Amazing in its simplicity, but also striking, the column on Palace Square is the tallest triumphal structure in the world. There are no equals among his kind.
The architect Montferrand created it by order of Nicholas the First, who wanted to perpetuate the memory of the victory of his brother, Alexander the First, in the battle with Napoleon.
In 1834, according to Montferrand's design, a pink granite column 47.5 meters high was installed in the very center of the square. This is the height of the column with the statue installed on top of it.
The pink granite from which the column was made was mined near Vyborg in the Pyuterlak quarry, but initially it was intended to be used to make one of the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral.
Having discovered that the length of the monolith significantly exceeded the necessary one, we decided not to spoil it and use it for something more impressive.
For delivery to St. Petersburg in 1832, a special barge was constructed. The Alexandria Pillar, in addition to its size, is also unique in that it stands unfixed and unsupported. It has been held in a vertical position for more than a century and a half by its own weight and the calculations of a talented architect. And its weight is no less than 600 tons.
What is incredible about this is not so much that the column does not fall (its base is quite wide), but that the foundation has not shrinked in a century and a half, and there has been no deviation from the vertical.
The installation work went quickly. It was raised to a vertical position in a little more than an hour and a half. Almost 2.5 thousand soldiers and workers were involved in the operation.
1250 pine logs were used as levers (on the advice of Archimedes).
The years of construction of the monument are 1830-1834.
Knowing that the pillar was not secured by anything, the townspeople, especially the ladies, were at first afraid to approach. What if the brilliant calculations turned out to be wrong somewhere and the obelisk still falls?
Auguste Richard Montferrand, in order to dispel all the doubts of the residents, every morning, until his death, began the day with a morning walk around the Palace Square around the column. But the pillar has not fallen yet, and more than 170 years have passed. He even survived enemy bombing, although shells fell in close proximity to him.
The Alexander Column is crowned with a figure of an angel by former serf sculptor Boris Orlovsky.
The angel's left hand holds a classic Latin cross, and his right hand is raised to heaven. The head is tilted down and the gaze is fixed on the ground.
The pedestal is decorated with military ornaments. Bronze bas-reliefs on the pedestal depict military armor and Russian weapons.
During construction, the figure was secured with a metal rod, which was later inadvertently removed.
Only in 2002 did restorers discover that the angel, like the column, was supported by its own weight.
There is a decorative cast-iron fence around it, the ends of which are crowned with small figures of double-headed imperial eagles.
From time to time, these eagles are broken and stolen, which indicates a certain brain level of some of the townspeople.
In this case, there are several ready-made copies in the storerooms, which quickly replace those that have failed.
Alexander Column dimensions and weight:
- The total height is 47.5 meters.
- The height of the monolithic part is 25.6 meters
- Pedestal height - 2.85 meters
- The height of the angel figure is 4.26 meters
- The height of the cross is 6.4 meters
- Lower column diameter -3.5 meters
- The upper diameter of the column is 3.15 meters
- Pedestal size - 6.3 x 6.3 meters
- Fence dimensions - 16.5 x 16.5 meters
- Total weight of the structure - 704 tons
- The weight of the monolith is about 600 tons
- The total weight of the angel with the base at the top of the column is about 37 tons
How to get there:
Walk to Palace Square and find its center.
If you don’t succeed the first time, ask passers-by
Artifacts of another story. Alexander Column
It is no longer a secret to anyone that something is wrong with our modern science called “History”. Many have heard about artifacts hidden and open, hushed up, stored in special storage facilities and in personal collections. Let's talk today about the most prominent artifact in St. Petersburg, the Alexander Column. Official historians are telling us a fairly logical tale.
Nicholas I decided to put on Palace Square column in honor of the victory over Napoleon. They entrusted the implementation of this idea in 1829 to the Frenchman Auguste Montferrand. To begin with, let’s imagine that Stalin, after the victory in the Great Patriotic War, finds a former Nazi architect and instructs him in Russia to build an unrivaled monument to the victory of the Soviet people over fascism. As they say today: it’s cool, isn’t it? So I looked at it, so it’s ours Frenchman V Pyuterlak quarry near Vyborg a pebble, or rather a piece of rock.
Judging by the drawing given to us by official sources, a pebble supposedly weighing 1600 tons was not only sawed out of the rock with something, but they also managed to break it off, resulting in approximately the same megalith as lies in Baalbek and has surprised the entire scientific community for hundreds of years.
Here, for general development, we need to remember that today is a miracle of modern technology, the most powerful self-propelled crane in the world, at its smallest reach, the miracle arrow only slightly lifts 1200 tons. So our guys, who are so proud, dug it out of the rock by hand and made it out of a granite block with the help of water, sand and rags perfectly smooth polished cylinder lower diameter 3.5 meters upper diameter 3.15 meters, height 25.6 meters and weight 600 tons.
Then, using their hands, they loaded the pole onto a supposedly special barge. What is the specialty of this barge, why did it not capsize during loading, how did the deck withstand such weight, and where are the drawings of this masterpiece? Question? They only say that it was used to transport 210 km column to St. Petersburg. There she is too on hands unloaded ashore. True, the embarrassment occurred during unloading, original. The boards are broken, but the bulk is ours hung in the air and waited until new boards were placed under it. Such a flexible column turned out to be. Then, with the help of ropes, logs and something else intangible, they rolled it along a specially built ramp to the installation site. Like this.
Proton-M, which is close to her in starting weight, modern guys roll on special cars on special rails, but our serfs, led by Auguste Montferand so dashingly on ropes the hemp ones did it. Here it should also be mentioned that these drawings showing and proving were taken from two albums published in France, and still the same Auguste Montferand.
The “old” album was published in 1832, the “new” one in 1836. So, “reliable” sources appeared. What happens next is even more interesting. What’s more interesting is that, according to some sources, 1,250 pine pillars were driven into the base of the column. According to other sources, while digging a pit on Palace Square for a foundation for a column, we were very happy to stumble upon the ones already driven in in the 1760s piles. So it’s not clear what kind of piles there are, we only know that they were leveled by pouring water.
Imagine, we drove 1250 6-meter piles into the pit one to one, and then poured the required level of water, and took I don't know what tool exactly 1250 in terms of water level and trimmed. Then, again, according to one version, granite slabs were laid on them, according to another, a huge monolith was brought from the same quarries. This monolith, weighing 400 tons, was made on site and sent to St. Petersburg by sea on a small boat.
Upon arrival, as usual, the peasants, using ropes and wooden rollers, dragged this block into place, and safely, having poured sand and poured vodka into the solution on Auguste’s advice, they placed it on the piles. There is not much left to do, namely to put the column in place.
True, it is not explained here that probably in order to deliver the foundation monolith it was necessary to first build one wooden ramp for the entire Palace Square, and then dismantle it completely another one, this time for transporting the column. Well, they also draw us some inconceivable structure, with the help of which the column was supposedly placed in a vertical position 2400 soldiers in less than 2 hours.
The wooden structure very convincingly shows that this is supposedly possible. However, the question of this possibility remains purely rhetorical, since there are no hunters trying to repeat it.
After the joyful installation of the column in its place, after two years of finalizing the masterpiece, September 11, 1834 The grand opening of the column and a grand parade took place.
In this dark story, something completely incomprehensible emerges, namely the artist’s watercolor Grigory Gagarin 1832-1833 “Alexander's Column in the woods” . This watercolor by a completely realistic artist depicts Palace Square with some kind of structure being dismantled, from which a column sticks out in the scaffolding.
This somehow doesn’t fit into the official version. If we remember here that the upper part of the monument is not granite, but brick, then it becomes clear why in the watercolor of Prince Gagarin there are forests nothing like a lifting mechanism. Rather they are for restoration works, or construction of the upper part on an already standing column. After all, if Montferan could manufacture, deliver and install a granite column 600 tons, what it cost him to make the top part out of granite.
It is also important to mention that the column was allegedly installed in 1832, and inaugurated in 1834 on the same day: August 30 according to the old style, September 11 according to the new style. For our contemporaries, this is not just a day, but after the terrorist attacks in New York, a day designated as the beginning of a new era in the history of our civilization. Appointed by whom?: you ask. We can only guess how long all these events 11 September associated with beheading John the Baptist the ruler of Galilee and by whom this unjust death of a holy man is celebrated, and for whom this is a day of mourning and why. Let's leave this information for thought.
To complete the picture, it should be noted that modern stone processors boast as their greatest achievement the production of granite columns for cities of military glory by decree of President Putin. These columns do not exceed 6 meters and weigh no more than 16 tons. And almost 200 years ago, without electricity, modern cranes, modern diamond stone-cutting tools and other technologies, they could make and transport columns weighing 600 tons. Seems like a very impressive comparison. Is not it?
There are many ways to control a person's consciousness and manipulate society. But one of the most effective is history. Juggling and rearranging, inventing historical facts, constructing myths and legends is one of the most powerful tools for managing people. According to the law of time, we live when the global source of information the Internet gives a person the opportunity to build on many issues not a kaleidoscopic idea of the events of the past, but mosaic.
This circumstance significantly reduces the possibility of manipulating us. The main thing is that we finally wanted not to be deceived, we have ceased to be masses and individuals who can easily be led where we do not want to go. A person must become aware, must create a community of creation, and for this today everything is there.
Distortion of history. Part 4. Alexandria Column
More details and a variety of information about events taking place in Russia, Ukraine and other countries of our beautiful planet can be obtained at Internet Conferences, constantly held on the website “Keys of Knowledge”. All Conferences are open and completely free. We invite everyone who wakes up and is interested...
And the Alexander Column has been decorating Palace Square since 1834: Nicholas I ordered its erection in honor of the victory of Alexander I over Napoleon. Together with the Kultura.RF portal, we recall interesting details from the history of this building.
Alexander Column, St. Petersburg. Photo: meros.org
The first sketches of the Alexander Obelisk
Stepan Shchukin. Portrait of Alexander I. Early 1800s. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Evgeny Plyushar. Portrait of Auguste Montferrand. 1834.
Franz Kruger. Portrait of Nicholas I. 1852. Hermitage, St. Petersburg
In 1829, Nicholas I announced an open competition for sketches of a monument in memory of Alexander I. Auguste Montferrand - his design for the Alexander Column was subsequently realized - first proposed installing a 25-meter-high granite obelisk on the square. At the same time, Montferrand developed several projects for the monument’s pedestal. In one of the sketches, he proposed decorating the pedestal with bas-reliefs of Fyodor Tolstoy, which illustrated the events of the Patriotic War of 1812, and the figure of a horseman, in front of whom a double-headed eagle flies, and behind - the goddess of victory. In another sketch he depicted figures of elephants supporting an obelisk.
"Trajan's Column appeared before me"
Alexander Column, figure of an angel
Alexander Column, pedestal
However, not a single obelisk project was accepted. Montferrand was asked to create something like the Vendôme Column in Paris or Trajan's Column in Rome. As the architect wrote: “Trajan’s Column appeared before me as a prototype of the most beautiful thing that a person of this kind can create. I had to try to come as close as possible to this majestic example of antiquity, as was done in Rome for the Antonine Column, in Paris for the Napoleon Column".
Montferrand's column also had several design options: in addition to the sketch with the figure of an angel, the architect proposed crowning the obelisk with a cross entwined with a snake, or installing the figure of Alexander Nevsky at the top.
Finnish granite for a Russian monument
Vasily Tropinin. Portrait of Samson Sukhanov. 1823. Museum of V.A. Tropinin and Moscow artists of his time, Moscow
Pyuterlach quarry, separation of a block of stone from a rock. Lithograph from the book by Auguste Montferrand. "Plans and details of a monument dedicated to the memory of Emperor Alexander", 1836
Tilting a mass for a column rod in a quarry. Lithograph from the book by Auguste Montferrand. "Plans and details of a monument dedicated to the memory of Emperor Alexander", 1836
Montferrand chose the material for his monument in advance: granite from Finland was used for the Alexander Column. Both the column itself and the stones for its foundation were cut from one rock - the largest of them weighed more than 400 tons. They were hewn out over two years - from 1830 to 1832 - in the Pyuterlak quarry. About 250 people worked there, and they were led by the famous stonemason Samson Sukhanov.
Transportation on "St. Nicholas"
Loading the column onto the ship. Lithograph from the book by Auguste Montferrand. "Plans and details of a monument dedicated to the memory of Emperor Alexander", 1836
Delivery of blocks for the pedestal of the Alexander Column. Lithograph from the book by Auguste Montferrand. "Plans and details of a monument dedicated to the memory of Emperor Alexander", 1836
Moving the block for the pedestal of the Alexander Column from the embankment. Lithograph from the book by Auguste Montferrand. "Plans and details of a monument dedicated to the memory of Emperor Alexander", 1836
Transporting blanks for the obelisk from Finland to St. Petersburg was not an easy task. To transport the column by water, a special boat “St. Nicholas” was built with a carrying capacity of more than 1000 tons. 600 soldiers were loaded onto its board, and they almost dropped the monolith into the water. The St. Nicholas and the convoy were towed by two steamships to St. Petersburg.
Pine piles, cement with soap and a box of coins
Installation of the pedestal on the foundation. Lithograph from the book by Auguste Montferrand. "Plans and details of a monument dedicated to the memory of Emperor Alexander", 1836
Lifting a column onto an overpass. Lithograph from the book by Auguste Montferrand. "Plans and details of a monument dedicated to the memory of Emperor Alexander", 1836
When laying the foundation for the installation of the column, workers discovered piles: half a century earlier, Bartolomeo Rastrelli planned to erect a monument to Peter I here.
When installing the column, we used the innovative engineering developments of Augustine Betancourt, which by that time had already been tested during the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral by Augustine Montferrand. Here the foundation was laid using the same technology as in Isaacia: 1,250 pine piles were driven into the bottom of the pit, and granite stone blocks were placed on them. A monolith weighing 400 tons was placed on the foundation, which became the base of the pedestal. The monolith was connected to the foundation with a special solution - vodka and soap were added to the cement. Thanks to this, the monolith could be moved until it “sits” perfectly. A commemorative box with coins minted in honor of the War of 1812 and a mortgage board were installed in the center of the foundation.
“Montferrand, you have immortalized yourself!”
Alexander Denisov. The rise of the Alexander Column. 1832
L.P.-A. Bishebois, A.J.-B. Bayo. The rise of the Alexander Column. 1834
Grigory Gagarin. Alexandria Column in the woods. 1832
The most difficult task facing the builders was installing the column. The developments made by Augustine Betancourt during the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral were also useful here. He designed a special lifting system from scaffolding, capstans - mechanisms for moving loads - and a system of blocks. First, the column was rolled up an inclined plane onto a special platform and secured on it. Then they began to lift the ropes placed on top of the scaffolding. About 2,500 people performed this operation for almost 40 minutes. Nicholas I was so impressed by the solemn rise that he exclaimed: “Montferrand, you have immortalized yourself!” After installing the column, it was sanded, polished and decorated - this took two years.
Sculptural decoration of the column
Alexander Column, figure of an angel. Photo: hellopiter.ru
Alexander Column, pedestal. Photo: nevsky.rf
Alexander Column, pedestal. Photo: fotokto.ru
The figure of an angel, almost five meters high, was made by sculptor Boris Orlovsky. The angel holds a cross in his left hand and raises his right hand to heaven. According to Montferrand's plan, the figure of the angel was supposed to be gilded, but due to the rush to open it, this decision was abandoned. On the pedestal of the column there are images of the all-seeing eye, under which there are double-headed eagles holding laurel garlands in their paws. Two winged female figures hold a sign with the text “To Alexander I - grateful Russia”; symbols of the Vistula and Neman rivers are depicted nearby. Other bas-reliefs depict allegories of Victory and Peace, Justice and Mercy and Wisdom and Abundance. Montferrand himself made the drawings for the design of the pedestal; based on them, artists made life-size sketches, and sculptors created molds for casting.
The tallest monument made of solid granite
Alexander Column. Photo: petersburg.center
The opening ceremony of the monument took place on September 11, 1834. The architect wanted to refuse to participate in the ceremony, but Nicholas I insisted, saying: “Montferrand, your creation is worthy of its purpose, you have erected a monument to yourself.”. For the celebration, special stands were erected on Palace Square to accommodate the imperial family and other distinguished guests.
“And no pen can describe the greatness of that moment when, following three cannon shots, suddenly from all the streets, as if born from the earth, in slender bulks, with the thunder of drums, columns of the Russian army began to march to the sounds of the Paris March... The ceremonial march began: Russian the army passed by the Alexander Column; This magnificent, unique spectacle in the world lasted for two hours... In the evening, noisy crowds wandered through the streets of the illuminated city for a long time, finally, the lighting faded, the streets were empty, and the majestic colossus was left alone with its sentry in a deserted square.”
Vasily Zhukovsky
Angel after the revolution
Restoration of the Alexander Column in 2002. Photo: armycarus.do
Restoration of the Alexander Column in 2002. Photo: petersburglike.ru
After the revolution, the figure of the angel on the Alexander Column was disguised with red cloth or balloons during city holidays. There was a legend that they were planning to install a statue of Lenin instead, but this did not happen. The fence around the monument was melted down for ammunition in the 1930s. During the Great Patriotic War, the Alexander Column was not completely camouflaged, like many other architectural monuments of Leningrad, but only 2/3 of the height. The angel received shrapnel “wounds.” The column and the area around it were restored several times - in the 1960s, 1970s and 2000s.
Alexander Column
1834 - Auguste Montferrand
The height of the Alexander Column monolith is over 25.5 m, the lower diameter is 3.66 m, the upper diameter is 3.19 m, the weight is about 600 tons. The column is crowned with a bronze figure of an Angel trampling a snake with a cross - a symbol of the victory of good over evil (sculptor B.I. . Orlovsky). The face of the Angel is given the features of Emperor Alexander I. The height of the Angel is 4.26 m. The pedestal is decorated with bronze bas-reliefs of allegorical content (sculptor P. V. Svintsov, I. Leppe, according to sketches by J. B. Scotti). The total height of the Alexander Column is 47.5 m.
View of the Puterlag quarry
during work *
View of the Puterlag quarry
during work*
Loading the column
to the bot "Saint Nicholas"*
Transportation
granite blocks
along the Neva*
Delivery of granite
block on Dvortsovaya
square*
Granite block on
transportation
platform*
Granite processing
block in place
column installation*
Lifting the column by
construction platform
for transportation
on Palace Embankment*
Lifting the column by
construction platform
for transportation*
Transportation of the column
on the construction platform
to the installation site*
Transportation of the column
on the construction platform
to the installation site*
Transportation of the column
on the construction platform
to the installation site*
Raising of the column on August 30
(namesake day
Alexander I) 1832.
Tribunes for spectators*
Construction scheme
scaffolding for installation
columns*
Lifting the column by
granite pedestal.
Guard from the company
guards grenadiers*
Top casting
bronze part*
Pedestal and
decorative parts
Alexandrovskaya
columns*
Projects
sculptural
decorations
Alexandrovskaya
columns*
Alexander Column,
Vendôme Column,
Trajan's monuments and
Antonia, Pompey's Column*
** see below
in St. Petersburg. (GRM)
August 30, 1834
Added-
Chernetsov G. G. Parade on the occasion
opening of the monument to Alexander I
in St. Petersburg on August 30, 1834
Added-
View of Alexandrovskaya
columns on Dvortsovaya
area*
View of
Alexandrovskaya
column*
1860-1870
From pastvu.com
1866-1870
From pastvu.com
* Auguste Montferrand "Plans and details of a monument dedicated to the memory of Emperor Alexander." Paris. 1836
** N Evsky archive: Historical and local history collection. Vol. V. St. Petersburg: “Faces of Russia”, 2001 insert
The center of the composition of the Palace Square ensemble is the “Alexandria Column” monument, dedicated to the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. This event took place during the reign of Alexander I, therefore the monument was created in his honor and bears the name “Alexander Column”.
The decision to perpetuate the era of the reign of Alexander I was made by his brother, Emperor Nicholas I. Work on the construction of the memorial column was entrusted to the Commission on the Construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral and its chief architect Auguste Montferrand.
Initially, Montferrand conceived the monument in the form of an obelisk 35 m high and presented several options that differed only in the design of the pedestal. In one case, it was supposed to be decorated with bas-reliefs and on the front side to depict Alexander I as a victorious victor riding a quadriga. In the second case, on the sides of the pedestal with a dedicatory inscription there were figures of Glory and Abundance. The third option was unusual - with figures of elephants supporting the obelisk. In the same 1829, the architect developed another option - in the form of a triumphal column topped with a cross. This option, which contains all the elements of the executed composition, with the exception of the completion of the column, was adopted as the basis.
The Alexander Column reproduces the type of triumphal structure from Antiquity (the famous Trojan Column in Rome), but it is the largest structure of its kind in the world. The monument on Palace Square became the tallest column made from a monolithic block of granite.
Montferrand planned to make a column of enormous size, proposing to make the base and granite trunk from Finnish granite, and cast individual parts from bronze. They decided to cut the blank for the granite trunk of the column at the Peterlak quarry, which was at the disposal of the Commission, located 36 versts from the city of Friedrichsgam (now Hamina, Finland). It was extremely difficult not only to prepare the monolith weighing more than 600 tons, but also to deliver it to St. Petersburg and install it. Montferrand had to prove the correctness of the calculations based on his wealth of experience. The Commission found his explanations convincing, and at the beginning of November of the same year, the Montferrand project was approved, and on November 13, a plan for Palace Square indicating the location for the monument was submitted for approval. Finally, at the beginning of December 1829, “The Sovereign Emperor deigned to order the monument to Emperor Alexander I to be erected in the same place as shown on the indicated plan.”
Montferrand’s explanatory note stated: “The foundation of this monument will be made of solid granite, lined on the sides with Tosno slab on four sides to a depth of 3 fathoms. Lay such a bottle on piles of pine logs 6 to 7 vershoks thick and 3 fathoms long, positioned at a distance of one arshin from center to center. Directly on the piles, place one row of granite in the form of flats throughout the entire space... The pedestal, which will be overlaid with bronze, will be made of granite..."
The work, which was carried out according to the method of S.K. Sukhanov, was supervised by masters S.V. Kolodkin and V.A. Yakovlev. According to the archival document, “the granite was overturned... on September 19 at 6 pm in the presence of the chief architect...” In St. Petersburg, in the absence of Montferrand, “All duties related to the building” were to be performed by the architect A. Adamini. The separated monolith still needed to be trimmed, which took six months. An average of 250 people worked on the hewing every day.
On April 1, 1832, Vasily Yakovlev reported: “This work is now completely finished.” It was necessary to deliver the column to the pier, and on April 26 the merchant asked for gunpowder to clear the road at the granite break for rolling the column. Gunpowder was released from the Friedrichsham artillery garrison. The rollover began on June 19 at 7 a.m. and was completed at 8 p.m. the same day. Three days later, in the presence of the Chairman of the Commission, Count Yu. P. Litta, sent by the Emperor, the column was loaded onto a ship, the flat boat “St. Nikolay”, built according to the drawings of naval engineer Lieutenant Colonel K. A. Glazyrin at the Particular Shipyard in St. Petersburg. Transportation by water was not easy. On the way, the cast iron shaft of the steamship broke, and with the help of another steamship "Alexander" the ship and the column were towed for repairs, and then continued on their way in difficult weather conditions.. On July 1 at 4 o'clock in the morning the ship passed St. Isaac's Bridge and moored to the pier near the Winter Palace . On July 12, “in the presence of Their Majesties the Sovereign Emperor and the Sovereign Empress, the Highest Family, as well as in the accompaniment of His Royal Highness Prince Wilhelm of Prussia with a large crowd of people gathered for this extraordinary spectacle,” the convoy was safely unloaded ashore. 640 workers were involved in unloading.
After the location for the column was approved in December 1829, 1,250 6 m long pine piles were driven under the foundation. About 392 square fathoms of granite blocks, laid in 13 rows, were used for the foundation, not counting the large foundation stone. The work was carried out by the same Vasily Yakovlev, finishing it in October 1830 under the supervision of Montferrand. In the center of the foundation, consisting of granite blocks, they laid a bronze box with medals minted in honor of the victory of 1812, coins of the 1830 model and a mortgage board. The inscription on the board was engraved “St. Petersburg tradesman Vasily Danilovich Berilov.” At the beginning of November 1831, Nicholas I, having listened to the proposal of the Chairman of the Commission, allowed a second bronze and gilded foundation board to be placed at the base of the monument, ordering “to place a newly embossed medal for the storming of Warsaw. This time, the famous bronzesmith A. Guerin was entrusted with making the mortgage board. On January 31, 1832, the finished plaque was sent to Montferrand, and on February 13, it was placed in place along with the medal for the capture of Warsaw in the presence of all members of the Commission.
On August 30, 1832, the 600-ton monolith was lifted with the help of 60 capstans and a system of blocks and installed on a pedestal without any fastenings. 3 thousand people took part in the lifting work, including 1440 soldiers and sailors. The gates were placed in two rows around the scaffolding. 29 people were placed on each gate: “16 soldiers at the levers, 8 in reserve, 4 sailors for pulling and cleaning the rope as the column was raised, 1 non-commissioned officer... To achieve the correct movement of the gates, so that the ropes pulled as equally as possible, 10 people will be stationed foremen." 120 working people were stationed at the top of the scaffolding to monitor the blocks, and 60 below “to look after the idler pulleys. 2 foremen with 30 carpenters will be placed on large scaffolding at different heights to position the log supports on which the column will lie in case its raising had to be stopped. 40 workers will be placed near the column, on the right and left sides, to remove the rollers from under the sleigh and to drag them into place. 30 workers will be placed under the bridge with ropes holding the gates. 6 masons will be used to add lime mortar between the column and the base; 15 carpenters and 1 foreman will be on standby in case of an unforeseen... The doctor assigned to the construction of St. Isaac’s Cathedral will be at the production site during the entire raising of the column.”
The architect worked a lot on the design of the column. Sketches of the four bas-reliefs on the pedestal were presented to the Emperor as early as April 1830, who approved them, expressing the desire that they should be life-size. Montferrand asked to provide this work to the painter Scotti. By the end of July 1830 D.-B. Scotty completely finished one cardboard, and started the other two. To speed up the work, the Academy of Arts assigned him assistants. F. P. Brullo performed allegorical figures of Victory and Peace, T. A. Markov - the Neva. The allegorical figure of the Volga was entrusted to Y. F. Yanenko. In connection with Scotti's death in 1830, his work was continued by his student, the painter Vasily Soloviev. Under the supervision of Montferrand and according to his instructions, Solovyov drew trophies on three unfinished cardboards. In February 1831, the Emperor expressed a desire to make changes to the cardboards, which consisted of replacing all the depicted antique military fittings with ancient Russian ones. Brullo was assigned to make changes to the cardboards. Nicholas I also ordered that the double-headed eagles decorating the corners of the pedestal should have an imperial crown on top of their heads. The corrected cardboards received the emperor's approval on March 12.
To make models of the base, capital, architrave and decorations of the pedestal, Montferrand recommended the stucco master Eustathius Balin. On September 27, 1830, a contract was awarded to him, and on January 28 of the following year the work was completed. The models were sent to the manufacturer C. Byrd for metal casting.
Instead of the originally conceived cross, the architect in 1830 proposed completing the column with the figure of an Angel, presenting a drawing and model, recommending the sculptor I. Leppe. However, at the insistence of Olenin, a competition was announced, as a result of which the model of the sculptor B.I. Orlovsky was approved in 1832. In June 1832, he was offered to sculpt a life-size statue 6 arshins high. Approving the model, the Emperor ordered “to give a face to the statue of the late Emperor Alexander.” The main parts of the life-size model figure of an Angel were made from wood by the merchant Vasily Stolyarov with his working people. Only the head, arms and legs were cast from plaster. This was followed by numerous debates about the size and number of angels on the column, as a result of which on August 2, 1833, Nicholas I decisively ordered “to make the figure 6 arshins in height... and to end all debate about the figure, so as not to make any more representations.” On January 5, 1834, Orlovsky announced the final readiness of the plaster statue of the Angel. A week later the statue was at the Byrd factory, which also took upon itself the production of all the bronze decorations of the column. On August 28, 1833, Montferrand inspected Byrd's work: all things were cast, minted, attached and completely ready to be put into place; four large bas-reliefs are also cast, and minting is done above them. All that remained was to make the figure of the Angel, but the issue of the figure’s orientation was not resolved. Only at the end of May 1834 did Nicholas I order that the figure of the Angel be placed facing the Winter Palace. At the beginning of June, the main parts of the figure (the arm and wings were cast separately) were ready and assembled together with the cross under the supervision of Orlovsky.
The figure of an angel with a cross and a snake is cast together with a platform, shaped like the completion of the dome. The dome, in turn, is crowned by a cylinder mounted on a rectangular platform - the abacus. Inside the bronze cylinder is the main supporting mass, consisting of multilayer masonry: granite, brick and two layers of granite at the base. A metal rod runs through the entire massif, which was supposed to support the sculpture. The most important condition for reliable fastening of the sculpture is the tightness of the casting and the absence of moisture inside the support cylinder.
On the day of the raising of the column, platforms were prepared for spectators.
On August 30, 1834, at the grand opening of the Alexander Column, a parade of guards regiments took place, and a memorial medal was knocked out in honor of this event.
The Alexander Column immediately became one of the main attractions of St. Petersburg. Montferrand also proposed installing a bronze decorative fence and a “candelabra with copper lanterns and gas lighting,” but these works were not carried out at that time. They wanted to make the grille out of wrought iron with gilded bronze decorations and twelve crystal balls on three-headed eagles mounted on captured cannons. On December 17, 1834, Montferrand informed the Commission that he had received 12 Turkish cannons from the arsenal. All work on the lattice was undertaken by Byrd, who at the beginning of February 1835 also proposed to provide gas lighting to the balls by constructing a gasometer in the General Headquarters or near the Exertsirhaus. On November 30, 1835, the grid was adopted. In the autumn and winter of 1835 and 1836, the monument was illuminated by 12 glass balls made at the Imperial Glass Factory. Oil burned in them, but in some lamps it leaked, leaving traces of rust on the eagles and cannons; several balls were blackened by soot. To top it off, on December 25, 1835, at 11 pm, one balloon burst “with a great crash” and three months later fell apart from a strong wind. On October 11, 1836, “the Highest order followed to arrange at the monument... cast-iron candelabra with lanterns according to approved designs for gas lighting.” Bird took charge of the manufacture and installation of candelabra on granite pedestals, and also undertook to replace the glass balls in the fence with bronze crowns. Montferrand designed each candelabra to have 5 lamps. The candelabra, 2 fathoms 1 arshin 6 vershoks high, were decided to be painted three times and bronzed, and the lamps were made of bronze. After consultations with an engineer who arrived from England, it turned out that it was necessary to greatly increase the outer thickness of the candelabra, Montferrand had to make a new design. Because of this, the production of the candelabra was postponed to June 1837. The crystal balls were replaced with crowns in early October 1836. In addition to the 36 small crowns, Byrd placed on the lattice “12 large imperial bronze crowns,” also made according to Montferrand’s design. Since the laying of gas pipes was completed only in August 1837, the candelabras were accepted at the end of October of the same year.
In the post-revolutionary period, the Angel was covered with a tarpaulin cap, painted red, and camouflaged with balls lowered from a hovering airship. A project was being prepared to install a huge statue of V.I. Lenin instead of an angel. But providence wanted the angel to survive. During the Great Patriotic War, the monument was covered only 2/3 of the height and the angel was injured: there was a shrapnel mark on one of the wings.
(From the article by N. Efremova “Alexander’s Column” “Science and Life” No. 7, 2002)
During the blockade, the monument was damaged by shell fragments. In 1963, restoration took place (foreman N.N. Reshetov, work manager - restorer I.G. Black). In 1977, the asphalt covering around the Alexander Column was replaced with diabase paving stones, and the four lanterns at its corners were recreated in their original forms. In 2002-2003 a comprehensive restoration was carried out. In 2004, the historical fence was restored.
Literature:
Article by V. K. Shuisky “The Alexander Column: the history of creation” in the Nevsky Archive: Collection of Historical and Local Lore. Vol. V. St. Petersburg: “Faces of Russia”, 2001 P. 161-185
St. Petersburg: Encyclopedia. - 2nd ed., rev. and additional - St. Petersburg: Business Press LLC; M.: “Russian Political Encyclopedia” (ROSSPEN), 2006 P. 34
Isachenko V. G. Monuments of St. Petersburg. Directory. - St. Petersburg: “Paritet”, 2004 P. 42-48
View from the northwest,
from the Zimny
palace
View from the southeast,
from the arch side
General Staff
View from the northeast,
from the river Sinks
View from the southwest,
from the outside
Alexander's Garden
Photo - 07.2018.
From the roof of the Singer House
Photo - 06.2017.
