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All-Russian Emperor Alexander II did many good deeds for Russia. In St. Petersburg, the sovereign ruled the country, implemented great reforms and met a heroic death. It is paradoxical and sad that it was here that the monument was erected after a whole century had passed, and even more, after the tragic events on the Ekaterininskaya Embankment, now the Griboyedov Canal.

Unique monument

One of the most outstanding monuments to the tragically murdered emperor in St. Petersburg at present is the monument on Suvorovsky Prospekt, donated by Ukraine to the city on the Neva for its 300th anniversary.

It is an exact copy of the monument created by Mark Antakolsky in 1910. The original was made at the behest of Baron Ginzburg for the city public library Kyiv, in the lobby of which it was installed.

The monument to the Tsar Liberator was cast in bronze in Paris and presented as a gift to Kyiv by the above-mentioned baron. Now the statue has found its home in the courtyard of the Kyiv Museum of Russian Art.

The height of the monument is two and a half meters. The sculptural concept is unique in that for the first time the Emperor of Russia appeared before his loyal subjects not on horseback. But Russian tsars, starting with Peter the Great and ending with Nicholas the First, were depicted in monumental compositions in the form of horsemen - generals.

The meaning of sculpture

Here the sovereign stands in full height, with his gaze directed into the distance. His left hand holds the officer’s “St. George’s” saber, its tip resting on a stone, while his right hand, clenched into a fist, rests on his hip.

An amazing fact: not all fingers are closed into a fist. Leaving the index and middle fingers right hand emperor, not closed into a fist, in all likelihood, the author wanted to add to the image Victoria’s gesture, reminiscent in shape Latin letter"V" for victory and peace.

The whole appearance of the king symbolizes triumph. Every detail of the composition is significant. In the direct article, full of peace, there is a sculptural implication that the soul of a great man, relying on former great merits, has found blessed peace.

At the same time, the sovereign seems to be stepping into the future with one foot. This means that the reformer did not intend to stop there. His gaze captures his thought about the needs of Rus' and the accomplishment of new feats for the sake of its peoples.

This significant and majestic monument on Suvorovsky Prospekt was unveiled on May 31, 2003 in front of the building in which the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff was located. The installation work was led by architect Stanislav Pavlovich Odnovalov.

Today, St. Petersburg residents are glad that the truth has triumphed, and they can honor the memory of the great reformer emperor by visiting the beautiful monument on Suvorovsky Prospekt.

At the same time, after the death of Alexander II at the hands of terrorists, monuments to him were erected throughout Russia. But their fate was tragic. In Nizhny Tagil, the Bolsheviks, having destroyed the sculpture to the ground, placed first Lenin, then Stalin, on the pedestal. Now there is an empty place. In Samara, Lenin still stands on the imperial pedestal. The monument to the Tsar-Liberator did not stand for long in the Kremlin. And almost 90 years later they decided to restore it according to the design of Alexander Rukavishnikov.

Alexander II is depicted in full height in military uniform and with a royal robe. The bronze figure of the emperor, more than 6 meters high and weighing 7 tons, is installed on a three-meter pedestal, which lists his services to Russia: the abolition of serfdom, the introduction of a system of local self-government, military and judicial reforms, the end of the Caucasian War. Behind the emperor sit two bronze lions. They symbolize old traditional Russia, dignity, fortitude and royal power.

They say that......at first they wanted to install the monument opposite, but there it would interfere with the passage of official motorcades. We found another place. But because of this, the sculpture had to change its head three times so that the light would fall on it correctly. One of them is kept in Rukavishnikov’s creative workshop.

February 19 (March 3) will mark the 150th anniversary of the signing by Emperor Alexander II of the Manifesto on the abolition of serfdom and the Regulations on peasants emerging from serfdom.
March 1 (13) - 130 years since the death of Alexander II at the hands of a terrorist.
Let's look at the current state of St. Petersburg monuments to the Emperor-Liberator

On Suvorovsky
This monument was unveiled on May 31, 2003 in front of the building of the former Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff at 32b Suvorovsky Prospekt. It is a gift from Ukraine for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg and an exact copy statue created by sculptor Mark Antokolsky (1843-1902).
Newspaper "Kievlanin" dated November 23, 1910. reported: "Yesterday, November 22, the Kyiv city mayor received a notification from Baron V.G. Ginzburg that he intends to donate to the city of Kyiv a statue of Emperor Alexander II, a model of which was made famous sculptor Antokolsky. This statue will be made of bronze and will be cast in Paris one of these days, after which it will be sent to Kyiv. Baron Ginzburg expresses a desire for a statue of Emperor Alexander II to be installed in the hall of the city public library."(now the Parliamentary Library in Kyiv).

The original statue was installed in 1910. in the lobby of the city public library, and now resides in the courtyard of the Kyiv Museum of Russian Art.

This is the only one of the 3 monuments to Alexander II in Kyiv that has survived to this day. The author's plaster version of the sculpture, made in the late 1890s, is in the collection of the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

Near the Central Bank
The monument to Emperor Alexander II on Lomonosov Street near the Main Directorate of the Central Bank for St. Petersburg was opened on June 1, 2005. The red ribbon was cut by the then head of the Russian Central Bank, Viktor Gerashchenko. Alexander II is considered the founder of the State Bank Russian Empire(1860), from which the current Central Bank of the Russian Federation traces its history

The bronze bust of the Emperor, according to available information, was cast before the revolution and is a copy of the work of sculptor Matvey Chizhov (1838-1916), the original of which is also in the State Russian Museum. On the pedestal plate there is the inscription: “...The State Commercial Bank, in accordance with the Charter approved by Us, is given a new structure and name of the State Bank...”.
Project Architect - Corresponding Member Russian Academy arts from St. Petersburg Vyacheslav Bukhaev.

In the University yard
A bronze composition by sculptor Pavel Shevchenko was installed in the courtyard of the Faculty of Philology of St. Petersburg State University on March 1, 2008.

According to the author, she recreates the tragic moment - terrorist attack. The semantic center of the composition is a copy death mask martyr king. Next to the figure of Alexander II there is a cross, a wing of a Guardian Angel who seems to have turned away from him, and a torn coat of arms of the Russian Empire.
The building of the Faculty of Philology was erected by decree of Alexander II, who also transferred the neighboring Collegiums - the current administrative building - to the University. During the reign of the reformer tsar, the charter of the Imperial University was adopted.
You can see what the entire monument looks like.

I frankly don't like this monument. I consider the idea blasphemous, and the execution and installation location do not correspond to the scale of the individual and historical significance Sovereign.

Ruin
At 132 Fontanka embankment there is a dilapidated pedestal covered with snow.

This is all that remains of the monument to Alexander II, unveiled here in 1892. Sculptor - N.A. Lavretsky, architect - P.A. Samsonov.

In house 132 there was the Alexander Hospital for laborers in memory of February 19, 1861. It was opened in 1866. at the personal expense of the Emperor. The hospital building was built in 1864-66. according to the project by architect. I.V. Shtrom.

The bronze bust of the Emperor was mounted on a figured stand and a high stepped pedestal made of blocks of colored granite. He was depicted in a hussar uniform, with a ribbon and aiguillette, in shoulder straps, with the St. George Cross, orders and stars. Inscriptions on the pedestal: on the front side: “To Emperor Alexander II. To the founder of the hospital"; on the side faces: “The hospital was founded in memory of February 19, 1861, built by the City Public Administration in 1892."

The monument was destroyed in 1931. On his pedestal for a long time the leader of the world proletariat showed off. Then he too disappeared, but the inscription “The Invisible Man” appeared. With this name, the object entered urban folklore.

According to the newspaper "My District"
working on the reconstruction of the monument since 1996. the sculptor Stanislav Golovanov works.

However, after 15 years, the 2 million rubles required to make the bust were never found. I would really like to reach out to the city authorities this anniversary year. Although I don't believe in such a possibility.

Now let's walk through the nearest suburbs of St. Petersburg.

This is what the monument to the Tsar - Liberator in the village of Murino, opened in 1911, looked like. next to the chapel of St. blgv. Prince Alexander Nevsky

This modern look chapels. The tree has grown, and the snow-covered mound on the left is apparently the remains of the monument's pedestal.

Disappeared
Also in 1911. busts of Emperor Alexander II were unveiled:
- in Pargolovo, also in front of the chapel. At Soviet power both the monument and the chapel were destroyed

IN Old Village, destroyed

In Ropsha, destroyed.

A country: Russia

City: Moscow

Nearest metro: Kropotkinskaya

Was passed: 2005

Sculptor: Alexander Rukavishnikov

Description

The monument to Emperor Alexander II of Russia - the Liberator, is a large bronze figure of Emperor Alexander II in uniform with a mantle on his shoulders, mounted on a large, black, cylindrical pedestal.

On the pedestal there is an inscription in gold letters: “Emperor Alexander II abolished in 1861 serfdom in Russia and freed millions of peasants from centuries of slavery. He carried out military and judicial reforms, introduced a system of local self-government - city dumas and zemstvo councils. Ended the many years of the Caucasian war. Released Slavic peoples from the Ottoman yoke. Died on March 1, 1881 as a result of a terrorist attack.”

The monument is installed on a granite base. There are columns behind the monument.

History of creation

The monument to Alexander II was unveiled in 2005 at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

How to get there

Getting to the monument is very easy. Arrive at Kropotkinskaya station, Sokolnicheskaya line, and get off at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. At the exit from the metro there will be the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and on the left there is a public garden in which there is a monument to Alexander II.

· Other reforms · Uprising in Poland · Reform of autocracy · Economic development of the country · Foreign policy · Growing public discontent · Awards · Results of the reign · Ancestors · Family · In the eyes of historians and contemporaries · Some monuments to Alexander II · On coins and in philately · In faleristics · Names of geographical objects · Facts · Related articles · Notes · Literature · Official website ·

Moscow

On May 14, 1893, in the Kremlin, next to the Small Nicholas Palace, where Alexander was born (opposite the Chudov Monastery), it was laid, and on August 16, 1898, solemnly, after the liturgy in the Assumption Cathedral, in the Most High presence (the service was performed by Metropolitan of Moscow Vladimir (Epiphany) ), a monument to him was unveiled (the work of A. M. Opekushin, P. V. Zhukovsky and N. V. Sultanov). The emperor was sculptured standing under a pyramidal canopy in a general's uniform, in purple, with a scepter; the canopy made of dark pink granite with bronze decorations was crowned with a gilded patterned hipped roof with a double-headed eagle; The chronicle of the king's life was placed in the dome of the canopy. WITH three sides Adjacent to the monument was a through gallery formed by vaults supported by columns. In the spring of 1918, the sculptural figure of the Tsar was thrown off the monument; The monument was completely dismantled in 1928.

In June 2005, a monument to Alexander II was inaugurated in Moscow. The author of the monument is Alexander Rukavishnikov. The monument is installed on a granite platform on the north-eastern side of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. On the pedestal of the monument there is the inscription “Emperor Alexander II. He abolished serfdom in 1861 and freed millions of peasants from centuries of slavery. Conducted military and judicial reforms. He introduced a system of local self-government, city councils and zemstvo councils. Ended the many years of the Caucasian War. Liberated the Slavic peoples from the Ottoman yoke. Died on March 1 (13), 1881 as a result of a terrorist attack.”

Saint Petersburg

In St. Petersburg, at the site of the death of the Emperor, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was erected using funds raised throughout Russia. The cathedral was built by order of the Emperor Alexandra III in 1883-1907 joint project architect Alfred Parland and Archimandrite Ignatius (Malyshev), and consecrated on August 6, 1907 - the day of Transfiguration.

The tombstone installed over the grave of Alexander II differs from the white marble tombstones of other emperors: it is made of gray-green jasper.

Read more: Savior on Spilled Blood

Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, Alexander II is known as Tsar Liberator. His manifesto of April 12 (24), 1877, declaring war on Turkey, is studied in a school history course. The Treaty of San Stefano on March 3, 1878 brought freedom to Bulgaria after five centuries of Ottoman rule that began in 1396. The grateful Bulgarian people erected many monuments to the Tsar-Liberator and named streets and institutions throughout the country in his honor.

Sofia

More details: Monument to the Tsar Liberator

Monument to the Tsar Liberator in Sofia

In the center of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, on the square in front of People's Assembly, worth one of best monuments to the liberator king.

General-Toshevo

On April 24, 2009, a monument to Alexander II was inaugurated in the city of General Toshevo. The height of the monument is 4 meters, it is made of two types of volcanic stone: red and black. The monument was made in Armenia and is a gift from the Union of Armenians in Bulgaria. It took Armenian craftsmen a year and four months to make the monument. The stone from which it is made is very ancient.

Kyiv

More details: Monument to Alexander II (Kyiv)

In Kyiv from 1911 to 1919 there was a monument to Alexander II, who after October revolution was demolished by the Bolsheviks.

Ekaterinburg

In 1906, opposite on Trade area Opposite the cathedral, on the front pedestal, a monument to Alexander II cast from Ural cast iron was installed; the idea of ​​autocracy and Orthodoxy was expressed in the ensemble of the square. The monument was toppled from its pedestal by revolutionary-minded soldiers in 1917. Later, a monument to Lenin was erected on this site.

Kazan

More details: Monument to Alexander II (Kazan)

The monument to Alexander II in Kazan was erected on what became Alexander Square (formerly Ivanovskaya, now May 1) near the Spasskaya Tower of the Kazan Kremlin and was inaugurated on August 30, 1895. In February-March 1918, the bronze figure of the emperor was dismantled from the pedestal, until the end of the 1930s it lay on the territory of the Gostiny Dvor, and in April 1938 it was melted down to make brake bushings for tram wheels. The “Labor Monument” was first built on the pedestal, followed by the Lenin Monument. In 1966, a monumental memorial complex was built on this site as part of the monument to the Hero Soviet Union Musa Jalil and the bas-relief to the heroes of the Tatar resistance in Nazi captivity of the “Kurmashev group”.

Nizhny Novgorod

Monument to Sovereign Emperor Alexander II the Liberator in the Nizhny Novgorod Pechersk Ascension Monastery. The monument was erected in May 2013 in honor of the 400th anniversary of the House of Romanov and in memory of the stay of Sovereign Emperor Alexander II together with his wife Empress Maria Alexandrovna in the Nizhny Novgorod Pechersk Ascension Monastery in 1858

Rybinsk

On January 12, 1914, the laying of a monument took place on Red Square in the city of Rybinsk - in the presence of Bishop Sylvester (Bratanovsky) of Rybinsk and the Yaroslavl governor Count D.N. Tatishchev. On May 6, 1914, the monument was unveiled (work by A. M. Opekushin).

Repeated attempts by crowds to desecrate the monument began immediately after the February Revolution of 1917. In March 1918, the “hated” sculpture was finally wrapped and hidden under matting, and in July it was completely thrown off the pedestal. First, the sculpture “Hammer and Sickle” was placed in its place, and in 1923 - a monument to V.I. Lenin. The further fate of the sculpture is unknown; The pedestal of the monument has survived to this day. In 2009, Albert Serafimovich Charkin began working on recreating the sculpture of Alexander II; The opening of the monument was originally planned in 2011, on the 150th anniversary of the abolition of serfdom.

Samara

The laying of the monument according to the design of V. O. Sherwood on Alekseevskaya Square (now Revolution Square) took place on July 8, 1888 with the support of the city mayor P. V. Alabin, and the grand opening on August 29, 1889. In 1918, all the figures of the monument were dismantled and further fate unknown. From 1925 to this day, in the center of the park on Revolution Square, on a royal pedestal, there has been a statue of V. I. Lenin by sculptor M. G. Manizer.

Helsinki

In the capital of the Grand Duchy of Helsingfors, on Senate Square in 1894, a monument to Alexander II, the work of Walter Runeberg, was erected. With the monument, the Finns expressed gratitude for strengthening the foundations Finnish culture and, among other things, for the recognition of Finnish as the state language.

Częstochowa

The monument to Alexander II in Częstochowa (Kingdom of Poland) by A. M. Opekushin was opened in 1899.

Minsk

The monument to Alexander II on Cathedral Square in Minsk was erected solely with donations from citizens and was inaugurated in January 1901. The inscription on the monument read: “To Emperor Alexander II. Grateful citizens of the city of Minsk. 1900." In 1917, the monument was destroyed by the Bolsheviks. Cathedral Square, where the Orthodox Peter and Paul Cathedral was located (exploded in 1936, was subsequently not restored), was renamed Freedom Square. IN Orthodox parish In the village of Belaruchi, Logoisk district of Belarus, the granite pedestal of the monument has been preserved; the fate of the sculpture is unknown (presumably melted down). In 2013, representatives of the Belarusian public, after public hearings, took the initiative to restore the monument to Alexander II in Minsk, but were refused by the authorities. According to the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the restoration of the monument to the reformer tsar “could be a demonstration of the symbolism of the Russian autocracy on the Belarusian lands.”

Monuments by Opekushin

A. M. Opekushin erected monuments to Alexander II in Moscow (1898), Pskov (1886), Chisinau (1886), Astrakhan (1884), Czestochowa (1899), Vladimir (1913), Buturlinovka (1912), Rybinsk (1914) and in other cities of the empire. Each of them was unique; According to estimates, “the Czestochowa monument, created with donations from the Polish population, was very beautiful and elegant.” After 1917 most of from what Opekushin created was destroyed.