Triumphal Arch on Kutuzovsky Prospekt. Triumphal Arch

Moscow Triumphal Gate ( Triumphal Arch) - triumphal arch in Moscow. They were first built in 1834 according to the design of the architect O. I. Bove on Tverskaya Zastava Square in honor of the victory of the Russian people in the Patriotic War of 1812. Dismantled in 1936. A copy of the gate was built in 1966-1968 according to the design of V. Ya. Libson on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, now Victory Square in the Poklonnaya Gora area. The nearest metro station is Park Pobedy. The Triumphal Gate is classified as a cultural heritage site of regional significance.

The Triumphal Gate should not be confused with the triumphal arches erected in Moscow since 1721 on the occasion of various significant events on Triumphal Square, which after the construction of the Triumphal Gate on Tverskaya Zastava Square began to be called Old Triumphal Gate Square.

Wooden arch (1814)

In June 1814, Rostopchin organized magnificent celebrations in honor of the entry of allied troops into Paris and the conclusion of peace. Construction of wooden triumphal gates began at Tverskaya Zastava. The choice of location was due to the fact that it was usually at the Tverskaya Gate that the entire Moscow administration, along with honorary representatives of the nobility and merchants, met the emperor. It was one of many arches that were installed along the route of returning Russian troops. So in St. Petersburg the nobility began the construction of triumphal gates at Narva and at the entrance to St. Petersburg. The triumphal arches in Novocherkassk completed this idea.

On July 7, 1814, Alexander I, fearing popular riots, sent General Vyazmitinov a rescript prohibiting the organization of any ceremonial meetings and receptions. The Senate was forced to send out a new decree everywhere - canceling the preparations that had begun, attaching a copy of the royal order. But the triumphal Narva Gate was almost ready, and its decoration was completed by the end of July.

Triumphal Arch of Osip Bove

The idea of ​​​​building the Triumphal Gate in Moscow as a monument to Victory belongs to Emperor Nicholas I. In April 1826, during the coronation celebrations in Moscow, he expressed a desire to build a Triumphal Gate in the capital, similar to those that were being erected at that time in St. Petersburg: the architect Vasily Stasov renewed the wooden Triumphal Arch of Giacomo Quarenghi in a new place at the Narva Gate in durable materials, built in 1814 on the Peterhof road.

The drafting of the project was entrusted to the largest at that time Russian architect Osip Ivanovich Bova. He developed the project in the same year, but the decision to redesign the front square at the main entrance to Moscow from St. Petersburg led to the need to rework the project.

New option, on which Bove worked for almost two years, was approved by the emperor on April 26, 1829. On August 17 of the same year, the ceremonial laying of the arch took place in the presence of Moscow Governor-General Dmitry Golitsyn and Metropolitan Philaret. By the time of the ceremonial laying, 3,000 piles had already been driven into the foundation, and the foundation of the gate was brought to ground level. The foundation of the gate was laid with a bronze foundation slab and a handful of silver rubles minted in 1829 - “for good luck.”

To construct the gate, stone was used from the dismantled Samotechny Canal and white stone from the village of Tatarovo, Moscow district (“Tatarov’s “marble”) - the walls of the arch were lined with it. The columns and sculpture were cast from cast iron. The sculptural decor of the arch was made by sculptors Ivan Petrovich Vitali and Ivan Timofeevich Timofeev, who worked from drawings by Osip Bove.

Due to lack Money and indifference on the part of the city authorities, construction dragged on for five years. The opening of the monument took place only on September 20 (October 2), 1834.

Dismantling (1936)

Triumphal Gate on Kutuzovsky Prospekt

On December 10, 1965, the Council of Ministers of the USSR, taking into account “...the great artistic value and socio-historical significance...”, adopted Resolution No. 1059 “On the restoration of the Triumphal Arch of the Patriotic War of 1812 in Moscow.”

In 1966-1968, according to the design of a team of architects (I. P. Ruben, G. F. Vasilyeva, D. N. Kulchinsky) under the leadership of the architect-restorer V. Ya. Libson, a copy of the Arc de Triomphe was built in a new place - on Kutuzovsky Prospekt next to the Panorama Museum "Battle of Borodino".

When constructing the gate, measurement drawings and sketches of the gate from 1936 were used, as well as the author’s model of the structure, stored in the Museum of Architecture. However, the replica of the gate differs from the original structure. Thus, in the construction of the walls, vaults and base of the new gates, reinforced concrete was used instead of brick, the white stone cladding was replaced with Crimean limestone of a grayish tint and granite, the guardhouses and gratings were not restored. The original parts, statues and cast iron reliefs preserved on the territory of the former Donskoy Monastery were not used - more than 150 sculptures were cast anew at the Mytishchi plant. Based on the details of the only surviving cast iron column, 12 new ones were cast at the Stankolit plant.

The texts on the memorial plaques during the restoration of the gates were also changed: on the side of the Mozhaisk highway, part of the inscription from the foundation board of 1829 was placed, and on the side of the city - lines from the order of M. I. Kutuzov dated December 21, 1812, addressed to Russian soldiers: “Glorious year this one has passed. But the great deeds and exploits you have done in it will not pass away or be silenced; posterity will keep them in their memory. You saved the Fatherland with your blood. Brave and victorious troops! Each of you is the savior of the Fatherland. Russia greets you with this name."

Restoration (2012)

In literature

Vladimir Gilyarovsky wrote in the book “” about the Triumphal Gate:

Triumphal Arch on Kutuzovsky Prospekt.
Author I.S. Burov. Moscow. 1984

Triumphal Gate at Tverskaya Zastava

In the summer of 1814, a wooden Triumphal Arch appeared on Tverskaya Zastava Square - it honored the Russian army, which was returning from Europe after the defeat of Napoleon. The location was not chosen by chance: usually it is here, at the entrance to the city, that Moscow mayors, nobles and honorary citizens We met the emperor arriving from the Northern capital. This road later became known as the St. Petersburg (now Leningrad) Highway - it was opened in 1822.

The arch itself was also made in best traditions- many similar structures were built along the path of Russian soldiers.

In 1826, Nicholas I decided that the memory of the victory deserved something more lasting and ordered the wooden gates to be replaced with stone ones. The famous architect Osip Bova was commissioned to create them. Construction began three years later, and ended after another five: according to some sources, the treasury did not have enough funds - the city continued to be revived after the great fire of 1812; according to others, the work was slowed down by Moscow officials, who for some reason did not like the project.

In September 1834, the grand opening of the monument finally took place. Alas, the author did not live several months to this moment, and his younger brother Mikhail Bove completed the construction of the gate. The structure at the intersection of architecture and sculpture turned out to be truly majestic: six pairs of columns framed high pedestals with powerful figures of ancient warriors in pointed helmets and plate armor. On the decorated frieze were the coats of arms of 36 Russian provinces, whose residents participated in the Patriotic War of 1812, and medallions with the monogram of Nicholas I. The arch was crowned by the chariot of Glory, standing in which six horses, Nike, the winged goddess of victory, ruled. The pediment on both sides was decorated with an inscription (facing inside the city - in Russian, outside - in Latin), glorifying Alexander I as the savior of the Fatherland.

Square of the New Triumphal Gate.
Author P.P. Pavlov. Moscow. The end of the nineteenth - the beginning of the twentieth century

The troubled fate of the monument

In 1872, a horse-drawn line from Tverskaya Zastava to Voskresenskaya Square (now Revolution Square) passed under the gate. In 1899, it was replaced by the city's first electric tram, launched from Strastnaya Square (now Pushkinskaya) to Petrovsky Park. Intense traffic could not but affect the condition of the monument, and on the centenary of the Battle of Borodino, the gate underwent its first restoration - cosmetic for now. The next repair took place already at Soviet power, in the mid-1920s.

In 1936, Tverskaya Zastava began to be rebuilt in accordance with the General Plan for the Reconstruction of Moscow, adopted a year earlier. The triumphal gate was dismantled, with plans to later return it to its original location after careful restoration. During dismantling, specialists from the Museum of Architecture named after A.V. Shchusev measured the parameters of the structure, drew up detailed drawings of the tiers and photographed the arch from all sides. Most of the elements were cleaned and updated, and then sent for storage to a branch of the museum on the territory of the Donskoy Monastery. They fit quite organically into general composition: figures of warriors lined up along the central alley, high reliefs were placed in wall niches, and the chariot of Glory was installed on a special pedestal.

The restoration of the gates was not postponed indefinitely - it was postponed by the Great Patriotic War, after which the capital, like the whole country, was essentially rebuilt. The elements in the Donskoy Monastery were patiently waiting in the wings. Much less fortunate, for example, were the cast iron columns: they lay on Miusskaya Square for several years, and then they were melted down for military needs - only one of the twelve survived. It seemed that the monument was destined for oblivion as one of many “relics of the past”...

Triumphal Gate.
Author unknown. Moscow. Early 1930s

Arches and gates: a look into history

Triumphal gates have come to us from time immemorial: classical examples - the arches of the emperors Titus, Septimius Severus and Constantine in Ancient Rome. They served as a standard for the construction of triumphal arches in Paris under Napoleon, and the gates at Tverskaya Zastava, as well as Narva Gate in St. Petersburg (also opened in 1834), became a kind of “symmetrical response” to Russia.

It is believed that Peter I brought the ancient tradition to Russia: in 1696, he built a triumphal gate in honor of the capture of Azov, and in 1709, on his orders, seven arches were erected at once in honor of the celebration of the victory near Poltava. All of them, although skillfully decorated with paintings, statues and allegorical figures, were temporary, mostly made of wood. Usually they were dismantled at the end of the celebrations or later, when they became dilapidated; often the arches burned down in a fire.

The first capital structure in this series was the Red Gate, built in 1753 under Elizaveta Petrovna on the site of a wooden arch. They tried to demolish them in the middle XIX century, and in 1927 they destroyed it to expand the Garden Ring. The name of the monument was preserved in the toponym of the square, and in 1935 a metro station of the same name opened here.

View of the Red Gate from a flyover.
Author N.M. Shchapov. Moscow. April 20, 1902

However, triumphal arches also have another “relative”, which is not necessarily associated with victories, but marks the central, ceremonial entrance to the city and most often speaks of its capital status - we are talking about the Golden Gate. In Rus' they first appeared in Kyiv under Yaroslav the Wise (11th century); they were modeled after the Byzantine arch of Emperor Constantine. Later, the Golden Gate was erected in other cities to show their greatness, for example in Vladimir (12th century).

Another analogue of triumphal arches is the Royal Doors in Christian churches. They also inherit the ancient tradition: in Ancient Rome, the two-faced Janus was responsible for any gates and doors - a deity who looks simultaneously forward and backward, into the future and the past, and connects different worlds. It was in his honor that the month that begins the year was named January. In the temple, the Royal Doors symbolize the transition from the earthly city to the heavenly city, in other words, the entrance to heaven. In addition, according to some studies, in the era of classicism (late XVIII - early XIX century) iconostasis in the form of triumphal arches spread.

In general, the Soviet government had reason to be skeptical about the bright symbol of imperial greatness, which was also indirectly connected with religion.

Recreating the Triumphal Gate: new place, new meaning

Victory in the Great Patriotic War made it possible to reconsider ideological positions. In May 1947, a wide carved arch with traditional Russian patterns rose on Pushkin Square; in the evenings it was illuminated by colorful lights. This was not just an entrance to the first post-war Spring Bazaar fair, but a symbolic transition from a time of famine and devastation to an era of abundance and prosperity.

A festively decorated entrance to the fair in the year of the 800th anniversary of Moscow.
Author – M. Chernov. Date of filming: 1947

In the early 1950s, large-scale, truly triumphal gates appeared at the main entrance of the Central Park of Culture and Leisure named after Gorky and VDNKh, which was then the main platform for mass festivities.

And in 1965, the Council of Ministers of the USSR finally recognized the great artistic value and socio-historical significance of the Triumphal Gate and ordered its restoration. But they no longer fit into the ensemble of the square near the Belorussky Station, and a new suitable place was found for them - on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, opposite the “Battle of Borodino” panorama.

Strictly speaking, the structure was not restored, but recreated: 30 years after dismantling, many parts were lost or became unusable. Apparently, this is why the restorers decided not to touch the reliefs and statues preserved on the territory of the Donskoy Monastery. Using drawings and photographs from 1936, as well as the author’s copy of the arch, which was kept in the Museum of Architecture, all elements were made anew. For example, cast iron columns were made at the Stankolit plant, and sculptures, coats of arms and high reliefs were made at the Mytishchi artistic casting plant.

There were some transformations: the base of the structure became reinforced concrete, and not brick, as in the original; Instead of white facing stone, granite and gray Crimean limestone were used. The inscriptions on the memorial plaques also changed: the mention of Alexander I was removed, but lines from Kutuzov’s address to the army were quoted. This is clearly a key point - the people, not the emperor, were recognized as the savior of the Fatherland. In addition, the Triumphal Gate was no longer a travel gate: it was installed on an island in the middle of the avenue, leveling a small hill, and underground pedestrian crossings were installed on both sides of the highway.

The grand opening was timed, as expected, to coincide with the revolutionary holiday: the ceremony took place on November 6, 1968. And eight years later, on the 30th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War, the area around the Triumphal Gate was named Victory Square. The military memorial complex and Victory Park, which later grew on Poklonnaya Hill, helped the recreated monument, sharing with it a heavy double load.

Arches of the new century: restoration and reconstruction

Time flies quickly and does not spare even stone and cast iron. IN beginning of XXI century, experts noted that the Triumphal Gate needed restoration, and it was carried out in 2012, on the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812. Not only the arch itself was improved, but also the area around it: landscapers laid out new flower beds, and engineers redid the artistic lighting system. The updated monument became one of the gifts to Muscovites for City Day.

The jury of the Moscow Restoration competition awarded several prizes for the work on updating the monument. Awards were given in seven categories at once, including best project and for high quality executed works.

In addition, on the 18th International exhibition on restoration, protection of monuments and urban renewal, carried out under the patronage of UNESCO in Germany, the award was received by the stand of the Moscow Government, where, first of all, the restoration of the Arc de Triomphe was presented.

Used sources

Kraevsky B.P. Triumphal Gate. - M.: Moscow worker, 1984.
Kharitonova E.V. Triumphal Gates of the Capital // Moscow Journal. - 2012. - No. 5 (257). - pp. 91–96.
Mikhailov K.P. Moscow, which we lost. - M.: Eksmo, 2010.
Posternak K.V. Heterodox borrowings in Russian church interiors of Peter’s time // Bulletin of PSTGU. Series V. Questions of the history and theory of Christian art. - 2015. - Issue. 3 (19). - P. 102–119.

The wooden Triumphal Gate at the Tverskaya Zastava was built in 1814 for the ceremonial welcome of the Russian army returning from Europe after the victory over Napoleon. In 1829-1834, instead of them, a new Triumphal Gate was built - a 28-meter single-span “Roman” arch made of brick with white stone cladding, 12 columns, statues of Russian warriors and the “Chariot of Glory” made of cast iron at the top. The sculptural decor of the arch was made by sculptors Ivan Petrovich Vitali and Ivan Timofeev, who worked from drawings by Osip Bove. The gates are decorated with Russian knights - allegorical images of Victory, Glory and Bravery. At some distance from the main entrance arch, on both sides of Bolshaya Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street, 2 guardhouses (guardrooms) were built, and the area around was redesigned and landscaped.

Nicholas I personally approved the inscription on the Arc de Triomphe: “To the blessed memory of Alexander I, who raised this Mother See from the ashes from the ashes and adorned it with many monuments of paternal care, during the invasion of the Gauls and with them twenty languages, in the summer of 1812 it was dedicated to fire, 1826.”

Vladimir Gilyarovsky wrote in the book “Moscow and Muscovites” about the Triumphal Gate: “They said that in all of Moscow there are only two sober coachmen - one here, the other on the pediment Bolshoi Theater. Only it was not a “coachman,” but a “woman with a roll,” according to the local definition."

In 1966-1968, the Triumphal Arch was recreated in its current location - on Victory Square along the axis of Kutuzovsky Prospekt, near Poklonnaya Gora. Reinforced concrete was used for construction; The white marble cladding of the base was replaced with granite, the walls were lined with blocks of Crimean limestone. All the missing sculptural parts, as well as the 12-meter columns, were again cast in cast iron based on the model of the one remaining column. During the reconstruction, the proportions of the arch were somewhat distorted.

Some of the original elements of the arch’s decoration can now be seen in the courtyard of the Museum of Architecture. They're piled up there in the corner.

There is a small incident in the current location of the Arc de Triomphe: if initially the arch symbolically greeted the Russian liberating army, which solemnly entered Moscow through the Tverskaya Zastava, now it stands at the site where Napoleon’s army entered the city.

On the site "Photos of old Moscow" you will find a lot interesting photos. If you have interesting pictures of Moscow, send them to me, or add them via special form on website. Also, I will be very grateful if you post information about this project in your journal.

And yes, everyone who provided assistance will be given a special account))).

1814 Russian troops return from Western Europe. Especially for this event, a wooden triumphal arch is being built at the Tverskaya Zastava. After 12 years, they decided to replace the completely dilapidated wooden arch with a more durable one - a stone one.
Architect O.I. Bove worked on the project for two years. The new version of the arch was adopted in April 1829, and already on August 17 of the same year the ceremonial laying of the first stone was carried out. And then, over the course of five long years, powerful arched walls were erected.

The opening of the monument took place on September 20, 1834. It stood at the Tverskaya outpost for 102 years. And when at the beginning of 1936 they decided to redevelop the area of ​​the Belorussky railway station, the arch was dismantled. It was carefully dismantled and placed in storage at the Museum of Architecture for 32 long years. A.V. Shchusev, which was located on the territory of the previously operating Donskoy Monastery. Today, fragments of the casting of the old arch, cast-iron boards with coat of arms and relief military armor can be seen at the entrance to the Great Cathedral.

At the beginning of 1966, a decision was made to restore the Triumphal Gate, only in a new location. The task was difficult. It was necessary to restore the arch to its original form based on measurements, photographs and drawings. The project was led by V. Libsonon, one of the most famous Moscow restorers. The team he led included: engineers M. Grankina and A. Rubtsova, architects D. Kulchinsky and I. Ruben, who began restoration only after studying the archives. First, plaster casts were prepared, molds of those parts that needed to be re-cast. In total, approximately 150 different models had to be re-prepared exact copies decorative elements.

Individual figures were re-cast. New life was given to armor, coats of arms of old cities, and military attributes. The casting masters and minters did a great job. Later, all the elements were brought together and became part of the Triumphal Gate. The location of the Arc de Triomphe caused a lot of controversy and proposals. There was a proposal to restore it on the Leningradskoye Shosse, bordering the Belorussky railway station. They also proposed to take it out of the city to Poklonnaya Gora and restore it exactly according to Beauvais’s design with guardhouses, but the architects of Mosproekt-1 decided to restore the Triumphal Arch at the entrance to Kutuzovsky Prospekt Square. They decided to turn the arch into a monument that should fit into the city landscape and not get lost in it. Traffic flows should flow around it on both sides, and it should not turn into a simple fence or bridge.

After the location was approved, the builders got down to business. They leveled the area for the arch, leveling a small hill on Staromozhaiskoye Highway, and laid a new passage and underground passage. The Triumphal Arch on Kutuzovsky acquired a second life on November 6, 1968. It became the most grandiose monument to the victory of the Russian people in the Patriotic War of 1812. Together with the “Kutuzovskaya Izba” and the “Battle of Borodino” panorama museum, the restored Arc de Triomphe constitutes single complex on Victory Square near Poklonnaya Gora.

The façade of the arch faces the entrance to Moscow. In this arrangement, many see a long-standing tradition of placing arches and gates with the main façade facing the central road leading into the city. The basis of the single-span arch was made up of six pairs of 12-meter majestic cast-iron columns. They were placed around two arched pylons - supports. Each column weighs 16 tons; they were re-cast at the capital's Stankolit plant, based on the model of the one remaining column, which was at the heart of the first aria. Between the columns were placed cast figures of warriors with shields and spears, wearing helmets and chain mail. Elegant high reliefs were placed above the warriors. The thematic bas-relief depicted Russian soldiers pushing back enemies fleeing from the pressure of courageous liberators.

All the strength and power is shown in the image of a warrior in the foreground with a shield on which the coat of arms of Russia is depicted.

Another high relief shows the “Liberation of Moscow”. The proud beauty, personifying the capital, reclines on a shield with the Moscow coat of arms. Her right hand extended to Emperor Alexander I against the backdrop of the battlements of the Moscow Kremlin. Around are images of Hercules, Minerva, a woman, a youth and an old man. Antique Russian national motifs can be clearly seen in the stone robes of the characters. Along the perimeter of the arch are the coats of arms of the administrator. regions of Russia that participated in liberation movement. Above the cornice are statues of Victories that stand out against the light background. Trophies are piled at their feet. On stern faces light smiles. The arch is crowned by an unusually beautiful chariot of Glory, led by six horses. The winged goddess Victory sits in a chariot, peering at all those who enter the city.