Who created the monument to Nicholas 1. Installation of the monument to Nicholas I on St. Isaac's Square

Timm Vasily Fedorovich
Grand opening of the monument to Emperor Nicholas I in St. Petersburg

In addition, it was Montferrand who supervised all the work on the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral and developed a plan for the arrangement of the central squares of the city.
Two wishes were expressed to the architect: the monument should be equestrian, because on the other side of St. Isaac's Cathedral was the famous monument to Peter I by Falcone, and the most important deeds of the late emperor should be noted in the design of the monument.

Montferrand died in 1858, without waiting for the installation of the monument, but managed to create a drawing project, which was approved by the Council of the Academy of Arts.

The monument to Nicholas I was built in 1856-1859, opened on St. Isaac's Square July 25, 1859 shortly after the death of the emperor.

The design of the monument belongs to Auguste Montferrand. The equestrian sculpture was created by Pyotr Karlovich Klodt. The pedestal was made by architects N. Efimov and A. Poirot, sculptors R. Zaleman and N. Ramazanov.

The official history reports: in February 1856, on the first anniversary of the death of Emperor Nicholas I, the design of the monument to Nicholas I began at the highest command of Emperor Alexander II.
The architect O. Montferrand was instructed to present "considerations on the monument to Nicholas I". The project was approved in May 1856, a month later the place for the installation of the monument was determined - opposite the Mariinsky Palace, facing St. Isaac's Cathedral.
A curious fact: the equestrian monument at the same place has already been captured
I. Charlemagne back in the 1840s:

General view of St. Petersburg with its surroundings from a bird's eye view.
Engraver A. Apert after the drawing by I. Charlemagne. 1840s Fragment.

He also knew the general view of the monument during the life of Nicholas I:

"Monument to Nicholas I". Lithograph by J. Jacotte and Ch. K. Bachelier from fig. I. I. Charlemagne and Durui.
(Sheet from the album I. Charlemagne. Views of St. Petersburg.).

Shocking date for drawing from nature:

Lithographer Sh.-K. Bachelier after a drawing from nature by I. Charlemagne. Monument to Nicholas I.
Lithograph, hand-coloured with watercolors and gouache. 1853
(Sheet from the album I. Charlemagne. Views of St. Petersburg.). Fragment.

Bose monument to the late Emperor Nicholas I. 1850s.

Lithographer K. Schulz based on a drawing by I. Charlemagne.
Bose monument to the late Emperor Nicholas I. 1850s. Fragment.

Monument to Nicholas I on St. Isaac's Square.

Monument to Nicholas I on St. Isaac's Square. Fragment.

The pedestal is decorated with allegorical female figures of Wisdom, Strength, Faith and Justice, in which you can see the facial features of the wife and daughters of Nicholas I.

The high reliefs on the pedestal depict the most important events during the reign of Nicholas I:

"December 14, 1825" (north) - the emperor departs from Winter Palace to suppress the uprising of the Decembrists and transfers his son-heir (the future Alexander II) to the troops loyal to him

1831 - the emperor addresses the people on Sennaya Square during the so-called "cholera riot"; (west).

1832 - the emperor awards M. Speransky with the Order for the publication of the Complete Collection of Laws Russian Empire"; (south).

1851 - the emperor examines the Verebinsky bridge during a solemn trip along the newly opened Moscow railway, (east).

Bas-reliefs of the pedestal, allegorical decorative statues and ornaments were made by sculptors R. Zaleman and N. Ramazanov. In front of Klodt, a well-known master by that time, the author of the beloved "Horse Tamers" on the Anichkov Bridge and the monument to Krylov in summer garden was a much more difficult task.
At the beginning, the sculptor decided to depict Nicholas II on a motionless horse. The sketch of this monument has been preserved and allows us to judge that the figure of the horseman, his posture are very natural and realistic, even an attempt was made to convey a psychological resemblance to the original.
But Klodt refused such a decision, because it ran counter to the general plan of Montferrand. A new version of the sculpture has appeared, where the main thing is the swift and at the same time graceful movement of a rearing horse, and the motionless - solemn, in some ways even stern figure of the rider.

Critics subsequently noted the shortcomings of the monument: it lacks genuine monumentality, the composition is pretentious and overloaded with small details.
But the monument also has undoubted merits: the Montferrand project itself, and the sculpture of Klodt, and the bas-reliefs are a high example of professional skill.
The monument really became the unifying center of St. Isaac's Square, which combines architectural buildings different styles. To this day, the skill of P. Klodt attracts special attention, who managed to accurately calculate the center of gravity of the sculpture and fix it on two points - two hind legs of a rearing horse without any additional support.

In 1860, a bronze lattice of twenty links was installed around the monument, designed by the architect L. Bonshtedt.

The total height of the monument is more than 16 meters; lanterns are installed near it, which are considered one of the most beautiful in the city.

monument to Nicholas I

For a number of years, Nicholas I was the chief of the Horse Guards regiment quartered nearby. Thanks to this, the monument to Nicholas I is located on St. Isaac's Square, and the emperor himself is depicted in the uniform of horse guards.

The figure of the sculpture of the emperor quite accurately shows the character of the sovereign.
He is shown as a vain, self-satisfied man, trying to be like his great ancestor Peter I. In addition, this monument is installed on the same axis as the famous Bronze Horseman, turned in the same direction, only St. Isaac's Cathedral separates them.
In St. Petersburg folklore, appropriate sayings arose on this occasion, for example: "A fool catches up with a smart one, but Isaac gets in the way."

V.S. Sadovnikov. Parade during the opening of the monument to Nicholas I on St. Isaac's Square in St. Petersburg. 1856.

Opening of the monument to Nicholas I. 1857 V. Sadovnikov. Watercolor.

Those who understood the real value of the work of Montferrand and Klodt managed to find the most convincing argument at that time: the monument was saved precisely by the exact engineering calculation of Klodt, who managed to "fix" the rider on two points of support. The monument to Nicholas I was not touched.

monument to Nicholas I

It is believed that the monument to Nicholas I rests on two points of support due to the exact mathematical calculation of its center of gravity and metal shot poured into the horse's croup. During the restoration in the 1980s, no shots were found inside the sculpture.
The horse is helped to stay on the pedestal by metal rods inserted into its legs.

Another legend tells that the position of the monument to Nicholas I with its back to the Mariinsky Palace served as a refusal to live in the palace of the daughter of Nicholas I, Maria. Allegedly, she did not like that her father turned his back to her windows.

Today, coming to St. Isaac's Square, we can look at the scenes of the bas-reliefs on the pedestal of the monument for a long time, or we can go around it from all sides and once again make sure that the rider on a rearing horse looks different from all points, but from all sides it looks amazing an example of perfection.

St. Petersburg and suburbs

The monument to Nicholas I was installed in St. Petersburg on St. Isaac's Square at the behest of the son of Nicholas I - Alexander II. It is located on the site between St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Mariinsky Palace. He is on the same axis with the Bronze Horseman, the majestic Isaac separates the two royal horsemen, this was immediately noticed by the St. Petersburg wits. Tradition says that after the opening of the monument, a plaque appeared on it with the inscription: “You won’t catch up!” And the saying went around the city: “Kolya catches up with Petya, but Isaac interferes” or its more popular version: “The fool catches up with the clever, but Isaac interferes.”

The monument to Nicholas the First is the only equestrian statue at the time of its creation, which had only two points of support - the hooves of a prancing horse. The stability of such a design was not so easy to calculate. Was this task performed by the famous sculptor who created the monument? Pyotr Karlovich Klodt. To ensure the stability of the monument, several pounds of shot were poured into the horse's croup, and iron racks were placed under the hooves of the horse's hind legs, stretching to the base of the monument.

The monument was designed by Auguste Montferrand in 1856-1859. The monument helped the famous architect to combine all the buildings of St. Isaac's Square into a complete ensemble. The creation of the sculpture of Nicholas the First was carried out by P.K. Klodt.

Initially, Klodt was asked to perform the figure of a rider on a motionless horse. But such a sketch did not satisfy Montferrand. Then the sculptor decided to depict a prancing horse with a motionless rider striving upwards. It was this idea that Klodt embodied.

The manufacture of the monument, as well as the calculation of its design, was quite complicated. When Alexander II examined the sculpture in the workshop, he ordered certain changes to be made, such as reducing the visor of the helmet, changing the horse's left gait to the right gait, etc. What was done by the sculptor. The sculpture was to be cast in April 1858. But the form could not withstand the bronze melt. Fortunately, Emperor Alexander III paid for the continuation of work and the manufacture of a new, more durable form. The second attempt to cast the statue was successful.

The sculpture represents equestrian statue Nicholas I, 6 m high. The sculptor depicted the emperor in the ceremonial uniform of the Life Guards Horse Regiment. The pedestal of the monument is also a work sculptural art. The pedestal was made by architects A. Poirot and N. Efimov. It is decorated with allegorical figures of Strength, Wisdom, Faith, Justice, depicted as female figures, made by R.K. Zaleman. Their faces are exact copies of the faces of the wife of Nicholas I and his three daughters: Maria, Olga and Alexandra. In addition, high reliefs were made on the pedestal, depicting the main events that took place in the country during the reign of the emperor: the Decembrist uprising, the suppression of the cholera riot, the awarding of Speransky M.M. for the collection and publication of the first collection Russian laws and the opening of the Verebinsky railway bridge. Three high reliefs belong to the hand of N.A. Romazanova, one - R.K. Zaleman. Several types of marble, red Finnish and dark gray Serdobol granite, red Shokshinsky porphyry were used in the lining of the pedestal. The monument is surrounded by four lanterns, which have every right to be called "the most beautiful lanterns of St. Petersburg."

The monument to Nicholas I was opened on July 25, 1859. some time after the king's death. The reign of Nicholas I was rather difficult for the Russian Empire. The tsar was distinguished by a stern disposition and ruled the country rather harshly, for which he was nicknamed Nikolai Palkin among the people. He was not loved and feared. Nicholas I carried out repressions, he introduced strict censorship, and in large cities there were agents of secret intelligence on every corner, looking for the sovereign's enemies. Klodt portrayed Nicholas I in such a way as to convey the character of the emperor: he sat smugly and proudly on a rearing horse.

After the revolution of 1917, the question of dismantling the monument was raised more than once, but due to its uniqueness (the stability of the sculpture is ensured by only two points of support), it was recognized the greatest work engineering, and the monument was not destroyed. In the 30s. In the 20th century, only the fence of the monument was dismantled. It was recreated in 1992.

Monument to Nicholas I, installed in 1859 in the center of St. Isaac's Square, is not the most famous monument in St. Petersburg. But people, when they first see him, usually gasp. And no wonder: after all, when creating the monument, two "titans" of St. Petersburg art united their efforts - the sculptor Pyotr Klodt and the architect Auguste Montferrand. From the very beginning, the monument, as it were, “begs” for comparison with the Bronze Horseman: they are located side by side, and the solution is similar. The creation of Klodt and Montferrand withstands the competition with dignity.

From Montferrand in this monument - the complexity of the silhouette, the richness of the decor and, most importantly, the sophisticated pedestal. Montferrand as an architect has always combined a craving for powerful, powerful forms and a passion for decorativeness, sometimes even for “decoration”. This duality is clearly manifested in the monument. While designing a solid, "imperial" monument saturated with symbols, Montferrand at the same time creates an almost independent work of architecture, elegant in form and subtle in color. Evaluate for yourself how the red Finnish granite echoes the red Shoksha porphyry, and the bronze, tinted with white marble, is in harmony with the gray Serdobol granite.

From Klodt, the chief animal sculptor in St. Petersburg at that time, the monument got a “spark of life”. No one could better convey the impulse of a rearing horse, put so much energy and credibility into this graceful animal! But the figure of the emperor himself, ironically, does not apply to the best works masters. Firstly, Nikolai is too high, and you can’t really see him. And secondly, when creating the figure, Klodt was simply “not allowed to turn around”: his customers were not interested in either the psychological authenticity or the individuality of the monument. No, they needed a generalized image, the image of a ruler, a victorious triumphant. Well, Klodt created what was required of him. And although the reading of the monument by contemporaries could be ambiguous (after all, at the end of the reign of Nicholas I, Russia was approaching a catastrophic defeat in the Crimean War, so this emperor was definitely not suitable for the role of a triumphant), the authorities were more than satisfied with the monument.

Moreover, this monument has become a real triumph of Russian engineering. After all, this is the first equestrian monument in Europe, installed on two points of support (the only monument of this kind, created earlier - a monument to President Andrew Jackson in front of the White House in the US capital). It would seem that in theory everything is simple: the back of the horse's body is filled with metal, the center of gravity is shifted, thanks to which the figure acquires stability. However, in practice, it was incredibly difficult to perform calculations and accurately balance the sculpture. Hence the legend: allegedly, Klodt, wanting to convince the authorities of the correctness of his calculations, promised to lie down in front of the monument after installation, so that if the figure collapsed, it would bury its creator. The authenticity of the legend is questionable; the important thing is that the monument is still standing - it does not move.

It stands in the center of St. Isaac's Square, facing the cathedral. Nikolai turned his back to the palace of one of his daughters, Maria Nikolaevna (hence another legend: they say, Maria did not like to live in this palace, the view from the window offended her). By the way, four allegorical figures on the pedestal of the monument, personifying "Strength", "Wisdom", "Justice" and "Faith", are at the same time portraits of the emperor's wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, and his three daughters, Olga, Maria and Alexandra. Four bas-reliefs, located a little lower, depict the four main events of the reign of Nicholas I: accession to the throne in 1825. (of course, there is not a single hint of the Decembrist uprising), the suppression of the cholera riot of 1831, the rewarding of Speransky for compiling the Complete Code of Laws and the opening by the emperor of the Verebinsky bridge of Petersburg-Moscow railway in 1851.

In 1855, Nicholas I died. Alexander II, who succeeded his father on the Russian throne, wished that a monument to Nicholas I be erected on the square between St. Isaac's Cathedral, the construction of which was nearing completion, and the Mariinsky Palace. which the Alexander Column was erected on the Palace Square of the capital, immortalizing the name and deeds of Emperor Alexander I. In addition, it was Montferrand who supervised all the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral and developed a plan for organizing the central squares of the city. Two wishes were expressed to the architect: the monument should be equestrian, because on the other side of St. Isaac's Cathedral was the famous monument to Peter I by Falcone, and the most important deeds of the late emperor should be noted in the design of the monument.

Montferrand died in 1858, without waiting for the installation of the monument, but managed to create a drawing project, which was approved by the Council of the Academy of Arts. The sculptors R. Zaleman and N. Ramazanov took part in the work on the monument, while the most important part of the monument - the equestrian statue - was created by the sculptor Pyotr Klodt. According to the plan of Montferrand, the rider was supposed to be on a high pedestal, decorated with bas-reliefs, which told about major events the thirty-year reign of Nicholas I. Here is a list of these events:

1825 - the emperor leaves the Winter Palace to suppress the Decembrist uprising and transfers his son-heir (the future Alexander II) to his loyal troops;

1831 - the emperor addresses the people on Sennaya Square during the so-called "cholera riot";

1832 - the emperor awards M. Speransky with an order for publishing the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire;

1851 - the emperor inspects the Verebinsky bridge during a solemn trip along the newly opened Moscow railway.

Bas-reliefs of the pedestal, allegorical decorative statues and ornaments were made by sculptors R. Zaleman and N. Ramazanov. Klodt, a well-known master by that time, the author of the beloved "Horse Tamers" on the Anichkov Bridge and the monument to Krylov in the Summer Garden, had a much more difficult task. Initially, the sculptor decided to portray Nicholas II on a motionless horse. The sketch of this monument has been preserved and allows us to judge that the figure of the horseman, his posture are very natural and realistic, even an attempt was made to convey a psychological resemblance to the original. But Klodt refused such a decision, because it ran counter to the general plan of Montferrand. A new version of the sculpture has appeared, where the main thing is the swift and at the same time graceful movement of a rearing horse, and the motionless - solemn, in some ways even stern figure of the rider.

Critics subsequently noted the shortcomings of the monument: it lacks genuine monumentality, the composition is pretentious and overloaded with small details. But the monument also has undoubted merits: the Montferrand project itself, and the sculpture of Klodt, and the bas-reliefs are a high example of professional skill. The monument really became the unifying center of St. Isaac's Square, which combines architectural buildings of different styles. To this day, the skill of P. Klodt attracts special attention, who managed to accurately calculate the center of gravity of the sculpture and fix it on two points - two hind legs of a rearing horse without any additional support.

The monument was inaugurated in June 1859. And sixty years later, after the revolutionary upheavals of the early 20th century, they began to seriously talk about the need to destroy all the monuments to the kings. The monument to Alexander III was removed from Znamenskaya Square (today's Uprising Square), and a threat hung over the monument on St. Isaac's Square. Those who understood the real value of the work of Montferrand and Klodt managed to find the most convincing argument at that time: the monument was saved precisely by the exact engineering calculation of Klodt, who managed to "fix" the rider on two points of support. The monument to Nicholas I was not touched.

The text was prepared by Galina Dregulyas

For those who want to know more:
1. Klodt G. "Peter Klodt sculpted and cast ..." M., 1989
2. Petrov V.N. Peter Karlovich Klodt. L., 1985

Monument to Nicholas I on St. Isaac's Square in Soviet time they wanted to demolish it - because the monument to the cruel persecutor of freedoms and education has no place in the very center of the revolutionary capital! But, fortunately, this idea was not implemented; and we have the opportunity to recall the main events of the reign of Nicholas, to learn about family life formidable emperor, and pay tribute to the engineering talent of Peter von Klodt.

Let me remind you that this monument was opened in 1859 and is unique in that the huge figure of Nicholas I on a rearing horse is installed on only two points of support - in contrast to Bronze Horseman, which, as you know, is cunning and also relies on its tail. Legend has it that Emperor Alexander II, in whose reign this monument appeared, did not believe for a long time that such a sculpture would be stable, and doubted whether it was worth it to allow the installation of a monument at all - what if it falls? Then the sculptor von Klodt did this (continued in the video):

Monument to Nicholas the First - not the first

It is also curious that this monument has become the second equestrian monument in the world on two points of support. Alas, the Americans were ahead of us - in 1852, a monument to Andrew Jackson, the eighth president of the United States, was erected in Washington. The President rears up his horse right in front of the White House. Thus, the Americans were ahead of us by seven years.

Let's now take a closer look at the monument. First of all, let's look at the emperor himself, who is prancing on a rearing horse. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Nikolai was an excellent rider, and his landing was perfect. He is depicted in the ceremonial uniform of the Horse Guards Regiment, on his head is a ceremonial helmet, decorated with a double-headed eagle. The horse guards themselves affectionately called this eagle "dove".

Four figures are installed on the pedestal of the monument - these are allegories. They depict Wisdom, Power, Justice and Faith. Let's try to figure out - where is it?

With faith, things are the easiest - in one hand she has a cross, and in the other - a book (meaning, of course, the Bible). With Justice, too, there will be no problems. She is holding a scale in her hand. As you probably know, Justice is very often depicted with scales, on which she weighs evil and good deeds of people. In the other hand, Justice has a sword that can be interpreted in the following way: the sword is a noble weapon, the weapon of knights, whose duties were to preserve justice and protect the weak. Wisdom is depicted with a mirror in her hands - this is her traditional attribute. By the method of elimination we find the remaining allegory - Power, which is represented with a spear and a shield. Indeed, a powerful government must be well armed.

Can we assume that we have dealt with allegories? Not quite yet. Not only do the allegorical figures represent the qualities of a good ruler; in this case, they are also portraits of members of the family of Nicholas I. They say about Nicholas that, being a formidable, domineering and even cruel emperor, he was at the same time a wonderful family man, a loving husband and a caring father who adored his children. Apparently, in memory of this, it was decided to include portraits of his wife and three daughters in the monument. It is interesting that, although all sources say that the allegories are precisely portraits, almost nowhere is it mentioned which particular figure corresponds to whom. Let's try to understand this by comparing the sculptures with the portraits of Nikolai's wife and daughters.

We immediately run into a problem: the fact is that the daughters of Nicholas I are very similar to each other, and at the same time they all look like their mother, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. All have an elongated oval face, large expressive eyes and a straight "Greek" nose, so it is not easy to correlate them with sculptures. Probably, the youngest daughter of Nicholas I, Alexandra, is depicted in the image of Vera - here the portrait resemblance is striking. Apparently, this choice is not accidental. The fate of this girl was extremely sad - Alexandra died of consumption at the age of 19, and she died while pregnant, which was a double blow for the family. Therefore, Vera-Alexandra, depicted with a cross in her hand and prayerfully raising her eyes to him, acts as a symbol of the hope of her relatives that in the afterlife she is destined for a better fate than on earth; and that they have yet to meet her in heaven. With other statues, everything is more complicated. Agree, they are similar; and at the same time both look like their mother, Alexandra Feodorovna. According to my version, the image of Wisdom depicts his wife, Alexandra Fedorovna; Power - the eldest daughter Maria, who, according to the memoirs of contemporaries, was distinguished by an almost masculine, direct and imperious character; Well, Justice is Olga. However, you can argue with this version.

Beautiful portraits of the daughters of Nicholas I are in the Hermitage. And the favorite residence of this emperor was Peterhof (by the way, I also drive there).

Four bas-reliefs - four stories

And now let's look down and look at the bas-reliefs that adorn the pedestal of the monument. They depict significant events from the reign of Nicholas. On the front bas-relief - the uprising of the Decembrists.

Rather, the uprising itself is absent from the bas-relief, because for that era the Decembrists were state criminals. Instead, it depicts Nicholas I with his heir, Alexander (then a small boy) in his arms, coming out to the people and loyal troops, who greet the ruler with great enthusiasm.

On the Nevsky side there is a bas-relief depicting the opening of the Nikolaev railway - let me remind you that this railway, which connected St. Petersburg and Moscow, was opened in 1851.

According to legend, an incident occurred during the opening of the railway. On one of the sections through which the train was supposed to pass, the rails were painted by overzealous authorities the night before the opening. The paint did not have time to dry, and the train, which was supposed to go uphill in this section, began to slip. The wheels spun on the fresh paint, but the train didn't move. Nikolai had to get off the train and wait while the paint was hastily scraped off the rails. Is this the moment depicted in the bas-relief?

Behind, from the side of the Mariinsky Palace - Speransky was awarded for compiling the Complete Code of Laws of the Russian Empire.

Mikhail Speransky, statesman, who became famous for projects of liberal reforms back in the reign of Alexander I, under Nicholas I received a responsible task - to draw up a Complete Code of Laws, which he successfully completed. The work was done gigantic - the collection consists of several dozen volumes. They say that Count Alexander Menshikov (a descendant of the famous A.D. Menshikov) once joked about this. In response to the question: "What do you think, Count, in which country are people happier - in Russia or in France?" - he replied: "Naturally, in Russia, and 33 times." "Why exactly at 33?" the interlocutor was surprised. “Well, of course, in France there is one volume of the Napoleonic Code, and we have as many as 33 volumes of the Code of Laws. The more laws, the happier the people in the country.” A deep insight that is still relevant today.

The fourth bas-relief is the most interesting. It depicts the suppression of the cholera riot of 1831.

Petersburg that year was struck by a terrible epidemic of cholera. They didn’t really know how to treat it then, the sick were taken to temporary hospitals, which were equipped in several parts of the city, but the mortality rate in them was extremely high. At some point, there was a rumor among the people that doctors deliberately poison people in hospitals and allegedly take healthy people there, who become infected there, and so on. The usual Russian rebellion began - senseless and merciless. The crowd gathered on Sennaya Square, where one of the hospitals was located. The hospital was literally taken by storm, many doctors were killed, and the patients were released "to freedom." Here is how one of the eyewitnesses describes the surreal scene of the cholera riot:

“There is no one who would inspire the people and arouse in them confidence in the government. From this, unrest is already beginning in different parts of the city. The people grumble and, as usual, believe various absurd rumors, such as, for example, that doctors poison the sick, that there is no cholera at all, but malicious people invented it for their own purposes, and so on. Doctors and Poles are shouting against the Germans, threatening to kill them all. The government is definitely in lull: it does not take any measures to calm the minds.<…>

At one in the morning I was awakened with the news that there was a real riot on Sennaya Square. The general said that the troops and artillery were besieging Sennaya Square, but that the people had already managed to smash one infirmary and kill several doctors.<…>Three hospitals have been ravaged by the people to the ground. Near my apartment, the mob stopped today the carriage with the sick and smashed it to pieces.

- What are you doing there? - I asked one peasant who triumphantly returned from the battlefield.

“Nothing,” he answered, “the people made a little noise. Yes, the doctor did not fall into our hands, he managed, damned, to escape.

- What would you do with him?

- He would recognize us! Do not take the healthy to the infirmary instead of the sick! However, he still got stones on the back of his head, he will remember us for a long time. (Nikitenko A.V. Diary).

According to several descriptions, Nicholas I personally went to the square to suppress the riot - in an open carriage, accompanied by only a few adjutants. Nikolai stood up to his full height in front of the raging crowd (and the emperor was not only tall, broad-shouldered and physically strong, he also had a well-placed commanding voice) and barked at the people, ordering them to disperse. Nicola's charisma is so strong that the rebels fell to their knees before their sovereign, their hats flew off their heads, after which the crowd dispersed. However, this official version events. Most likely, everything was a little different - probably, most of the rebels were first dispersed by the troops, and only then Nikolai appeared before the remaining, but already subdued people. In any case, in St. Petersburg mythology, this event remained as an example of the personal heroism of the emperor, and this is how the sculptor captured it in this case.

Now a question for backfilling. Look at the bas-relief and tell me what has changed on Sennaya Square since that time? To help you - modern photography.

The answer is obvious: now there is no church on Sennaya, which is clearly visible in the background of the bas-relief and which was called the Church of the Savior on Sennaya. Here's what she looked like. This church was destroyed in Soviet times, during the Khrushchev anti-religious campaign.

That's all for today. Come to Petersburg!

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Monument to Nicholas the First - not the first

Four bas-reliefs - four stories

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