Monuments are the most interesting and spectacular way to pay tribute to the historical past. Admirers of art, creativity and history admire them. There are monuments that have a sonorous name, but many people do not know who is on the pedestal. For example, the monument "The Bronze Horseman" - who is depicted on it?
The Bronze Horseman Monument is a great example of personifying the spirit of history in life. You need to plunge a little into history!
The Bronze Horseman - who is depicted on a horse?
Many people, even by occupation unrelated to history, have probably heard of the Bronze Horseman. But who is depicted on the Bronze Horseman monument , this remains an open question for most.
This topic has clogged up many of the topics of forums and blogs on the Internet. Who is depicted on the Bronze Horseman monument ? Questions about this do not stop.
We will not torment you for long. Peter the Great himself is depicted on the Bronze Horseman monument in St. Petersburg. The author of the monument, Falcone, sought to recreate the figure of Peter in the movement, so that he would see not only the great commander and leader of the Russian people, but also the real legislator and creator of life.
On the head of Peter is a wreath. It is he who emphasizes the fact that Peter is the winner and commander. The monument for history is unique in that it has three pillars on which it rests.
Now, the question of who is depicted on the Bronze Horseman monument can be answered with confidence - Tsar Peter the Great!
Why in St. Petersburg?
The Monument to the Bronze Horseman is an important element for the culture and architecture of Russia. Often you can meet the question of who is depicted on the monument "The Bronze Horseman" in Moscow? But there is no such monument in Moscow.
So, where is the monument "The Bronze Horseman", who is depicted on it, we figured out. And it is located not in Moscow, but in St. Petersburg. He was erected by Catherine the Great in honor of Peter the Great. On the pedestal you can find the inscription: "To Peter the First From Catherine the Second Summer of 1782."
The one who is depicted on the Bronze Horseman monument in St. Petersburg is an outstanding personality for the city. So thought Catherine and therefore decided to capture the creator of the city forever. Thus, the empress decided to pay tribute not only to the city of Petersburg, but also to its immediate founder Peter I. By the way, this is precisely why the Bronze Horseman was made in St. Petersburg in honor of the founder of the city. Its weight is eight tons, and its height is five meters.
History is the beginning
The initiative to create the monument belongs entirely to Catherine II. On the orders of the Empress Golitsyn, Alexander Mikhailovich turned to Voltaire and Didro for help and advice in the construction and design of such an object significant for Russia. Catherine really trusted Voltaire and Didro, because their opinion was considered weighty.
Etienne-Maurice Falcone - this is the person they recommended to Catherine for the design and construction of the facility. And Falconet, in turn, always dreamed of creating a huge monument that will pass through the centuries and will be revered by descendants. The proposal of the Russian court pleased and inspired him. The master comes to Russia with Marie-Anne Collot. This is his 17 year old design assistant.
A contract for 200 thousand livres was signed with the sculptor. This is a small amount. The Russian court also appealed to other noble masters of their craft, but they asked for a much larger amount.
Later, Felten, a professional architect, who was only supposed to accelerate the process of building the pedestal, was appointed Falcone's assistant.
Who is depicted on the monument "The Bronze Horseman", the photo perfectly demonstrates.
Thunder-stone is what you need!
The question arose of finding a suitable stone on which a huge monument of Peter the Great would be placed. They decided to look for a stone through announcements, and a corresponding message was posted in the newspaper St. Petersburg Vedomosti.
Grigory Vishnyakov will kindly provide a suitable stone for the monument to Peter. It was a huge block, which he wanted to use for his own needs, but did not even find a tool with which he could split it.
Next came the question of transporting stone to Petersburg, which weighed 2,500 tons. It was delivered in winter, when the soil was stronger and could withstand such a mass.
On March 27, 1770, the stone was delivered to the shore of the Gulf of Finland, and the operation was completed. During transportation, there were many problems that threatened to disrupt the entire project. However, everything went well.
The transportation of this stone, even today, is completely unique. It was the largest stone that has ever been moved by man!
Monument preparation
In 1769, a plaster monument was shown to the public. Now the figure of Peter the Great was waiting for the casting completely.
However, the famous master and designer of the Falcone monument refused to do this work on his own. He had never encountered the casting of such a huge monument. Falconet was expecting the arrival of Ersman, who was an expert in this matter.
However, the sculptor’s great hopes for Ersman did not materialize. He turned out to be a poor specialist and could not cope with the task assigned to him. Falconet independently took up the casting of the monument.
The very first casting occurred in 1775. Further castings were repeated in the years 1776-1777. The results of the work were personally monitored by Catherine the Second.
The second casting was more successful than the first. Then, after the completion of Falcone, in the interior of Peter the Great’s cloak he wrote “Sculpted and cast Etienne Falcone, Parisian. So the work on this magnificent monument was completed.
Monument Installation
The Bronze Horseman in St. Petersburg was ready to appear before the people. All that remained was the question of erecting a monument on Senate Square so that it became a public domain, and people could be proud of it.
"Thunder-stone" was delivered to Petersburg a long time ago. The block height of 11 meters was exactly what was needed to place the monument.
However, the relationship of Falcone and Catherine II to this point completely deteriorated. Falconet had no choice but to leave Petersburg for Paris.
The final installation of the monument was already undertaken by Fedor Gordeev. This did not cause him much difficulty, and on August 7, 1782, the opening of the monument to Peter the Great took place. Falcone was never invited to the opening of his Russian brainchild. The opening was attended by Catherine II herself, who gave the order to open the monument on that day!
The story of Baturin
It was the year 1812. It was a time when the Russian army fought with the army of Napoleon. There was a high probability that the French troops would break into St. Petersburg and Moscow and destroy all the cultural heritage that exists in Russia.
Possessed by these thoughts, Emperor Alexander the First ordered that the entire cultural heritage of the city be removed from St. Petersburg. Alexander’s list also included the Bronze Horseman monument on Senate Square.
At this time, a certain Baturin was declared, who was then in the rank of simple major. He achieved a personal meeting with Prince Golitsyn in order to tell him a dream that had haunted him for the past few days. In a dream, the major is on Senate Square. The monument to Peter the Great turns his head to him and says that he should never be taken out of his native Petersburg. Only Petersburg is safe with him, and no one will touch him.
Surprised by Baturin’s dream, Golitsyn immediately goes to Alexander and tells him about the vision. Alexander was "killed on the spot", but still canceled the order to export the "Bronze Horseman" from St. Petersburg.
Thoughts of Paul
Widespread is the story, which is associated with Peter the Great and the future Emperor Paul the First.
Pavel walked the streets of Petersburg in the evening, when it seemed to him that someone was walking next to him. At first he took it for a game of imagination, but after he began to really feel the presence of another person.
“Pavel, I am the one who takes part in you!”, The figure next to him told him. Paul was astounded. He distinctly saw the figure of Peter the Great in a cloak and hat.
This meeting took place on Senate Square. When leaving, Peter said that someday Paul would see him here again.
It happened over time. Pavel received an invitation to open the monument in St. Petersburg. On the monument "The Bronze Horseman" who is depicted? Paul knew the answer for sure.
"The Bronze Horseman in Culture"
Bright monuments and monuments are often reflected in the stories of writers, in poems of poets and in drawings of famous artists. The description of the Bronze Horseman in Saint Petersburg on Senate Square was no exception.
The monument impressed prominent figures of literature and art of various times, who then displayed it in their work.
Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky in the novel "The Teenager" repeatedly mentions The Bronze Horseman. He worried in his works for the future of glorious Petersburg, but did not predict death for him, because the city was tightly guarded by the spirit of the famous and great Peter the Founder.
The mystic Danil Andreev in his Rose of the World also recalls The Bronze Horseman. However, he represents Peter sitting on a dragon.
Other writers were mentioned in their works of The Bronze Horseman. There are many paintings written and dedicated to this monument. Peter the Great, immortalized on a horse, made a great impression on artists.
The Bronze Horseman by Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin is a man who sincerely admired Russian culture and its heritage. The Bronze Horseman monument in St. Petersburg could not leave him indifferent. The writer wrote the work The Bronze Horseman.
The work says how in 1824, Eugene during a flood lost his lover. He is experiencing this grief heavily. In order to somehow escape from the accident, he wanders around St. Petersburg.
Eugene approaches the monument "The Bronze Horseman" and freezes for a moment. He recalls that it was Peter the Great who founded the city on the spot where disasters and floods could occur. He begins to accuse Peter of his troubles and that the construction was wrong, as well as the choice of the place for the construction of St. Petersburg.
Eugene begins to threaten the monument. At this time, the Bronze Horseman jumps off the pedestal and begins to run after the prosecutor. In reality, this happens with Eugene or in a vision, he himself cannot understand.
Coin minting
The Bronze Horseman found its reflection not only in culture, art and literature, but also on state coins of the USSR period.
The idea to mint coins with Peter the first belonged to the Bank of the USSR during the reign of Mikhail Gorbachev in 1988.
So, in 1988, the Bank of the USSR begins to mint coins. The face value of 5 rubles was awarded to the monument to Peter the Great in St. Petersburg on Senate Square. The coin was heavy - 20 grams. Its circulation was 2 million 300 thousand copies.
This is the only known case of minting coins with the participation of the Bronze Horseman monument.
Legends, myths and interesting facts
There are interesting myths and interesting facts related to the monument in St. Petersburg. Let's start with the myths.
- There is a rumor that once Peter the Great wanted to jump the Neva. When he said three times, “All is God's and mine,” he skipped the Neva without any problems. When he changed the phrase and said, “Everything is mine and God's,” he instantly froze in place and petrified. Since then, a monument has been standing on Senate Square.
- Once Peter the Great was lying in his bed and it seemed to him that the Swedes were advancing on Petersburg. He jumped up, jumped on his horse and galloped towards them. However, on the way a snake turned around and stopped him on Senate Square. She did not let him jump into the water and saved Peter.
- There are myths in which Peter says that only he can truly protect the city from adversity. So it was during the war of 1812-1814. And indeed, the city was not touched by the French.
Interesting Facts:
- When transporting the stone under the pedestal, difficulties and contradictions arose between workers. Often there were emergency situations. The transportation of stone was monitored throughout Europe.
- Falcone originally wanted his Bronze Horseman to be without a fence. But it was still installed. Currently, this fence is not, and many leave their inscriptions on the monument, spoiling it. It is likely that the fence will still be installed.
The Bronze Horseman is a symbol of the northern capital of Russia. It is worth going to Petersburg and seeing this monument with your own eyes. Now that you are in the city on the Neva, you will no longer have a question about who is depicted on the Bronze Horseman monument in St. Petersburg.