Bronze Horseman Peter 1 historical facts. Some interesting facts about the monument to Peter I

The monument to Peter I, called the Bronze Horseman by Alexander Pushkin, is one of the symbols of the Northern capital. Erected by the will of Catherine II, it has been decorating Senate Square for more than 200 years.

Today I will talk about interesting facts and the most mysterious legends associated with the Bronze Horseman.

Bronze Horseman: Catherine II to Peter I.

The creation of the monument turned out to be very troublesome: the plan of the famous Parisian sculptor Etienne-Maurice Falconet, specially invited to Russia by Catherine to work on the monument to Peter the Great, was grandiose. To perpetuate the figure of the Russian reformer, it was decided to create a sculpture of him on a horse. According to the plan, the rider climbed a high cliff, leaving behind all enemies and thereby overcoming all life's difficulties.

Transportation of Thunder Stone

The first test was to find a stone that would serve as a pedestal. At first it was supposed to be assembled from individual stones, but attempts were still made to find a block of appropriate size. For this purpose, they even placed an advertisement in the newspaper: and, lo and behold, an ordinary peasant agreed to deliver a boulder to St. Petersburg. It is believed that a holy fool helped him find the right rock; the stone itself was called the Thunder Stone because it had long ago suffered from a lightning strike. Delivery of the pedestal lasted 11 months; the block weighing 2,400 tons had to be moved in the winter, as it pushed through literally everything in its path. According to another legend, the stone was named Horse because it was found on the island of the same name and in ancient times lay at the entrance to the gates of another world. According to legends, local residents sacrificed horses to the gods at this stone.

Illustration for the poem The Bronze Horseman by A. Pushkin, painted by Alexander Benois.

When the Thunder Stone was delivered to St. Petersburg, Falcone began working on the sculpture of the horseman. To achieve maximum realism, he built a pedestal with the same angle of inclination, and over and over again asked the rider to ride on it. Observing the movements of the horse and rider, the sculptor gradually created a sketch. Over the next eight years, the statue was cast in bronze. The name “Bronze Horseman” is an artistic device of Pushkin; in fact, the figure is bronze.

Unveiling of the monument to Peter I on Senate Square in St. Petersburg. Paper, engraving with chisel. Mid-19th century

Bronze Horseman during the Great Patriotic War

The Bronze Horseman is the calling card of St. Petersburg. During the War of 1812 there was an idea to evacuate it, but this was prevented by chance. According to legend, a major in the Russian army, who was ordered to work on the monument, asked Alexander I for permission to leave the monument in place: supposedly he had a dream in which Peter I himself assured the Russians that while he was in place, nothing threatened his creation. During the Great Patriotic War, they also worried about the monument, but they did not dare to remove it from the pedestal: they covered it with sandbags and boards. This is how the Bronze Horseman survived the blockade.

Monument to Peter I, called Bronze Horseman with the light hand of Alexander Pushkin, is one of the symbols of the Northern capital. Erected by the will of Catherine II, it has been decorating Senate Square for more than 200 years. Today we will tell you about the most interesting facts and the most mysterious legends associated with the Bronze Horseman.

Despite the fact that Catherine was delighted with Falcone’s project, the protracted work on casting the statue put her at odds with the sculptor. The Frenchman left for Paris without waiting for the grand opening. In fairness, we note that when the monument was presented to the public, at the behest of Catherine II, the coins minted on the occasion of the celebration were gratefully delivered to Falcone.

The Bronze Horseman is the visiting card of St. Petersburg. During the War of 1812 there was an idea to evacuate it, but this was prevented by chance. According to legend, a major in the Russian army, who was ordered to work on the monument, asked Alexander I for permission to leave the monument in place: supposedly he had a dream in which Peter I himself assured the Russians that while he was in place, nothing threatened his creation. During the Great Patriotic War, they also worried about the monument, but they did not dare to remove it from the pedestal: they covered it with sandbags and boards. This is how the Bronze Horseman survived the blockade.

Speaking about the city of St. Petersburg, it is impossible not to remember the person thanks to whom our glorious St. Petersburg appeared on the map. Today we tell you where the eight main monuments to the reformer emperor are located in the Northern capital.

Bronze Horseman

The most famous (but not the first) monument to the first Russian emperor was erected under Catherine II, who considered him the main Russian ruler. The pedestal was made from the Thunder Stone, found by the state-owned peasant Semyon Vishnyakov. There is a belief that as long as the monument to Peter is in its place, everything will be fine with the city.

Monument to Peter I by Shemyakin

A sculpture installed in the Peter and Paul Fortress in front of the former guardhouse building in the early 80s of the 20th century. It is the work of St. Petersburg artist Mikhail Shemyakin. The author managed to achieve an incredible resemblance to the real face of the emperor thanks to the use of an authentic wax mask made by Rastrelli himself when creating the monument.

Monument to Peter I the Carpenter

On the Admiralteyskaya Embankment you can find a monument to Peter the Great, who was busy building a new ship. It is known that you should not come to the creator of the city on the Neva in the hope of fulfilling ordinary desires. But if you are busy looking for a job, the emperor will be happy to help you with this. By the way, they say that he will also help with requests for career growth.

Peter I at the Engineering Castle

The sculptor Rastrelli (father of the famous architect) began creating this monument during the life of the first Russian emperor. But due to various circumstances, it was completed only by 1747. After which, for a long time, the ownerless monument sought refuge. As a result, Paul I installed it in front of his Mikhailovsky Castle in 1801. On the pedestal he ordered to write “Great-grandfather - great-grandson.”

Peter I in Pulkovo

You can catch the founder of the Northern capital in the domestic flights area. The creator of the sculpture was Mikhail Dronov. He presented Peter I in the image of a modern airport passenger setting off on a trip to Russia. The two-meter tall emperor, created from clay, is dressed in his typical clothes, pulling a suitcase on wheels.

Bust of Peter I at the Moscow railway station

Everyone who comes to St. Petersburg can be proud that he is greeted by the emperor himself. In the hall of the Moscow railway station you can find a majestic bust of Peter I. Despite the fact that historically the station building is in no way connected with the founder, the monument was erected here in honor of the return of its historical name to St. Petersburg.

Bust of Peter I near the house of Peter I

How would we be without a monument to the emperor near his house on Petrovskaya embankment. The monument is installed on a red granite pedestal, so it is difficult to miss. The bust was erected back in 1875 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of Peter I.

Bust of Peter I in the Botanical Garden

The bronze bust, created by sculptor Oleg Satin, was placed on an unusual pedestal in the shape of a tree growing from the ground, which was designed by architect Alexandra Bocharova.

The opening of a new monument in the Botanical Garden took place in 2014 as part of the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the V. L. Komarov Botanical Institute.

On January 24, 1791, the French sculptor Maurice Etienne Falconet, author of the monument to Peter I on Senate Square in St. Petersburg - the famous “Bronze Horseman”, which became one of the symbols of the northern capital, died in Paris. The author himself wrote about his creation: “I will limit myself only to the statue of this hero, whom I do not interpret either as a great commander or as a winner, although he, of course, was both. The personality of the creator, legislator, and benefactor of his country is much higher ", and this is what needs to be shown to people. My king does not hold any rod, he extends his beneficent right hand over the country he is traveling around. He rises to the top of the rock that serves him as a pedestal - this is the emblem of the difficulties he has conquered."

From the very beginning of its creation, the monument was surrounded by legends in which facts were mixed with fiction. "RG" has collected 10 of the most interesting legends.

1. Blessing of Peter.

Falcone worked very meticulously on the image of Peter, collected historical material as much as possible, worked in archives, studied documents, met with people who communicated with the emperor personally. One legend says that the sculptor even spent the night in the sovereign’s bedroom in his palace in the Summer Garden, where the spirit of Peter himself appeared before him, and Falcone was forced to take an exam. Peter was satisfied with the Frenchman's answers, and the sculptor promised to serve the Tsar faithfully and create a monument worthy of a great statesman.

2. Thunder stone.

When working on the monument, Falcone encountered a problem - it was impossible to find a suitable stone for the pedestal. The sculptor planned to depict Peter as a horseman on a rock resembling a sea wave in shape, which would symbolize Russia’s access to the sea, conquered by the emperor. Falcone developed a sketch of a pedestal made of individual granite blocks, since it was unrealistic to find a solid block of the required size. But still, an announcement was made in the newspapers. Semyon Vishnyakov, a supplier of building stone for the needs of the capital, responded to him. According to legend, a holy fool pointed him to the right stone not far from Lakhta. In ancient times, lightning split a granite rock, which is why local peasants called it the Thunder Stone. They claimed that during the Northern War, Peter actually climbed to the top of this cliff more than once and surveyed the surrounding area.

3. Horse on horseback.

According to another version, the huge boulder in Lakhta was called the Horse. Legend says that once on Ladoga there was an island called Konevets, which blocked the passage to another world. The island was notorious, and in order to appease the evil spirits, every year the locals sacrificed a horse on it. This continued until the monk Arseny from Valaam arrived on the island in the middle of the 14th century. He prayed near the stone, sprinkled it with holy water, and placed a cross on top. Since then, demons flew out from under the stone, turned into crows and settled on the Vyborg shore. And where the crows nested, a rock in the shape of a horse also appeared. This is what Semyon Vishnyakov allegedly found.

It is also believed that when the cult stone, which preserved pagan beliefs, began to be exported to St. Petersburg, local residents tried to prevent this. And when they realized that nothing could be done, they cursed him.

4. Monument to Lisette.

Another legend says that in the image of the “Bronze Horseman” not only Peter I himself is depicted, but also his beloved stallion Lisette. The tsar bought this horse spontaneously from merchants he met when he was returning from the Great Embassy, having overpaid an extra “100 Dutch chervonets” for it. He really liked this brown horse. And he immediately called her Lisette, which is unusual for a horse. Allegedly in honor of a girl at the court of the Saxon king, with whom Peter had an affair. Lisette was a “one-master horse,” Petra obeyed unquestioningly, but the grooms suffered with her. The horse served his owner for about 10 years, and when he died, Peter ordered a stuffed animal to be made. It is still kept in the Zoological Museum.

In fact, when Falcone was making sketches for the future sculpture, a guards officer on Oryol trotters from the imperial stable posed for him, who over and over again jumped onto a special pedestal and sharply pulled the horse down. The stuffed horse of Peter I has nothing to do with it, which means the monument cannot be a monument to Lisette.

5. Horseman of the Apocalypse.

When the monument to Peter was unveiled in 1782, the Old Believers living in the vicinity of St. Petersburg called him the “Horseman of the Apocalypse,” “whose name is death; and hell followed him; and power was given to him over the fourth part of the earth - to kill with sword and hunger, and pestilence, and the beasts of the earth." The Old Believers, in their rejection of Peter's reforms, saw parallels between biblical prophecy and the actions of the emperor.

6. Blasphemer.

Another old legend about the monument, absolutely fantastic, says that the king, in the place where the sculpture was installed, jumped on a horse from one bank of the Neva to the other. Twice with the words “Everything is God’s and mine,” he jumped over successfully, but the third time he misspoke, said, “Everything is mine and God’s,” thereby placing himself above God, and turned to stone. In another version of this legend, he fell into the water, caught a cold and became seriously ill, and when he recovered, he never again allowed himself or those close to him to blaspheme.

7. Snake-savior.

According to another legend, in his feverish delirium Peter imagined that the Swedes were advancing. The king jumped on his horse and rushed towards the Neva. But then a snake crawled out and wrapped itself around the horse’s legs, preventing him from jumping into the water and saving Peter from death.

The snake is indeed part of the monument. By the way, it was not sculpted by Falconet, but by the Russian sculptor Gordeev. The snake is the third fulcrum of the sculpture. In the symbolism of that time, it means envy, enmity, obstacles put in front of Peter and trampled upon by him.

8. Confrontation between the emperors.

They say that Peter points his hand towards Sweden, the main enemy of Russia in those days. And that in the center of Stockholm there is a monument to Charles XII, Peter’s main opponent, who points his hand towards St. Petersburg.

9. Dream of Major Baturin.

This is the most famous legend about the Bronze Horseman. In 1812, during the Napoleonic invasion, Alexander I ordered the monument to be removed to the Vologda province. However, the unknown Major Baturin began to be haunted by the same dream, in which the statue comes to life, leaves its pedestal and jumps to Kamenny Island, where the emperor then lived in the palace. Alexander I comes out to meet his royal ancestor, and Peter says to him: “Young man, what have you brought my Russia to! But as long as I am in place, my city has nothing to fear.” The rider turns back, and all you can hear is the clatter of metal hooves on the stones of the pavement. This dream was reported to Alexander I. He was so impressed that he canceled the evacuation of the monument. And indeed, Napoleon did not reach St. Petersburg.

Literary scholars also see parallels between the plot of this legend and Pushkin’s poem “The Bronze Horseman.” By the way, the monument began to be called that with the light hand of the poet. In fact, it is cast from bronze.

10. Guardian of the city.

During the Great Patriotic War, there was a popular legend among Leningraders that as long as the monuments to Peter and the great commanders Suvorov, Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly stood in their places, uncovered, the enemy would not enter the city. And indeed, despite the 900 days of the siege, Hitler’s troops were never able to take Leningrad. And the monuments themselves remained intact. True, the “Bronze Horseman” was still protected from German bombs and shells: it was covered with boards and lined with sandbags.

The Bronze Horseman, the most famous monument to Peter I, was erected in 1782 on Senate Square in St. Petersburg by order of Catherine II. Let's remember the history of one of the most majestic monuments of the northern capital with Natalya Letnikova.

1. This is not the first monument to the great autocrat. During the lifetime of the reformer Tsar Bartolomeo Rastrelli created “his” Peter. But this monument took its place at the Mikhailovsky Castle only in 1800.

2. Senate Square was intended for another monument. Parliament wanted to immortalize the current empress in bronze. Catherine II observed politeness - first a great reformer! The equestrian monument to Peter I should have stood by the 100th anniversary of his accession to the throne.

Monument to Peter I at Mikhailovsky Castle

3. They searched for the sculptor together with Diderot and Voltaire. The choice fell on the Frenchman Etienne Maurice Falconet. The main artist of the Sèvres porcelain manufactory, the creator of “The Threatening Cupid” and a master of Rococo, he dreamed of large-scale art. The dream came true in distant Russia.

EM. Falconet "Threatening Cupid"

4. Peter in the image of Caesar on a horse with a staff and scepter? This is how Catherine saw him. Or Diderot's version - a fountain with allegorical figures? Falcone ventured to argue. As a result, the contract only stated that the monument should consist “mainly of an equestrian statue of colossal size.”

5. The sculptor was not given the face of Peter. Falconet sculpted three times. His apprentice Marie-Anne Collot managed it overnight, using a lifetime plaster mask removed by Rastrelli Sr. The Empress approved of Collo's work, and Falcone acknowledged the co-authorship of his twenty-year-old student.

6. They looked for a horse for the autocrat in the stables of Count Orlov. Persian blood, like Lisette, the favorite horse of Peter I. They chose Caprice and Diamond. From time to time, models with a guards officer in the saddle reared up, posing for the sculptor.

7. It was more difficult with the pedestal. I had to advertise in the newspaper. The peasant Semyon Vishnyakov reported about a giant boulder in the vicinity of Lakhta. The “Thunder Stone”, weighing about 2 thousand tons, was delivered to the capital in ten months, hewn down to the required size along the way.

"Thunder Stone"

8. The operation received the attention of all of Europe and the imperial medal “Like Daring.” Before the Gulf of Finland, the boulder was moved on a log platform along chutes with bronze balls. The further journey lay across the bay on a special vessel.

9. A rearing horse and a snake at the foot. The defeated snake is like Peter’s victory over opponents of his reforms and enemies on the battlefield. The work of a Russian sculptor, the son of a simple cattleman Fyodor Gordeev. The practical side of the symbol, the snake, became the third fulcrum of the 10-meter statue.