The Alexander Column is an artifact that refutes the official version of history. Alexander Column (Alexandrian Column) Height of the Alexandrian Column

Alexander Column (Alexandrian Pillar)

This is not only a world-famous symbol of St. Petersburg, but the tallest free-standing triumphal column in the world (its total height is 47.5 m). That is, the column, carved from a monolithic piece of granite, is not secured in any way - it is held on the pedestal solely by its own weight, which is over 600 tons.

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

The Alexander Column was designed by the architect Henri Louis Auguste Ricard de Montferrand, a native of France, who in Russia was called August Augustovich. Working at the turn of the era, Montferrand determined the paths for the further development of Russian architecture - from classicism to eclecticism.

Two thousand soldiers installed the finished column on the square in front of the Winter Palace in 1832. Manual labor and ropes were used.

After the “Alexandrian Pillar” stood on the pedestal, a thunderous “Hurray!” swept across the square, and the sovereign, turning to the architect, said: “Montferrand, you have immortalized yourself.”

Over the next two years, the monument was completed.

The column was completed with an allegorical figure of an angel trampling a snake with a cross. His light figure, flowing folds of clothing, and the strict verticality of the cross emphasize the slenderness of the column. The author of the statue is sculptor Boris Ivanovich Orlovsky.

And here’s what’s interesting: the monument on Palace Square, originally dedicated to Russia’s victory over Napoleon in the Patriotic War of 1812, almost immediately began to be perceived as a monument to the founding of the Russian state. This happened also thanks to the pedestal.

Alexander Column

The pedestal of the monument is decorated with bronze bas-reliefs depicting allegorical figures and military armor.

On three bas-reliefs there are allegories of Peace, Justice, Wisdom, Abundance and images of military armor. The armor is reminiscent of the military glory of the Russian people and the era of Rurikovich and the era of the Romanovs. Here is the shield of the prophetic Oleg, which he nailed to the gates of Constantinople-Constantinople, the helmet of the hero of the Battle of the Ice, the blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, and the helmet of the conqueror of Siberia Ermak, the armor of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov.

The pedestal ends with bronze garlands supported by double-headed eagles.

The base of the column is decorated in the form of a laurel wreath. After all, it is the wreath that is traditionally crowned with the winners.

On the bas-relief facing the Winter Palace, two figures are symmetrically placed - a woman and an old man. They personify the rivers – the Vistula and the Neman. These two rivers were crossed by the Russian army during the pursuit of Napoleon.

On August 30, 1834, the grand opening of the Alexander Column took place on Palace Square in St. Petersburg. August 30 was not chosen by chance. Since the time of Peter I, this day has been celebrated as the Day of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky - the heavenly defender of St. Petersburg. On this day, Peter I concluded “eternal peace with Sweden”; on this day the relics of Alexander Nevsky were transferred from Vladimir to St. Petersburg. That is why the angel crowning the Alexander Column has always been perceived primarily as a protector.

The memory of this event by the poet Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky has been preserved: “No pen can describe the greatness of that moment when, following three cannon shots, suddenly from all the streets, as if from the ground, in slender bulks, with the thunder of drums, to the sounds of the Paris March, columns of the Russian army began to march. ... This splendor lasted for two hours, the only spectacle in the world. 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 a majestic colossus with its sentry remained in a deserted square.”

By the way, even then a legend arose that this very sentry - the angel crowning the column - has a portrait resemblance to Emperor Alexander I. And it did not arise by chance. The sculptor Orlovsky had to redo the sculpture of the angel several times before Nicholas I liked it. According to Orlovsky, the emperor wanted the angel’s face to be given a resemblance to Alexander I, and the head of the snake, trampled by the angel’s cross, had to certainly resemble the face of Napoleon.

Imitating his grandmother, Catherine II, who inscribed “Peter I - Catherine II” on the pedestal of the Bronze Horseman, and his father, who wrote “Great-grandfather - great-grandson” on the monument to Peter I at the Mikhailovsky Castle, Nikolai Pavlovich in official papers called the new monument “Pillar of Nicholas I” - Alexander I." By the way, it was the monument to Peter I at the Mikhailovsky Castle, made under Elizabeth Petrovna, that was once planned to be installed in the center of Palace Square.

According to legend, after the opening of the column, the residents of St. Petersburg were very afraid that it would fall and tried not to get close to it. And, they say, then the architect Montferrand made it a rule to walk every morning with his beloved dog right under the pillar, which he did almost until his death.

But still, the townspeople fell in love with the monument. And, naturally, around the pillar, as one of the symbols of the city, its own mythology began to take shape. And, of course, the monument began to be perceived as a natural dominant of the city’s main square and a symbol of the entire Russian Empire.

And the angel crowning the Alexander Column was, first of all, a protector and guardian for the townspeople. The angel seemed to be protecting and blessing the city and its inhabitants.

But it was the angel, the guardian angel, who became the cause of the more than amazing events that unfolded around the Alexander Column. These are little known pages. So, only chance saved the monument in 1917. Here, on Palace Square, they wanted to establish the main churchyard of the country. The column, as a monument to tsarism, should be toppled, and a number of memorial graves should be built along the Winter Palace.

But it turned out that collapsing a 600-ton column is not so easy. The move of the government to Moscow in the spring of 1918 saved us from further projects of turning the main square of the city and empire into a cemetery. The idea of ​​creating a graveyard in the center of the capital, which failed in Petrograd, was implemented on the Mother See's Red Square, near the Kremlin wall.

But the most incredible events unfolded in 1924 after Lenin's death.

On November 11, 1924, the Leningrad authorities made a decision “On the reconstruction of the so-called Alexander Column, built by the architect Montferrand and standing in the middle of Uritsky Square, and erecting on it, instead of the figure of an angel with a cross now standing, a statue of the Great Leader of the Proletariat, Comrade. Lenin..." Uritsky Square is the renamed Palace Square. Only People's Commissar of Education A.V. Lunacharsky managed to convincingly prove to the city authorities the absurdity of the idea of ​​​​installing Lenin on the Alexander Column.

The angel remained standing on the largest in the world (among such monuments) “Alexandria Pillar,” as A.S. called the column. Pushkin. The last time there was an attempt on his life was in 1952. There was a series of massive Stalinist renamings: the Stalinsky district appeared in the city, Moskovsky Avenue became Stalinsky. On this wave, the idea arose to install a bust of Joseph Stalin on our column. But we didn’t have time.

This text is an introductory fragment.

The famous Alexandria Column appears. Since childhood, her image has entered the consciousness of several generations of Russian people, even those who have never been to the festival. But Pushkin’s textbook poems, where she is mentioned, are known to everyone. At the same time, not everyone will remember that the Alexandria Column was erected in honor of commemorating the victory of Russian weapons over Napoleon. It is often perceived as nothing more than an axis of symmetry and the center of the overall composition, uniting the brilliant creations of Rossi and Rastrelli into a single whole. Of course, this is a simple convention, but it is considered to be the symbolic center not only of Palace Square, but of the whole of St. Petersburg.

History of creation

The Alexandria Column on the palace square was erected according to the design of the great architect Auguste Montferrand. There is a certain element of chance in its erection. Montferrand devoted forty years of his life to granite, mined in Karelian rocks for the construction of his colonnades. One of the monolithic pieces weighed a thousand tons, and its pink granite was of amazing quality. The length also greatly exceeded the required length. It was simply a pity to cut such a gift of nature. And it was decided to use the entire monolith. The Alexandria Column was made right at the site where the monolithic billet was mined. The work was carried out by Russian master stone-cutters. To deliver it to the capital along the Neva, a special barge had to be designed and built. The action took place in 1832. After delivery to the destination and all preparatory work, its final installation took only an hour and a half. The Alexandria Column was brought into a vertical position through a system of levers with the help of the physical efforts of two and a half thousand workers and soldiers of the capital's garrison. The construction was completed in 1834. A little later, the pedestal was decorated with ornaments and surrounded by a low fence.

Some technical details

The column on Palace Square is to this day the tallest triumphal structure of its type in all of Europe. Its height is 47 and a half meters. It is carefully polished and has an equal diameter along its entire length. The uniqueness of this monument is also in the fact that it is not secured by anything and stands on a solid foundation solely under the influence of its own weight. The two hundredth anniversary of this building is not too far away. But during this time, not even the slightest deviation from the vertical of the six-hundred-ton monolith was observed. There are no signs of subsidence of the foundation underneath. Such was the accuracy of Auguste Richard Montferrand's engineering calculations.

During the war, bombs and long-range artillery shells exploded near the column. The Alexandria Column survived those who fired at it and, apparently, intends to stand unshakably for a very long time. The metal angel on top of it is also not secured by anything, but it is not going to fly away anywhere.

Pillar... pillar... pillar...
(C) people

A Alexandrovsky Pillar (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 a figure of an Angel (similar in appearance to Emperor Alexander), made by the sculptor Boris Ivanovich Orlovsky.

The Alexandria Pillar 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 monolithic 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, in Rome and, what is especially nice, the Vendôme Column in Paris - a monument to Napoleon (it exists)

I'll start with a brief history of its creation.

The idea of ​​​​building the monument was proposed 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. From the side, the installation point of the column looks like the exact center of Palace Square. But in fact, it is located 100 meters from the Winter Palace and almost 140 meters from the arch of the General Staff building.

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

For the granite monolith - the main part of the column - the rock that the sculptor outlined during his previous trips to Finland was used. Mining and preliminary processing were carried out in 1830-1832 in the Pyuterlak quarry, which was located in the Vyborg province (the modern city of Pyterlahti, 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 every day. Montferrand appointed mason master Eugene Pascal to lead the work.

After the stonemasons examined the rock and confirmed the suitability of the material, a prism was cut off from it, which was significantly larger in size than the future column. Giant devices were used: huge levers and gates to move the block from its place and tip it onto a soft and elastic bedding of spruce branches.

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

The monolith was duped on site and prepared for transportation. Transportation issues were dealt with by naval engineer Colonel K.A. Glazyrin, who designed and built a special boat, named “Saint Nicholas”, with a carrying capacity of up to 65 thousand poods (almost 1065 tons).

During loading, an accident occurred - the weight of the column could not be supported by the beams 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 completed a forced march of 36 miles from a neighboring fortress in four hours.

To carry out loading operations, a special pier was built. Loading was carried out from a wooden platform at its end, which coincided 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 steamships, from there to go 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, merchant son V. A. Yakovlev, was responsible for all of the above work.

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

First, a geological survey of the area was carried out, which resulted in the discovery of a suitable sandy continent 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. By the end of 1829, the workers managed to dig a foundation pit. While strengthening the foundation for the Alexander Column, workers came across piles that had strengthened the ground back in the 1760s. It turned out that Montferrand repeated, after Rastrelli, the decision about the location for the monument, landing on the same point!

In December 1829, the location for the column was approved, and 1,250 six-meter pine piles were driven under the base. Then the piles were cut to fit the spirit 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 to the level of the water table, which ensured that the site was horizontal. Previously, 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 extended to the horizon of the square using planked masonry. In its center was placed a bronze box with 0 105 coins minted in honor of the victory of 1812. A platinum medal minted according to Montferrand’s design with the image of the Alexander Column and the date “1830” was also placed there, as well as a mortgage plaque with the following text:

""In the summer of Christ 1831, construction began on a monument erected to Emperor Alexander by grateful Russia on a granite foundation laid on the 19th day of November 1830. In St. Petersburg, Count Yu. Litta presided over the construction of this monument. The meeting was held by: Prince P. Volkonsky, A. Olenin, Count P. Kutaisov, I. Gladkov, L. Carbonier, A. Vasilchikov. The construction was carried out according to the drawings of the same architect Augustin 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 erected on 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 close to the foundation. And the stone was dumped on a pile of sand, 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 as if an underground shock". Then they moved it on rollers.

Later O. Montferrand recalled; “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..."

Album with drawings by Montferrand.

By July 1832, the monolith of the column was on its way, and the pedestal had already been completed. It's time to begin the most difficult task - installing the column on the pedestal.

Based on the developments of Lieutenant General A. A. Betancourt for the installation of 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, the windows and 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 into 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, people shouted "Hurray!" And the delighted emperor said: “Montferrand, you have immortalized yourself!”

The granite pillar and the bronze angel standing on it are held together solely by their own weight. If you come very close to the column and, raising your head, look up, it will take your breath away - it seems that the column is swaying.

This is a real work of art.

After installing the column, all that remained was to attach the bas-relief slabs and decorative elements to the pedestal, as well as to complete the final processing and polishing of the column.

The column was surmounted by a bronze capital of the Doric order with a rectangular abacus made of brickwork 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 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 to install the figure of Saint 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 in 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 - “By this victory!”

Orlovsky had to redo the sculpture of the Angel several times before Nicholas I liked it. The Emperor wanted the Angel’s face to be given a resemblance to Alexander I, and the face of the snake trampled by the Angel’s cross must certainly resemble Napoleon’s face. If it reminds you, it’s distantly.

Initially, the Alexander Column was framed by a temporary wooden fence with lamps in the form of antique tripods and plaster lion masks. The carpentry work for the fence was carried out by “carved master” Vasily Zakharov. Instead of a temporary fence, at the end of 1834 it was decided to install a permanent metal one “with three-headed eagles under the lanterns,” the design of which was drawn up by Montferrand in advance.

Parade at the opening of the Alexander Column in 1834. From a painting by Ladurneur. The painting is in

To accommodate the guests of honor, Montferrand built a special platform in front of the Winter Palace in the form of a three-span arch. It was decorated in such a way as to architecturally connect with the Winter Palace.

A parade of troops took place in front of the podium and the column.

It must be said that the monument, which now seems perfect, sometimes aroused criticism from contemporaries. Montferrand, for example, was reproached for allegedly using the marble intended for the column to build his own house, and using cheap granite for the monument. The figure of the Angel reminded the people of St. Petersburg of a sentry and inspired the poet to write the following mocking lines:

“Everything in Russia breathes military craft:
And the Angel puts a cross on guard.”

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

In honor of this event, a commemorative coin was minted in denominations of 1 ruble and one and a half rubles

The grandiose structure inspired admiration and awe in St. Petersburg residents from the moment of its foundation, but our ancestors were seriously afraid that the Alexander Column would collapse and tried to avoid it.

To dispel philistine fears, the architect Auguste Montferrand, fortunately living nearby, on the Moika, began to exercise daily around his brainchild, demonstrating complete confidence in his own safety and the correctness of his calculations. Years have passed, wars and revolutions have passed, the column still stands, the architect was not mistaken.

On December 15, 1889, an almost mystical story happened - Foreign Minister Lamsdorff reported in his diary that at nightfall, when the lanterns were lit, a luminous letter “N” appeared 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 lanterns: "Simens". When the lamps were working, this letter was reflected on the column from the side.

There are many tales and legends associated with the column))) stories about how it was accidentally excavated by builders led by Montferrand or versions about aliens from Alpha Centauri, I will immediately drop... under the plinth. This goodness will be enough in the comments)))

In 1925, it was decided that the presence of an angel figure on the main square of Leningrad was inappropriate. An attempt was made to cover it with a cap, which attracted a fairly large number of passers-by to Palace Square. A hot air balloon hung above the column. However, when he flew up to the required distance, the wind immediately blew and drove the ball away. By evening, attempts to hide the angel stopped.

There is a legend that at that time, instead of the angel, they seriously planned to erect a monument to Lenin. It would have looked something like this))) Lenin was not appointed because they could not decide in which direction to extend their hand to Ilyich...

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

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

Basic information (C) Wiki, walkspb.ru and other Internet. Old photos and engravings (C) albums of Montferrand (State Public Library) and the Internet. Modern photos are partly mine, partly from the Internet.

(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 RUSSIA

It 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:

Arches 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 Carl Rossi. When planning the space of Palace Square, he believed that a monument should be placed in the center of the square. 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.

In honor of the 175th anniversary of the installation of the Alexander Column on Palace Square in St. Petersburg, a solemn ceremony was held, and the Day of the Alexander Column was established in the Hermitage.

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

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources