A masterpiece of architectural art, a monument to the Russian emperor Peter the Great “The Bronze Horseman” has been attracting the attention of all guests of St. Petersburg for several centuries. The monument is the personification of strength, power, victoriousness, fearlessness of the Russian state. The Bronze Horseman monument is located on Senate Square in the very center of St. Petersburg and is an adornment of the city ensemble.
History of the monument
The history of the monument to Peter the Great began in 1784. It was then that Empress Catherine the Great decided to create a monumental sculpture that would reflect the greatness of the monarch, his contribution to the development of the Russian Empire and the gratitude of descendants for this contribution. She asked for advice no less - from Voltaire and Diderot. They advised Catherine to turn to the sculptor of the porcelain factory Etienne Maurice Falconet. The sculptor did not hesitate for a long time - art of this scale attracted him for a long time, and therefore he was ready to start work immediately. Falconet arrived from France to Russia and began the implementation of a monumental project.
Nobody then knew what a monument to Peter I should look like. Specialists offered a wide variety of options. But Falconet had his own opinion on this matter. In the monument, he wanted to first display the personality of the emperor. As he sees her - at that moment only the sculptor himself knew. Work on the project was not easy. The best cavalry officers on the best horses posed for Falconet - Falconet had to accurately reproduce the moment when the horse stands on its hind legs. And he dealt with it. But with the appearance of Peter everything turned out to be more complicated. None of the options proposed by the sculptor suited the empress. In the end, the young assistant Falconet Marie-Anne Collot dealt with the task. And she was generously rewarded for this: she became a member of the Russian Academy of Arts and received a pension of ten thousand livres. The snake, which was trampled underfoot by the Petrine horse, was also not made by Falconet. Its author was a sculptor from Russia Fedor Gordeev.
The appearance of the monument, Catherine was dissatisfied. Difficulties arose in the embodiment of the monument in bronze. Russian casters refused to do this work - the sculpture was too large. And the foreigners were breaking such prices that they seemed unrealistic. Emelian Khaylov, a specialist in cannon casting, agreed to cast the monument. The monument is based on only three points, so it was necessary to choose the perfect alloy and the thickness of the walls of the statue. It was not possible the first time. By trial and error Falcone and Khailov tried to create the optimal composition and method of execution. Work continued for more than three years and in 1788 was completed.
Thunder stone
The Bronze Horseman pedestal deserves to be told about it separately. Falcone certainly wanted it to be made of a single piece of stone. The height of the pedestal is more than eleven meters, and finding such a block in the vicinity of Petersburg was not easy.
An appeal to residents to help find a stone was even published in the St. Petersburg News newspaper. And it worked. Semyon Vishnyakov, a peasant, saw a huge block in the area of the village of Lakhta and spoke about this. The stone was so large that it received the name Thunder Stone. He weighed one thousand six hundred tons. Delivery of the future pedestal to St. Petersburg was not an easy task. He was taken to the Gulf of Finland on a platform, then transported along the Gulf and Neva to the city center. Thousands of workers were involved. The first part of the operation - land - was carried out in winter, while the land was solid, on the shore a block lay until autumn, and in September, on a ship built specifically for this purpose, transported to St. Petersburg. The author of the sketch, according to which the stone was given the form that we see to this day, was Yuri Felten. It is interesting that after processing, the size of the stone decreased much, although today it is impressive in its scale. And on that place where the Thunder-stone lay, to this day there is a reservoir, which was formed when, after removing the block, water accumulated in the depression.
Installation and opening
It is worth noting that the role of Falcone in the creation of the "Bronze Horseman" on this was completed. Due to disagreements with the empress, he left our country. Therefore, the guide to the installation of the monument was undertaken by Fedor Gordeev.
The Bronze Horseman was opened on August 7, 1782. In honor of this event, a parade was held in St. Petersburg. The monument was unveiled by the sign of Catherine.
Description
The monument turned out to be very impressive. The power of the greatness of the Russian emperor, his will, will and glory of the entire Russian state are very clearly visible in it. Peter is sitting on a rearing horse. He wears ordinary clothes and uses a hide as a saddle. However, the founder of St. Petersburg in a laurel wreath is a winner, and on his belt is a sword - he is a warrior, and he is always ready to defend his country. And there is something to protect from - the snake, crushed by the hooves of the imperial horse, represents the difficulties and dangers that the enemies do not spare for Russia. The choice of the pedestal is not accidental. Looking at the emperor, pacifying the horse at the very top, it becomes clear how many efforts it took him to overcome a huge number of difficulties on the path of development of Russia. On a pedestal on each side of the inscription. On the one hand in Russian: "PETER the first Catherine the second summer 1782", on the other - the same thing, only in Latin.
The sculpture of the emperor is 5.35 meters, the height of the pedestal is 5.1 meters, the length of the pedestal is 8.5 meters. The monument weighs more than eight tons. The monument did not immediately get its name, and it was not entirely logical to name it: why copper, if it is made of bronze. But for this we must thank Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, who created the poem "The Bronze Horseman". She gave the name to the monument
Legendary and mysterious
For some reason, the Bronze Horseman was considered mystical almost from the moment of its creation, and was surrounded by legends. Here are a few of the most popular.
1. Once the emperor wanted to jump over the Neva on his horse. He said “God and I” and moved to the other side of the river. With the same words, he jumped a second time, and again successfully. And for the third time exclaimed “I and God” and immediately turned into a monument, which stands on the banks of the Neva. According to another version, Peter survived, but fell into the icy waters of the Neva, from where he was pulled by a fisherman. Since then, the emperor has learned how to prioritize correctly.
2. There is a version that the snake, personifying evil, actually saved Peter. During a serious illness, it seemed to him that enemies were advancing on Petersburg. He saddled a horse and was about to rush into battle, but then a snake crawled out and wrapped its arms around the horse's legs. Thus, she did not let Peter I die. In honor of this, allegedly, a monument.
3. They also say that the Bronze Horseman is a kind of a city charm. It is as if Peter said: "While I am in place, my city is safe." Superstitions are superstitions, but since then the monument has never left its place. Even during World War II, when the city was mercilessly bombed and fired, the Bronze Horseman remained in place. He was masked with boards, sandbags, but not cleaned. And indeed, never once did the enemy manage to seize Petersburg.
4. And this is no longer a legend, an interesting feature. Peter points with his hand towards Sweden. And in Stockholm there is a monument to their emperor Charles XII, with whom Peter fought during the Northern War. So, Karl points to Petersburg with his hand.
The Bronze Horseman was restored twice - in 1909 and 1976. In addition, it is regularly examined using x-rays. The results of the latest study say that the monument is in good condition and is not in danger. After the last restoration, a note was inserted inside the monument in a capsule and a newspaper dated September 3, 1976.
