Who is the Alexander Column? Alexander Column

This monument complemented the composition of the Arch of the General Staff, which was dedicated to the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. The idea of building the monument was proposed by the famous architect Carl Rossi. When planning the space of Palace Square, he believed that a monument should be placed in the center of the square. However, the proposed idea of installing another equestrian statue He rejected Peter I.

An open competition was officially announced on behalf of Emperor Nicholas I in 1829 with the wording in memory of “ unforgettable brother" Auguste Montferrand responded to this challenge with a project to erect a grandiose granite obelisk. Taking into account the size of the square, Montferrand did not consider options for a sculptural monument, realizing that, not having colossal dimensions, it would simply get lost in its ensemble.

A sketch of that project has been preserved and is currently in the library; it has no date; according to Nikitin, the project dates back to the first half of 1829. Montferrand proposed installing a huge granite obelisk, similar to the ancient Egyptian obelisks, on a granite base. The total height of the monument was 33.78 meters. The front side of the obelisk was supposed to be decorated with bas-reliefs depicting the events of the War of 1812 in photographs from the famous medallions made by medalist Count F. P. Tolstoy.

On the pedestal it was planned to carry the inscription “To the Blessed One - Grateful Russia.” On the pedestal, the architect placed bas-reliefs (the author of which was the same Tolstoy) depicting Alexander in the form of a Roman warrior on a horse, trampling a snake with his feet; flies ahead of the rider double headed eagle, the rider is followed by the goddess of victory, crowning him with laurels; the horse is led by two symbolic female figures.

The sketch of the project indicates that the obelisk was supposed to surpass all monoliths known in the world in its height. The artistic part of the project is excellently executed using watercolor techniques and demonstrates high skill Montferrand in different directions visual arts. The project itself was also done “with great skill.”

Trying to defend his project, the architect acted within the limits of subordination, dedicating his essay “ Plans et details du monument consacré à la mémoire de l’Empereur Alexandre“, but the idea was still rejected and Montferrand was explicitly pointed to the column as the desired form of the monument.

Final project

The second project, which was subsequently implemented, was to install a column higher than that of Vendôme (erected in honor of Napoleon's victories). Montferrand used the columns of Trajan and Antoninus in Rome, Pompey's in Alexandria, and finally the Vendôme Column in Paris as sources for his project.

The narrow scope of the project did not allow the architect to escape the influence of world-famous examples, and his new work was only a slight modification of the ideas of his predecessors. The artist expressed his individuality by refusing to use additional decorations, like the bas-reliefs spiraling around the shaft of the ancient Trajan's Column. Montferrand showed the beauty of a giant polished pink granite monolith 25.6 meters (12 fathoms) high.

In addition, Montferrand made his monument taller than all existing monolithic columns. In this new form, on September 24, 1829, the project without sculptural completion was approved by the sovereign.

Construction took place from 1829 to 1834. Since 1831, chairman of the “Commission on the Construction St. Isaac's Cathedral“Count Yu. P. Litta was appointed to be responsible for the installation of the column.

Preparatory work

After separating the workpiece, huge stones were cut from the same rock for the foundation of the monument, the largest of which weighed about 25 thousand poods (more than 400 tons). Their delivery to St. Petersburg was carried out by water, for this purpose a barge of a special design was used.

The monolith was duped on site and prepared for transportation. Transportation issues were dealt with by naval engineer Colonel K. A. Glazyrin, who designed and built a special boat, named “St. Nicholas”, with a carrying capacity of up to 65 thousand poods (almost 1065 tons). To carry out loading operations, a special pier was built. Loading was carried out from a wooden platform at its end, which coincided in height with the side of the ship.

Having overcome all difficulties, the column was loaded on board, and the monolith went to Kronstadt on a barge towed by two steamships, from there to go to the Palace Embankment of St. Petersburg.

The arrival of the central part of the column in St. Petersburg took place on July 1, 1832. The contractor, merchant son V. A. Yakovlev, was responsible for all of the above work; further work was carried out on site under the leadership of O. Montferrand.

Yakovlev's business qualities, extraordinary intelligence and management were noted by Montferrand. Most likely he acted independently, " at your own expense» - taking on all financial and other risks associated with the project. This is indirectly confirmed by the words:

Yakovlev's case is over; the upcoming difficult operations concern you; I hope you have as much success as he did.

Nicholas I, to Auguste Montferrand regarding the prospects after unloading the column in St. Petersburg

Works in St. Petersburg

Since 1829, work began on the preparation and construction of the foundation and pedestal of the column on Palace Square in St. Petersburg. The work was supervised by O. Montferrand.

The work was completed in October 1830.

Construction of the pedestal

After laying the foundation, a huge four-hundred-ton monolith, brought from the Pyuterlak quarry, was erected on it, which serves as the base of the pedestal.

The engineering problem of installing such a large monolith was solved by O. Montferrand as follows:

Installation of a monolith on the foundation
Precise installation of the monolith
- Ropes thrown over blocks were pulled into nine capstans and raised the stone to a height of about one meter.
- They took out the rollers and added a layer of slippery solution, very unique in its composition, onto which they planted the monolith.

Since the work was carried out in winter, I ordered cement and vodka to be mixed and a tenth of soap added. Due to the fact that the stone initially sat incorrectly, it had to be moved several times, which was done with the help of only two capstans and with particular ease, of course, thanks to the soap that I ordered to be mixed into the solution

O. Montferrand

The placement of the upper parts of the pedestal was much more simple task- despite the greater lifting height, subsequent steps consisted of stones of much smaller sizes than the previous ones, and besides, the workers gradually gained experience.

Column installation

As a result, the figure of an angel with a cross, made by sculptor B.I. Orlovsky with expressive and understandable symbolism, was accepted for execution - “ You'll win!" These words are associated with the story of the discovery of the life-giving cross:

It was impossible to look without deep emotional tenderness at the sovereign, humbly kneeling in front of this numerous army, moved by his word to the foot of the colossus he had built. He prayed for his brother, and everything at that moment spoke of the earthly glory of this sovereign brother: the monument bearing his name, the kneeling Russian army, and the people among whom he lived, complacent, accessible to everyone.<…>How striking was at that moment the contrast between the greatness of life, magnificent, but fleeting, with the greatness of death, gloomy, but unchangeable; and how eloquent was this angel in view of both, who, unrelated to everything that surrounded him, stood between earth and heaven, belonging to the one with his monumental granite, depicting what no longer exists, and to the other with his radiant cross, a symbol of what always and forever

In honor of this event, a memorial ruble was issued in the same year with a circulation of 15 thousand.

Description of the monument

The Alexander Column is reminiscent of examples of triumphal buildings of antiquity; the monument has amazing clarity of proportions, laconism of form, and beauty of silhouette.
Text on the monument plaque:

TO ALEXANDER IMA GRATEFUL RUSSIA

It is the tallest monument in the world, made of solid granite, and the third tallest of all monumental columns - after the Column of the Grand Army in Boulogne-sur-Mer and Trafalgar (Nelson's Column) in London; The Alexander Column is taller than the Vendôme Column in Paris, Trajan's Column in Rome and Pompey's Column in Alexandria.
The column trunk is the tallest and heaviest monolith ever installed vertically in the form of a column or obelisk, and one of the greatest (the fifth in history and the second - after the Thunder Stone - in modern times) monoliths moved by man.

Characteristics

The total height of the structure is 47.5 m.
The height of the trunk (monolithic part) of the column is 25.6 m (12 fathoms).

Pedestal height 2.85 m (4 arshins),

The height of the angel figure is 4.26 m,

The height of the cross is 6.4 m (3 fathoms).

The bottom diameter of the column is 3.5 m (12 ft), the top is 3.15 m (10 ft 6 in).

The size of the pedestal is 6.3×6.3 m.

The dimensions of the bas-reliefs are 5.24×3.1 m.

Fence dimensions 16.5×16.5 m

The total weight of the structure is 704 tons.
The weight of the stone column trunk is about 600 tons.

The total weight of the column top is about 37 tons.

The column itself stands on a granite base without any additional supports, only under the influence of its own gravity.

Pedestal

The pedestal of the column, decorated on four sides with bronze bas-reliefs, was cast at the C. Byrd factory in 1833-1834.
A large team of authors worked on the decoration of the pedestal: sketch drawings were made by O. Montferrand, based on them on cardboard the artists J.B. Scotti, V. Solovyov, Tverskoy, F. Brullo, Markov painted life-size bas-reliefs. Sculptors P.V. Svintsov and I. Leppe sculpted bas-reliefs for casting. Models of double-headed eagles were made by sculptor I. Leppe, models of the base, garlands and other decorations were made by sculptor-ornamentalist E. Balin.
The bas-reliefs on the pedestal of the column in an allegorical form glorify the victory of Russian weapons and symbolize courage Russian army.
The bas-reliefs include images of ancient Russian chain mail, cones and shields stored in the Armory Chamber in Moscow, including helmets attributed to Alexander Nevsky and Ermak, as well as the 17th century armor of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and that, despite Montferrand’s statements, it is completely doubtful that the shield Oleg of the 10th century, nailed to the gates of Constantinople.
These ancient Russian images appeared on the work of the Frenchman Montferrand through the efforts of the then president of the Academy of Arts, famous amateur Russian antiquity A. N. Olenin.
In addition to armor and allegories, allegorical figures are depicted on the pedestal on the northern (front) side: winged female figures hold a rectangular board with the inscription in civil script: “Grateful Russia to Alexander the First.” Below the board is an exact copy of armor samples from the armory.
The symmetrically located figures on the sides of the weapons (on the left - a beautiful young woman leaning on an urn from which water is pouring out and on the right - an old Aquarius man) represent the Vistula and Neman rivers, which were crossed by the Russian army during the persecution of Napoleon.
Other bas-reliefs depict Victory and Glory, recording the dates of memorable battles, and, in addition, on the pedestal are depicted the allegories “Victory and Peace” (the years 1812, 1813 and 1814 are inscribed on the Victory shield), “Justice and Mercy”, “Wisdom and Abundance” "
At the upper corners of the pedestal there are double-headed eagles; they hold in their paws oak garlands lying on the ledge of the pedestal cornice. On the front side of the pedestal, above the garland, in the middle - in a circle bordered by an oak wreath, is the All-Seeing Eye with the signature “1812”.
All bas-reliefs depict weapons of a classical nature as decorative elements, which

…do not belong modern Europe and cannot hurt the pride of any people.

Column and angel sculpture

The stone column is a solid polished element made of pink granite. The column trunk has a conical shape.
The top of the column is crowned with a bronze capital of the Doric order. Its upper part - a rectangular abacus - is made of brickwork with bronze cladding. A bronze cylindrical pedestal with a hemispherical top is installed on it, inside which is enclosed the main supporting mass, consisting of multi-layer masonry: granite, brick and two more layers of granite at the base.
Not only is the column itself taller than the Vendôme Column, but the figure of the angel surpasses in height the figure of Napoleon I on the Vendôme Column. In addition, an angel tramples a snake with a cross, which symbolizes the peace and tranquility that Russia brought to Europe, having won the victory over Napoleonic troops.
The sculptor gave the angel’s facial features a resemblance to the face of Alexander I. According to other sources, the figure of the angel is sculptural portrait St. Petersburg poetess Elisaveta Kulman.
The light figure of an angel, the falling folds of clothing, the clearly defined vertical of the cross, continuing the vertical of the monument, emphasize the slenderness of the column.

Fence and surroundings of the monument

The Alexander Column was surrounded by a decorative bronze fence about 1.5 meters high, designed by Auguste Montferrand. The fence was decorated 136 double headed eagles and 12 captured cannons (4 in the corners and 2 framed by double-leaf gates on four sides of the fence), which were crowned with three-headed eagles.
Between them were placed alternating spears and banner poles, topped with guards double-headed eagles. There were locks on the gates of the fence in accordance with the author's plan.
In addition, the project included the installation of candelabra with copper lanterns and gas lighting.
The fence in its original form was installed in 1834, all elements were completely installed in 1836-1837. In the north-eastern corner of the fence there was a guard box, in which there was a disabled person dressed in a full guards uniform, who guarded the monument day and night and kept order in the square.
An end pavement was built throughout the entire space of Palace Square.

Stories and legends associated with the Alexander Column

Legends

Regarding this column, one can recall the proposal made to Emperor Nicholas by the skillful French architect Montferrand, who was present at its cutting, transportation and installation, namely: he suggested that the emperor drill a spiral staircase inside this column and demanded for this only two workers: a man and a boy with a hammer, a chisel and a basket in which the boy would carry out fragments of granite as he drilled it out; finally, two lanterns to illuminate the workers in their difficult work. In 10 years, he argued, the worker and the boy (the latter, of course, would grow up a little) would have finished their spiral staircase; but the emperor, justifiably proud of the construction of this one-of-a-kind monument, feared, and perhaps with good reason, that this drilling would not pierce the outer sides of the column, and therefore refused this proposal.

Addition and restoration work

Two years after the installation of the monument, in 1836, under the bronze top of the granite column, white-gray spots began to appear on the polished surface of the stone, spoiling the appearance of the monument.
In 1841, Nicholas I ordered an inspection of the defects then noticed on the column, but the conclusion of the examination stated that even during the processing process, the granite crystals partially crumbled in the form of small depressions, which are perceived as cracks.
In 1861, Alexander II established the “Committee for the Study of Damage to the Alexander Column,” which included scientists and architects. Scaffolding was erected for inspection, as a result of which the committee came to the conclusion that, indeed, there were cracks on the column, originally characteristic of the monolith, but fear was expressed that an increase in the number and size of them “could lead to the collapse of the column.”
There have been discussions about the materials that should be used to seal these caverns. The Russian “grandfather of chemistry” A. A. Voskresensky proposed a composition “which was supposed to impart a closing mass” and “thanks to which the crack in the Alexander Column was stopped and closed with complete success” ( D. I. Mendeleev).
For regular inspection of the column, four chains were secured to the abacus of the capital - fasteners for lifting the cradle; in addition, the craftsmen had to periodically “climb” the monument to clean the stone from stains, which was not an easy task, given the large height of the column.
The decorative lanterns near the column were made 40 years after the opening - in 1876 by the architect K. K. Rachau.
During the entire period from the moment of its discovery until the end of the 20th century, the column was subjected to restoration work five times, which was more of a cosmetic nature.
After the events of 1917, the space around the monument was changed, and on holidays the angel was covered with a red tarpaulin cap or camouflaged with balloons lowered from a hovering airship.
The fence was dismantled and melted down for cartridge cases in the 1930s.
The restoration was carried out in 1963 (foreman N.N. Reshetov, the head of the work was restorer I.G. Black).
In 1977, events were held on Palace Square restoration work: around the column the historical lanterns were restored, the asphalt surface was replaced with granite and diabase paving stones.

Engineering and restoration work of the early 21st century

At the end of the 20th century, after a certain time had passed since the previous restoration, the need for serious restoration work and, first of all, a detailed study of the monument began to be felt more and more acutely. The prologue to the start of work was the exploration of the column. They were forced to produce them on the recommendation of specialists from the Museum of Urban Sculpture. The experts were alarmed by large cracks at the top of the column, visible through binoculars. The inspection was carried out from helicopters and climbers, who in 1991, for the first time in the history of the St. Petersburg restoration school, landed a research “landing force” on the top of the column using a special fire hydrant “Magirus Deutz”.
Having secured themselves at the top, the climbers took photographs and videos of the sculpture. It was concluded that restoration work was urgently needed.
The Moscow association Hazer International Rus took over the financing of the restoration. The Intarsia company was chosen to carry out work worth 19.5 million rubles on the monument; this choice was made due to the presence in the organization of personnel with extensive experience working at such critical facilities. Work at the site was carried out by L. Kakabadze, K. Efimov, A. Poshekhonov, P. Portuguese. The work was supervised by first category restorer V. G. Sorin.
By the fall of 2002, scaffolding had been erected and conservators were conducting on-site research. Almost all the bronze elements of the pommel were in disrepair: everything was covered with a “wild patina”, “bronze disease” began to develop in fragments, the cylinder on which the figure of the angel rested was cracked and took on a barrel-shaped shape. The internal cavities of the monument were examined using a flexible three-meter endoscope. As a result, the restorers were also able to establish what the overall design of the monument looks like and determine the differences between the original project and its actual implementation.
One of the results of the study was the solution to the stains appearing in the upper part of the column: they turned out to be a product of the destruction of the brickwork, flowing out.

Carrying out work

Years of rainy St. Petersburg weather resulted in the following destruction of the monument:

The brickwork of the abacus was completely destroyed; at the time of the study, the initial stage of its deformation was recorded.

Inside the cylindrical pedestal of the angel, up to 3 tons of water accumulated, which got inside through dozens of cracks and holes in the sculpture’s shell. This water, seeping down into the pedestal and freezing in winter, tore the cylinder, giving it a barrel-shaped shape.

The restorers were given the following tasks:

Get rid of water:
Remove water from the cavities of the pommel;

Prevent future accumulation of water;

Restore the abacus support structure.

The work was carried out mainly in winter time at high altitudes without dismantling the sculpture, both outside and inside the structure. Control over the work was carried out by both core and non-core structures, including the administration of St. Petersburg.
The restorers carried out work to create a drainage system for the monument: as a result, all the cavities of the monument were connected, and the cavity of the cross, about 15.5 meters high, was used as an “exhaust pipe”. The created drainage system provides for the removal of all moisture, including condensation.
The brick pommel weight in the abacus was replaced with granite, self-locking structures without binding agents. Thus, Montferrand's original plan was again realized. The bronze surfaces of the monument were protected by patination.
In addition, more than 50 fragments left over from the siege of Leningrad were extracted from the monument.
The scaffolding from the monument was removed in March 2003.

Fence repair

…Was held " jewelry work“And when recreating the fence, “iconographic materials and old photographs were used.” “Palace Square has received the finishing touch.”

The fence was made according to a project completed in 1993 by the Lenproektrestavratsiya Institute. The work was financed from the city budget, costs amounted to 14 million 700 thousand rubles. The historical fence of the monument was restored by specialists from Intarsia LLC. The installation of the fence began on November 18, and the grand opening took place on January 24, 2004.
Soon after the discovery, part of the grating was stolen as a result of two “raids” by vandals - hunters for non-ferrous metals.
The theft could not be prevented, despite the 24-hour surveillance cameras on Palace Square: they did not record anything in the dark. To monitor the area at night, it is necessary to use special expensive cameras. The leadership of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate of St. Petersburg decided to establish a 24-hour police post at the Alexander Column.

Roller around the column

At the end of March 2008, an examination of the condition of the column fence was carried out, and a defect sheet was compiled for all losses of elements. It recorded:

53 places of deformation,

83 lost parts,
Loss of 24 small eagles and one large eagle,

31 partial loss of parts.

28 eagles

26 peak

The disappearance did not receive an explanation from St. Petersburg officials and was not commented on by the organizers of the skating rink.
The organizers of the skating rink committed themselves to the city administration to restore the lost elements of the fence. Work was supposed to begin after the May holidays of 2008.

Mentions in art

The column is also depicted on the cover of the album “Lemur of the Nine” by the St. Petersburg group “Refawn”.

Column in literature

“The Pillar of Alexandria” is mentioned in the famous poem by A. S. Pushkin “”. Pushkin's Alexandria Pillar is a complex image, it contains not only a monument to Alexander I, but also an allusion to obelisks

Is famous Alexandria Column. Since childhood, her image has entered the consciousness of several generations of Russian people, even those who have never been to the festival. But Pushkin’s textbook poems, where she is mentioned, are known to everyone. At the same time, not everyone will remember that the Alexandria Column was erected in honor of commemorating the victory of Russian weapons over Napoleon. Often it is perceived as nothing more than an axis of symmetry and a center general composition, uniting into a single whole brilliant creations Rossi and Rastrelli. Of course, this is a simple convention, but it is considered to be the symbolic center not only of Palace Square, but of the whole of St. Petersburg.

History of creation

The Alexandria Column on the palace square was erected according to the design of the great architect Auguste Montferrand. There is a certain element of chance in its erection. Montferrand devoted forty years of his life to granite, mined in Karelian rocks for the construction of his colonnades. One of the monolithic pieces weighed a thousand tons, and its pink granite was of amazing quality. The length also greatly exceeded the required length. It was simply a pity to cut such a gift of nature. And it was decided to use the entire monolith. The Alexandria Column was made right at the site where the monolithic billet was mined. The work was carried out by Russian master stone-cutters. To deliver it to the capital along the Neva, a special barge had to be designed and built. The action took place in 1832. After delivery to the destination and all preparatory work, its final installation took only an hour and a half. The Alexandria Column was brought into a vertical position through a system of levers with the help of the physical efforts of two and a half thousand workers and soldiers of the capital's garrison. The construction was completed in 1834. A little later, the pedestal was decorated with ornaments and surrounded by a low fence.

Some technical details

The column on Palace Square is to this day the tallest triumphal structure of its type in all of Europe. Its height is 47 and a half meters. It is carefully polished and has an equal diameter along its entire length. The uniqueness of this monument is also in the fact that it is not secured by anything and stands on a solid foundation solely under the influence of own weight. The two hundredth anniversary of this building is not too far away. But during this time, not even the slightest deviation from the vertical of the six-hundred-ton monolith was observed. There are no signs of subsidence of the foundation underneath. Such was the accuracy of Auguste Richard Montferrand's engineering calculations.

During the war, bombs and long-range artillery shells exploded near the column. The Alexandria Column survived those who fired at it and, apparently, intends to stand unshakably for a very long time. The metal angel on top of it is also not secured by anything, but it is not going to fly away anywhere.

In the 19th century, construction technology in Europe was not very different from that of ancient Egypt. Thousand-ton blocks were lifted by hand.

Original taken from ikuv in Raising the Alexander Column in 1832

Leafing through an old magazine, I found an article about how our ancestors, who lived about 200 years ago, without any Komatsu, Hitachi, Ivanovtsev and other caterpillars, successfully solved an engineering task that is still difficult today - they delivered the blank of the Alexander Column to St. Petersburg, processed it, lifted and installed vertically. And it still stands. Vertical.

Prof. N. N. Luknatsky (Leningrad), magazine "Construction Industry" No. 13 (September) 1936, pp. 31-34

The Alexander Column, standing on Uritsky Square (formerly Dvortsovaya) in Leningrad, with a total height from the top of the foundation to top point 47 m (154 ft.), consists of a pedestal (2.8 m) and a column rod (25.6 m).
The pedestal, like the core of the column, is made of red coarse-grained granite, mined in the Pitterlak quarry (Finland).
Pitterlack granite, especially polished, is very beautiful; however, due to its coarse grain size, it is easily subject to destruction under the influence of atmospheric influences.
Gray Serdobolsky fine-grained granite is more durable. Arch. Montferand wanted to make a pedestal from this granite, but, despite intensive searches, he did not find a stone without cracks of the required size.
When extracting columns for St. Isaac's Cathedral in the Pitterlak quarry, Montferand discovered a piece of rock without cracks, measuring up to 35 m in length and up to 7 m thick, and left it untouched just in case, and when the question arose about the delivery of the monument to Alexander the First, he, having In view of this very stone, a project was drawn up for a monument in the form of a column made from a single piece of granite. The extraction of stones for the pedestal and column core was entrusted to the contractor Yakovlev, who already had experience in the extraction and delivery of columns for St. Isaac's Cathedral.

1.Work in a quarry

The method of quarrying both stones was approximately the same; first of all, the rock was cleared from the top of the covering layer to make sure that there were no cracks in it; then the front part of the granite mass was leveled to the required height and cuts were made at the ends of the granite mass; they were made by drilling so many holes in a row that they almost connected with each other.

Pitterlax Quarry (Puterlakse)

While one group of workmen was working on the slits at the ends of the mass, others were engaged in cutting the stone below to prepare for its fall; on the upper part of the massif, a groove 12 cm wide and 30 cm deep was punched along its entire length, after which, from its bottom, wells were drilled by hand through the entire thickness of the massif at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other; then a furrow, completely along the entire length, was laid with 45 cm iron wedges, and between them and the edge of the stone, iron sheets for better advancement of the wedges and to protect the edge of the stone from breakage. The workers were arranged so that there were from two to three wedges in front of each of them; on a signal, all the workers simultaneously hit them and soon cracks became noticeable at the ends of the massif, which gradually, slowly increasing, separated the stone from the general mass of rock; these cracks did not deviate from the direction outlined by numerous wells.
The stone was finally separated and tipped over with levers and capstans onto a prepared bed of branches thrown onto an inclined log grillage in a layer of 3.6 m.

Tilting an array for a column rod in a quarry

A total of 10 birch levers, each 10.5 m long, and 2 shorter iron ones were installed; At their ends there are ropes for which the workers pulled; in addition, 9 capstans with pulleys were installed, the blocks of which were firmly attached to iron pins embedded in the upper surface of the massif. The stone was turned over in 7 minutes, while work on its extraction and preparation for separation from the general rock mass lasted almost two years; the weight of the stone is about 4000 tons.

2. Pedestal for column

First, the stone for the pedestal weighing about 400 tons (24,960 pounds) was delivered; besides him, several more stones were loaded onto the ship, and total weight the entire loading amounted to about 670 tons (40,181 pounds); under this weight the ship bent somewhat, but it was decided to install it between two steamships and tow it to its destination: despite the stormy autumn weather, it arrived safely on November 3, 1831.

Delivery of blocks for the pedestal of the Alexander Column

Two hours later, the stone was already unloaded onto the shore using 10 capstans, of which 9 were installed on the embankment, and the tenth was fixed on the stone itself and worked through a return block fixed on the embankment.

Moving the block for the pedestal of the Alexander Column from the embankment

The stone for the pedestal was placed 75 m from the foundations of the column, covered with a canopy, and until January 1832, 40 stonemasons were hewing it from five sides.

The future pedestal under the canopy

Of interest are the measures taken by the builders to trim the surface of the sixth lower face of the stone and install it on the prepared foundation. In order to turn the stone upside down with its lower unhewn edge, they built a long inclined wooden plane, the end of which, forming a vertical ledge, rose 4 m above ground level; under it, on the ground, a layer of sand was poured, on which the stone was supposed to lie when it fell from the end of the inclined plane; On February 3, 1832, the stone was pulled by nine capstans to the end of the inclined plane and here, after hesitating for a few seconds in balance, it fell on one edge onto the sand, and was then easily turned over. After trimming the sixth face, the stone had to be placed on rollers and pulled onto the foundation, and then the rollers were removed; To do this, 24 racks, about 60 cm high, were brought under the stone, then the sand was removed from under it, after which 24 carpenters, working very coordinated, simultaneously hewed the racks to a small height at the very bottom surface of the stone, gradually thinning them; when the thickness of the racks reached approximately 1/4 of the normal thickness, a strong cracking sound began, and the carpenters stepped aside; the remaining uncut part of the racks broke under the weight of the stone, and it sank several centimeters; this operation was repeated several times until the stone finally sat on the rollers. To install the stone on the foundation, a wooden inclined plane was again arranged, along which it was raised with nine capstans to a height of 90 cm, first lifting it with eight large levers (wags) and pulling rollers out from under it; the space formed underneath made it possible to lay a layer of mortar; since the work was carried out in winter, at temperatures ranging from -12° to -18°, Montferand mixed cement with vodka, adding one twelfth part of soap; the cement formed a thin and fluid dough and on it, with two capstans, it was easy to turn the stone, slightly lifting it with eight large waggons, in order to quite accurately install it horizontally on the upper plane of the foundation; the work of accurately installing the stone lasted two hours.

Installation of the pedestal on the foundation

The foundation was built in advance. The foundation for it consisted of 1250 wooden piles, driven from a level of 5.1 m below the level of the square and to a depth of 11.4 m; on every square meter 2 piles were driven; they were driven with a mechanical piledriver, made according to the design of the famous engineer Betancourt; The female copra weighed 5/6 tons (50 poods) and was lifted by a horse-drawn collar.
The heads of all the piles were cut to one level, determined by the fact that before it, water was pumped out of the pit and marks were made on all the piles at once; A layer of gravel was laid and compacted between the 60 cm exposed tops of the piles, and on the site leveled in this way, a foundation 5 m high was erected from 16 rows of granite stones.

3. Delivery of monolithic column rod

In the early summer of 1832, they began loading and delivering the column monolith; loading this monolith, which had a huge weight (670 tons), onto a barge was a more difficult operation than loading the stone for the pedestal; To transport it, a special vessel was built with a length of 45 m, a width along the mid-beam of 12 m, a height of 4 m and a carrying capacity of about 1100 tons (65 thousand poods).
At the beginning of June 1832, the ship arrived at the Pitterlax quarry, and the contractor Yakovlev with 400 workers immediately began loading stone; near the shore of the quarry, a pier 32 m long and 24 m wide was made in advance on piles from log frames filled with stone, and in front of it in the sea there was a wooden avant-pier of the same length and design as the pier; a passage (port) 13 m wide was formed between the pier and the pier; The log boxes of the pier and pier were connected to each other by long logs, covered with boards on top, forming the bottom of the port. The road from the place where the stone was broken to the pier was cleared, and the protruding parts of the rock were blown up, then logs were laid close to each other along the entire length (about 90 m); the movement of the column was carried out by eight capstans, of which 6 dragged the stone forward, and 2 located behind held the column during its dimensional movement due to the difference in the diameters of its ends; to level the direction of movement of the column, iron wedges were placed at a distance of 3.6 m from the lower base; after 15 days of work, the column was at the pier.
28 logs, 10.5 m long and 60 cm thick, were laid on the pier and the ship; along them it was necessary to drag the column onto the ship with ten capstans located on the avant-mole; In addition to the workers, 60 people were placed on capstans in front and behind the column. to monitor the ropes going to the capstans, and those with which the ship was secured to the pier. At 4 o'clock in the morning on June 19, Montferand gave the signal for loading: the column moved easily along the tracks and was almost loaded when an incident occurred that almost caused a disaster; due to the slight tilt of the side closest to the pier, all 28 logs rose and immediately broke under the weight of the stone; the ship tilted, but did not capsize, as it rested against the bottom of the port and the wall of the pier; the stone slid towards the lowered side, but stopped at the wall of the pier.

Loading the column rod onto a barge

People managed to run away, and there were no misfortunes; the contractor Yakovlev was not at a loss and immediately organized the straightening of the ship and the lifting of the stone. A military team of 600 people was called in to help the workers; Having marched 38 km in a forced march, the soldiers arrived at the quarry 4 hours later; after 48 hours After continuous work without rest or sleep, the ship was straightened, the monolith on it was firmly strengthened, and by July 1, 2 steamships delivered it to the bay. Palace embankment.

Portrait of workers delivering the convoy

In order to avoid a similar failure that occurred when loading the stone, Montferand paid special attention to the arrangement of devices for unloading. The river bottom was cleared of the piles remaining from the lintel after the construction of the embankment wall; using a very strong wooden structure, they leveled the inclined granite wall to a vertical plane so that the ship with the column could approach the embankment completely close, without any gap; the connection between the cargo barge and the embankment was made of 35 thick logs laid close to each other; 11 of them passed under the column and rested on the deck of another heavily loaded vessel, located on the river side of the barge and serving as a counterweight; in addition, at the ends of the barge, 6 more thicker logs were laid and strengthened, the ends of which on one side were firmly tied to the auxiliary vessel, and the opposite ends extended 2 m onto the embankment; The barge was firmly pulled to the embankment with the help of 12 ropes encircling it. To lower the monolith to the shore, 20 capstans worked, of which 14 pulled the stone, and 6 held the barge; The descent went very well within 10 minutes.
In order to further move and raise the monolith, a solid wooden scaffolding was built, consisting of an inclined plane, an overpass going to it at a right angle and a large platform that occupied almost the entire area surrounding the installation site and rose 10.5 m above its level.
In the center of the platform, on a sandstone massif, scaffolding was built, 47 m high, consisting of 30 four-beam racks, reinforced with 28 struts and horizontal ties; The 10 central posts were higher than the others and at the top, in pairs, were connected by trusses on which lay 5 double oak beams, with pulley blocks suspended from them; Montferand made a model of the scaffolding in 1/12 life-size and subjected it to the examination of the most knowledgeable people: this model greatly facilitated the work of the carpenters.
Lifting the monolith along an inclined plane was carried out in the same way as moving it in a quarry, along continuously laid beams with capstans.

Movements of the finished column: from the embankment to the overpass

At the beginning of the overpass

At the end of the overpass

On the overpass

At the top, on the overpass, he was pulled onto a special wooden cart that moved along the rollers. Montferand did not use cast iron rollers, fearing that they would be pressed into the flooring boards of the platform, and he also abandoned balls - the method used by Count Carbury to move the stone under the monument to Peter the Great, believing that preparing them and other devices would take a lot of time. The cart, divided into two parts 3.45 m wide and 25 m long, consisted of 9 side beams, laid close to each other, and reinforced with clamps and bolts with thirteen transverse beams, on which the monolith was laid. It was installed and strengthened on a trestle near an inclined plane and the mass was pulled in with the same capstans that pulled it upward along this plane.

4. Raising the column

The column was raised by sixty capstans installed on scaffolding in a circle in two rows in a checkerboard pattern and reinforced with ropes to piles driven into the ground; each capstan consisted of two cast-iron drums mounted in a wooden frame and driven by four horizontal handles through a vertical shaft and horizontal gears (Fig. 4); From the capstans, ropes went through guide blocks, firmly fixed at the bottom of the scaffolding, to pulley blocks, the upper blocks of which were suspended from the double oak crossbars mentioned above, and the lower ones were attached to the column rod with slings and continuous rope harnesses (Fig. 3); the ropes consisted of 522 heels of the best hemp, which withstood a load of 75 kg each during testing, and the entire rope - 38.5 tons; the total weight of the monolith with all accessories was 757 tons, which, with 60 ropes, gave about 13 tons of load for each, i.e., their safety factor was assumed to be threefold.
The raising of the stone was scheduled for August 30; to work on capstans, teams from all guards units were equipped in the amount of 1,700 privates with 75 non-commissioned officers; The very important work of lifting the stone was organized very thoughtfully, the workers were arranged in the following strict order.
On each capstan, under the command of a non-commissioned officer, 16 people worked. and, in addition, 8 people. was in reserve to relieve tired people; the senior member of the team ensured that the workers walked at an even pace, slowing down or speeding up depending on the tension of the rope; for every 6 capstans there was 1 foreman, located between the first row of capstans and the central scaffolding; he monitored the tension of the ropes and conveyed orders to the senior members of the team; every 15 capstans constituted one of 4 squads, led by four assistants of Montferand, standing at each of the four corners of the high scaffolding, on which there were 100 sailors, watching the blocks and ropes and straightening them; 60 dexterous and strong workers stood on the column itself between the ropes and held the polyopast blocks in correct position; 50 carpenters were in different places forests just in case; 60 stonemasons stood at the bottom of the scaffolding near the guide blocks with the order not to let anyone near them; 30 other workers guided the rollers and removed them from under the cart as the column was raised; 10 masons were at the pedestal to pour cement mortar onto the top row of granite on which the column would stand; 1 foreman stood at the front of the scaffolding, at a height of 6 m, to give a signal with a bell to start lifting; 1 boatswain was at the highest point of the scaffolding at the pole to raise the flag as soon as the column was in place; 1 surgeon was below the scaffolding to provide first aid and, in addition, there was a team of workers with tools and materials in reserve.
All operations were managed by Montferand himself, who, two days beforehand, made a test of raising the monolith to a height of 6 m, and before starting the lifting, he personally verified the strength of the piles holding the capstans, and also inspected the direction of the ropes and scaffolding.
The raising of the stone, at the signal given by Montferand, began exactly at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and proceeded quite successfully.

Beginning of the column lifting

The column moved horizontally with the cart and at the same time gradually rose upward; at the moment of its separation from the cart, 3 capstans, almost simultaneously, stopped due to the confusion of several blocks; at this critical moment one of the upper blocks burst and fell from the height of the scaffolding into the middle of a group of people standing below, which caused some confusion among the workers surrounding Montferand; Fortunately, the teams working on the nearby capstans continued to walk at an even pace - this quickly brought calm, and everyone returned to their places.
Soon the column hung in the air above the pedestal, stopping its upward movement and aligning it strictly vertically and along the axis with the help of several capstans, they gave a new signal: everyone working on the capstans made a 180° turn and began to rotate their handles in the opposite direction, lowering the ropes and slowly lowering the column exactly into place.

Raising the column lasted 40 minutes; the next day, Menferand checked the correctness of its installation, after which he ordered the scaffolding to be removed. Work on finishing the column and installing decorations continued for another two years and it was finally ready in 1834.

Bishebois, L. P. -A. Bayo A. J. -B. Grand opening Alexander Column (August 30, 1834)

All operations for the extraction, delivery and installation of the column must be considered very well organized; however, one cannot help but note some shortcomings when compared with the organization of work on moving the stone for the monument to Peter the Great, carried out under the leadership of Count Carbury 70 years earlier; these shortcomings are as follows:
1. When loading the stone, Caburi flooded the barge, and it settled on the hard bottom of the river, so there was no danger of capsizing; Meanwhile, when loading the monolith for the Alexander Column, they did not do this, and the barge tilted, and the whole operation almost ended in complete failure.
2. Carburi used screw jacks to lift and lower, while Montferand lowered the stone in a rather primitive and somewhat dangerous way for workers, cutting off the racks on which it lay.
3. Carbury, using an ingenious method of moving the stone on brass balls, significantly reduced friction and made do with a small number of capstans and workers; Monferand's statement that he did not use this method due to lack of time is incomprehensible, since the extraction of the stone lasted almost two years and during this time all the necessary devices could have been made.
4. The number of workers when lifting the stone was large; however, it must be taken into account that the operation lasted very short and that the workers were mostly ordinary military units, dressed up for the raising as if for a ceremonial parade.
Despite these shortcomings, the entire operation of raising the column is an instructive example of a well-thought-out organization with a strict and clear establishment of work schedules, placement of workers and assignment to each acting person his responsibilities.

1. It is customary to write Montferand, however, the architect himself wrote his last name in Russian - Montferand.
2. “Construction industry” No. 4 1935.

Thanks to Sergei Gaev for providing the magazine for scanning.

The Alexandria Pillar (Alexandrovsky, Alexandrinsky) is a monument to Alexander I, the winner of Napoleon in the war of 1812-1814. The column, designed by Auguste Montferrand, was installed on August 30, 1834. It is crowned with the figure of an Angel, made by the sculptor Boris Ivanovich Orlovsky.

The Alexandria Pillar is not only an architectural masterpiece in the Empire style, but also an outstanding achievement of engineering. The tallest column in the world, made of monolithic granite. Its weight is 704 tons. The height of the monument is 47.5 meters, the granite monolith is 25.88 meters. It is taller than Pompey's Column in Alexandria, Trajan's Column in Rome and, what is especially nice, the Vendôme Column in Paris - a monument to Napoleon.

Let's start with brief history its creation

The idea of building the monument was proposed by the famous architect Carl Rossi. When planning the space of Palace Square, he believed that a monument should be placed in the center of the square. From the side, the installation point of the column looks like the exact center of Palace Square. But in fact, it is located 100 meters from the Winter Palace and almost 140 meters from the arch of the General Staff building.

The construction of the monument was entrusted to Montferrand. He himself saw it a little differently, with a group of cavalry below and with many architectural details, but he was corrected)))

For the granite monolith - the main part of the column - the rock that the sculptor outlined during his previous trips to Finland was used. Mining and preliminary processing were carried out in 1830-1832 in the Pyuterlak quarry, which was located in the Vyborg province ( modern city Pyterlahti, Finland).

These works were carried out according to the method of S.K. Sukhanov, the production was supervised by masters S.V. Kolodkin and V.A. Yakovlev. It took half a year to trim the monolith. 250 people worked on this every day. Montferrand appointed mason master Eugene Pascal to lead the work.

After the stonemasons examined the rock and confirmed the suitability of the material, a prism was cut off from it, which was significantly larger in size than the future column. Giant devices were used: huge levers and gates to move the block from its place and tip it onto a soft and elastic bedding of spruce branches.

During loading, an accident occurred - the weight of the column could not be supported by the beams along which it was supposed to roll onto the ship, and it almost collapsed into the water. The monolith was loaded by 600 soldiers, who completed a forced march of 36 miles from a neighboring fortress in four hours.

To carry out loading operations, a special pier was built. Loading was carried out from a wooden platform at its end, which coincided in height with the side of the ship.

Having overcome all difficulties, the column was loaded on board, and the monolith went to Kronstadt on a barge towed by two steamships, from there to go to the Palace Embankment of St. Petersburg.

The arrival of the central part of the column in St. Petersburg took place on July 1, 1832. The contractor, merchant son V. A. Yakovlev, was responsible for all of the above work.

Since 1829, work began on the preparation and construction of the foundation and pedestal of the column on Palace Square in St. Petersburg. The work was supervised by O. Montferrand.

First, a geological survey of the area was carried out, which resulted in the discovery of a suitable sandy continent near the center of the area at a depth of 17 feet (5.2 m).

The contract for the construction of the foundation was given to the merchant Vasily Yakovlev. By the end of 1829, the workers managed to dig a foundation pit. While strengthening the foundation for the Alexander Column, workers came across piles that had strengthened the ground back in the 1760s. It turned out that Montferrand repeated, after Rastrelli, the decision on the location for the monument, landing on the same point!

In December 1829, the location for the column was approved, and 1,250 six-meter pine piles were driven under the base. Then the piles were cut to fit the spirit level, forming a platform for the foundation, according to the original method: the bottom of the pit was filled with water, and the piles were cut to the level of the water table, which ensured that the site was horizontal. Previously, using a similar technology, the foundation of St. Isaac's Cathedral was laid.

The foundation of the monument was built from stone granite blocks half a meter thick. It was extended to the horizon of the square using planked masonry. In its center was placed a bronze box with 0 105 coins minted in honor of the victory of 1812. A platinum medal minted according to Montferrand’s design with the image of the Alexander Column and the date “1830” was also placed there, as well as a mortgage plaque with the following text:

“In the summer of Christ 1831, the construction of a monument began, erected to Emperor Alexander by grateful Russia on a granite foundation laid on the 19th day of November 1830. In St. Petersburg, the construction of this monument was presided over by Count Yu. Litta. ". Volkonsky, A. Olenin, Count P. Kutaisov, I. Gladkov, L. Carboniere, A. Vasilchikov. The construction was carried out according to the drawings of the same architect Augustine de Montferande."

The work was completed in October 1830.

After laying the foundation, a huge four-hundred-ton monolith, brought from the Pyuterlak quarry, was erected on it, which serves as the base of the pedestal.

The engineering problem of installing such a large monolith was solved by O. Montferrand as follows: the monolith was rolled on rollers through an inclined plane onto a platform built close to the foundation. And the stone was dumped on a pile of sand, previously poured next to the platform.

“At the same time, the earth shook so much that eyewitnesses - passers-by who were in the square at that moment, felt something like an underground shock.” Then it was moved on rollers.

Later O. Montferrand recalled; “Since the work was carried out in winter, I ordered cement and vodka to be mixed and a tenth of soap added. Due to the fact that the stone initially sat incorrectly, it had to be moved several times, which was done with the help of only two capstans and with particular ease, of course , thanks to the soap that I ordered to be mixed into the solution..."

Based on the developments of Lieutenant General A. A. Betancourt for the installation of columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral in December 1830, an original lifting system was designed. It included: scaffolding 22 fathoms (47 meters) high, 60 capstans and a system of blocks.

On August 30, 1832, masses of people gathered to watch this event: they occupied the entire square, and besides this, the windows and roof of the General Staff Building were occupied by spectators. The sovereign and the entire imperial family came to the raising.

To bring the column into a vertical position on Palace Square, it was necessary to attract the forces of 2,000 soldiers and 400 workers, who installed the monolith in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

After installation, people shouted "Hurray!" And the delighted emperor said: “Montferrand, you have immortalized yourself!”

The granite pillar and the bronze angel standing on it are held together solely by their own weight. If you come very close to the column and, raising your head, look up, it will take your breath away - the column is swaying.

After installing the column, all that remained was to attach the bas-relief slabs and decorative elements to the pedestal, as well as to complete the final processing and polishing of the column.

The column was topped with a bronze capital Doric order with a rectangular abacus made of brickwork with bronze facing. A bronze cylindrical pedestal with a hemispherical top was installed on it.

In parallel with the construction of the column, in September 1830, O. Montferrand worked on a statue intended to be placed above it and, according to the wishes of Nicholas I, facing the Winter Palace. In the original design, the column was completed with a cross entwined with a snake to decorate the fasteners. In addition, the sculptors of the Academy of Arts proposed several options for compositions of figures of angels and virtues with a cross. There was an option to install the figure of Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky, but the first option that was approved was a cross on a ball without an angel, in this form the column is even present in some old engravings..

But in the end, the figure of an angel with a cross was accepted for execution, made by the sculptor B.I. Orlovsky with expressive and understandable symbolism - “By this victory!”

Orlovsky had to redo the sculpture of the Angel several times before Nicholas I liked it. The Emperor wanted the Angel’s face to be given a resemblance to Alexander I, and the face of the snake trampled by the Angel’s cross must certainly resemble Napoleon’s face. If he does sweat, it is only remotely.

Initially, the Alexander Column was framed by a temporary wooden fence with lamps in the form of antique tripods and plaster lion masks. The carpentry work for the fence was carried out by “carved master” Vasily Zakharov. Instead of a temporary fence, at the end of 1834 it was decided to install a permanent metal one “with three-headed eagles under the lanterns,” the design of which was drawn up by Montferrand in advance.

It must be said that the monument, which now seems perfect, sometimes aroused criticism from contemporaries. Montferrand, for example, was reproached for allegedly using the marble intended for the column to build his own house, and using cheap granite for the monument. The figure of the Angel reminded the people of St. Petersburg of a sentry and inspired the poet to write the following mocking lines:

“Everything in Russia breathes military craft:
And the Angel puts a cross on guard.”

But the rumor did not spare the emperor himself. Imitating his grandmother, Catherine II, who inscribed on the pedestal Bronze Horseman“Peter I - Catherine II,” Nikolai Pavlovich in official papers called the new monument “Pillar of Nicholas I to Alexander I,” which immediately gave life to the pun: “Pillar of pillar to pillar.”

In honor of this event, a commemorative coin was minted in denominations of 1 ruble and one and a half rubles

The grandiose structure inspired admiration and awe in St. Petersburg residents from the moment of its foundation, but our ancestors were seriously afraid that the Alexander Column would collapse and tried to avoid it.

To dispel philistine fears, the architect Auguste Montferrand, fortunately living nearby, on the Moika, began to exercise daily around his brainchild, demonstrating complete confidence in own safety and the correctness of the calculations. Years have passed, wars and revolutions have passed, the column still stands, the architect was not mistaken.

December 15, 1889 happened almost mystical story- Foreign Minister Lamsdorf reported in his diary that with the onset of darkness, when the lanterns are lit, a glowing letter"N".

Rumors began to spread around St. Petersburg that this was an omen of a new reign in the new year, but the next day the count figured out the reasons for the phenomenon. The name of their manufacturer was etched on the glass of the lanterns: "Simens". When the lamps were working from the side of St. Isaac's Cathedral, this letter was reflected on the column.

There are many tales and legends associated with it)))

In 1925 it was decided that it was inappropriate to have main square Leningrad figures of an angel. An attempt was made to cover it with a cap, which collected Palace Square enough a large number of passers-by A hot air balloon hung above the column. However, when he flew up to the required distance, the wind immediately blew and drove the ball away. By evening, attempts to hide the angel stopped.

There is a legend that at that time, instead of the angel, they seriously planned to erect a monument to Lenin. It would have looked something like this))) Lenin was not appointed because they could not decide in which direction to extend their hand to Ilyich...

The column is beautiful both in winter and summer. And it fits perfectly into Palace Square.

There's another one interesting legend. This happened on April 12, 1961, after a solemn TASS message about the launch of the first manned spacecraft was heard on the radio. spaceship. There is general rejoicing on the streets, real euphoria on a national scale!

The very next day after the flight, a laconic inscription appeared at the feet of the angel crowning the Alexandria Pillar: “Yuri Gagarin! Hurray!”

Which vandal was able to express his admiration for the first cosmonaut in this way and how he managed to climb to such a dizzying height will remain a mystery.

In the evening and at night the column is no less beautiful.

Alexander Column (Russia) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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I erected a monument to myself, not made by hands,
The people's path to him will not be overgrown,
He ascended higher with his rebellious head
Alexandrian Pillar.

A. S. Pushkin

One of the most famous monuments of St. Petersburg, the Alexander Column is familiar to each of us literally from school. WITH light hand Everyone began to call the beloved poet the monument - the Alexander Column, although, in fact, this is a poetic delight, and the monument has been called the Alexander Column for almost 200 years.

The Alexandria Column was erected on Palace Square under Nicholas I in 1834 by the architect Auguste Montferrand.

And the 47.5 m high monument was supposed to remind of Russia’s victory over France in 1812. The idea arose to erect a monument in the center of Palace Square near Karl Rossi, and as a result of an open competition, exactly the project that we now have the pleasure of seeing was selected .

The Alexander Column is the tallest column in the world made of solid stone.

The name of the Alexander Column, on the one hand, is associated with Emperor Alexander I, who defeated Napoleon, and on the other, with the Faros (Alexandria) lighthouse, which is one of the seven wonders of the world, personifying the ultimate level of human achievement. Alexander's column was supposed to surpass all existing columns in the world. Indeed, to this day the Alexander Column is the tallest column in the world made of solid stone. And to lift this grandiose monolith onto a pedestal, the architects of St. Petersburg created a special lifting system.

At the top of the monument, the work of B. Orlovsky is an angel, whose face the sculptor gave the features of Alexander I. The angel trampling on a snake on the top of the column symbolizes the peace and tranquility that Russia brought to Europe after defeating Napoleon. The bas-reliefs on the pedestal of the Alexander Column represent in allegorical form the glory of Russian weapons and symbolize the courage of the Russian army: they depict Victory and Glory, recording the dates of memorable battles, Peace and Justice, Wisdom and Prosperity.

Figures and facts

The Alexander Column is made of red granite, processed not in St. Petersburg, but in the Pyuterlak quarry near Vyborg, and the figure of the angel is made of polished pink granite. In order to deliver the convoy to St. Petersburg, a special vessel was needed, which was towed by two steamships. 1250 piles, each 6 meters long, were driven under the base of the pedestal of the Alexander Column. The column was installed using scaffolding and capstans specially constructed in St. Petersburg.

It is curious that the installation took only 1 hour and 45 minutes, and 2,000 soldiers and 400 workers took part in lifting the column onto the pedestal.

The column itself weighs 600 tons. It is not dug into the ground or fixed to a foundation, but is supported solely by precise calculations and its own weight.

The sculptor gave the face of the angel on top of the monument the facial features of Alexander I.

The height of the angel crowning the Alexander Column is 4.26 m, in his hands he holds a cross 6.4 m high. The height of the pedestal on which the Alexander Column rises is 2.85 m. And the weight of the entire structure is 704 tons. Such is the greatness of Russian weapons, a monument to the victory not only of the Russian army, but also of the entire people, victory over what was impossible for others to defeat.

How to get there

The Alexander Column rises in the center of Palace Square in St. Petersburg. To get to the square and the monument, you need to use underground transport and get to the Nevsky Prospekt station, then move to the beginning of Nevsky Prospekt, focusing on the Admiralty spire. From the intersection of Nevsky and Admiralteysky Prospekts there is a view of Palace Square with the Alexander Column in the center. This is what you were looking for.