As the capabilities of humanities technologies grow, the role of history increases. Or is our understanding of it improving? However, it is no longer a secret to anyone that something is wrong with our modern science called “History”.
Still would! After all, on the one hand, in terms of methodology, history is stuck somewhere in the twentieth century. and completely ignores the achievements of other humanities, including the ideas of the Annales school, and on the other hand, they expect more from history.
Here's an example.
The mystery of the origin of the Alexander Column.
Many have heard about artifacts hidden and open, hushed up, stored in special storage facilities and in personal collections. Today we’ll talk about the most prominent artifact in St. Petersburg, the Alexander Column. Official historians are telling us a fairly logical tale.
Under Nicholas I, it was decided to erect a column on Palace Square in honor of the victory over Napoleon. The Frenchman Auguste Montferand was assigned to implement this idea in 1829.
To begin with, let us imagine that Stalin, after the victory in the Great Patriotic War, finds a former Nazi architect and instructs him in Russia to build an unrivaled monument to the victory of the Soviet people over fascism. As they say today: it’s cool, isn’t it? So, it means that our Frenchman looked at a pebble, or rather a piece of rock, in the Pyuterlak quarry near Vyborg.
Judging by the drawing given to us by official sources, a pebble supposedly weighing 1600 tons was not only sawed out of the rock with something, but they also managed to break it off, resulting in approximately the same megalith as the one that lies in Baalbek and has been surprising the entire scientific community for hundreds of years.
Here, for general development, we need to remember that today the miracle of modern technology, the most powerful self-propelled crane in the world, at the smallest reach of its miracle boom only slightly lifts 1,200 tons.
So our guys, with pride breaking through, manually dug it out of the rock and, with the help of water, sand and rags, made a perfectly smooth polished cylinder from a granite block with a lower diameter of 3.5 meters, an upper diameter of 3.15 meters, a height of 25.6 meters and weighing 600 tons.
Then, using their hands, they loaded the pole onto a supposedly special barge. What is the specialty of this barge, why did it not capsize during loading, how did the deck withstand such weight, and where are the drawings of this masterpiece? Question? They only say that it was used to transport the convoy 210 km to St. Petersburg. There she was also unloaded onto the shore by hand. True, the embarrassment occurred during unloading, original. The boards broke, but our giant hovered in the air and waited until new boards were placed under it. Such a flexible column turned out to be. Then, with the help of ropes, logs and something else intangible, they rolled it along a specially built ramp to the installation site. Like this.
Proton-M, which is close to it in the starting weight, modern guys roll it in special cars on special rails, but our serfs, led by Auguste Montferrand, famously did it on hemp ropes. Here it should also be mentioned that these showing and proving drawings were taken from two albums published in France, and all by the same Auguste Montferrand.
The “old” album was published in 1832, the “new” one in 1836. So, “reliable” sources appeared. What happens next is even more interesting. What’s more interesting is that, according to some sources, 1,250 pine pillars were driven into the base of the column. According to other sources, while digging a pit on Palace Square for a foundation for a column, they were very happy when they came across piles that had already been driven in in the 1760s. So it’s not clear what kind of piles there are, we only know that they were leveled by pouring water.
Imagine, they drove 1250 6-meter piles into the pit one by one, and then poured the required level of water, and taking it is not clear what tool, so all 1250 were cut off according to the water level. Then, again, according to one version, granite slabs were laid on them, according to another, a huge monolith was brought from the same quarries. This monolith, weighing 400 tons, was made on site and sent to St. Petersburg by sea on a small boat.
Upon arrival, as usual, the peasants, using ropes and wooden rollers, dragged this block into place, and safely, after pouring sand and pouring vodka into the solution, on Auguste’s advice, they placed it on the piles. There is very little left, namely to put the column in place.
True, it is not explained here that probably in order to deliver the foundation monolith it was necessary to first build one wooden ramp for the entire Palace Square, and then dismantle it completely another one, this time for transporting the column. Well, they also depict for us some unthinkable structure, with the help of which the column was allegedly placed in a vertical position by 2,400 soldiers in less than 2 hours.
The wooden structure very convincingly shows that this is supposedly possible. However, the question of this possibility remains purely rhetorical, since there are no hunters trying to repeat it.
After the joyful installation of the column in its place after two years of finalizing the masterpiece, on September 11, 1834, the grand opening of the column and a grand parade took place.
In this dark story, something completely incomprehensible still emerges. namely, a watercolor by the artist Grigory Gagarin 1832-1833. “Alexander’s Column in the Woods.” This watercolor by a completely realistic artist depicts Palace Square with some kind of structure being dismantled, from which a column sticks out in the scaffolding.
This does not somehow fit into the official version. If we remember here that the upper part of the monument is not granite, but brick, then it becomes clear why in Prince Gagarin’s watercolor the scaffolding does not look like a lifting mechanism. Rather, they are for restoration work, or the construction of the upper part on an already standing column. After all, if Monferand could manufacture, deliver and install a granite column of 600 tons, then what would it cost him to make the top part out of granite?
It is also important to mention that the column was allegedly installed in 1832, and inaugurated in 1834 on the same day: August 30 according to the old style, September 11 according to the new style.
For our contemporaries, this is not just a day, but after the terrorist attacks in New York, a day designated as the beginning of a new era in the history of our civilization. Appointed by whom?: you ask. We can only guess to what extent all these events of September 11 are connected with the beheading of John the Baptist by the ruler of Galilee and by whom this unjust death of a holy man is celebrated, and for whom this is a day of mourning and why. Let's leave this information for thought.
To complete the picture, it should be noted that modern stone processors boast as their greatest achievement the production of granite columns for cities of military glory by decree of President Putin. These columns do not exceed 6 meters and weigh no more than 16 tons. And almost 200 years ago, without electricity, modern cranes, modern diamond stone-cutting tools and other technologies, they could make and transport columns weighing 600 tons. This seems like a very impressive comparison. Is not it?
There are many ways to control a person's consciousness and manipulate society. But one of the most effective is history. Juggling and rearranging, inventing historical facts, constructing myths and legends is one of the most powerful tools for managing people. According to the law of time, we live in a time when the global source of information, the Internet, gives a person the opportunity to build, on many issues, not a kaleidoscopic view of the events of the past, but a mosaic one.
This circumstance significantly reduces the possibility of manipulating us. The main thing is that we finally want not to be deceived, to stop being a mass and individuals who can easily be led where we don’t want to go. A person must become conscious, must create a community of creation, and for this today everything is there.
One of the most impressive architectural ensembles of St. Petersburg is Palace Square, in the center of which is the Alexandrian Pillar, or Alexander Column.
It symbolizes the victory of Russia over Napoleonic France in the Patriotic War of 1812.
The idea of installing a monument on Palace Square was put forward by Karl Rossi, who, assessing its architectural ensemble, felt that such a huge space needed bright compositional accents.
The main requirement of the competition announced by Emperor Nicholas I is formulated in a few words - to create a monument in memory of the “unforgettable brother.”
The Alexander Column had another background.
It is known that back in 1814, Auguste Montferrand presented to Alexander I in Paris “An Album of Various Architectural Projects Dedicated to His Majesty the Emperor of All Russia Alexander I.”
The album contained drawings of a triumphal arch, an equestrian statue, and a huge obelisk. All drawings were accompanied by brief descriptions and even an indication of the cost of the work.
Alexander I drew attention to the talented young man, which was followed by an official invitation to Russia.
In his second homeland, Auguste Montferrand achieved enormous success. When the competition was announced in 1829, he was busy building St. Isaac's Cathedral. Nevertheless, Montferrand nominated two projects at once to participate in the competition.
The first option involved the installation of a granite obelisk with bas-reliefs on the theme of the Patriotic War and an allegorical image of Alexander I as a Roman warrior.
This project was rejected, but the architect was told that the option with a column was the most preferable. Montferrand proposed installing a triumphal column, focusing on the examples of the Vendôme Column in Paris and the Column of Trajan in Rome and Pompey in Alexandria. Nicholas I liked this proposal - it is its embodiment in granite that is today on Palace Square.
The monument became a semantic addition to the triumphal Arch of the General Staff, also dedicated to the victory of Russian weapons over the Napoleonic army.
The Alexander Column serves as the final visual accent of the Palace Square ensemble.
The Alexandria Pillar surprises with its simplicity of appearance and monumentality.
Getting to know the technological solutions and architectural features of the column surprises you even more and makes you look at it with new eyes.
The granite monument of this kind is the largest in the world and weighs 600 tons.
Due to the mass and precise calculations, the Alexander Pillar has been in its place since its erection, not secured by anything and devoid of any external support.
There was no need to search for material for the column for a long time. Montferrand knew well the granite from the quarry in Pueterlax, which was used for the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral.
Over the course of two years, 250 workers, led by Samson Sukhanov, hewed out the blanks of the column itself and the pedestal from the rock monolith found here.
At each stage of the work it was necessary to solve complex technical problems.
The finished granite block was given the required shape on site. Then, using a complex system of rollers, it was moved to a special pier and loaded onto the barge “St. Nicholas” built for this purpose, which was towed through Kronstadt to St. Petersburg.
Since 1829, preparatory work was simultaneously underway on Palace Square, almost in the center of which, during geological exploration, a suitable site was found.
1,250 six-meter piles were driven into the prepared pit, on which granite blocks 50 centimeters thick were laid. A monolithic granite pedestal weighing 400 tons was installed on top.
The operations of installing the pedestal and lifting the Pillar of Alexandria to the place prepared for it were carried out using a system developed by Augustine Betancourt. It consisted of scaffolding, capstans, many lifting blocks, winches and ropes.
This method has already been tested and showed excellent results when installing the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral, although the Alexandria Pillar significantly exceeded them in mass.
All mechanisms were put into action by 2,000 soldiers and 400 workers. According to eyewitnesses who gathered in large numbers in the square, the entire installation of the column took about one hundred minutes, that is, less than two hours.
Nicholas I, who was present, congratulated the architect and said the words: “Montferrand, you have immortalized yourself!”
The column installed in its intended place still needed to be processed, polished, and slabs with bas-reliefs and decorative elements mounted.
And most importantly, at the initial stage of discussion of the project, Montferrand had not yet imagined the final form of the monument; in particular, there was no sculpture crowning the column.
Several options were discussed: a cross entwined with a snake, figures of angels with a cross, a sculpture of Alexander Nevsky. As a result, they settled on a figure of an angel more than six meters high, which was made by the sculptor Boris Orlovsky.
The angel is installed on a cylindrical pedestal, he tramples on a snake, symbolizing evil, his right hand rises to the sky, and his left holds a cross.
The monument was inaugurated on August 30, 1834. The ceremony was not only solemn, but also grandiose.
In the presence of the royal family, foreign representatives and numerous guests, Nicholas I took part in the service directly at the base of the Alexandria Pillar along with the kneeling troops.
The celebrations ended with a military parade, in which regiments that glorified themselves in the Patriotic War took part. For two hours, an army of one hundred thousand marched in orderly rows to the beat of drums in front of those gathered.
The architectural form of a triumphal column has certain canons that are difficult to deviate from. However, Montferrand managed, while remaining within the framework of tradition, not to repeat the details of famous monuments: he abandoned bas-reliefs, spiral decorations and other details.
The architect developed his own original system for thinning the column core, which determines its visual perception.
As a result, Montferrand gave his creation classical purity of lines, laconicism, proportionality of all parts, proportions and symbolic sound, surpassing existing examples in height.
The height of the granite part of the column is 25.6 meters; together with the pedestal and the figure of an angel, the Alexandrian Pillar rises to a height of 47.5 meters. There is no taller monument in the world made of solid granite.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, restoration work was carried out, which was mainly cosmetic in nature. However, careful studies carried out at the beginning of the 21st century showed the need for serious restoration work.
In addition to eliminating the damage caused by time, several dozen fragments that fell into it during the siege of Leningrad were removed from the monument.
An original drainage system has been developed to protect the monument from the rainy St. Petersburg weather. The restoration was completed in 2003, and today the Alexander Column again appears in the solemn form that it had at the time of its opening.
Alexander Column
1834 - Auguste Montferrand
The height of the Alexander Column monolith is over 25.5 m, the lower diameter is 3.66 m, the upper diameter is 3.19 m, the weight is about 600 tons. The column is crowned with a bronze figure of an Angel trampling a snake with a cross - a symbol of the victory of good over evil (sculptor B.I. . Orlovsky). The face of the Angel is given the features of Emperor Alexander I. The height of the Angel is 4.26 m. The pedestal is decorated with bronze bas-reliefs of allegorical content (sculptor P. V. Svintsov, I. Leppe, according to sketches by J. B. Scotti). The total height of the Alexander Column is 47.5 m.
View of the Puterlag quarry
during work *
View of the Puterlag quarry
during work*
Loading the column
to the bot "Saint Nicholas"*
Transportation
granite blocks
along the Neva*
Delivery of granite
block on Dvortsovaya
square*
Granite block on
transportation
platform*
Granite processing
block in place
column installation*
Lifting the column by
construction platform
for transportation
on Palace Embankment*
Lifting the column by
construction platform
for transportation*
Transportation of the column
on the construction platform
to the installation site*
Transportation of the column
on the construction platform
to the installation site*
Transportation of the column
on the construction platform
to the installation site*
Raising of the column on August 30
(namesake day
Alexander I) 1832.
Tribunes for spectators*
Construction scheme
scaffolding for installation
columns*
Lifting the column by
granite pedestal.
Guard from the company
guards grenadiers*
Top casting
bronze part*
Pedestal and
decorative parts
Alexandrovskaya
columns*
Projects
sculptural
decorations
Alexandrovskaya
columns*
Alexander Column,
Vendôme Column,
Trajan's monuments and
Antonia, Pompey's Column*
** see below
in St. Petersburg. (GRM)
August 30, 1834
Added-
Chernetsov G. G. Parade on the occasion
opening of the monument to Alexander I
in St. Petersburg on August 30, 1834
Added-
View of Alexandrovskaya
columns on Dvortsovaya
area*
View of
Alexandrovskaya
column*
1860-1870
From pastvu.com
1866-1870
From pastvu.com
* Auguste Montferrand "Plans and details of a monument dedicated to the memory of Emperor Alexander." Paris. 1836
**N Evsky archive: Historical and local history collection. Vol. V. St. Petersburg: “Faces of Russia”, 2001 insert
The center of the composition of the Palace Square ensemble is the “Alexandria Column” monument, dedicated to the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. This event took place during the reign of Alexander I, therefore the monument was created in his honor and bears the name “Alexander Column”.
The decision to perpetuate the era of the reign of Alexander I was made by his brother, Emperor Nicholas I. Work on the construction of the memorial column was entrusted to the Commission on the Construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral and its chief architect Auguste Montferrand.
Initially, Montferrand conceived the monument in the form of an obelisk 35 m high and presented several options that differed only in the design of the pedestal. In one case, it was supposed to be decorated with bas-reliefs and on the front side to depict Alexander I as a victorious victor riding a quadriga. In the second case, on the sides of the pedestal with a dedicatory inscription there were figures of Glory and Abundance. The third option was unusual - with figures of elephants supporting the obelisk. In the same 1829, the architect developed another option - in the form of a triumphal column topped with a cross. This option, which contains all the elements of the executed composition, with the exception of the completion of the column, was adopted as the basis.
The Alexander Column reproduces the type of triumphal structure from Antiquity (the famous Trojan Column in Rome), but it is the largest structure of its kind in the world. The monument on Palace Square became the tallest column made from a monolithic block of granite.
Montferrand planned to make a column of enormous size, proposing to make the base and granite trunk from Finnish granite, and cast individual parts from bronze. They decided to cut the blank for the granite trunk of the column at the Peterlak quarry, which was at the disposal of the Commission, located 36 versts from the city of Friedrichsgam (now Hamina, Finland). It was extremely difficult not only to prepare the monolith weighing more than 600 tons, but also to deliver it to St. Petersburg and install it. Montferrand had to prove the correctness of the calculations based on his wealth of experience. The Commission found his explanations convincing, and at the beginning of November of the same year, the Montferrand project was approved, and on November 13, a plan for Palace Square indicating the location for the monument was submitted for approval. Finally, at the beginning of December 1829, “The Sovereign Emperor deigned to order the monument to Emperor Alexander I to be erected in the same place as shown on the indicated plan.”
Montferrand’s explanatory note stated: “The foundation of this monument will be made of solid granite, lined on the sides with Tosno slab on four sides to a depth of 3 fathoms. Lay such a bottle on piles of pine logs 6 to 7 vershoks thick and 3 fathoms long, positioned at a distance of one arshin from center to center. Directly on the piles, place one row of granite in the form of flats throughout the entire space... The pedestal, which will be overlaid with bronze, will be made of granite..."
The work, which was carried out according to the method of S.K. Sukhanov, was supervised by masters S.V. Kolodkin and V.A. Yakovlev. According to the archival document, “the granite was overturned... on September 19 at 6 pm in the presence of the chief architect...” In St. Petersburg, in the absence of Montferrand, “All duties related to the building” were to be performed by the architect A. Adamini. The separated monolith still needed to be trimmed, which took six months. An average of 250 people worked on the hewing every day.
On April 1, 1832, Vasily Yakovlev reported: “This work is now completely finished.” It was necessary to deliver the column to the pier, and on April 26 the merchant asked for gunpowder to clear the road at the granite break for rolling the column. Gunpowder was released from the Friedrichsham artillery garrison. The rollover began on June 19 at 7 a.m. and was completed at 8 p.m. the same day. Three days later, in the presence of the Chairman of the Commission, Count Yu. P. Litta, sent by the Emperor, the column was loaded onto a ship, the flat boat “St. Nikolay”, built according to the drawings of naval engineer Lieutenant Colonel K. A. Glazyrin at the Particular Shipyard in St. Petersburg. Transportation by water was not easy. On the way, the cast iron shaft of the steamship broke, and with the help of another steamship "Alexander" the ship and the column were towed for repairs, and then continued on their way in difficult weather conditions.. On July 1 at 4 o'clock in the morning the ship passed St. Isaac's Bridge and moored to the pier near the Winter Palace . On July 12, “in the presence of Their Majesties the Sovereign Emperor and the Sovereign Empress, the Highest Family, as well as in the accompaniment of His Royal Highness Prince Wilhelm of Prussia with a large crowd of people gathered for this extraordinary spectacle,” the convoy was safely unloaded ashore. 640 workers were involved in unloading.
After the location for the column was approved in December 1829, 1,250 6 m long pine piles were driven under the foundation. About 392 square fathoms of granite blocks, laid in 13 rows, were used for the foundation, not counting the large foundation stone. The work was carried out by the same Vasily Yakovlev, finishing it in October 1830 under the supervision of Montferrand. In the center of the foundation, consisting of granite blocks, they laid a bronze box with medals minted in honor of the victory of 1812, coins of the 1830 model and a mortgage board. The inscription on the board was engraved “St. Petersburg tradesman Vasily Danilovich Berilov.” At the beginning of November 1831, Nicholas I, having listened to the proposal of the Chairman of the Commission, allowed a second bronze and gilded foundation board to be placed at the base of the monument, ordering “to place a newly embossed medal for the storming of Warsaw. This time, the famous bronzesmith A. Guerin was entrusted with making the mortgage board. On January 31, 1832, the finished plaque was sent to Montferrand, and on February 13, it was placed in place along with the medal for the capture of Warsaw in the presence of all members of the Commission.
On August 30, 1832, the 600-ton monolith was lifted with the help of 60 capstans and a system of blocks and installed on a pedestal without any fastenings. 3 thousand people took part in the lifting work, including 1440 soldiers and sailors. The gates were placed in two rows around the scaffolding. 29 people were placed on each gate: “16 soldiers at the levers, 8 in reserve, 4 sailors for pulling and cleaning the rope as the column was raised, 1 non-commissioned officer... To achieve the correct movement of the gates, so that the ropes pulled as equally as possible, 10 people will be stationed foremen." 120 working people were stationed at the top of the scaffolding to monitor the blocks, and 60 below “to look after the idler pulleys. 2 foremen with 30 carpenters will be placed on large scaffolding at different heights to position the log supports on which the column will lie in case its raising had to be stopped. 40 workers will be placed near the column, on the right and left sides, to remove the rollers from under the sleigh and to drag them into place. 30 workers will be placed under the bridge with ropes holding the gates. 6 masons will be used to add lime mortar between the column and the base; 15 carpenters and 1 foreman will be on standby in case of an unforeseen... The doctor assigned to the construction of St. Isaac’s Cathedral will be at the production site during the entire raising of the column.”
The architect worked a lot on the design of the column. Sketches of the four bas-reliefs on the pedestal were presented to the Emperor as early as April 1830, who approved them, expressing the desire that they should be life-size. Montferrand asked to provide this work to the painter Scotti. By the end of July 1830 D.-B. Scotty completely finished one cardboard, and started the other two. To speed up the work, the Academy of Arts assigned him assistants. F. P. Brullo performed allegorical figures of Victory and Peace, T. A. Markov - the Neva. The allegorical figure of the Volga was entrusted to Y. F. Yanenko. In connection with Scotti's death in 1830, his work was continued by his student, the painter Vasily Soloviev. Under the supervision of Montferrand and according to his instructions, Solovyov drew trophies on three unfinished cardboards. In February 1831, the Emperor expressed a desire to make changes to the cardboards, which consisted of replacing all the depicted antique military fittings with ancient Russian ones. Brullo was assigned to make changes to the cardboards. Nicholas I also ordered that the double-headed eagles decorating the corners of the pedestal should have an imperial crown on top of their heads. The corrected cardboards received the emperor's approval on March 12.
To make models of the base, capital, architrave and decorations of the pedestal, Montferrand recommended the stucco master Eustathius Balin. On September 27, 1830, a contract was awarded to him, and on January 28 of the following year the work was completed. The models were sent to the manufacturer C. Byrd for metal casting.
Instead of the originally conceived cross, the architect in 1830 proposed completing the column with the figure of an Angel, presenting a drawing and model, recommending the sculptor I. Leppe. However, at the insistence of Olenin, a competition was announced, as a result of which the model of the sculptor B.I. Orlovsky was approved in 1832. In June 1832, he was offered to sculpt a life-size statue 6 arshins high. Approving the model, the Emperor ordered “to give a face to the statue of the late Emperor Alexander.” The main parts of the life-size model figure of an Angel were made from wood by the merchant Vasily Stolyarov with his working people. Only the head, arms and legs were cast from plaster. This was followed by numerous debates about the size and number of angels on the column, as a result of which on August 2, 1833, Nicholas I decisively ordered “to make the figure 6 arshins in height... and to end all debate about the figure, so as not to make any more representations.” On January 5, 1834, Orlovsky announced the final readiness of the plaster statue of the Angel. A week later the statue was at the Byrd factory, which also took upon itself the production of all the bronze decorations of the column. On August 28, 1833, Montferrand inspected Byrd's work: all things were cast, minted, attached and completely ready to be put into place; four large bas-reliefs are also cast, and minting is done above them. All that remained was to make the figure of the Angel, but the issue of the figure’s orientation was not resolved. Only at the end of May 1834 did Nicholas I order that the figure of the Angel be placed facing the Winter Palace. At the beginning of June, the main parts of the figure (the arm and wings were cast separately) were ready and assembled together with the cross under the supervision of Orlovsky.
The figure of an angel with a cross and a snake is cast together with a platform, shaped like the completion of the dome. The dome, in turn, is crowned by a cylinder mounted on a rectangular platform - the abacus. Inside the bronze cylinder is the main supporting mass, consisting of multilayer masonry: granite, brick and two layers of granite at the base. A metal rod runs through the entire massif, which was supposed to support the sculpture. The most important condition for reliable fastening of the sculpture is the tightness of the casting and the absence of moisture inside the support cylinder.
On the day of the raising of the column, platforms were prepared for spectators.
On August 30, 1834, at the grand opening of the Alexander Column, a parade of guards regiments took place, and a memorial medal was knocked out in honor of this event.
The Alexander Column immediately became one of the main attractions of St. Petersburg. Montferrand also proposed installing a bronze decorative fence and a “candelabra with copper lanterns and gas lighting,” but these works were not carried out at that time. They wanted to make the grille out of wrought iron with gilded bronze decorations and twelve crystal balls on three-headed eagles mounted on captured cannons. On December 17, 1834, Montferrand informed the Commission that he had received 12 Turkish cannons from the arsenal. All work on the lattice was undertaken by Byrd, who at the beginning of February 1835 also proposed to provide gas lighting to the balls by constructing a gasometer in the General Headquarters or near the Exertsirhaus. On November 30, 1835, the grid was adopted. In the autumn and winter of 1835 and 1836, the monument was illuminated by 12 glass balls made at the Imperial Glass Factory. Oil burned in them, but in some lamps it leaked, leaving traces of rust on the eagles and cannons; several balls were blackened by soot. To top it off, on December 25, 1835, at 11 pm, one balloon burst “with a great crash” and three months later fell apart from a strong wind. On October 11, 1836, “the Highest order followed to arrange at the monument... cast-iron candelabra with lanterns according to approved designs for gas lighting.” Bird took charge of the manufacture and installation of candelabra on granite pedestals, and also undertook to replace the glass balls in the fence with bronze crowns. Montferrand designed each candelabra to have 5 lamps. The candelabra, 2 fathoms 1 arshin 6 vershoks high, were decided to be painted three times and bronzed, and the lamps were made of bronze. After consultations with an engineer who arrived from England, it turned out that it was necessary to greatly increase the outer thickness of the candelabra, Montferrand had to make a new design. Because of this, the production of the candelabra was postponed to June 1837. The crystal balls were replaced with crowns in early October 1836. In addition to the 36 small crowns, Byrd placed on the lattice “12 large imperial bronze crowns,” also made according to Montferrand’s design. Since the laying of gas pipes was completed only in August 1837, the candelabras were accepted at the end of October of the same year.
In the post-revolutionary period, the Angel was covered with a tarpaulin cap, painted red, and camouflaged with balls lowered from a hovering airship. A project was being prepared to install a huge statue of V.I. Lenin instead of an angel. But providence wanted the angel to survive. During the Great Patriotic War, the monument was covered only 2/3 of the height and the angel was injured: there was a shrapnel mark on one of the wings.
(From the article by N. Efremova “Alexander’s Column” “Science and Life” No. 7, 2002)
During the blockade, the monument was damaged by shell fragments. In 1963, restoration took place (foreman N.N. Reshetov, work manager - restorer I.G. Black). In 1977, the asphalt covering around the Alexander Column was replaced with diabase paving stones, and the four lanterns at its corners were recreated in their original forms. In 2002-2003 a comprehensive restoration was carried out. In 2004, the historical fence was restored.
Literature:
Article by V. K. Shuisky “The Alexander Column: the history of creation” in the Nevsky Archive: Collection of Historical and Local Lore. Vol. V. St. Petersburg: “Faces of Russia”, 2001 P. 161-185
St. Petersburg: Encyclopedia. - 2nd ed., rev. and additional - St. Petersburg: Business Press LLC; M.: “Russian Political Encyclopedia” (ROSSPEN), 2006 P. 34
Isachenko V. G. Monuments of St. Petersburg. Directory. - St. Petersburg: “Paritet”, 2004 P. 42-48
View from the northwest,
from the Zimny
palace
View from the southeast,
from the arch side
General Staff
View from the northeast,
from the river Sinks
View from the southwest,
from the outside
Alexander's Garden
Photo - 07.2018.
From the roof of the Singer House
Photo - 06.2017.
(Wikigida DB)
Alexander Column(Also Alexandria pillar, based on the poem by A. S. Pushkin “Monument”) - a monument in the Empire style, located in the center of Palace Square in St. Petersburg. Erected in 1834 by the architect Auguste Montferrand by decree of Emperor Nicholas I in memory of the victory of his elder brother Alexander I over Napoleon. It is administered by the State Hermitage Museum.
History of creation
This monument complemented the composition of the Arch of the General Staff, which was dedicated to the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. The idea of building the monument was proposed by the famous architect of the General Staff building, Carl Rossi. When planning the space of Palace Square, he believed that a monument should be placed in the center of the square, but he rejected the idea of installing another equestrian statue of Peter I.
An open competition for the creation of the monument was officially announced on behalf of Emperor Nicholas I in 1829 with the wording in memory of “ unforgettable brother". Auguste Montferrand responded to this competition with a project to erect a grandiose granite obelisk. Taking into account the size of the square, Montferrand did not consider options for a sculptural monument, realizing that, not having colossal dimensions, it would simply get lost in its ensemble.
A sketch of that project has been preserved and is currently in the library; it has no date; according to Nikitin, the project dates back to the first half of 1829. Montferrand proposed installing a granite obelisk, similar to the ancient Egyptian obelisks, on a granite base. The total height of the monument was 33.78 meters. The front side was supposed to be decorated with bas-reliefs depicting the events of the War of 1812 in photographs from the famous medallions by medalist Count F. P. Tolstoy.
On the pedestal it was planned to carry the inscription “To the Blessed One - Grateful Russia.” On the pedestal, the architect placed bas-reliefs (the author of which was the same Tolstoy) depicting Alexander in the form of a Roman warrior on a horse, trampling a snake with his feet; a double-headed eagle flies in front of the rider, followed by the goddess of victory, crowning him with laurels; the horse is led by two symbolic female figures.
The sketch of the project indicates that the obelisk was supposed to surpass all monoliths known in the world in its height. The artistic part of the project is excellently executed using watercolor techniques and testifies to Montferrand’s high skill in various areas of fine art. The project itself was also done “with great skill.”
Trying to defend his project, the architect acted within the limits of subordination, dedicating his essay “ Plans et details du monument consacré à la mémoire de l’Empereur Alexandre“, but the idea was still rejected and Montferrand was explicitly pointed 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 that of Vendôme (erected in Paris in honor of Napoleon's victories). Montferrand used the columns of Trajan and Antoninus in Rome, Pompey's in Alexandria, and also that of Vendôme as sources for his project.
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 refused to use additional decorations, such as bas-reliefs, spiraling around the core of the ancient Trajan's Column, since, according to him, contemporary artists could not compete with the ancient masters, and settled on a version of the column with a smooth core made of a giant polished monolith of pink granite height 25.6 meters (12 fathoms). The bottom diameter of the column is 3.66 m (12 ft) and the top diameter is 3.19 m (10 ft 6 in). He copied the pedestal and base almost unchanged from Trajan's Column.
Together with the pedestal and the crowning sculpture, the height of the monument was 47.5 m - higher than all existing monolithic columns. In a new form, on September 24, 1829, the project without sculptural completion was approved by the emperor. A few days later Montferrand was appointed builder of the column.
Construction took place from 1829 to 1834. Since 1831, Count Yu. P. Litta was appointed chairman of the “Commission on the Construction of St. Isaac’s Cathedral,” which was also responsible for the installation of the column.
Preparatory work
Type of work in the Pyuterlak quarry. Lithograph based on a drawing by O. Montferrand
The work was completed in October 1830.
Construction of the pedestal
After laying the foundation, a huge four-hundred-ton monolith was erected on it, hewn and taken from the area of Letzarma, which is five miles from Puterlax, which serves as the base of the pedestal. To install the monolith on the foundation, a platform was built onto which it was pumped using rollers along an inclined plane. The stone was dumped on a pile of sand that had been previously poured next to the platform.
“At the same time, the earth shook so much that eyewitnesses - passers-by who were in the square at that moment, felt something like an underground shock.”
After supports were placed under the monolith, workers raked out the sand and placed rollers. The supports were cut down, and the block was lowered onto the rollers. The stone was rolled onto the foundation and accurately installed. The ropes, thrown over the blocks, were pulled into 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 unique in its composition, onto which they planted the monolith.
Since the work was carried out in winter, I ordered cement and vodka to be mixed and a tenth of soap added. Due to the fact that the stone initially sat incorrectly, it had to be moved several times, which was done with the help of only two capstans and with particular ease, of course, thanks to the soap that I ordered to be mixed into the solution
O. Montferrand
Setting up the upper parts of the pedestal was a much simpler task - despite the greater height of the rise, subsequent steps consisted of stones of much smaller sizes than the previous ones, and besides, the workers gradually gained experience. The remaining parts of the pedestal (hewn granite blocks) were installed on the base using mortar and fastened with steel brackets.
Column installation
Rising of the Alexander Column
- The column was rolled along an inclined plane onto a special platform located at the foot of the scaffolding and wrapped in many rings of ropes to which blocks were attached;
- Another block system was located on top of the scaffolding;
- A large number of ropes encircling the stone went around the upper and lower blocks and the free ends were wound on capstans placed in the square.
After all the preparations were completed, the day of the ceremonial ascent was set.
In parallel with the construction of the column, in September 1830, O. Montferrand worked on a statue intended to be placed above it and, according to the wishes of Nicholas I, facing the Winter Palace. In the original design, the column was completed with a cross entwined with a snake to decorate the fasteners. In addition, the sculptors of the Academy of Arts proposed several options for compositions of figures of angels and virtues with a cross. There was an option with the installation of a figure of Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky.
As a result, the figure of an angel with a cross, made by sculptor B.I. Orlovsky with expressive and understandable symbolism, was accepted for execution - “ You'll win!" These words are associated with the story of finding the life-giving cross:
The 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 thousand Russian troops and representatives of the Russian army. It was accompanied by a solemn 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 Russian troops in Paris on the day of Orthodox Easter on March 29 (April 10).
It was impossible to look without deep emotional tenderness at the sovereign, humbly kneeling in front of this numerous army, moved by his word to the foot of the colossus he had built. He prayed for his brother, and everything at that moment spoke of the earthly glory of this sovereign brother: the monument bearing his name, and the kneeling Russian army, and the people among whom he lived, complacent, accessible to everyone.<…>How striking was at that moment the contrast between the greatness of life, magnificent, but fleeting, with the greatness of death, gloomy, but unchangeable; and how eloquent was this angel in view of both, who, unrelated to everything that surrounded him, stood between earth and heaven, belonging to the one with his monumental granite, depicting what no longer exists, and to the other with his radiant cross, a symbol of what always and forever
... no pen can describe the greatness of that moment when, following three cannon shots, suddenly from all the streets, as if born from the earth, in slender bulks, with the thunder of drums, to the sounds of the Paris March, columns of the Russian army began to march... For two hours this magnificent, unique in world spectacle... In the evening, noisy crowds wandered through the streets of the illuminated city for a long time, finally the lighting went out, the streets were empty, and in a deserted square the majestic colossus was left alone with its sentry
In honor of this event, a memorial ruble was issued in the same year with a circulation of 15 thousand.
Description of the monument
The Alexander Column is reminiscent of examples of triumphal buildings of antiquity; the monument has amazing clarity of proportions, laconism of form, and beauty of silhouette.
Text on the monument plaque:
ALEXANDER I
GRATEFUL RUSSIAIt is the tallest monument in the world, made of solid granite, and the third tallest of all monumental columns - after the Column of the Grand Army in Boulogne-sur-Mer and Trafalgar (Nelson's Column) in London; The Alexander Column is taller than the Vendôme Column in Paris, Trajan's Column in Rome, and Pompey's Column in Alexandria.
The column trunk is the tallest and heaviest monolith ever installed vertically in the form of a column or obelisk, and one of the greatest (fifth in history and second - after the Thunder Stone - in modern times) monoliths moved by man.
Characteristics
View from the south
- The total height of the structure is 47.5 m
- height of the angel figure - 4.26 m (2 fathoms)
- cross height - 6.4 m (3 fathoms)
- height of the top of the column with a cross ~12 m
- trunk height (monolithic part of the column) - 25.6 m (12 fathoms)
- lower column diameter - 3.66 m (12 ft), upper - 3.15 m (10 ft 6 in)
- the height of the pedestal of a column made of 8 granite blocks laid in three rows is 4.25 m
- dimensions of the bas-reliefs - 5.24×3.1 m
- height of the plinth made of monolithic granite - 3.9 m
- horizontal dimensions of the plinth - 6.3×6.3 m
- height of the column to the trunk ~10 m
- Base and pedestal weight - 704 tons
- The weight of the granite column shaft is 612 tons
- Column top weight 37 tons
- Fence dimensions 16.5×16.5×1.5 m
The column trunk stands on a granite base without additional supports only under the influence of gravity.
Pedestal
The pedestal of the column is decorated on four sides with bronze bas-reliefs cast at the C. Byrd factory in 1833-1834.
A large team of authors worked on the decoration of the pedestal: the sketches were made by O. Montferrand, who showed himself here to be an excellent draftsman. His designs for bas-reliefs and bronze decorations are distinguished by “clarity, confidence of lines and careful drawing of details.”
The bas-reliefs on the pedestal of the column in an allegorical form glorify the victory of Russian weapons and symbolize the courage of the Russian army. The bas-reliefs include images of Old Russian chain mail, cones and shields kept in the Armory Chamber in Moscow, including helmets attributed to Alexander Nevsky and Ermak, as well as the 17th-century armor of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and that, despite Montferrand's assertions, it is entirely doubtful the shield Oleg of the 10th century, nailed by him to the gates of Constantinople.
Based on Montferrand's drawings, artists J.B. Scotti, V. Soloviev, Tverskoy, F. Brullot, Markov made cardboards for life-size bas-reliefs. Sculptors P.V. Svintsov and I. Leppe sculpted bas-reliefs for casting. Models of double-headed eagles were made by sculptor I. Leppe, models of the base, garlands and other decorations were made by sculptor-ornamentalist E. Balin.
These images appeared on the work of the Frenchman Montferrand through the efforts of the then president of the Academy of Arts, a famous lover of Russian 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 on the northern (front) side: winged female figures hold a rectangular board with the inscription in civil script: “Grateful Russia to Alexander the First.” Below the board is an exact copy of armor samples from the armory.
The symmetrically located figures on the sides of the weapons (on the left - a beautiful young woman leaning on an urn from which water is pouring out and on the right - an old Aquarius man) represent the Vistula and Neman rivers, which were crossed by the Russian army during the persecution of Napoleon.
Other bas-reliefs depict Victory and Glory, recording the dates of memorable battles, and, in addition, on the pedestal are depicted the allegories “Victory and Peace” (the years 1812, 1813 and 1814 are inscribed on the Victory shield), “Justice and Mercy”, “Wisdom and Abundance” "
At the upper corners of the pedestal there are double-headed eagles; they hold in their paws oak garlands lying on the ledge of the pedestal cornice. On the front side of the pedestal, above the garland, in the middle - in a circle bordered by an oak wreath, is the All-Seeing Eye with the signature “1812”.
All bas-reliefs depict weapons of a classical nature as decorative elements, which
...does not belong to modern Europe and cannot hurt the pride of any people.
Column and angel sculpture
Sculpture of an angel on a cylindrical pedestal
The stone column is a solid polished element made of pink granite. The column trunk has a conical shape with entasis (thickening of the trunk to eliminate the optical concavity of the trunk) from bottom to top.
The top of the column is crowned by a bronze capital of the Doric order. Its base - a rectangular abacus - is made of brickwork with bronze cladding. A bronze cylindrical pedestal with a hemispherical top is installed on it, inside which is enclosed the main supporting mass, consisting of multi-layer masonry: granite, brick and two more layers of granite.
The column itself is higher than that of Vendôme, and the figure of the angel exceeds in height the figure of Napoleon I on the latter. An angel tramples a serpent with a cross, which symbolizes the peace and tranquility that Russia brought to Europe, having won the victory over Napoleonic troops.
The sculptor gave the angel’s facial features a resemblance to the face of Alexander I. According to other sources, the figure of the angel is a sculptural portrait of the St. Petersburg poetess Elisaveta Kulman.
The light figure of an angel, the falling folds of clothing, the clearly defined vertical of the cross, continuing the vertical of the monument, emphasize the slenderness of the column.
Montferrand carried over the pedestal and base of Trajan's Column, as well as the 12-foot (3.66 m) lower diameter of the core, into his design unchanged. The height of the shaft of Alexander's Column was taken to be 3 feet less than Trajan's Column: 84 feet (25.58 m), and the top diameter was 10 feet 6 inches (3.19 m). The height of the column, as in the Roman Doric order, was eight of its upper diameters. The architect developed his own system for thinning the column core - an important element that affects the overall perception of the 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 arc of the base section. In addition, he used a larger number of divisions than usual: twelve. As Nikitin notes, the thinning system of the Alexander Column is an undoubted success of Montferrand.
Fence and surroundings of the monument
19th century color photolithograph, view from the east, showing a guard's box, fence and lantern candelabra
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 framed by double gates on four sides of the fence), which were crowned with three-headed eagles.
Between them were placed alternating spears and banner poles, topped with guards double-headed eagles. In accordance with the author's plan, locks hung on the gates of the fence.
In addition, the project included the installation of candelabra with copper lanterns and gas lighting.
The fence in its original form was installed in 1834, all elements were completely installed in 1836-1837. In the north-eastern corner of the fence there was a guard booth, in which there was a disabled person on duty, dressed in a full guards uniform, who guarded the monument day and night and kept order in the square.
An end pavement was laid throughout the entire space of Palace Square.
Stories and legends associated with the Alexander Column
Legends
Regarding this column, one can recall the proposal made to Emperor Nicholas by the skillful French architect Montferrand, who was present at its cutting, transportation and installation, namely: he suggested that the emperor drill a spiral staircase inside this column and demanded for this only two workers: a man and a boy with a hammer, a chisel and a basket in which the boy would carry out fragments of granite as he drilled it out; finally, two lanterns to illuminate the workers in their difficult work. In 10 years, he argued, the worker and the boy (the latter, of course, would grow up a little) would have finished their spiral staircase; but the emperor, justifiably proud of the construction of this one-of-a-kind monument, feared, and perhaps with good reason, that this drilling would not pierce the outer sides of the column, and therefore refused this proposal.
Addition and restoration work
Two years after the installation of the monument, in 1836, under the bronze top of the granite column, white-gray spots began to appear on the polished surface of the stone, spoiling the appearance of the monument.
In 1841, Nicholas I ordered an inspection of the defects then noticed on the column, but the conclusion of the examination stated that even during the processing process, the granite crystals partially crumbled in the form of small depressions, which are perceived as cracks.
In 1861, Alexander II established the “Committee for the Study of Damage to the Alexander Column,” which included scientists and architects. Scaffolding was erected for inspection, as a result of which the committee came to the conclusion that, indeed, there were cracks on the column, originally characteristic of the monolith, but fear was expressed that an increase in the number and size of them “could lead to the collapse of the column.”
There have been discussions about the materials that should be used to seal these caverns. The Russian “grandfather of chemistry” A. A. Voskresensky proposed a composition “which was supposed to impart a closing mass” and “thanks to which the crack in the Alexander Column was stopped and closed with complete success” ( D. I. Mendeleev).
For regular inspection of the column, four chains were secured to the abacus of the capital - fasteners for lifting the cradle; in addition, the craftsmen had to periodically “climb” the monument to clean the stone from stains, which was not an easy task, given the large height of the column.
The decorative lanterns near the column were made 42 years after its opening - in 1876 by the architect K. K. Rachau.
During the entire period from the moment of its discovery until the end of the 20th century, the column was subjected to restoration work five times, which was more of a cosmetic nature.
After the events of 1917, the space around the monument was changed, and on holidays the angel was covered with a red-painted canvas cap or camouflaged with balloons lowered from a hovering airship. In the 1930s, the fence was dismantled and melted down into cartridge cases.
The restoration was carried out in 1963 (foreman N.N. Reshetov, the head of the work was restorer I.G. Black).
In 1977, restoration work was carried out on Palace Square: historical lanterns were restored around the column, the asphalt surface was replaced with granite and diabase paving stones.
Engineering and restoration work of the early 21st century
Metal scaffolding around the column during the restoration period
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 exploration of the column. They were forced to produce them on the recommendation of specialists from the Museum of Urban Sculpture. The experts were alarmed 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 force” on the top of the column using a special fire hydrant “Magirus Deutz”.
Having secured themselves at the top, the climbers took photographs and videos of the sculpture. It was concluded that restoration work was urgently needed.
The Moscow association Hazer International Rus took over the financing of the restoration. The Intarsia company was chosen to carry out work worth 19.5 million rubles on the monument; This choice was made due to the presence in the organization of personnel with extensive experience working at such critical facilities. Work at the site was carried out by L. Kakabadze, K. Efimov, A. Poshekhonov, P. Portuguese. The work was supervised by first category restorer V. G. Sorin.
By the fall of 2002, scaffolding had been erected and conservators were conducting on-site research. Almost all the bronze elements of the pommel were in disrepair: everything was covered with a “wild patina”, “bronze disease” began to develop in fragments, the cylinder on which the figure of the angel rested was 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 overall 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 to the stains appearing 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 resulted in 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 sculpture’s shell. This water, seeping down into the pedestal and freezing in winter, tore the cylinder, giving it a barrel-shaped shape.
The restorers were given the following tasks: to remove water from the cavities of the pommel, to prevent the accumulation of water in the future, and to restore the structure of the abacus support. The work was carried out mainly in winter at high altitudes without dismantling the sculpture, both outside and inside the structure. Control over the work was carried out by both core 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 pommel weight in the abacus was replaced with granite, self-locking structures without binding agents. Thus, Montferrand's original plan was again realized. The bronze surfaces of the monument were protected by patination.
In addition, more than 50 fragments left over from the Siege of Leningrad were recovered from the monument.
The scaffolding from the monument was removed in March 2003.
Fence repair
... “jewelry work” was carried out and when recreating the fence “iconographic materials and old photographs were used.” “Palace Square has received 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, costs amounted to 14 million 700 thousand rubles. The historical fence of the monument was restored by specialists from Intarsia LLC. The installation of the fence began on November 18, the grand opening took place on January 24, 2004.
Soon after the discovery, part of the grating was stolen as a result of two “raids” by 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 24-hour police post at the Alexander Column.
Roller around the column
At the end of March 2008, an examination of the condition of the column fence was carried out, and a defect sheet was compiled for all losses of elements. It recorded:
- 53 places of deformation,
- 83 lost parts,
- loss of 24 small eagles and one large eagle,
- partial loss of 31 parts.
- 28 eagles
- 26 peak
The disappearance did not receive an explanation from St. Petersburg officials and was not commented on by the organizers of the skating rink.
The organizers of the skating rink have committed themselves to the city administration to restore the lost elements of the fence. Work was supposed to begin after the May holidays of 2008.
Mentions in art
Cover of the album “Love” by the rock band DDT
The column is also 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 “”. Pushkin's Alexandria Pillar is a complex image; it contains not only a monument to Alexander I, but also an allusion to the obelisks of Alexandria and Horace. At the first publication, the name “Alexandrian” was replaced by V. A. Zhukovsky for fear of censorship with “Napoleons” (meaning the Vendôme Column).
In addition, contemporaries attributed the couplet to Pushkin:
St. Petersburg, Palace Square - it is here, in the very center of the cultural capital of Russia, that one of the most majestic monuments not only in our country, but also in the world is located - the Alexander Column. For more than 180 years, an angel on top of a grandiose granite pillar has been overshadowing the city of Peter with its wings, personifying the victory of good over evil and peace over war.
The laconicism of the form, the simplicity and harmony of the silhouette, the beauty of the lines, the elegance of the decoration - literally everything about the Alexander Column delights.
" Alexander I Grateful Russia"
The Alexander Column was inaugurated on August 30, 1834; it took 5 years to build, and the idea of erecting a triumphal monument arose even earlier. The architects were tasked with giving a finished look to the main square of St. Petersburg, Dvortsovaya, and, most importantly, perpetuating the memory of the victory of Russian weapons in the Patriotic War of 1812. Another equestrian statue was immediately abandoned, announcing an imperial design competition for the construction of the monument in 1829. Tsar Nicholas I “hinted” that it would be nice to put a column in the center of the Palace, similar to the one that rises on Place Vendôme in Paris (as is known, the French monument glorified Napoleon). The name of the Russian triumphal column was truly imperial - Alexandrovskaya. In honor of Tsar Alexander I (the elder brother of Nicholas I), who ruled Russia during the Napoleonic invasion and defeated the French troops. “To Alexander I Grateful Russia” - these words are inscribed on one of the bas-reliefs decorating the base of the triumphal column.
But perhaps the most quoted name for the monument was given by Pushkin. The great Russian poet in one of his poems called it the “Pillar of Alexandria”.
There are enough triumphal columns in the world. Such structures “for the glory of victories and weapons” were built back in ancient times. And in Europe there are many examples of the perpetuation of historical events in the form of “pillar” monuments. But the St. Petersburg Alexander Column is truly unique.
Firstly, because it is the tallest among similar monuments in the world: the height of the Alexander Column, together with the angel crowning it, is 47.5 m (imagine this is a 19-story building!).
Secondly, the column is made from a single piece of perfectly polished pink granite, without any joints or seams.
Thirdly, the huge Alexander Pillar stands on a granite base without any additional supports, only under the influence of gravity, it is not secured by anything. The total weight of the monument is 704 tons (of which 600 tons are the granite column itself). By the way, in the first years after the opening of the monument, St. Petersburg residents treated it with caution, expecting the column to fall. To dispel all the fears and concerns of the townspeople, the author of the monument, Auguste Montferrand, made it a rule to walk every morning near the Alexander Pillar with his beloved dog. So the architect showed that there was no need to be afraid of the monument falling. The tradition continued for almost 15 years, until Montferrand’s death.
One inevitably wonders: how could such a structure be erected at the beginning of the 19th century, when there was no talk of any electricity, powerful cranes or hydraulic presses? Science fiction or a miracle of engineering calculation? There's probably a little bit of everything here.
First, near Vyborg (about 180 km from St. Petersburg), the required “stone” was found. According to legend, Montferrand himself spotted it while walking in the picturesque surroundings of this ancient city. By the way, it was Finland then. First, the blank for the column itself was cut from the granite rock by hand (the process lasted almost 2 years!), and then the stones for the foundation and pedestal of the monument. The workpiece was partially processed on site, in the Pyuterlak quarry, and then on a specially designed ship it was transported across the Gulf of Finland to Kronstadt, and from there to St. Petersburg, to Palace Square, where the column was “finished to perfection” - polished and processed. By the way, the column, which looks like a perfectly straight pillar, actually has the shape of a truncated cone: the diameter of its base is 3.5 m, and the top is half a meter less.
They explored the Palace Square (conducted a kind of geological exploration) and found a “sandy continent”, which surprisingly fell almost in the center of this space. 1,250 tarred pine piles were driven into the base of the monument and granite blocks were laid. After laying the foundation, a 400-ton monolith stone was rolled onto it, which became the base of the pedestal. It was the frosty winter of 1830, and in order for the stone to “sit” smoothly, the architect ordered cement and vodka to be mixed and soap added to this mixture for the desired glide. The column itself was placed on the pedestal two years later, spending only 105 minutes on this work. The pillar was erected by 2,000 soldiers and 400 workers in the presence of the entire royal family and thousands of townspeople. After this, several more years were spent on finalizing the monument - polishing the column itself, installing bas-reliefs, decorative details and fencing.
Angel over the city
It was not immediately decided what would crown the Alexander Column. There were options to install a cross with a snake (the snake would disguise the fasteners), a statue of Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky (patron of St. Petersburg) or a figure personifying virtue. As a result, the figure of an angel with a cross was accepted for execution. But there was also a place for the snake. The angel tramples it with the cross, like enmity and malice. Interestingly, the cross has a “Latin” shape. The head of the angel, to which the sculptor B. Orlovsky gave a portrait resemblance to Emperor Alexander I, is tilted down, as if he is looking at the square, raising his right hand to the sky.
The bronze angel, just like the granite column, is not secured by anything and is supported only by the force of its gravity. The height of the angelic figure is almost 5 meters, and the height of the cross on which it rests is 6.4 m.
In Soviet times, there were several projects to “liquidate” the angel. It was proposed to replace it with an 11-meter sculpture of V. Lenin and even a huge bust of I. Stalin. Fortunately, these plans were not destined to come true. But so that the religious component of the monument did not interfere with political rallies and demonstrations, the angel on the Alexander Column was covered up for the holidays: a red canvas cap was lowered from the airship onto the figure or camouflaged with balloons.
But during the Siege of Leningrad, the angel was not covered by anything. The defenders of the city on the Neva managed to cover the entire Alexander Column to two-thirds of its height. During numerous shelling of the city by German artillery, the monument received numerous “wounds”, and one of the angel’s wings was pierced by a shell fragment. During the restoration of the monument in the early 2000s, about fifty fragments that remained in the column from the Great Patriotic War were removed from it.
A few facts about the Alexander Column
The opening of the monument took place on a significant day for St. Petersburg and Russia - August 30 (September 11, new style) 1834. This is the day of transferring the relics of the city's heavenly patron - the holy blessed Alexander Nevsky to St. Petersburg, on the same day Peter I concluded an "eternal peace" with Sweden, which marked the victory of Russia in the Northern War.
At the grand opening of the Alexander Column, a parade of 100,000 Russian troops took place on Palace Square. In order to accommodate the troops at the Winter Palace, the architect Montferrand built the Yellow (today it is called Pevchesky) Bridge.
In the 19th century, there was a “disabled person” in a special booth near the Alexander Column - he kept order around the monument. And in the 30s of the last century, the bronze fence of the monument was dismantled to make cartridge cases from it.
Nowadays, newlyweds often come to the Alexander Column. But not only for taking pictures, there is a belief that there will be as many children in a family as many times the groom can carry the bride in his arms around the Pillar of Alexandria.
Address: Palace Square
