are two-headed eagles on the pedestal, 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.

The top of the column is crowned with a bronze capital of the Doric order. Its upper part, a rectangular abacus, is made of brickwork with bronze 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 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.

Light figure angels, falling folds of clothing, a 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 - 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, 10 feet and 6 inches (3.19 m). As in the Roman Doric order, the height of the column was eight of its diameters. Architect designed own system thinning of the column rod - an important element affecting 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 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

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 works

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.

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

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 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: 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 the winter 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,
  • 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

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 Alexandrian Pillar rises on Palace Square, a masterpiece engineering genius by Auguste Montferrand. It stands unsupported by anything, only due to its mass, which is almost 600 tons.

In memory of Russia's victory over Napoleon in Patriotic war In 1812, the majestic Alexander Column was installed, built in 1829-1834 according to the project and under the guidance of the architect O. Montferrand. The architect A. W. Adamini also took part in the construction.

The Pillar of Alexandria is the unofficial name of the building, which arose after the publication, a few years after the completion of construction, of Pushkin's poem "Monument"

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

Although formally, apparently, the famous wonder of the world Faros lighthouse in Alexandria is meant, many see in these lines the poet's unambiguous allusion to the recently erected monument. Some researchers dispute the reliability of this interpretation, but the fact remains that the name is firmly entrenched in the culture of St. Petersburg.

A gigantic, even according to modern ideas, monolith was hewn out of dark red granite near Vyborg and, with the help of many ingenious technical devices, was delivered by water to St. Petersburg. In a solemn atmosphere, with the forces of more than two thousand soldiers and sailors, among whom were those who distinguished themselves during the Patriotic War of 1812, the Alexander Column was installed on a pedestal, after which its final finishing began.

Immediately after the erection of the Alexandria Column, St. Petersburg residents refused to appear on Palace Square, assuming that such a colossus would sooner or later fall on someone. To dispel the doubts of the townspeople, the architect Montferrand made it a habit to pass under his brainchild every day.

The Alexandrian pillar with the figure of an angel is on the list of the most recognizable symbols of St. Petersburg. The height of the structure is 47.5 meters and it is the highest among similar monuments in the world, for example: the Roman Trajan Column, the Vendome Column in Paris and Pompey's Alexandrian Column. The monolith is held on the pedestal only by gravity, due to its own weight of 841 tons, no additional fasteners are used. For stability, a huge number of piles, 6.4 meters long each, were driven under the base of the monument; a granite platform was laid on them, decorated with four floor lamps.

The column is crowned with a six-meter angel with a cross in his hand, trampling on a snake (the figure represents the world; the snake is a symbol of defeated enemies), the work of the Russian sculptor Boris Orlovsky, a former serf. The sculptor gave the portrait features of Emperor Alexander I to the face of the angel.

On the pedestal of the Alexander Column there are bronze bas-reliefs on a military theme. When they were created, authentic ancient Russian chain mail, shields and shishaki, which are stored in the Moscow Armory, were used as samples for depicting military armor. From the side of the Winter Palace, the rivers crossed by the Russian army are symbolically depicted, chasing the defeated French: the Neman - in the form of an old man and the Vistula - in the form of a young woman. Here is the inscription "Grateful Russia to Alexander I". The western side, facing the Admiralty, is an allegory of "Justice and Mercy", the eastern - "Wisdom and Abundance", and the southern - "Glory" and "Peace"

And today we have the pleasure to observe on the main square in St. Petersburg a giant column of pink granite on a square pedestal, embodying the glory of Russian weapons. Like the triumphant buildings of antiquity, the Pillar of Alexandria impresses with its clear proportions and laconic form.

Alexander Column - one of the most famous monuments of St. 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, 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, and 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, 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 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 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 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; 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. 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 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 - “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.

"Pillar of Alexandria" 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. 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.

Imperial linen
And chariot motors, -
In the black maelstrom of the capital
Stylite-angel ascended...

Osip Mandelstam

Sequel to Seven Wonders of the World.
Just yesterday I sat down and wrote, finally about the Russian Seven Wonders of the World, and now I immediately come across an article about the Alexander Column, so I continue first about the column.

Alesanria Column 2006. Palace Square. Filmed immediately in BW.
The square is formed by historical monuments: the Winter Palace, the Headquarters Building of the Guards Corps, the General Staff Building with the Arc de Triomphe, the Alexander Column. Dimensions The area measures about 8 hectares, for comparison - Red Square in Moscow has an area of ​​​​only 2.3 hectares

1988 Leningrad. Postcard.

Enluminure de Ch. Beggrow, Saint Petersbourg. Alexandrian Column.
Fuck you know what year it is. There is not even a trace of the Arch of the General Staff yet, but the column is already standing. But according to the officially accepted version, the column was placed only after the Arch and the main headquarters, and this is clearly visible from the drawings of Montferrand. Although he painted them so many times, only apparently doing this, proving that it was he who did it and in what particular way he raised this column. So that everyone can officially and clearly see that the French allegedly have at least some relation to Peter. In the background on all these engravings, it is the Arch of the General Staff that peeps out everywhere.
And here's another masterpiece!

Auguste Montferrand. View of the Alexander Column from Millionnaya Street. 1830
Yes, yes, exactly 1830, and for some reason St. Isaac's Cathedral is already standing in the background, although officially only 1856, and the column is standing, although the rise of the column will begin to be drawn only in 1832 and finished in 1833, as two dozen men raised it in 2 hours!
The column on Vosstaniya Square had to be cut, because not a single crane they couldn’t lift it, they couldn’t move it with any equipment. Let's see how they take it apart.

62 sheet of acquittal notes of the French graphic artist Montferan. We see that St. Isaac's Cathedral stood well before him, and he only drew here the most important word in French.

“The rise of the Alexander Column in 1832”, which before that, two pieces were immediately loaded onto a barge .. this is 1600 tons of polished granite, each. Written by Bichebois Louis Pierre Alphonse, Bayot Adolphe Jean Baptiste.

And this is Montferrand drawing how two diggers are chipping away and the column is immediately oops, and round! Itself, without a CNC machine. By the way, he draws so-so, and is also called an Architect.
And the more he proves all sorts of crap, the less you believe in fairy tales.

It will now be much more difficult to make a refutation than it is to lie to them. And everyone, without even thinking, believed! And the more they lied, the more pictures they had to draw, proving the most incredible event that two diggers broke off a round column from a rock and dragged it on barges. At least they have already agreed on time, otherwise there is such a scatter.

Chernetsov GG - Part of the panorama of the Palace Square, made from the scaffolding of the Alexander Column. imagine the height?


By the way, pay attention, it’s already worth it, you can throw it in the previous topic, they also lied there that there is no Stock Exchange and only the Frenchman Thomas de Thomon came up with it.

Lighthouse of Alexandria really shone in St. Petersburg - ancient city stone of the Northern Palmyra, all ships going to St. Petersburg from a height of 50 meters and was visible far in the Neva fairway and the Gulf of Finland, I think then with emerald water.
I don’t know what they were shining with, but the energy through the column was exactly then accumulated from sunny places and transferred to the Winter Palace, because there were no ceilings sooty from candles. No wonder there was a ban on buildings above the Winter Palace, and the Column is visible from everywhere because of the Winter Palace sticking out, even if you sit on the banks of the Petropavlovka.

"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

And by the Pillar of Alexandria, Pushkin meant precisely ours, the world's largest monolithic column on Palace Square, and not the column. in St. Petersburg super new technologies were applied, which we have not yet reached.

The Pharos lighthouse, placed at the entrance to the port of Alexandria, has competed in glory with the pyramids of the Valley of the Kings since ancient times. Possessing a bold design for its time, according to a number of testimonies, it was taller than the Cheops pyramid, against which the third ray of the Admiralty's trident from Peter's Navel rests in a strange way. But this is not what Pushkin admires.

Pompey's column in Alexandria is also not small and is also dedicated to the handsome Alexander of Macedon.
View_of_Pompey "s_Pillar_with_Alexandria_ in_the_background_in_c.1850
But the Jews are not like people - that's why they sound like this " For a long time thought to be a monument to Alexander the Great, the column appears to have nothing to do with either Alexander or Pompey and is today recognized as a monument to Diocletian's victories." - Wikipedia.
Yes Yes....

And what's that??? Columns as in Baalbek built by Russians.
After all, it is Russia that is the heir of the Holy Roman Empire, and before the Revolution it was called the Great Greek-Russian Eastern Empire, the heir of Byzantium and the Three-headed Eagles around the Alexandrian column.

1830 Sadovnikov's watercolor. The column stands for another 3 years before its official creation and rise, and apparently it has been standing for a long time, if everything in the ensemble was coordinated flawlessly and the Arch was added to the column.
Moreover, the Alexandrinsky Column was placed in St. Petersburg, the new capital of Rome, precisely in honor of Alexander the Great or Alexander Nevsky, even before global flood in Atlantis. Hence, 2 meters of reclaimed soil and therefore the height of 2 meters is not enough for all buildings. Flooded Atlantis - this is Peter and it is here that Atlantis hold the sky on Stone Hands.

Atlantes can no longer withstand such a load and underground explosions near St. Petersburg - there is a complete destruction of ammunition, apparently for the War.

The ruins of Northern Palmyra - Northern Venice, St. Petersburg, the city of stone.

And the sand from the ruined city still makes the Gulf of Finland shallow and impassable and creates problems for the passage of ships along the Neva, a truly "snowy river" - hence the name given by Alexander, nicknamed Nevsky in our country - and the passage of ships in the canals became difficult after the cold snap and the change of poles and later in Northern Venice, built on the foundations of Northern Palmyra, canals were dug up and Arrows of Vasilyevsky Island and Rozhdestvensky streets were formed., but that's another story

Wikipedia: "Identification of the "Pillar of Alexandria" with the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg, which is a fact of culture and, apparently, dates back to the time no later than the first publication of the "Monument" (1841), from the end of the 30s of the XX century subjected to scientific criticism as untenable. Wiki - I'm not surprised anymore - how can we now be able to rewrite our History cleanly, I can't imagine - how to create a new Wikipedia?

After all, even Nabokov had no doubt that the “Pillar of Alexandria” comes precisely from the name Alexander. (See Nabokov V.V. Decree. Op. P. 278.)
Pushkin, with his lines, not afraid of censorship, clearly showed everyone the value of the column and emphasized the lies of the French about the novelty of the column, when they tried to call the already finished, old column standing on the square the creation of the Frenchman Montferrand, And St. Isaac's Cathedral was attributed to him, hiding the true, ancient history columns. Well, who would draw so many fake

Of course, Pushkin knew our Ancient History remarkably and was interested in its details. It was not in vain that he wrote the poem "The Bronze Horseman" and under this pretext of collecting materials, admission to the Archives of Petrovsky time was obtained and written Captain's daughter in prose. Without the Internet, then it was much more difficult for them to understand what was going on and what had happened before, and there were not so many pictures at hand. And the "Iron Mask" about the twin brother of Peter the Great has not yet been born ... it's not for nothing that we have a twin of Versailles near St. Petersburg - Petrodvorets. Although they assure that Versailles is earlier, but we don’t need to turn off the fountains and they beat all night without any mechanism for raising water, as in Versailles. Of course, we have built earlier.

Saving the country from the French invasion, after the victory over Napoleon, turned out to be much more difficult than the destroyed fleet in the Sevastopol Bay in the Crimean War after the assassination of Pushkin. Although who knows...

A. S. Pushkin "TO THE SEA"

Farewell, free element!
For the last time in front of me
You roll blue waves
And shine with proud beauty.

Like a friend's mournful murmur,
How to call him at the farewell hour,
Your sad noise
your noise is inviting
I heard for the last time.

Why the last time? Regarding the next closure of the Black Sea for the Russians, this is already after the Crimean War! The Black Sea was closed to us for 13 years so that they would not go to America. Or did he actually survive and be treated in the Crimea?

It seems that he was saying goodbye to the country - maybe Pushkin really is Alexander Dumas in the future and it was he who wrote The Three Musketeers, it’s not for nothing that he reads superbly avidly, like the tales of Pushkin himself and Ershov handed over the manuscript of The Little Humpbacked Horse for him, otherwise did everyone know that he was alive and did not write poetry anymore?


Well, where is the column, see no? - The arch is already standing, but there is no column yet and people are walking .... and everyone will believe in this nonsense that happened!


Another paid photo bank, obviously hostile - there is no column either! Artists don't even need photoshop.

And why the hell is the carriage turning around the post to the left, and not going to the main entrance to the palace?

Palace Square 1800 Benjamin Patersen. And the white corners did not have time to paint over 216 years ago ??? Previously, watercolors were stretched on a stretcher with flour glue ;-)

In short, the British also tried to destroy the column. How do they all want to destroy everything beautiful in our country or are they jealous?

The Germans in the photobank also carefully close the old Russian flag, which is now the official flag of Holland - Red-white-blue, and in Russia we now have a trade Flag of Russia - it is now customary to trade with the Motherland if they are afraid of their own Great History return. They dance to their tune like pea jesters.
And New Holland or the New Admiralty - the ancient port of Northern Palmyra was now given to the Dutch to dig in and make grass there and planted trees ..... instead of putting ship models there under a glass dome!

Not only the Decembrists died a heroic death - everyone understood what was happening .... it was not in vain that Tsar Alexander himself fled out of sight and hid in the Tobolsk Monastery and stuck his nose out only in 1836, and in 1837 Pushkin was gone.

"I fell slandered by rumors, bowing my proud head" Lermontov M.

But Pushkin managed to leave us to the descendants and Lukomorye really exists in Siberia and Tsar Saltan - Constantinople, probably foreseeing that we will unwind all the same this tangle of History cunningly woven by spiteful critics according to his fairy tales.
Low bow to the Great Pushkin!
Therefore, Pushkin certainly did not write about this Alexander.

And on the Alexander column, there really was a Torch! And it was definitely the Lighthouse of the Great Alexander, who, after the Empire was torn apart by the Russians, was called Alexander Nevsky, and in the West, Alexander the Great.

Even Google defines the photo of this column exactly as the Alexandrian column on Palace Square in St. Petersburg, so be it.


If Isaakievsky stood before Montferan, then the column easily stood there earlier.


With the first Russian telegraph in the world, which was laid precisely in St. Petersburg and the first radio, which was invented by the Russian engineer Popov, the best maps and directions in the world no longer needed such high Lighthouses, it became easier for ships to navigate and they could really remake the monument according to others considerations, but the fact is that these columns stand in all the central squares of capitals around the world.

And the largest, most perfect column is located in St. Petersburg, the Capital of the Empire, the Capital of Europe and the World in St. Petersburg, the Third Rome, which of course amuses our pride, but brings eternal misfortune to our Country, which everyone took up arms. and how from Russia the Mother of all Russian cities, the eternal donor, how from the mother they want to snatch their Pie and go in hordes. Even now they will not calm down and their troops are only 100 km from St. Petersburg.

It's good that there are people who know the True price of this city, as the Siege survivors who remained in the City understood it, and the whole Country knew that if Leningrad stands, then we will win this War. There is something to fight for.

It is good that the people understand our real Great True History of the Country Returning from the War and believe us, everything will be fine with us if as many people as possible learn about true history Cities and Powers from ocean to ocean and the angels will spare our city in WWIII.

Eternal fetters will fall and freedom, we will be received joyfully at the entrance and the brothers will give us the sword ...
It's somehow different, but that's not the point. It is necessary to unite all Russians, save this beauty and prevent war.

I’ll make a complete repost of Sandra of Rome further about the Alexander Column, and then decide for yourself what was in the hand of the angel - the Sword or the Torch? I save all the material dug up by Sandra, as it is on the same page with my text.

Original taken from sandra_rimskaya in the Alexander Column and everything, everything, everything.

According to legend, 1854, photograph of Bianchi. But this is according to the legend of the Prussian Jewish Red Army soldiers of Elston and the Holstein-Gottorp group.

Because in 1873 the monument to the First Prince Mikhail Angel Karus "Tsar Rus" was still standing on the Alexander Column.

02

The cross is retouched. That is, in reality, the statue of the Girl did not have a Cross in the hands.

Photo from 1895. The cross is again very poorly visible.
http://kolonna.e812.ru/foto/pamyatnik.html

Also a photograph, but the Cross is clearly visible.
03

Photo from 1900.

And the cross is really finished!

1. Pay attention to the cross, in the photo of 1900, it is clearly retouched.

2. At the top is not an angel, but a woman, and in her hands is not a cross, but the Earth's axis, the cross is mounted in the process of "restoration". The sphere on which the woman stands is the Earthly sphere, and the snakes are the beginning of all paths. She is depicted on the coat of arms of the Republic of Ingushetia, but called Gabriel.

It can be seen that the "Cross" is drawn. The Alexander Column is ancient, it has already cracked. Custine was in St. Petersburg captured by the Reds in 1879 and wrote that the column was already cracked.

In 1873, the column was not yet visible, it was still "not open", it was inside some building.

All according to the legend: the Alexander Column stands "closed", inside some ancient building and in the forests.

Then the Prussian Jews of the Red Army will "open" it: they will destroy the ancient building, remove their scaffolding around the column and say that they built it themselves, installed a new one.

Gagarin's drawing was made in 1874. And in 1879, the "brand new" Alexander Column had already cracked, in five years?

That is, in 1879 the Alexander Column was ancient. According to Kustin and the Prussian Jewish Red Army censors, in 1879 the Mikhailovsky Castle was also ancient.

And then the question arises: why did the Prussian Jewish soldiers of Elston, the old Red (Prussian) Guard, put scaffolding around the Alexander Column?

The Germans did not restore it. Restored by the Royal Family, "Kings". And they put up a new monument. This is according to the stories of historians and old-timers of the City.

It turns out that in 1874 the red Prussian Jewish soldiers of Elston, "Nicholas", removed the statue of the First Prince Michael Angel Carus of the First Emperor Diocletian from the Alexander Column?

I would like to know from whom: in what year of the second half of the 19th century did the Jews in Odessa have a statue of "Duke", which was on the Alexander Column?

This is a 2002 restoration. Alexander column in the woods, for comparison.

07

According to legend, the column was restored in 1861. We add Romanov's 40 years and get the date of the restoration of the column: 1861 + 40 = 1901.

The decorative lanterns near the column were made 40 years after the opening - in 1876 by the architect K. K. Rakhau.
Which also fits into our Chronology: in 1874, the Alexander Column was “discovered” from scaffolding and an ancient building, and in 1876, decorative lanterns were installed.
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 was supposed to give 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.
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.
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.
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.

Restorations were in 1901, in 1963 and in 2001-2003.
1901 - 1874 = 27 years difference. 1963 - 1901 = 62 years difference. 2001 - 1963 = 38 years.

It can be seen that the girl had something in her hand. They say that there was a Torch (the Sword "Argument"), among the Jews it is called: "The Grail, from which God drank." But these are again the legends of the Prussian Jewish Red Army soldiers of Elston Nikolai, the invaders. They say that this Torch (the Argument Sword, the Grail) disappeared under Nicholas, that is, Elston, even before the Holstein-Gottorp group of Christian 9 (Alexander 2) 1903-1917.

Statue of the Goddess of Liberty in the USA, Bringing Light to the American (Army?) Peoples. Gift of the Czartoryski-Conde: Corporations of Officers of the General Staff of the Bella Arm Air Carus to the peoples of America (Armycarus?) after the lost Civil War for the Independence of the United States from the Nikolaev Jewish soldiers of the old Red (Prussian) guard Elston Nikolai in 1853-1871.

And Prussia changed its name to Germany, and our Nikolaev Jewish soldiers of the old red (Prussian) guard of Elston-Sumarokov: Gray slave war crimes changed their name and became Germans and Jews, Nikolaev Jewish soldiers of the old red (German) army of Elston-Sumarokov 1853-1953

Archangel Michael is known primarily as a great commander, archangel. He is the conqueror of Satan himself, he is a great prince standing up for the sons of the Jewish people. According to legend, he saves Abraham from the fiery furnace, and Isaac from the knife of Abraham. It is he who leads the people through the wilderness to the promised land, and he also gives Moses the tablets of the Law. He is called the keeper of the magic words with which heaven and earth were created. He was seen at the gates of paradise with a fiery sword, and it is he who carries the body of the dead Mother of God to heaven.

Archangel Michael is dedicated to several holidays. The main and oldest of them is celebrated on November 21st. It was established in 363 by the Council of Laodicea, which recognized the doctrine of angels as creators and rulers of the world as heresy, but retained their cult. Officially, the holiday is called the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael and other disembodied heavenly forces. That is, angels. Therefore, to begin with, it is worth saying a few words about who angels are in general.

John of Damascus defines: “An angel is an entity endowed with a mind, always moving, having free will, incorporeal, serving God, having received immortality for its nature by grace.” The angelic doctor Thomas Aquinas clarifies: "God controls the corporeal world through angels." “They differ from Divine energies,” explains Alexey Losev, “in that they are created, that is, they are substantially other-being, while Divine energies are substantially inseparable from God Himself and therefore are God Himself. The ethereal forces, as the idea of ​​all further otherness, comprehend and shape all otherness, and therefore the doctrine of the Guardian Angel is a completely elementary dialectical necessity. Not only man, but everything that exists in the world, every smallest grain of sand has its own guardian angel.

An angel is the living meaning of things. He himself is incorporeal, lives outside of space and time. But it can appear in our bodily world, as, for example, the same Michael appeared to the priest Archippus in Khonekh and, with a blow of a rod, diverted the seething stream from his temple.

The angel comes into contact with this place solely through his power. Therefore, the movements of the angel are reduced to the successive application of its force to different points. And he clarifies: “The angel moves in discontinuous time. It can appear here and there, and there will be no time gap between these points. It is impossible to call the beginning and the end of the movement of an angel two moments, between which there is a time interval; in the same way, it cannot be said that the beginning of the movement covers a period of time ending with the moment of the end of the movement. The beginning is one moment and the end is another. There is no time between them at all. We can say that the angel moves in time, but not in the way that the body moves.

Michael Archangel Patron Saint of High Energy Physics

The author of the theory of morphogenic fields, Rupert Sheldrake, believes that Thomas' idea of ​​the movement of angels refers to quantum physics: “A photon is in one place at the moment when, for example, light comes from the Sun, and in another place at the moment when sunlight touches anything on earth. The time interval between these moments is about eight minutes. Thus, we can attribute speed to light. But according to the theory of relativity - and this was one of the starting points for Einstein - there is no time cost from the point of view of the photon itself. There is an instant connection between the light coming from the sun and the light coming into contact with an earthly object. A photon does not age” (more details here).

As we see, modern ideas about the movement of quantum particles has the same mental roots as the Thomistic idea of ​​the movement of angels. In modern fiction, this seems to be called "zero-transportation". Be that as it may, angels, whom spirit seers often describe as beings of light, may well have a particle-wave nature. They are incorporeal, like waves propagating in a certain angelic field, and they are corporeal, since they appear to a person in the material world. But only this is a special corporality. Perhaps it is best to call it virtual. And turn on the TV. The plots with which it is filled, of course, are worked out by angels put at the service of propaganda. Media is one of their most prominent areas of activity today. It's not that some Konstantin Ernst is an angel. But who will argue with the fact that he has a reliable guardian angel behind him?

Archangel Michael-Patron of the Russian land

Archangel Michael is the archangel (in Greek - the supreme commander), the commander of the voivode of angels faithful to God, the victorious enemy of Satan, the conqueror of evil. He is considered the patron saint of warriors fighting for a just cause.

The very name Michael means in Hebrew "who is like God." And this alone speaks of how highly he is revered by the Holy Church. He cast down the devil and all the fallen spirits from Heaven. Archangel Michael did not deprive us and our Fatherland of his intercession when he saved Novgorod the Great from the Tatar Khan Batu in 1239, it was not by chance that Michael was depicted on many military banners in Rus' as the archangel of God's army. For more than a thousand years, Archangel Michael has been the patron saint of the Russian land.
Archangel Michael in Scripture is called "prince", "leader of the host of the Lord"
in the spirit of Holy Scripture, some Church Fathers see the Archangel Michael as a participant in others important events in the life of the people of God, where, however, he is not called by name.
THE HOLY ARCHISTRATIG OF GOD MICHAEL VOEVODA
Michael is mentioned three times in the Revelation of Daniel. The "man" who appeared to Daniel (judging by the description, Jesus Christ Himself as God) tells about His struggle against the "Prince of Persia": "Behold, Michael, one of the first princes, came to help me" (Dan. 10:13); "there is none to support me in this but Michael your prince" (Dan. 10:21). This clearly refers to the unnamed patron angel of Persia and Michael as the patron angel of Israel.

However, the next mention of Michael in Daniel's prophecy makes us think of him as an earthly person. In connection with the description of the campaigns of the "despicable" king (in the Revelation of John, the image of the "beast from the abyss" corresponds to him), Daniel says:

"And at that time Michael will rise, the great prince, standing for the sons of your people." Dan. 12:1.
ARCHANGEL MICHAEL ANGEL OF THE APOCALYPSE

10 Mikhail in armor with aerodynamic wings

Scepter and Orb - Archangel Michael the Byzantine Caesar Carus The First Emperor Diocletian from the Pillar of Alexandria in his Tsaregrad - the Imperial New City, the Capital of the Russian Tsars.

All with weapons in their hands. And only - one - the most Chief Angel in the Empire of the Army of Angels Michael the Archangel, his Deputy. along the Alexander Column stands without weapons in his hands. Nicholas stole the Argument Sword (Grail). The Germans throughout Germany were looking for this Sword: "Argument" (the Holy Grail), in order to return it to its place in the hands of the Angel on the Alexander Column.

When I was little, I had a conversation with an adult man about the empty hand of "Mikhail", because in Leningrad everyone was sure that Mikhail, the First Russian Prince: Master of the City and Founder of the State, was standing there, former god Russia: "Spas", Father of the Russian Army, First Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army and its Creator.

And I felt so sorry for the Prince, and I asked:

And he was also disarmed? How are we in OSV-2? So how will he protect his people if he does not have a weapon in his hands? What? Will his bandits just obey?

Yuri Mikhailovich slyly grinned through his mustache and said:

Who? Michael something? But don't worry: Mikhail is dangerous even without a weapon!

This is what I remembered for the rest of my life: “Mikhail will protect. He can do anything. He is dangerous even without a weapon!

09 Alexander Column with a monument to Duke.

10 Duke. Odessans say that Duke was brought to them from St. Petersburg in the 19th century, and before that he stood on the Alexander Column.

Paris, May 1871. The Prussian Jews of the Red Army of Elston threw down the monument to the First Prince Mikhail Angel Karus "Tsar Rus" from the Vendôme column. Statue of the First Emperor Diocletian Michael Angel Carus "Tsar Rus" in Paris, a copy of the St. Petersburg-Odessa "Duke".

It seems that in 1874 the monument to the First Prince - Caesar Mef Karus, whom our Prussian Jews-Red Army soldiers of Elston renamed Michael the Archangel Diocletian, the First Emperor, still stood on the Alexander Column.

Because in 1871, the Prussian Jews of the Red Army only captured Paris and destroyed the Vendome column with a monument to Caesar Mef Karus, the knightly name of Chart Rus, the First Prince.

And I think that monuments in the USA and Russia were erected at the same time. Set by the Army. And the Cossacks of Elston became Jews with us, the Red Army soldiers of Elston: Gray slave war crimes, persons who betrayed the Oath. Now, since 1853, they have been running around with the entire Red Army, they still cannot agree among themselves: what are they called now? Either they are Prussian Jews, then they are Russian Jews, then they are German occupiers, then they are Soviet occupiers, then they are Slavs, then they are Christians, then Soviet peasants Hohenzollern, Holstein, Bronstein and Blank, chaps: Germans and Jews with weapons in their hands from 1853 -1953 Traitors.

If you steal someone else's History, live in someone else's houses and cities, in a foreign state, pretend to be Russian (Army), ban the human language and force everyone to learn the language of their monkey, then probably your children and grandchildren will be loved in Russia captured by you.

When did Jews create Yiddish for themselves? In the 1910s? Well, here are all the tales about the Jews. We have other Jews: the Cossacks of Elston: Gray slave war crimes, persons who betrayed the oath, the entire red army of Elston-Sumarokov and the Holstein-Gottorp group.

Who would have believed that some beggarly cloaked Jews are capable of seizing power over the Cossacks? There would be no prices for the Jews then. Only if the Cossacks themselves were those Jewish soldiers of Elston: Gray slave war crimes, persons who betrayed the Oath.
The fact that the Romanovs were Jews, we learned recently. Officially, the Romanovs were Germans, and they called themselves Slavs.
And the Slavs proved to us that they were Russians, only for some reason Soviet Christian Jews with German bayonets from 1853-1953. They were Elstonian bandits, they became Stalinist bandits. And the gang is the same: dimacrezi social commune party intelligences. In the CPSU, Lenin ennobled her in 1917, contrary to Trotsky's prohibition.

And the Cross was already placed by Soviet Jewish soldiers with German bayonets during the restoration of 1901. But they say that she was in 1903. The Cossacks have been walking around as they please for thousands of years. What's two years? The biography of the Cossacks for 1352 does not converge with the General Staff of the Russian Army. State and National.

Pillar of Alexandria (Alexander, Alexandrinsky) - a monument to Alexander I, the winner of Napoleon in the war of 1812-1814. The column, designed by Auguste Montferrand, was installed on August 30, 1834. It is crowned with the figure of an Angel, made by the sculptor Boris Ivanovich Orlovsky.

The Pillar of Alexandria is not only an architectural masterpiece in the Empire style, but also an outstanding achievement of engineering. The tallest column in the world, made of solid granite. Its weight is 704 tons. The height of the monument is 47.5 meters, the granite monolith is 25.88 meters. It is taller than Pompey's Column in Alexandria, Trajan's Column in Rome, and, most pleasingly, the Vendome Column in Paris, a monument to Napoleon.

Let's start with brief history its creation

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. 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 construction of the monument was entrusted to Montferrand. He himself saw it a little differently, with an equestrian group below and with many architectural details, but he was corrected)))

For the granite monolith - the main part of the column - a rock was used, which the sculptor outlined during his previous trips to Finland. Mining and pre-treatment were carried out in 1830-1832 in the Pyuterlak quarry, which was located in the Vyborg province (the modern city of Pyuterlahti, Finland).

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. 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.

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 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 (almost 1065 tons).

An accident occurred during loading - 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.

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 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 the above works.

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).

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, landing at the same point!

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. 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 placed a bronze box with 0 105 coins minted in honor of the victory of 1812. There was also placed 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 board with the following text:

"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".

The work was completed in October 1830.

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: the monolith was rolled on rollers through an inclined plane onto a platform built near the foundation. And the stone was piled on a pile of sand, previously 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." Then it was moved on skating rinks.

Later, O. Montferrand recalled; "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 that I ordered mixed into the solution ... "

On the basis of the developments of Lieutenant General A. A. Betancourt for the installation of the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral in December 1830, an original lifting system was designed. It included: scaffolding 22 fathoms (47 meters) high, 60 capstans and a system of blocks.

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, it was necessary to attract the forces of 2,000 soldiers and 400 workers, who installed the monolith in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

After installation, the people shouted "Hurrah!" And the admiring emperor said: "Montferrand, you immortalized yourself!"

The granite pillar and the bronze angel standing on it are supported solely by their own weight. If you get very close to the column and, with your head up, look up, it takes your breath away - the column sways.

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 an option with the installation of the figure of the holy prince Alexander Nevsky, but the first option that was approved was a cross on a ball without an angel, in this form the column is even present on some old engravings ..

But in the end, 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 - “You will conquer this!”.

Orlovsky had to redo the sculpture of the Angel several times before Nicholas I liked it. The emperor wished that the face of the Angel was given a resemblance to Alexander I, and the snout of the snake trampled by the cross of the Angel must certainly resemble the face of Napoleon. If it does, it's far away.

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.

I must say that the monument, which now seems perfect, sometimes caused criticism from contemporaries. Montferrand, for example, was reproached for allegedly spending the marble intended for the column on the construction of his own house, and for the monument he used cheap granite. The figure of the Angel reminded the Petersburgers of a sentry and inspired the poet to the following mocking lines:

"In Russia, everything breathes military craft:
And the Angel makes a cross on guard.

But the rumor did not spare the emperor himself. Imitating his grandmother, Catherine II, who inscribed on the pedestal of the Bronze Horseman "Peter I - Catherine II", Nikolai Pavlovich called in official papers new monument"Pillar of Nicholas I to Alexander I", which immediately gave life to the pun: "Pillar of pillar to pillar."

In honor of this event, a commemorative coin was minted with a face value of 1 ruble and a ruble and a half

The grandiose building inspired admiration and awe in Petersburgers from the moment of its foundation, but our ancestors were seriously afraid that the Alexander Column would collapse, and tried to bypass it.

In order to dispel philistine fears, the architect Auguste Montferrand, who lived nearby, on the Moika, began to exercise daily around his brainchild, demonstrating complete confidence in his own safety and the correctness of calculations. Years have passed, wars and revolutions, the column is standing, the architect was not mistaken.

On December 15, 1889, almost mystical story- Foreign Minister Lamsdorf said 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, but the next day the count figured out the reasons for 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.

There are many tales and legends associated with it)))

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 brought Palace Square quite a large number of passers-by. 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.

There is a legend that at that time, instead of an angel, they seriously planned to erect a monument to Lenin. It would look something like this))) Lenin was not installed, because they could not decide in which direction Ilyich should extend his hand ...

The column is beautiful both in winter and summer. And it fits perfectly into the Palace Square.

There is another interesting legend. This happened on April 12, 1961, after the solemn announcement of TASS about the launch of the first manned spacecraft was heard on the radio. There is general jubilation on the streets, real euphoria on a national scale!

The very next day after the flight, at the feet of the angel crowning the Pillar of Alexandria, a laconic inscription appeared: "Yuri Gagarin! Hurrah!"

What kind of vandal was able to express his admiration for the first cosmonaut in such a way and how he managed to climb to such a dizzying height will remain a mystery.

In the evening and at night, the column is no less beautiful.