In which city is the Bronze Horseman monument located? For everyone and about everything

The French sculptor Etienne Falconet, who was working at a porcelain factory at that time, was invited to work. His candidacy was proposed to the Empress by Denis Diderot. “He has an abyss of subtle taste, intelligence and delicacy, and at the same time he is uncouth, stern, and does not believe in anything. Doesn't know selfishness", wrote the philosopher about Falcon. Having received the invitation, the sculptor immediately agreed, he had always dreamed of monumental art.

Falconet decided to present Peter I as "the creator, legislator and benefactor of his country". “My king does not hold any rod, he extends his beneficent right hand over the country he travels around. He rises to the top of the rock that serves as his pedestal - this is an emblem of the difficulties he has overcome.”

To create an accurate model, the sculptor ordered to build a platform with the same slope that the pedestal was supposed to have. Falconet made sketches, watching how the guards officer flew up on his horse onto the platform and reared it. The head of Peter I was sculpted by Falconet's student Marie-Anne Collot. The sculptor took on this work three times, but each time Catherine II rejected it. As a result, Marie proposed her sketch, which was approved by the empress. For this work, the girl was accepted as a member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Catherine II assigned her a lifelong pension of 10,000 livres. The snake under the horse’s feet - a symbol of evil forces and the victory of Peter I over the opponents of his reforms, as well as being the third fulcrum of the horse - was made by the Russian sculptor Fyodor Gordeev.

The Academy of Arts began searching for the monolith stone when the model of the monument was not yet ready. Speaking modern language, a competition was announced to find a stone for the pedestal, the newspaper St. Petersburg Vedomosti published an advertisement. The stone was found twelve miles from St. Petersburg by the peasant Semyon Grigorievich Vishnyakov. For this find he was awarded a prize of 100 rubles. The granite rock broken by lightning was named "Thunder Stone". It went more than 4 m into the ground and was all covered with moss. The monolith weighed about 1600 tons. Transportation of the stone took about six months; first, it was dragged on a special platform all winter to the Gulf of Finland, and then transported by ship.

The giant “Thunder Stone” arrived in St. Petersburg in front of a huge crowd of people. Senate Square September 26, 1770. At that time it was a wasteland; there was neither the Senate building nor St. Isaac's Cathedral. Starting from 1775, work was carried out to cast the monument. Etienne Falconet was unable to complete the monument himself; Yu.M. completed the job. Felton and F.G. Gordeev.

The grand opening of the monument with a military parade took place on August 7, 1782, on the day of the 100th anniversary of Peter I’s accession to the Russian throne. The signal for the opening was given by the empress herself.

By order of Catherine II, the following is inscribed on the pedestal: “Catherine II to Peter I Summer 1782” in Russian and Latin languages. Thus, the Empress emphasized her commitment to Peter's reforms.

In memory of the opening of the monument, a silver medal with its image was issued. Three copies of this medal were made of gold. The Empress sent one gold and one silver medal to Falcone, who received them from the hands of Prince D.A. Golitsyn in 1783.

The Bronze Horseman owes its name to the work of the same name by A.S. Pushkin, although the monument is made of bronze. The Bronze Horseman appears in the novels of F.M. Dostoevsky and Andrei Bely.

During the siege of Leningrad, the Bronze Horseman was covered with bags of earth and sand, lined with logs and boards.

During the restoration of the monument in 1976, the sculpture was studied using gamma rays. Thanks to this research, it turned out that the frame of the monument can serve long years. Inside the figure was a capsule with a note about the restoration, its participants and a newspaper dated September 3, 1976.

Before the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, the monument was once again restored. The sculpture was cleaned of patina, and a low fence was installed around the monument.

It all started when the Senate Russian Empire decided to erect a monument in honor of the reigning Empress Catherine II. However, far-sighted and understanding political situation and the mood of the people, Catherine refused this honor, declaring that it was inappropriate to erect a monument to her before her great predecessor Peter I was immortalized. Today, the history of the creation of this masterpiece is remembered not only in St. Petersburg, but also wherever there are monuments to Peter I.

Catherine II set out to create something grandiose, and she succeeded. The monument to Peter 1 “The Bronze Horseman” is a masterpiece, and the story of its creation is similar to an adventure novel.

Where to find an architect

Ekaterina approached the issue of choosing a suitable master very seriously. In the end, on the recommendation of the Paris Academy professor Denis Diderot, with whom she regularly corresponded, and his colleague Voltaire, the master was invited to St. Petersburg. The monument to Peter 1 was to be created by Etienne Maurice Falconet, a French architect who enjoyed the patronage of the Marquise de Pompadour herself, who was the legalized favorite of the French king.

A long-awaited opportunity

Falcone dreamed all his life of creating something monumental, but he had to work with sculptures of ordinary sizes. Therefore, the future author of the monument to Peter 1 happily signed a contract, despite the small amount of the fee.

He, in fact, began working on it back in Paris. The sculptor comes to Russia with a ready-made sketch and a fully formed idea of ​​what the monument should look like.

Heated debate

However, the problem was that literally everyone who had any influence on the final decision on the composition of the statue imagined it differently. The history of the Bronze Horseman monument has preserved some of these proposals.

Catherine herself wanted to see a statue of the emperor, made in the ancient Roman style. He had to be dressed in a Roman toga, hold a scepter in his hands and radiate the greatness of a victorious warrior with his entire appearance.

Representative of the Russian Academy of Sciences, actual state councilor Yakov Yakovlevich Shtelin gravitated towards allegories. He persistently proposed depicting the king surrounded by other statues, which, according to his plan, were supposed to personify victory, prudence and hard work.

Catherine II's personal secretary, Ivan Ivanovich Betskoy, who was the president of the Imperial Academy of Arts, wanted the statue to be made in the classic pose of a man standing at full height.

He who recommended hiring Falcone also contributed to the boiling cup of contention by proposing to make the monument in the form of a fountain. So there was a possibility that where the monument to Peter 1 is located today, there could be an elegant pond.

And some very creative advisers suggested that one eye of the emperor should be directed to and the other to the Twelve Colleges. It’s scary to imagine what the expression on that face must have been like.

However, Falcone was not going to back down. He wanted the first monument to reflect the real personal qualities of the emperor, and not turn into a three-dimensional visualization of a collage of flattering epithets for the sovereign. And the master managed to defend his position.

Creating a model

The sculptor spent the next three years creating a plaster model. He worked together with a young assistant - his student Marie Anne Colot, who came with him from France. Falcone devoted a lot of time to studying the personality and character of the emperor. I examined plaster busts and masks of Peter I, made during his lifetime.

The sculptor turned to General Melissino, who was similar in height and figure to the king, and he agreed to pose for him. But the sculptor couldn’t manage to create the face of Peter I. So he entrusted this job to his 20-year-old assistant, Marie Anne.

For her valuable contribution to the creation of the monument, Catherine II ordered Marie Anne Colot to be accepted as a member of the Russian Academy of Arts and awarded a very substantial lifelong pension.

Working with a horse

And again the sculptor had to withstand the opposition of the courtiers. This time, the cause of the dispute was the breed of horse on which Peter I was supposed to sit. Representatives of the nobility insisted that this figure should be sculpted in the likeness of horses, which had long been accepted in ancient art.

But the master did not intend to create a calm and solemnly marching draft horse. The monument to Peter 1 on horseback was supposed to be unique. Etienne Maurice Falconet set himself a daunting task- depict a rider on a rearing animal. To bring this idea to life, a wooden platform was built, onto which the rider had to fly, raising the horse on its hind legs.

Two magnificent trotters of the Oryol breed were chosen from the royal stables. History has even preserved their nicknames - Caprice and Diamond. The riders (this is the name of a specialist who teaches horse riding and trains horses) Afanasy Telechnikov, Khailov and others literally took off along the platform hundreds of times a day and noble animals, obedient to the will of the rider, each time reared up, freezing for a moment.

It was this very moment that Etienne Maurice tried to capture. He himself froze on his haunches, peering at the quivering muscles on the horse’s legs, examining the curve of his neck and the proud look of his huge eyes. The sculptor immediately sketched everything he saw so that later he would be able to calmly work with the model.

First he sketched pictures. The monument to Peter 1 was depicted on them with different angles. Then he transferred his ideas to paper. And only after that he began working on a three-dimensional model of the sculpture.

The exercises of the bereitors continued for several years. During this time, several people managed to change positions in this position. But the efforts were not wasted. The monument to Peter 1 “The Bronze Horseman” has no analogues in the world.

Thunder stone

Meanwhile, another equally ambitious project was being implemented in parallel.

The height of the monument to Peter 1 is 10.4 meters. It was necessary to select a footstool to match it. Etienne Maurice assumed that it should be a block made in the form of a wave. It was supposed to symbolize that Peter I opened access to the sea for Russia.

However, they could not find anything suitable. The option of making a pedestal from several pieces of granite has already been considered. And then someone suggested announcing a competition for search and delivery suitable stone. The corresponding announcement was immediately published in the St. Petersburg Gazette.

Not much time passed before a peasant from the village of Lakhty appeared. He said that in their forests there is a stone that meets all the described requirements. In addition, the peasants claimed that Emperor Peter I himself climbed this stone more than once to survey the surrounding area.

This assertion, by the way, is not without some basis. After all, the estate of Peter the Great was located near the village of Lakhta. However, it does not matter whether the emperor once climbed there or not, but an expedition was sent to the stone, authorized to decide whether it was suitable for its intended purpose.

Local peasants called it Thunder Stone. According to legend, a long time ago lightning struck the rock and broke off this piece.

Transportation difficulties

The Thunder Stone was considered suitable to serve as a pedestal, but its size created serious difficulties for transportation. Imagine a block 8 meters high (like a three-story house), 13 meters long (like 3-4 standard entrances) and 6 meters wide. Of course, there was no question of any heavy equipment then, and the distance to Senate Square in St. Petersburg (the place where the monument to Peter 1 stands today) was quite decent.

Part of the journey was supposed to be done by water, but to the point of loading onto the ship, the boulder had to be dragged over rough terrain over a distance of 8.5 kilometers.

Ivan Ivanovich Betskoy found a way out. At his suggestion, special wooden rails in the form of gutters were designed. They were covered with sheets of copper and 32 bronze balls of suitable diameter were prepared. The mechanism was supposed to work on the principle of a bearing.

First, a smaller model was tried. The original should have been ten times larger. After successfully passing the tests, we began manufacturing a full-size mobile mechanism.

Ground part of the route

Meanwhile, the first thing they began to do was remove the stuck earth and other deposits from the stone. This operation made it possible to lighten it by 600 tons. Five hundred soldiers and peasants were employed daily in the clearing work.

After this, they began to clear the area directly around the Thunder Stone, surround it with scaffolding and prepare the ground for laying the rails. This work took four months.

Along the entire route, it was necessary to first clear a road 20 meters wide, strengthen it with thick piles, and then lay some of the dismountable rails on top of this. After the stone was moved, the rails were removed from the traversed path and moved forward.

The whole of Europe followed the progress of work on transporting the giant stone. This was an unprecedented event. Never before had such a huge monolith been moved such a long distance.

Not an easy road

Using levers, the Thunder Stone was placed on a special platform, which was installed on rails. This operation required a lot of time and incredible effort, but in the end a piece of rock, which had lain in the damp earth for centuries, was torn from its place. That's how it started long haul to the capital, where the monument to Peter 1 “The Bronze Horseman” was to be erected on him.

Thirty copper balls were installed in the rail grooves at a distance of about half a meter from each other. To ensure that none of these balls stopped and came close to the neighboring one, people specially appointed for this had to be monitored. They had iron poles with which, if necessary, they could push or slow down the spherical part.

During the first jerk, the structure, loaded with stone, was moved by half a meter. During the next one I managed to overcome a few more meters. And it was about nine kilometers to the bay, where the Thunder Stone was to be loaded onto a special barge...

In order not to waste time, 46 stonemasons began to process the Thunder Stone right there on the road. Their task was to give the rock the shape conceived by Etienne Falconet. At this stage, the sculptor again had to endure an exhausting ideological battle, since all the courtiers unanimously declared that the stone should be left as is and nothing should be changed in it.

However, this time the master managed to insist on his own. And although opponents tried to present this as a desecration of a foreigner over the beauty of Russian nature, Catherine gave permission to process the pedestal.

Some sources indicate that on the road the boulder cracked and split into two parts. Whether this happened as a result of the work being done on the stone or for some other reason, history is silent. We also know nothing about the reaction of the people involved in the transportation to this incident. Whether they perceived this as a disaster or, on the contrary, as a blessing, we will no longer know.

The fallen part of the Thunder Stone was left lying in the clearing, where it can still be seen today, and the team continued their journey to the Gulf of Finland.

Preparation for transportation by water

Meanwhile, a pier and a special vessel for transporting the huge stone were built on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. No barge existing at that time could have withstood the weight of this cargo. Therefore, the talented shipwright Grigory Korchebnikov began to develop drawings according to which they were supposed to build a pram - a flat-bottomed vessel that could keep a significant weight afloat.

Rams were intended for moving heavy artillery. In essence, these were compact mobile fortresses equipped with cannons along the entire perimeter. Moreover, the number of guns could reach 38 units. Add to this the weight of the cannonballs, gunpowder and the men who operated the cannons, and you can get a rough idea of ​​the lifting capacity of the frame.

However, even this was not enough. I had to design a more powerful vessel. In order to be able to immerse the Thunder Stone, the frame was sunk by filling it with water. When the stone was placed on the ship, the water was drawn out, and the journey along the sea section of the route began. The voyage went well, and on September 26, 1770, the stone was delivered to where the monument to Peter 1 is located today.

The last stages of work on the monument

During this entire transportation epic, Etienne Falconet did not stop working on the sculpture. The height of the monument to Peter 1 amazed the imagination of the townspeople. In truth, many simply did not understand why such a huge thing was being built. We should not forget that at that time there was not a single monument to anyone in the country. And the plaster model, made in full size, which everyone could freely view in the workshop courtyard, caused a lot of gossip.

But the bewilderment of ordinary citizens could not be compared with the reaction of the masters. When the time came to start casting the statue, no one agreed to take on this work.

Falconet invited to cast a bronze monument to Peter 1, a description of which he gave only in general outline, one skilled French master. However, when he arrived and saw the scale of the work, and also became familiar with the sculptor’s requirements, he simply called Etienne crazy and went home.

In the end, Etienne Falconet managed to find a foundry worker who agreed to take on a truly daring project. When preparations were underway for transportation of the Thunder Stone, parts for the mechanisms by which transportation was carried out were cast by cannon maker Emelyan Khailov. Even then, Falcone noted his diligence and accuracy. And now he invited him to cooperate in casting the monument itself.

The work was difficult. Moreover, it was not just a matter of gigantic size. The design of the monument itself created unprecedented problems. If you look at the monument to Peter 1 in St. Petersburg, you will see that it has only three points of support - the horse’s hind legs and tail. Maintaining the necessary balance is not an easy task. But there was no opportunity to train. The masters had only one attempt.

To ensure the stability of the sculpture, Falcone resorted to several original solutions. Firstly, he introduced into the composition a snake that is being trampled by a horse, secondly, according to his plan, the walls of the front part of the statue were disproportionately thinner than the thickness of the rest of the monument, and thirdly, four tons of iron were additionally added to the horse’s croup so that keep her balance. Thus, Peter 1 on horseback had to be securely installed.

Casting disaster

Preparatory work for the casting of the statue continued for three years. Finally everything was ready, and the craftsmen got to work. The shape of the monument was in a special pit. A little higher up was a smelting furnace, from which pipes ran at an angle. Through these pipes, the hot metal was supposed to flow into the mold, filling it evenly.

To prevent these pipes from bursting, a fire was lit under each of them and they were continuously heated. But during the casting process, one of the fires went out. This went unnoticed, and the cooled pipe cracked, through which molten metal began to flow. And this, in turn, led to a fire.

People rushed out of the workshop, Falcone fainted, and only Khailov was not taken aback. He quickly put out the incipient fire, filled up the crack in the pipe with fresh clay, tore off his clothes, wet them and wrapped them around the cracked pipe.

This was a real feat. And not only because Khailov managed to keep his cool in an emergency situation. Fighting the fire was not easy. The foundry worker suffered numerous serious burns and lost an eye. But thanks to him most of the statue was saved.

Monument to Peter 1 “Bronze Horseman” today

The bronze Peter I had a chance to see many historical events, seated on an eternally rearing horse. The Bronze Horseman monument remains a calling card for visitors to St. Petersburg. Tourists rush to take photos against its background, feverishly clicking camera shutters. And native St. Petersburg residents traditionally come here to conduct part of the wedding ceremony.

You might want to see the Bronze Horseman monument (St. Petersburg) in person. As you view this work by the great master, do not allow the rush and bustle to which we are so accustomed to deprive you of the pleasure of carefully contemplating this beautiful sculpture. Try to get around it and look at the details with different sides. You will notice the depth and richness of the design in this seemingly simple monument.

Pay attention to the details: instead of a saddle on the horse’s back, you will see an animal skin, and the clothes in which the emperor is dressed, in fact, did not exist in any historical period. The sculptor tried to combine the original Russian attire with elements of the vestments of the ancient Romans. And it must be admitted that he managed to do this very organically.

Having examined the Bronze Horseman monument, the photo of which is so popular among tourists, without haste, you will be taken away from ancient capital not just another photograph of a famous landmark, but you will be able to truly touch the historical past of a great country.

Most tourists who want to see all the sights of the Northern capital are interested in where exactly in St. Petersburg the legendary Bronze Horseman monument, depicting Peter 1, is located. This symbol of the city dates back more than two centuries and is covered in many legends and myths.

Finding the famous statue, which is dedicated to the famous poem of the same name by A. S. Pushkin, will not be difficult. The Bronze Horseman monument is located on one of the central squares of St. Petersburg - former square Decembrists (now Senate) - in an open park. It is very convenient to get to it through the Alexander Garden, passing through its western part.

The exact address of the Bronze Horseman in St. Petersburg: Senate Square, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, 190000.

Bronze Horseman history of the creation of the monument

The idea of ​​​​creating a monument designed to perpetuate the memory of the outstanding monarch belongs to Empress Catherine II. She believed that such a responsible task could only be entrusted to a true master. In search of such a person, Prince Golitsyn - the empress's confidant - turned to venerable representatives for help French culture that time to Diderot and Voltaire. The great philosophers advised their royal correspondent Etienne-Maurice Falconet, at that time the author of not very well-known sculptural compositions.

Falcone worked at a porcelain factory, but in the depths of his soul he had long dreamed of trying his hand at monumental art. In 1766, he signed a contract with representatives of Catherine II for the creation of a bronze monument, according to which his remuneration was only 200,000 livres.

It is interesting that Etienne-Maurice came to Russia together with a talented 17-year-old student, Marie-Anne Collot, who later married his son. Various rumors, and not always decent ones, circulated for a long time about the relationship between the sculptor and his young assistant.

Opinions about what the symbol of Russian autocracy should look like turned out to be very different:

• Chapter Imperial Academy Belsky believed that Peter I should be depicted majestically standing at full height and with a scepter in his hand.
• Empress Catherine II wanted to see her predecessor on horseback, but always with symbols of royal power in her hands.
• The enlightener Diderot intended to create a large fountain with allegorical figures instead of a statue.
• The modest official Shtelin sent a letter to the Academy of Arts in which he proposed to surround the statue of the emperor with images of virtues such as Honesty and Justice, trampling underfoot vices (Bragging, Deception, Laziness, etc.).

However, the author of the future Bronze Horseman monument had his own idea of ​​what his creation should look like. Falcone abandoned the allegorical interpretation of the image of the emperor and intended to show him as a great legislator and guardian of the well-being of his country. According to the plan of the sculptural composition, it was supposed to demonstrate triumph human will and reason over elemental natural forces.

Sculptor of the Bronze Horseman Etienne Maurice Falconet

Falcone approached the creation of the Bronze Horseman in St. Petersburg very responsibly. The model of the statue was created during 1768-1770 on the territory of the former summer residence of Empress Elizabeth. The prototype of the horse for the monument was two Oryol trotters, Brilliant and Caprice, which were considered an adornment of the royal stables. At the request of the sculptor, a platform was made, the height of which practically coincided with the future pedestal. One of the officers on horseback flew up to its edge and reared his horse, so that Falcone could sketch all the structural features of the horse’s body and muscles.

The emperor's head was sculpted by Maria Anna Collo, since her mentor’s options were not approved by Catherine II. The wide-opened facial features of Peter I reflected the main qualities of the sovereign: courage, strong will, high intelligence, justice. For this work, the Empress awarded the talented girl membership in the Imperial Academy of Arts and a lifelong pension.

The horse on which the sovereign sits tramples with its hooves a snake made by the Russian master Gordeev.

After making a plaster model, Falcone began casting the statue, but encountered a number of problems:

• Due to the size of the monument, even foundries with a good reputation refused to cast because they could not vouch for the quality of the work.
• When the sculptor finally found an assistant, the cannon maker Khailov, it turned out to be very difficult to choose the correct composition of the alloy. Since the monument had only 3 points of support, the walls of its front part should have been no thicker than 1 cm.
• The first casting of the sculptural composition in 1775 was unsuccessful. While working in the workshop, a pipe through which molten bronze flowed burst. The catastrophic consequences were averted thanks to the courage of Khailov, who plugged the hole with his own clothes and sealed it with clay. For this reason, the upper part of the monument had to be refilled two years later.

The origin of the Bronze Horseman pedestal is surrounded by many legends. It is popularly known as the Thunder Stone. In alternative historical theories regarding the construction of St. Petersburg, he ranks key place. Some researchers suggest that the official version, according to which the Thunder Stone was transported to the city from the vicinity of the small settlement of Konnaya Lakhta, is falsified.

However, historical documents and eyewitness accounts, including those of foreign origin, refute the assumption that the giant granite block for the Bronze Horseman monument was located on the territory of St. Petersburg before processing. Any attempts to connect it with the mythological civilization of the Atlanteans, who allegedly were the founders of the city in this place, are unfounded. The technologies of that time made it possible to transport even such a huge rock to the site of the monument.

The Thunder Stone weighed more than 1,600 tons and its height exceeded 11 meters, so it was delivered to the shores of the Gulf of Finland on a special platform. It moved along 2 gutters located strictly parallel to each other. They housed three dozen large balls made of copper alloy. Moving the platform was possible only in winter, when the soil froze and could better withstand heavy loads. Transporting this natural pedestal to the coast took about six months, after which it was transported by water to St. Petersburg and took its assigned place on the square in 1770. As a result of hewing, the size of the Thunder Stone was significantly reduced.

12 years after Falcone’s arrival in the Northern capital, his relationship with the empress deteriorated significantly, so he was forced to leave the country. Felten supervised the completion of the statue, and its grand opening took place in 1782.

Symbolism and legends of the monument

Falconet depicted Peter I in simple and light attire, without excessive luxury befitting his status as emperor. By this, he sought to show the merits of the monarch as a person, and not as a great commander and winner. Instead of a saddle, the horse is covered with an animal skin, symbolizing the arrival of enlightenment and the benefits of civilization in the country thanks to Peter I.

The head of the statue is crowned with a laurel wreath, and a sword is attached to the belt, which indicates the ruler’s readiness to defend the Fatherland at any moment. The rock represents the difficulties that Peter had to overcome during his reign. The pedestal is decorated with an inscription, which is a tribute of Empress Catherine II to her great predecessor, in Russian and Latin. Another inscription is hidden in the folds of the cloak, indicating the authorship of the monument. The weight of the monument is 8 tons, and the height is 5 meters.

There are many legends associated with the Bronze Horseman, one of which was reflected by Pushkin in his poem of the same name. According to some of them:

• Allegedly, even before the installation of the sculptural composition, the ghost of Peter I met the future Emperor Paul I at the place where the monument is now located. The deceased monarch warned his heir of the danger that threatened him.
• In 1812, the Bronze Horseman was about to be evacuated because the city was threatened by the French. However, the emperor appeared in a dream to Major Baturin and said that as long as he remained in place, nothing threatened St. Petersburg.
• Some people believed that the monument was Peter I himself, who decided to jump the Neva on his favorite horse with the words “All is God and mine.” However, he got confused and said “Everything is mine and God’s,” for which he was punished by higher powers and instantly petrified right in the square.

Where is the Bronze Horseman

The monument is available for free visits. You can listen to a fascinating story about the creation of the statue and the legends associated with it by taking part in sightseeing tours of St. Petersburg. Their cost ranges on average from 780 RUR per person to 2800 RUR - 8000 RUR per group (depending on the duration of the tour).

There are several ways to get to the monument:

• From the Admiralteyskaya metro station, turn left to Malaya Morskaya Street, then turn left onto Dekabristov Avenue and then turn right to the banks of the Neva. The journey will take no more than 10 minutes.
• From the Nevsky Prospekt metro station, walk along the Griboyedov Canal to the end of Nevsky Prospekt and walk towards the Alexander Garden.
• Buses No. 27, 22 and 3, as well as trolleybus No. 5, also run to Senate Square.

The Bronze Horseman is the most popular attraction in St. Petersburg, without which it is impossible to get a complete picture of the city.

"The Bronze Horseman" - a monument to the first Russian Emperor Peter I, has become one of the symbols of St. Petersburg. Its grand opening, timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the reign of Empress Catherine II, took place on August 18 (August 7, old style) 1782 on Senate Square.

The initiative to create a monument to Peter I belongs to Catherine II. It was on her orders that Prince Alexander Mikhailovich Golitsyn turned to the professors of the Paris Academy of Painting and Sculpture Diderot and Voltaire, whose opinion Catherine II completely trusted.

Famous masters recommended Etienne-Maurice Falconet for this work, who had long dreamed of creating a monumental work. The wax sketch was made by the master in Paris, and after his arrival in Russia in 1766, work began on a plaster model the size of the statue.

Refusing the allegorical solution proposed to him by those around Catherine II, Falcone decided to present the king as “the creator, legislator and benefactor of his country,” who “extends his right hand over the country he travels around.” He instructed his student Marie Anne Collot to model the head of the statue, but subsequently made changes to the image, trying to express in the face of Peter a combination of thought and strength.

The casting of the monument took place at the end of August 1774. But it was not possible to complete it in one go, as Falcone had hoped. During casting, cracks formed in the mold, through which liquid metal began to flow. A fire started in the workshop.

The dedication and resourcefulness of the foundry master Emelyan Khailov allowed the flames to be extinguished, but the entire upper part of the casting from the rider's knees and the horse's chest to their heads was irreparably damaged and had to be cut down. During the time between the first and second casting, the craftsmen sealed and caulked the holes left in the cast part of the monument from the pipes (sprues) through which liquid metal was fed into the mold, and polished the bronze. The upper part of the statue was cast in the summer of 1777.

Then the joining of the two parts of the sculpture and the sealing of the seam between them, chasing, polishing and patina of the bronze began. In the summer of 1778, the decoration of the monument was largely completed. In memory of this, Falconet engraved on one of the folds of Peter I’s cloak an inscription in Latin: “Sculpted and cast by Etienne Falconet, Parisian 1778.” In August of the same year, the sculptor left Russia without waiting for the opening of the monument.

Architect Yuri Felten monitored the progress of work on the construction of the monument after the French sculptor left Russia.

The support for the monument is a snake trampled by a horse by the sculptor Fyodor Gordeev, symbolizing envy, inertia and malice.

The base of the sculpture - a giant granite block, the so-called thunder stone, was found in 1768 on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, near the village of Konnaya Lakhta. The delivery of the colossal monolith weighing about 1.6 thousand tons to the site of the monument was completed in 1770. First it was transported overland on a platform with grooved runners, which, through 32 bronze balls, rested on portable rails laid on a prepared surface, and then on a specially built barge. According to a drawing by architect Yuri Felten, the stone was given the shape of a rock; as a result of processing, its size was significantly reduced. On the pedestal there is an inscription in Russian and Latin: “Catherine the Second to Peter the Great.” The installation of the monument was supervised by the sculptor Gordeev.

The height of the sculpture of Peter I is 5.35 meters, the height of the pedestal is 5.1 meters, the length of the pedestal is 8.5 meters.

In the statue of Peter pacifying his horse on a steep cliff top, the unity of movement and rest is superbly conveyed; The monument is given special grandeur by the king’s royally proud seat, the commanding gesture of his hand, the turn of his raised head in laurel wreath, personifying resistance to the elements and affirmation of the sovereign will.

The monumental statue of a horseman, with an imperious hand squeezing the reins of a horse rearing in a swift rush, symbolizes the growth of the power of Russia.

The location of the monument to Peter I on Senate Square was not chosen by chance. Nearby are the Admiralty, the building of the main legislative body founded by the emperor. Tsarist Russia- Senate. Catherine II insisted on placing the monument in the center of Senate Square. The author of the sculpture, Etienne Falconet, did things his own way by erecting the monument closer to the Neva.

After the opening of the monument, Senate Square received the name Petrovskaya; in 1925-2008 it was called Decembrists Square. In 2008, it was returned to its previous name - Senate.

Thanks to Alexander Pushkin, who used fantastic story about the monument that came to life during the flood that shook the city in his poem, the bronze monument of Peter.

During the Great Patriotic War(1941-1945) the monument was covered with sandbags, on top of which a wooden case was built.

The Bronze Horseman has been restored several times. In particular, in 1909, the water that had accumulated inside the monument was drained and the cracks were sealed; in 1912, holes were drilled in the sculpture for water drainage; in 1935, all newly formed defects were eliminated. Complex restoration work was implemented in 1976.

The monument to Peter I is an integral part of the city center ensemble.

On City Day in St. Petersburg, official festive events are traditionally held on Senate Square.

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

In October 1566, Falconet, together with his 17-year-old student Marie-Anne Collot, arrived in St. Petersburg. He soon began work on creating a life-size plaster model of the monument. It lasted for 12 years and was completed by 1778. Marie-Anne Collot sculpted Peter's head. The king's face expresses will and courage, it is illuminated by deep thought. For this work, Kollo was accepted as a member of the Russian Academy of Arts. Catherine II gave her a life sentence of 10,000 livres. The snake under the horse's foot was created by Russian sculptor Fyodor Gordeev.

The base of the monument was a rock, which was given the shape of a rearing wave. According to the sculptor's plan, it was supposed to serve as a reminder that it was Peter I who managed to turn Russia into a maritime power. A granite block of suitable size was discovered 12 versts from St. Petersburg. According to legend, it was once struck by lightning, after which a crack appeared in the rock. The rock was popularly called the Thunder Stone. Its weight was about 1600 tons. The thunder stone was delivered to the capital by barge over a period of 9 months. Even during transportation, the stone was given a wave shape. On September 26, 1770, the pedestal for the future statue was installed on Senate Square.

How the bronze horseman turned into a copper one

Casting of the monument began in 1774. However, it wasn't enough just to fill it. The pipe through which the hot bronze entered the mold burst. The upper part of the sculpture was hopelessly damaged. It took another 3 years to prepare for refilling. Fortunately, this time the idea was a success.

However, such a long work on the statue greatly spoiled Falcone’s relationship with Catherine II. As a result, the sculptor left Russia without waiting for his creation to be installed. He never created another sculpture. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin called the bronze statue “The Bronze Horseman” in his poem. The name became so popular that it almost became official.

Tip 2: “Bronze Horseman”: monument to Peter the Great in St. Petersburg

Masterpiece architectural art, the monument to the Russian Emperor Peter the Great “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 Russian state. The Bronze Horseman monument is located on Senate Square in the very center of St. Petersburg and is a decoration of the city ensemble.

History of the creation 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 monumental sculpture, which would reflect the greatness of the monarch, his contribution to the development of the Russian Empire and the gratitude of his descendants for this contribution. She asked for advice from Voltaire and Diderot. They advised Catherine to contact the sculptor of the porcelain factory, Etienne Maurice Falconet. The sculptor did not hesitate for a long time - art of this magnitude had long attracted him, and therefore he was ready to begin work immediately. Falconet arrived from France to Russia and began implementing a monumental project.

No one then knew what the monument to Peter I should look like. Experts offered a wide variety of options. But Falcone had his own opinion on this matter. In the monument, he wanted first of all to reflect the personality of the emperor. How he sees her - at that time only the sculptor himself knew. Working on the project was not easy. The best cavalry officers posed for Falcone at the best horses– Falcone had to accurately reproduce the moment when the horse rears up. And he dealt with it. But with Peter’s appearance everything turned out to be more complicated. None of the options proposed by the sculptor suited the empress. In the end, Falconet’s young assistant Marie-Anne Collot completed the task. And she was generously rewarded for this: she became a member Russian Academy arts and received a pension of ten thousand livres. The snake that Peter the Great's horse tramples underfoot was also not made by Falcone. Its author was the sculptor from Russia Fyodor Gordeev.

Catherine was not satisfied with the appearance of the monument. Difficulties also arose when translating the monument into bronze. Russian foundry workers refused to do this work - the sculpture was too large. And the foreigners were charging such prices that they seemed unrealistic. Emelyan Khailov, a specialist in cannon casting, agreed to cast the monument. The monument rests on only three points, so it was necessary to select the perfect alloy and thickness of the walls of the statue. Everything didn't work out right the first time. Through trial and error, Falcone and Khailov tried to create the optimal composition and method of execution. The work lasted more than three years and was completed in 1788.

Thunder stone

The pedestal of the Bronze Horseman deserves to be discussed separately. Falconet certainly wanted it to be made from a single piece of stone. The height of the pedestal is more than eleven meters, and it was not at all easy to find such a block in the vicinity of St. Petersburg.

An appeal to residents with an offer to help find the stone was even published in the St. Petersburg News newspaper. And it worked. Semyon Vishnyakov, a peasant, saw a huge boulder near the village of Lakhta and told about it. The stone was so large that it was called the Thunder Stone. It weighed one thousand six hundred tons. Delivery of the future pedestal to St. Petersburg turned out to be a difficult task. It was transported 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 - the land one - was carried out in winter, while the ground was hard, the block lay on the shore until the fall, and in September, on a ship built specifically for this purpose, it was transported to St. Petersburg. The author of the sketch, according to which the stone was given the shape that we see to this day, was Yuri Felten. Interestingly, after processing, the size of the stone was much reduced, although even today it is impressive in its scale. And in the place where the Thunder-stone lay, before today there is a reservoir that was formed when, after removing a block, water accumulated in the depression.

Installation and opening

It is worth noting that Falcone’s role in the creation of The Bronze Horseman was completed. Due to disagreements with the empress, he left our country. Therefore, Fyodor Gordeev took charge of the installation of the monument.

The Bronze Horseman was opened on August 7, 1782. In honor of this event, a parade took place in St. Petersburg. The monument was opened at the sign of Catherine.

Description

The monument turned out to be very impressive. The power, greatness of the Russian emperor, his will, the will and glory of the entire Russian state are very clearly visible in it. Peter sits on a rearing horse. He wears normal clothes and uses a hide as a saddle. However, the founder of St. Petersburg wearing a laurel wreath means he is a winner, and he has a sword on his belt – 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 personifies difficulties and dangers that enemies do not spare for Russia. The choice of the pedestal is not accidental. Looking at the emperor taming his horse at the very top, it becomes clear how much effort it took him to overcome a huge number of difficulties on the path of Russia's development. There is an inscription on the pedestal on each side. On the one hand in Russian: “PETER the First EKATHERINE 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 receive its name right away, and its name was not entirely logical: why copper, if it is made of bronze. But for this we must thank Alexander Sergeevich 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. One day the emperor wanted to jump over the Neva on his horse. He said “God and I” and was transported to the other side of the river. With the same words, he jumped a second time, and again successfully. And for the third time he exclaimed “Me and God” and immediately turned into a monument that still stands on the banks of the Neva. According to another version, Peter remained alive, but fell into icy waters Neva, where a fisherman pulled him out from. Since then, the emperor has learned to set his priorities 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 attacking St. Petersburg. He saddled his horse and was about to rush into battle, but then a snake crawled out and wrapped itself around the horse’s legs. Thus, she did not allow Peter I to die. There is supposedly a monument in honor of this.

3. They also say that the “Bronze Horseman” is a kind of talisman for the city. It was as if Peter had said: “As long as I am in place, my city is safe.” Superstitions are superstitions, but since then the monument has never left its place. Even during the Great Patriotic War, when the city was mercilessly bombed and shelled, the Bronze Horseman remained in place. It was masked with boards and lined with sandbags, but not removed. And indeed, the enemies never managed to capture St. Petersburg.

4. And this is no longer a legend, interesting feature. Peter points towards Sweden. And in Stockholm there is a monument to their emperor Charles XII, with whom Peter fought during Northern War. So, Karl points to St. 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 indicate that the monument is in good condition and is not in danger. After the last restoration, a note in a capsule and a newspaper dated September 3, 1976 were placed inside the monument.

Location

The place where the monument is located was not chosen by chance. After the opening of the monument, Senate Square began to be called Petrovskaya, and later - Decembrists Square. In 2008, it again regained its name as Senate.

The monument to Peter I is an integral part of the city center ensemble. The Empress herself insisted on going to Senate Square. True, she wanted to erect a monument in the center of the square, but Falcone “moved” it closer to the Neva. By the way, Catherine initially chose this place to erect a monument to herself. But when the question arose of whose monument to install on the square, she made a choice in favor of the founder of St. Petersburg. “The Bronze Horseman” fits very harmoniously into the city ensemble. Around it are located many of the most important sights of St. Petersburg: the Admiralty, the Senate, St. Isaac's Cathedral and others.

Sources:

• SPbgid.rf//Monument to the First Meter in St. Petersburg
• Ria news//Monument to Peter I by sculptor Etienne Falconet “The Bronze Horseman”
• s-pb.in//Monument “The Bronze Horseman - a monument to Peter the Great”
• Wonderful places//Monument to Peter the Great “Bronze Horseman”
• FB.ru//The Bronze Horseman: description of the monument to Peter the Great

Tip 3: Bronze Horseman: description of the monument to Peter the Great

St. Petersburg remembers and honors the name of its founder. The townspeople installed dozens of images of Peter I, but undoubtedly the most popular is the Bronze Horseman - a monument on Senate Square. He is considered business card Northern capital.

Name

Alexander Pushkin was born seventeen years after the installation of the monument. It was this Russian poet who, in his work of the same name, managed to accurately convey the power and energy of the Bronze Horseman and the entire composition: “What a thought on the brow! What power is hidden in him" and "O powerful lord of fate." With these words the poet expresses admiration Russian Emperor. The monument, which got its name thanks to Pushkin’s creation, is actually made not of copper, but of bronze.

History of creation

The initiator of the installation of the monument was Empress Catherine II, as she wanted to note her personal admiration for the works of the great reformer. It was decided to install the monument in the city he founded in 1703.

The first statue was created by Francesco Rastrelli, but the queen did not approve of the version of the monument and it was hidden in St. Petersburg barns for many years. The sculptor Etienne Falconet took up the matter next; Catherine invited the master on the recommendation of the philosopher Diderot. In 1766, a contract was signed and work began. The Frenchman was assigned a place to work in the Winter Palace of Queen Elizabeth, and housing was in an old stable. The architectural part of the monument was carried out by Yuri Felten, who was appointed to replace the dismissed captain de Lascari.

For three years, Falcone and his assistants created a model of the monument from plaster. The approved sculpture would soon be cast in metal. Master Ersman, who arrived from France, failed to do this, and Falcone took over the leadership of the process. The matter was not going to be easy, the tension of the situation was growing.

The first casting of the monument took place in 1775. There is a legend that during casting, a pipe containing hot bronze suddenly burst. Thanks to the efforts of Evgeniy Khailov, the lower half of the monument was saved. The master had been making cannons all his life and knew a lot about working with metal. Two years later, the upper part of the monument was cast.

But this happened without Falcone, as he soon left Russia. When leaving the country, the Frenchman took with him all the calculations, drawings and drawings. Felten completed the work he started. The celebration associated with the opening of the monument was scheduled for August 7, 1782; it was the result of twelve years of painstaking work. During the presentation, only Etienne Falconet was absent from the audience. The quick departure of the sculptor marked the end of the confrontation between the artist and the palace nobility. The image created by the Frenchman historical materials about the life of Peter I, did not correspond to Catherine’s ideas. She saw in him, first of all, a great commander; the French sculptor prioritized his achievements in the field of rapprochement with Europe and access to the sea. Perhaps if the sculptor had refused then own opinion, today the monument looked different and had a different name.

"Thunder Stone"

The monument turned out to be quite impressive in size. In order to ensure the integrity of the composition, it was decided to install it on a pedestal. The selected block of stone, according to the author, was supposed to imitate a rising wave.

Once upon a time, a block was broken by lightning, which is how its name “Thunder Stone” appeared. The path from the village of Konnaya Lakhta, where it was discovered, to the installation site was almost eight kilometers. First, the stone was moved overland in winter, then loaded onto a ship and transported from the Gulf of Finland to St. Petersburg. The block lost its original appearance after processing and installation.

Description of the monument

Falcone's project is not the only equestrian monument to the emperor. “My monument will be simple,” the author wrote. The king was depicted on a horse in dynamics. For Falcone, Peter the Great is a legislator and creator. The rider is dressed in light clothes: a long shirt and a cloak fluttering in the wind. Such simple clothes inherent in all nations - “heroic attire”.

The emperor is seated on a horse that has reared up and is climbing onto a stone. The Emperor extends his hand towards the Neva flowing nearby. It is noteworthy that the creator depicted Peter not in the saddle, but on a bearskin as a symbol of involvement in the Russian nation, of which the sovereign is a representative. The king is confident and calm. In the fight against the elements and prejudices, he sees the meaning of life. The stone symbolizes the pristine nature. The sculpture is a symbol of the superiority of civilization over wild nature.

In addition to the monument’s sizeable size, maintaining weight balance became a problem. The sculpture had three reference points- it had to remain stable. Then a snake was added to the composition, which symbolized evil, ignorance and enmity. It was located at the feet of the horse, which trampled on it, and gave the sculptural composition additional support. The heads of Peter were created by Maria Anna Collo, a student of Falconet. Helped make the face death mask, despite this, the work took quite a long period of time, its results for a long time did not suit Catherine. Years later, for her contribution to perpetuating the memory of Petra, Kollo received a life annuity. The snake was created by the domestic master Fyodor Gordeev. Only one detail - a wreath on the emperor's head and a sword hanging on his belt - created the image of a winner. On one of the folds of the cloak, the sculptor Falconet indicated given name- left information about authorship.

Catherine ordered that the inscription “Catherine II to Peter I” appear on the granite base. Nearby there is the date 1872. WITH reverse side the same inscription is duplicated in Latin. The weight of the metal sculpture without a pedestal is about nine tons, its height is more than five meters. After two centuries of existence, cracks were discovered in the monument. Serious restoration measures carried out in 1976 extended its life.

In culture and literature

The Bronze Horseman is considered to be a symbol of the city on the Neva and a landmark. Every guest of the city visits Senate Square and finds something special, unique in the image of the emperor. It is difficult to find epithets to describe the greatness of the composition, but with empty hearted no one will leave here. The successful combination of metal and stone very accurately reflected the true royal character.

The monument made a particular impression on Alexander Pushkin. He inspired him to create the poem "The Bronze Horseman". The poet noted the brightness and integrity of the imperial image. Today's schoolchildren write essays based on this work, and in each essay the role of the writer who gave the name to the monument is noted. A story about the history of the monument would be incomplete without this. Main character poem, during the flood he lost his beloved Parasha. In despair, he wanders around the city. When a monument to Peter meets on his way, Eugene realizes that it is the emperor’s fault for choosing the wrong place to build the city and angrily turns to the “idol on a bronze horse.” At this moment, the emperor takes off and chases after the offender. The author does not explain the degree of reality of what is happening: is this the hero’s great imagination or reality. There is an opinion that the basis for the presentation of the plot was the situation in 1812, when, fearing Napoleon’s offensive, Alexander I decided that all valuables, including the Bronze Horseman, should leave the capital.

Major Baturin, responsible for the evacuation, had the same dream, about the Tsar descending from the pedestal and rushing on horseback through the streets of the city. It was as if he was warning that there was nothing to fear. The evacuation was canceled, and Peter did not move from his place.

From the very beginning, legends and anecdotes were created about the St. Petersburg horseman. So one day, the figure of Peter Alekseevich was noticed by Paul I when he was walking along the streets of the city in the evening. The ghost said, "You'll see me here soon." Within a month, the famous composition was installed.

The monument appears in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel “The Teenager”: “a bronze rider on a hot-breathing, driven horse.” It is present in the work of Andrei Bely “Petersburg” and in “Rose of the World” by Daniil Andreev.

Catherine chose the place to install the monument quite well. The figure is located near the Neva and turned towards it, because the exit to maritime boundaries was one of Peter's main tasks. His gaze is directed into the distance, he dreams of new achievements. The monument to the great Emperor Peter Alekseevich on Senate Square is a tribute to memory and respect for his contribution to the development of the Russian state. To admire the beauty of the monument and feel the energy of the monument, it is worth visiting St. Petersburg and seeing it with your own eyes.

Tribute to the historical past is largely carried out through such architectural objects of cultural significance as monuments. Our country has a sufficient number of such structures that are well known to all residents of our country. Such historical monuments include the Bronze Horseman monument, information about which will be educational for any person.

It is surprising that such an important historical monument as the “Bronze Horseman” raises a lot of questions among Internet users related to who is depicted on it, where this monument is located, as well as when and by whom it was erected. It is important to note that the Bronze Horseman is an important landmark not only of the Northern capital, but of the entire country. It depicts Peter the Great with a wreath on his head and riding a horse, personifying rapid development Russia. Under the leadership of the great Russian Tsar-commander, who was also a real legislator, our country became not just a European power, but also a real empire, whose borders and power rapidly expanded across two parts of the world.

The uniqueness of the monument also lies in the fact that it was erected on three pillars. The historical monument is an architectural heritage of the late 18th century, as evidenced by the inscription: “To Peter the First From Catherine the Second in the summer of 1782.” It was Catherine the Great who thus imprinted forever for posterity the personality of the great reformer and founder of the city on the Neva. The height of the Bronze Horseman monument is five meters and its weight is eight tons.

History of the Bronze Horseman monument

By order of the Empress, Alexander Mikhailovich Golitsyn began negotiations with Diderot and Voltaire regarding the implementation of such a large-scale project for Russia at that time architectural project associated with the construction of the Bronze Horseman monument. Respected people of their time, whom Catherine the Second herself unconditionally trusted, recommended Etienne-Maurice Falconet. This sculptor dreamed of creating something similar and majestic that could glorify his name for centuries. Therefore, he received the proposal with great enthusiasm.

Falcone arrived in Russia with his seventeen-year-old design assistant, Marie-Anne Collot. It is interesting that the master agreed to a rather modest payment for his services, which amounted to only two hundred thousand livres. And later as an assistant to French sculptor Experienced architect Felten was appointed. The question of the foundation of the monument, which according to the plan was supposed to be a huge stone, was immediately raised. This issue was resolved by publishing a thematic announcement in the St. Petersburg Vedomosti newspaper.

Suitable block for historical monument provided by Grigory Vishnyakov, who for a long time tried to use it for his own needs. But after unsuccessful attempts due to the lack of the necessary tool for processing, and, of course, for patriotic reasons, he gave it to professional architects.

By the way, the stone weighed two and a half thousand tons, and therefore it was delivered in winter, when the frozen soil could withstand such a heavy load. The operation to deliver the stone was completed on March 27, 1770. By the way, the transportation of such a voluminous and heavy object is still an absolute record for mankind.

Preparation and installation of the monument

Already in 1769, a plaster version of the monument to Peter the Great was presented to the public. Now it was necessary to make a metal casting. Since Falcone had not yet encountered such work, the sculptor Ersman was brought in to carry out this stage of the monument’s production, but he subsequently did not live up to the hopes placed on him. And Falcone independently began to master a new craft for himself. The first casting was made in 1775, followed by castings in the period 1776-1777. Catherine the Second herself followed the work very closely.

Only the second casting was successful. Then Falconet made a historical inscription on the inside of the Bronze Horseman’s cloak: “Sculpted and cast by Etienne Falconet, a Parisian.”

Since by the time the monument was installed at an eleven-meter height, the “thunder stone” that served as its pedestal, the relationship between Falconet and Catherine II had completely deteriorated, and the French master was forced to return to Paris, he graduated architectural works Fedor Gordeev. The opening of the monument took place without its real creator and in the presence of the Empress on August 7, 1782.

Famous people about the monument

It is interesting that in 1812, when the Russian army led by Kutuzov fought with the French, Alexander the First, fearing an enemy invasion of the capital, ordered the evacuation cultural heritage country, including the Bronze Horseman monument standing on Senate Square. Legend has it that a certain Major Baturin, who had achieved a personal audience with Prince Golitsyn, told him a dream that he had had for several days in a row. It seemed to him that the major was on Senate Square, and the monument to Peter the Great turned its head towards him and sternly admonished him not to be transported from the city under any circumstances. He explained that he would protect St. Petersburg from the enemy, and then he would not touch him. The vision was immediately retold to the emperor, and although he was quite surprised, he canceled the order to evacuate the Bronze Horseman.

There is also a well-known story that happened to Paul the First, when he, not yet an emperor, was walking around evening Petersburg. The figure of Peter the Great in a cloak and hat then said: “Paul, I am the one who takes part in you!” It was noteworthy that, leaving Senate Square, where an amazing meeting between two crowned people of the empire took place, the epic emperor promised that he would see him here again.

It is quite obvious that the historical heritage in the form of the Bronze Horseman monument had multiple responses in works of art a variety of genres and authors. So, F.M. Dostoevsky in the novel “Teenager”, the mystic Andreev in “The Rose of the World”, A.S. Pushkin in the legendary work of the same name, as well as many artists in different time found inspiration in this historical monument.

The Bronze Horseman monument was completely unexpectedly reflected in state coins of the Soviet period. During the reign of M.S. Gorbachev in 1988, the Bank of the USSR unexpectedly expressed its readiness to join the historical heritage of our country in the form of the image of Peter the Great on five-ruble coins. These exclusive coins were produced in a mintage of 2.3 million copies and weighed twenty grams. This case became unique for the country and the “Bronze Horseman”, since more National history does not know any examples of coinage depicting this historical monument.

Popular rumor carefully preserves interesting myths and legends associated with this monument.

There is a legend that Peter the Great often jumped over the Neva, saying three times “Everything is God’s and mine.” And when pride overwhelmed him and he said, “Everything is mine and God’s,” he instantly turned to stone in the form of the “Bronze Horseman” on Senate Square.

Another myth. Lying in bed, the emperor suddenly realized that the Swedes were heading for St. Petersburg. Without thinking twice, he jumped on his horse and rushed towards them. However, when he galloped through Senate Square, he met a snake along the way, because of which he froze in the form of the “Bronze Horseman”. By the way, it is believed that the snake saved his life in this case.

The next legend says that only the patronage of Peter the Great was able to protect the city on the Neva during the military campaign of 1812-1814.