When the Alexandrian pillar was erected. Alexandria Pillar (Alexander Column)

St. Petersburg, Palace Square, metro: "Nevsky Prospekt", "Gostiny Dvor".

The Pillar of Alexandria was erected on August 30, 1834 in the center of Palace Square in St. Petersburg by the architect Auguste Richard Montferan by order of Emperor Nicholas I in memory of the victory of his older brother, Emperor Alexander I over Napoleon.

The original project of Montferan - the creation of a granite obelisk was rejected by Nicholas, and, as a result, Montferan created a monument, which is a huge column of pink granite, standing on a square pedestal.

The column is crowned with a sculpture by Orlovsky, depicting a gilded angel with the facial features of Emperor Alexander I. In his left hand, the angel holds a cross, and with his right hand he raises to the sky.

The height of the Pillar together with the statue is 47.5 m (it is higher than all similar monuments in the world: the Vendome column in Paris, Trajan's column in Rome and Pompey's column in Alexandria). The diameter of the Pillar is 3.66 m.

The pedestal of the column is decorated on four sides with bronze bas-reliefs with ornaments from military armor, as well as allegorical images of the victories of Russian weapons. Separate bas-reliefs depict ancient Russian chain mail, shishaks and shields stored in the Armory in Moscow, as well as the helmets of Alexander Nevsky and Yermak.

The granite monolith, which served as the basis for the creation of the column, was mined in one of the quarries near Vyborg and transported in 1832 on a barge specially designed for this purpose to St. Petersburg, where it underwent further processing.

The forces of 2000 soldiers and 400 workers were involved in the installation of the column in a vertical state on the square. Installed it on a pedestal in just 1 hour 45 minutes. 1250 pine piles were driven under the base of the column.

The Pillar of Alexandria is a miracle of engineering calculation - for more than 150 years it has been standing unsecured, held upright solely by the weight of its own weight of 600 tons.

In the first years after its erection, Petersburgers had some fears - what if the column would fall one day. In order to dissuade them, Montferan got into the habit of starting every day with a walk under the column, and made them almost until his death.

The column is perfectly visible both through the arch of the General Staff Building from Herzen Street and from the embankment of the Moika River.

In 1841, cracks appeared on the column. By 1861 they had become so prominent that Alexander II set up a committee to study them. The committee concluded that the cracks in the granite were originally there, but were sealed with mastic. In 1862, the cracks were sealed with Portland cement.

In 1925, it was decided that the presence of an angel figure on the main square of Leningrad was inappropriate. An attempt was made to cover him with a cap, which gathered a fairly large number of passers-by on Palace Square. A balloon hung over the column, but when it flew up to it at the required distance, the wind immediately blew and drove the balloon away. By evening, attempts to hide the angel stopped. A little later, a plan appeared to replace the angel with the figure of V. I. Lenin. However, this was not implemented either.

The Alexander Column is one of the most famous monuments of St. Petersburg. It is often erroneously called the Pillar of Alexandria, after Pushkin's poem "Monument". Erected in 1834 by order of Emperor Nicholas I in honor of the victory of his elder brother, Emperor Alexander I over Napoleon. Style - Empire. Installed in the center of Palace Square, in front of the Winter Palace. The architect was Auguste Montferrand.

The monument is made of solid red granite. Its total height is 47.5 m. The top of the column is decorated with the figure of an angel of peace, cast in bronze. It stands on a hemisphere, also made of bronze. In the left hand of the angel is a cross with which he tramples the snake, he stretches his right hand to the sky. In the face of an angel, the features of Emperor Alexander I slip through. The height of the angel is 4.2 m, the height of the cross is 6.3 m. The column is mounted on a granite pedestal. It is noteworthy that it stands without additional supports, only under the influence of its own gravity. The pedestal is decorated with bronze bas-reliefs. On the side that faces the palace, there is an inscription: "Alexander I. Grateful Poccia."

Under these words, one can see ancient Russian weapons and figures symbolizing Peace and Victory, Mercy and Justice, Abundance and Wisdom. On the sides there are 2 allegorical figures: Vistula - in the form of a young girl and Neman - in the form of an old Aquarius. At the corners of the pedestal there are double-headed eagles, with laurel branches clamped in their claws. In the middle, in an oak wreath, the All-Seeing Eye is depicted.

The stone for the column was taken from the Piterlak quarry in Finland. This is one of the world's largest granite monoliths. Weight - more than 600 tons.

The work was fraught with enormous difficulties. First of all, it was necessary to very carefully separate a solid granite piece of the required size from the rock. Then, right there on the spot, this mass was trimmed, giving it the shape of a column. Transportation was carried out by water on a specially built vessel.

At the same time, in St. Petersburg, on Palace Square, the foundation was being created. 1250 pine piles were driven to a depth of 36 m, and on them, to equalize the area, hewn blocks of granite were laid. Then the largest block was placed as the basis for the pedestal. This task was carried out at the cost of enormous effort and a large number of mechanical devices. When the foundation was laid, there was a hard frost, and for better setting, vodka was added to the cement mortar. In the middle of the foundation was placed a bronze box with coins that were minted in honor of the victory of 1812.

It seems that the column represents the exact center of the Palace Square. However, this is not the case: it is installed 140 meters from the arch of the General Staff Building and 100 meters from the Winter Palace. It was extremely difficult to set up the column itself. Scaffolding up to 22 sazhens high was built on 2 sides of the pedestal. On an inclined plane, the column was rolled onto a special platform and wrapped with rope rings, to which blocks were attached. Appropriate blocks were also installed at the top of the scaffolding.

On August 30, 1832, the column was raised. Emperor Nicholas I and his family arrived at Palace Square. Many people came to watch this action. The people crowded into the square, at the windows and on the roof of the General Staff Building. 2000 soldiers grabbed the ropes. Slowly, the column rose and hung in the air, after which the ropes were given away, and the granite block quietly and accurately sank onto the pedestal. A loud “Hurray!” swept across the square, and the sovereign, inspired by success, said to the architect: “Montferrand, you have immortalized yourself!”

After 2 years, the last decoration of the column was completed, and in the presence of the emperor and the 100,000th army, a consecration ceremony was performed. The Alexander Column is the tallest monument in the world, created from a single piece of granite and is III in height after the Grand Army Column in Boulogne-sur-Mer and London's Trafalgar Column. It is higher than similar monuments in the world: the Parisian Vendome column, the Roman column of Trajan and Pompey's column in Alexandria.

Sequel to Seven Wonders of the World.
Just yesterday I sat down and wrote, finally about the Russian Seven Wonders of the World, and now I immediately come across an article about the Alexander Column, so I continue first about the column.

Alesanria Column 2006. Palace Square. Filmed immediately in BW.
The square is formed by historical monuments: the Winter Palace, the Headquarters Building of the Guards Corps, the General Staff Building with the Arc de Triomphe, the Alexander Column. Dimensions The area measures about 8 hectares, for comparison - Red Square in Moscow has an area of ​​​​only 2.3 hectares

1988 Leningrad. Postcard.

Enluminure de Ch. Beggrow, Saint Petersbourg. Alexandrian Column.
Fuck you know what year it is. There is not even a trace of the Arch of the General Staff yet, but the column is already standing. But according to the officially accepted version, the column was placed only after the Arch and the main headquarters, and this is clearly visible from the drawings of Montferrand. Although he painted them so many times, only apparently doing this, proving that it was he who did it and in what particular way he raised this column. So that everyone can officially and clearly see that the French allegedly have at least some relation to Peter. In the background on all these engravings, it is the Arch of the General Staff that peeps out everywhere.
And here's another masterpiece!

Auguste Montferrand. View of the Alexander Column from Millionnaya Street. 1830
Yes, yes, exactly 1830, and for some reason St. Isaac's Cathedral is already standing in the background, although officially only 1856, and the column is standing, although the rise of the column will begin to be drawn only in 1832 and finished in 1833, as two dozen men raised it in 2 hours!
The column on Vosstaniya Square had to be cut, because they could not lift it with a single crane, they could not move it with any equipment. Let's see how they take it apart.

62 sheet of acquittal notes of the French graphic artist Montferan. We see that St. Isaac's Cathedral stood well before him, and he only drew here the most important word in French.

“The rise of the Alexander Column in 1832”, which before that, two pieces were immediately loaded onto a barge .. this is 1600 tons of polished granite, each. Written by Bichebois Louis Pierre Alphonse, Bayot Adolphe Jean Baptiste.

And this is Montferrand drawing how two diggers are chipping away and the column is immediately oops, and round! Itself, without a CNC machine. By the way, he draws so-so, and is also called an Architect.
And the more he proves all sorts of crap, the less you believe in fairy tales.

It will now be much more difficult to make a refutation than it is to lie to them. And everyone, without even thinking, believed! And the more they lied, the more pictures they had to draw, proving the most incredible event that two diggers broke off a round column from a rock and dragged it on barges. At least they have already agreed on time, otherwise there is such a scatter.

Chernetsov GG - Part of the panorama of the Palace Square, made from the scaffolding of the Alexander Column. imagine the height?


By the way, pay attention, it’s already worth it, you can throw it in the previous topic, they also lied there that there is no Stock Exchange and only the Frenchman Thomas de Thomon came up with it.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria really shone in St. Petersburg - the oldest stone city of the Northern Palmyra, all ships going to St. Petersburg from a height of 50 meters and was visible far in the Neva fairway and the Gulf of Finland, I think then with emerald water.
I don’t know what they were shining with, but the energy through the column was exactly then accumulated from sunny places and transferred to the Winter Palace, because there were no ceilings sooty from candles. No wonder there was a ban on buildings above the Winter Palace, and the Column is visible from everywhere because of the Winter Palace sticking out, even if you sit on the banks of the Petropavlovka.

"I erected a monument to myself not made by hands,
The folk trail will not grow to it,
He ascended higher as the head of the rebellious
Pillar of Alexandria." A. S. Pushkin

And by the Pillar of Alexandria, Pushkin meant precisely ours, the world's largest monolithic column on Palace Square, and not the column. in St. Petersburg super new technologies were applied, which we have not yet reached.

The Pharos lighthouse, placed at the entrance to the port of Alexandria, has competed in glory with the pyramids of the Valley of the Kings since ancient times. Possessing a bold design for its time, it, according to a number of testimonies, was taller than the Cheops pyramid, against which the third ray of the Admiralty's trident from Peter's Navel rests in a strange way. But this is not what Pushkin admires.

Pompey's column in Alexandria is also not small and is also dedicated to the handsome Alexander of Macedon.
View_of_Pompey "s_Pillar_with_Alexandria_ in_the_background_in_c.1850
But the Jews are not like people - that's why they sound like this: "For a long time considered a monument to Alexander the Great, the column, it seems, has nothing to do with either Alexander or Pompey and is today recognized as a monument to Diocletian's victories." - Wikipedia.
Yes Yes....

And what's that??? Columns as in Baalbek built by Russians.
After all, it is Russia that is the heir of the Holy Roman Empire, and before the Revolution it was called the Great Greek-Russian Eastern Empire, the heir of Byzantium and the Three-headed Eagles around the Alexandrian column.

1830 Sadovnikov's watercolor. The column stands for another 3 years before its official creation and rise, and apparently it has been standing for a long time, if everything in the ensemble was coordinated flawlessly and the Arch was added to the column.
Moreover, the Alexandrinsky Column was placed in St. Petersburg, the new capital of Rome, in honor of Alexander the Great or Alexander Nevsky, even before the Flood in Atlantis. Hence, 2 meters of reclaimed soil and therefore the height of 2 meters is not enough for all buildings. Flooded Atlantis - this is Peter and it is here that Atlantis hold the sky on Stone Hands.

Atlantes can no longer withstand such a load and underground explosions near St. Petersburg - there is a complete destruction of ammunition, apparently for the War.

The ruins of Northern Palmyra - Northern Venice, St. Petersburg, the city of stone.

And the sand from the ruined city still makes the Gulf of Finland shallow and impassable and creates problems for the passage of ships along the Neva, a truly "snowy river" - hence the name given by Alexander, nicknamed Nevsky in our country - and the passage of ships in the canals became difficult after the cold snap and the change of poles and later in Northern Venice, built on the foundations of Northern Palmyra, canals were dug up and Arrows of Vasilyevsky Island and Rozhdestvensky streets were formed., but that's another story

Wikipedia: "Identification of the "Pillar of Alexandria" with the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg, which is a fact of culture and, apparently, dates back to the time no later than the first publication of the "Monument" (1841), from the end of the 30s of the XX century subjected to scientific criticism as untenable. Wiki - I'm not surprised anymore - how can we now be able to rewrite our History cleanly, I can't imagine - how to create a new Wikipedia?

After all, even Nabokov had no doubt that the “Pillar of Alexandria” comes precisely from the name Alexander. (See Nabokov V.V. Decree. Op. P. 278.)
Pushkin, with his lines, not afraid of censorship, clearly showed everyone the value of the column and emphasized the lies of the French about the novelty of the column, when they tried to call the already finished, old column standing on the square the creation of the Frenchman Montferrand, And St. Isaac's Cathedral to attribute to him, hiding the true, Ancient History of the column. Well, who would draw so many fake

Of course, Pushkin knew our Ancient History remarkably and was interested in its details. It was not in vain that he wrote the poem "The Bronze Horseman" and under this pretext of collecting materials, he received admission to the Archives of Peter the Great's time and wrote the Captain's daughter in prose. at hand. And the "Iron Mask" about the twin brother of Peter the Great has not yet been born ... it’s not for nothing that we have a twin of Versailles near St. they beat all night without any mechanism for raising water, as in Versailles.Of course, we built them earlier.

Saving the country from the French invasion, after the victory over Napoleon, turned out to be much more difficult than the destroyed fleet in the Sevastopol Bay in the Crimean War after the assassination of Pushkin. Although who knows...

A. S. Pushkin "TO THE SEA"

Farewell, free element!
For the last time in front of me
You roll blue waves
And shine with proud beauty.

Like a friend's mournful murmur,
How to call him at the farewell hour,
Your sad noise
your noise is inviting
I heard for the last time.

Why the last time? Regarding the next closure of the Black Sea for the Russians, this is already after the Crimean War! The Black Sea was closed to us for 13 years so that they would not go to America. Or did he actually survive and be treated in the Crimea?

It seems that he was saying goodbye to the country - maybe Pushkin really is Alexander Dumas in the future and it was he who wrote The Three Musketeers, it’s not for nothing that he reads superbly avidly, like the tales of Pushkin himself and Ershov handed over the manuscript of The Little Humpbacked Horse for him, otherwise did everyone know that he was alive and did not write poetry anymore?


Well, where is the column, see no? - The arch is already standing, but there is no column yet and people are walking .... and everyone will believe in this nonsense that happened!


Another paid photo bank, obviously hostile - there is no column either! Artists don't even need photoshop.

And why the hell is the carriage turning around the post to the left, and not going to the main entrance to the palace?

Palace Square 1800 Benjamin Patersen. And the white corners did not have time to paint over 216 years ago ??? Previously, watercolors were stretched on a stretcher with flour glue ;-)

In short, the British also tried to destroy the column. How do they all want to destroy everything beautiful in our country or are they jealous?

The Germans in the photobank also carefully cover up the old Russian Flag, which is now the official flag of Holland - Red-White-Blue, and in Russia we have now adopted the trade Flag of Russia - it is now customary to trade with the Motherland if they are afraid to return their Great History. They dance to their tune like pea jesters.
And New Holland or the New Admiralty - the ancient port of Northern Palmyra was now given to the Dutch to dig in and make grass there and planted trees ..... instead of putting ship models there under a glass dome!

Not only the Decembrists died the death of the brave - everyone understood what was happening .... it was not in vain that Tsar Alexander himself washed out of sight and hid in the Tobolsk Monastery and stuck his nose out only in 1836, and in 1837 Pushkin was gone.

"I fell slandered by rumors, bowing my proud head" Lermontov M.

But Pushkin managed to leave us to the descendants and Lukomorye really exists in Siberia and Tsar Saltan - Constantinople, probably foreseeing that we will unwind all the same this tangle of History cunningly woven by spiteful critics according to his fairy tales.
Low bow to the Great Pushkin!
Therefore, Pushkin certainly did not write about this Alexander.

And on the Alexander column, there really was a Torch! And it was definitely the Lighthouse of the Great Alexander, who, after the Empire was torn apart by the Russians, was called Alexander Nevsky, and in the West, Alexander the Great.

Even Google defines the photo of this column exactly as the Alexandrian column on Palace Square in St. Petersburg, so be it.


If Isaakievsky stood before Montferan, then the column easily stood there earlier.


With the first Russian telegraph in the world, which was laid precisely in St. Petersburg and the first radio, which was invented by the Russian engineer Popov, the best maps and directions in the world no longer needed such high Lighthouses, it became easier for ships to navigate and they could really remake the monument according to others considerations, but the fact is that these columns stand in all the central squares of capitals around the world.

And the largest, most perfect column is located in St. Petersburg, the Capital of the Empire, the Capital of Europe and the World in St. Petersburg, the Third Rome, which of course amuses our pride, but brings eternal misfortune to our Country, which everyone took up arms. and how from Russia the Mother of all Russian cities, the eternal donor, how from the mother they want to snatch their Pie and go in hordes. Even now they will not calm down and their troops are only 100 km from St. Petersburg.

It's good that there are people who know the True price of this city, as the Siege survivors who remained in the City understood it, and the whole Country knew that if Leningrad stands, then we will win this War. There is something to fight for.

It’s good that people understand our real Great True History of the Country Returning from the War and believe us, everything will be fine with us if as many people as possible learn about the true History of the City and State from ocean to ocean and the angels will spare our city in WWIII.

Eternal fetters will fall and freedom, we will be received joyfully at the entrance and the brothers will give us the sword ...
It's somehow different, but that's not the point. It is necessary to unite all Russians, save this beauty and prevent war.

I’ll make a complete repost of Sandra of Rome further about the Alexander Column, and then decide for yourself what was in the hand of the angel - the Sword or the Torch? I save all the material dug up by Sandra, as it is on the same page with my text.

Original taken from sandra_rimskaya in the Alexander Column and everything, everything, everything.

According to legend, 1854, photograph of Bianchi. But this is according to the legend of the Prussian Jewish Red Army soldiers of Elston and the Holstein-Gottorp group.

Because in 1873 the monument to the First Prince Mikhail Angel Karus "Tsar Rus" was still standing on the Alexander Column.

02

The cross is retouched. That is, in reality, the statue of the Girl did not have a Cross in the hands.

Photo from 1895. The cross is again very poorly visible.
http://kolonna.e812.ru/foto/pamyatnik.html

Also a photograph, but the Cross is clearly visible.
03

Photo from 1900.

And the cross is really finished!

1. Pay attention to the cross, in the photo of 1900, it is clearly retouched.

2. At the top is not an angel, but a woman, and in her hands is not a cross, but the Earth's axis, the cross is mounted in the process of "restoration". The sphere on which the woman stands is the Earthly sphere, and the snakes are the beginning of all paths. She is depicted on the coat of arms of the Republic of Ingushetia, but called Gabriel.

It can be seen that the "Cross" is drawn. The Alexander Column is ancient, it has already cracked. Custine was in St. Petersburg captured by the Reds in 1879 and wrote that the column was already cracked.

In 1873, the column was not yet visible, it was still "not open", it was inside some building.

All according to the legend: the Alexander Column stands "closed", inside some ancient building and in the forests.

Then the Prussian Jews of the Red Army will "open" it: they will destroy the ancient building, remove their scaffolding around the column and say that they built it themselves, installed a new one.

Gagarin's drawing was made in 1874. And in 1879, the "brand new" Alexander Column had already cracked, in five years?

That is, in 1879 the Alexander Column was ancient. According to Kustin and the Prussian Jewish Red Army censors, in 1879 the Mikhailovsky Castle was also ancient.

And then the question arises: why did the Prussian Jewish soldiers of Elston, the old Red (Prussian) Guard, put scaffolding around the Alexander Column?

The Germans did not restore it. Restored by the Royal Family, "Kings". And they put up a new monument. This is according to the stories of historians and old-timers of the City.

It turns out that in 1874 the red Prussian Jewish soldiers of Elston, "Nicholas", removed the statue of the First Prince Michael Angel Carus of the First Emperor Diocletian from the Alexander Column?

I would like to know from whom: in what year of the second half of the 19th century did the Jews in Odessa have a statue of "Duke", which was on the Alexander Column?

This is a 2002 restoration. Alexander column in the woods, for comparison.

07

According to legend, the column was restored in 1861. We add Romanov's 40 years and get the date of the restoration of the column: 1861 + 40 = 1901.

The decorative lanterns near the column were made 40 years after the opening - in 1876 by the architect K. K. Rakhau.
Which also fits into our Chronology: in 1874, the Alexander Column was “discovered” from scaffolding and an ancient building, and in 1876, decorative lanterns were installed.
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 that were originally characteristic of the monolith, but it was feared that an increase in the number and size of them "may give rise to the collapse of the column."
There were discussions about the materials that should be used to seal these cavities. The Russian “grandfather of chemistry” A. A. Voskresensky proposed a composition “which was supposed to give the 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 fixed on the abacus of the capitals - 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 great height of the column.
For all the time 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.
The restoration was carried out in 1963 (foreman N. N. Reshetov, the work was supervised by the restorer I. G. Black).
In 1977, restoration work was carried out on Palace Square: historical lanterns were restored around the column, the asphalt pavement was replaced with granite and diabase paving stones.
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 study of the column. They were forced to be produced on the recommendation of specialists from the Museum of Urban Sculpture. The alarm of specialists was caused 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 party” on top of the column using a special Magirus Deutz fire crane.

Having fixed at the top, the climbers took photos and videos of the sculpture. It was concluded that the urgent need for restoration work.

Restorations were in 1901, in 1963 and in 2001-2003.
1901 - 1874 = 27 years difference. 1963 - 1901 = 62 years difference. 2001 - 1963 = 38 years.

It can be seen that the girl had something in her hand. They say that there was a Torch (the Sword "Argument"), among the Jews it is called: "The Grail, from which God drank." But these are again the legends of the Prussian Jewish Red Army soldiers of Elston Nikolai, the invaders. They say that this Torch (the Argument Sword, the Grail) disappeared under Nicholas, that is, Elston, even before the Holstein-Gottorp group of Christian 9 (Alexander 2) 1903-1917.

Statue of the Goddess of Liberty in the USA, Bringing Light to the American (Army?) Peoples. Gift of the Czartoryski-Conde: Corporation of Officers of the General Staff of the Bella Arm Air Carus to the peoples of America (Armycarus?) after the lost Civil War for the Independence of the United States from the Nikolaev Jewish soldiers of the old Red (Prussian) guard Elston Nikolai in 1853-1871.

And Prussia changed its name to Germany, and our Nikolaev Jewish soldiers of the old red (Prussian) guard of Elston-Sumarokov: Gray slave war crimes changed their name and became Germans and Jews, Nikolaev Jewish soldiers of the old red (German) army of Elston-Sumarokov 1853-1953

Archangel Michael is known primarily as a great commander, archangel. He is the conqueror of Satan himself, he is a great prince standing up for the sons of the Jewish people. According to legend, he saves Abraham from the fiery furnace, and Isaac from the knife of Abraham. It is he who leads the people through the wilderness to the promised land, and he also gives Moses the tablets of the Law. He is called the keeper of the magic words with which heaven and earth were created. He was seen at the gates of paradise with a fiery sword, and it is he who carries the body of the dead Mother of God to heaven.

Archangel Michael is dedicated to several holidays. The main and oldest of them is celebrated on November 21st. It was established in 363 by the Council of Laodicea, which recognized the doctrine of angels as creators and rulers of the world as heresy, but retained their cult. Officially, the holiday is called the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael and other incorporeal heavenly forces. That is, angels. Therefore, to begin with, it is worth saying a few words about who angels are in general.

John of Damascus defines: “An angel is an entity endowed with a mind, always moving, having free will, incorporeal, serving God, having received immortality for its nature by grace.” The angelic doctor Thomas Aquinas clarifies: "God controls the corporeal world through angels." “They differ from Divine energies,” explains Alexey Losev, “in that they are created, that is, they are substantially other-being, while Divine energies are substantially inseparable from God Himself and therefore are God Himself. The ethereal forces, as the idea of ​​all further otherness, comprehend and shape all otherness, and therefore the doctrine of the Guardian Angel is a completely elementary dialectical necessity. Not only man, but everything that exists in the world, every smallest grain of sand has its own guardian angel.

An angel is the living meaning of things. He himself is incorporeal, lives outside of space and time. But it can appear in our bodily world, as, for example, the same Michael appeared to the priest Archippus in Khonekh and, with a blow of a rod, diverted the seething stream from his temple.

The angel comes into contact with this place solely through his power. Therefore, the movements of the angel are reduced to the successive application of its force to different points. And he clarifies: “The angel moves in discontinuous time. It can appear here and there, and there will be no time gap between these points. It is impossible to call the beginning and the end of the movement of an angel two moments, between which there is a time interval; in the same way, it cannot be said that the beginning of the movement covers a period of time ending with the moment of the end of the movement. The beginning is one moment and the end is another. There is no time between them at all. We can say that the angel moves in time, but not in the way that the body moves.

Michael Archangel Patron Saint of High Energy Physics

The author of the theory of morphogenic fields, Rupert Sheldrake, believes that Thomas' idea of ​​the movement of angels refers to quantum physics: “A photon is in one place at the moment when, for example, light comes from the Sun, and in another place at the moment when sunlight touches anything on earth. The time interval between these moments is about eight minutes. Thus, we can attribute speed to light. But according to the theory of relativity - and this was one of the starting points for Einstein - there is no time cost from the point of view of the photon itself. There is an instant connection between the light coming from the sun and the light coming into contact with an earthly object. A photon does not age” (more details here).

As you can see, modern ideas about the movement of quantum particles have the same mental roots as the Thomistic idea of ​​the movement of angels. In modern fiction, this seems to be called "zero-transportation". Be that as it may, angels, whom spirit seers often describe as beings of light, may well have a particle-wave nature. They are incorporeal, like waves propagating in a certain angelic field, and they are corporeal, since they appear to a person in the material world. But only this is a special corporality. Perhaps it is best to call it virtual. And turn on the TV. The plots with which it is filled, of course, are worked out by angels put at the service of propaganda. Media is one of their most prominent areas of activity today. It's not that some Konstantin Ernst is an angel. But who will argue with the fact that he has a reliable guardian angel behind him?

Archangel Michael-Patron of the Russian land

Archangel Michael is the archangel (in Greek - the supreme commander), the commander of the voivode of angels faithful to God, the victorious enemy of Satan, the conqueror of evil. He is considered the patron saint of warriors fighting for a just cause.

The very name Michael means in Hebrew "who is like God." And this alone speaks of how highly he is revered by the Holy Church. He cast down the devil and all the fallen spirits from Heaven. Archangel Michael did not deprive us and our Fatherland of his intercession when he saved Novgorod the Great from the Tatar Khan Batu in 1239, it was not by chance that Michael was depicted on many military banners in Rus' as the archangel of God's army. For more than a thousand years, Archangel Michael has been the patron saint of the Russian land.
Archangel Michael in Scripture is called "prince", "leader of the host of the Lord"
In the spirit of Holy Scripture, some Fathers of the Church see the Archangel Michael as a participant in other important events in the life of the people of God, where, however, he is not called by name.
THE HOLY ARCHISTRATIG OF GOD MICHAEL VOEVODA
Michael is mentioned three times in the Revelation of Daniel. The "man" who appeared to Daniel (judging by the description, Jesus Christ Himself as God) tells about His struggle against the "Prince of Persia": "Behold, Michael, one of the first princes, came to help me" (Dan. 10:13); "there is none to support me in this but Michael your prince" (Dan. 10:21). This clearly refers to the unnamed patron angel of Persia and Michael as the patron angel of Israel.

However, the next mention of Michael in Daniel's prophecy makes us think of him as an earthly person. In connection with the description of the campaigns of the "despicable" king (in the Revelation of John, the image of the "beast from the abyss" corresponds to him), Daniel says:

"And at that time Michael will rise, the great prince, standing for the sons of your people." Dan. 12:1.
ARCHANGEL MICHAEL ANGEL OF THE APOCALYPSE

10 Mikhail in armor with aerodynamic wings

Scepter and Orb - Archangel Michael the Byzantine Caesar Carus The First Emperor Diocletian from the Pillar of Alexandria in his Tsaregrad - the Imperial New City, the Capital of the Russian Tsars.

All with weapons in their hands. And only - one - the most Chief Angel in the Empire of the Army of Angels Michael the Archangel, his Deputy. along the Alexander Column stands without weapons in his hands. Nicholas stole the Argument Sword (Grail). The Germans throughout Germany were looking for this Sword: "Argument" (the Holy Grail), in order to return it to its place in the hands of the Angel on the Alexander Column.

When I was little, I had a conversation with an adult man about the empty hand of "Mikhail", because in Leningrad everyone was sure that Mikhail, the First Prince of Russia, was standing there: Master of the City and Founder of the State, former God of Russia: "Spas" , Father of the Russian Army, First Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army and its Creator.

And I felt so sorry for the Prince, and I asked:

And he was also disarmed? How are we in OSV-2? So how will he protect his people if he does not have a weapon in his hands? What? Will his bandits just obey?

Yuri Mikhailovich slyly grinned through his mustache and said:

Who? Michael something? But don't worry: Mikhail is dangerous even without a weapon!

This is what I remembered for the rest of my life: “Mikhail will protect. He can do anything. He is dangerous even without a weapon!

09 Alexander Column with a monument to Duke.

10 Duke. Odessans say that Duke was brought to them from St. Petersburg in the 19th century, and before that he stood on the Alexander Column.

Paris, May 1871. The Prussian Jews of the Red Army of Elston threw down the monument to the First Prince Mikhail Angel Karus "Tsar Rus" from the Vendôme column. Statue of the First Emperor Diocletian Michael Angel Carus "Tsar Rus" in Paris, a copy of the St. Petersburg-Odessa "Duke".

It seems that in 1874 the monument to the First Prince - Caesar Mef Karus, whom our Prussian Jews-Red Army soldiers of Elston renamed Michael the Archangel Diocletian, the First Emperor, still stood on the Alexander Column.

Because in 1871, the Prussian Jews of the Red Army only captured Paris and destroyed the Vendome column with a monument to Caesar Mef Karus, the knightly name of Chart Rus, the First Prince.

And I think that monuments in the USA and Russia were erected at the same time. Set by the Army. And the Cossacks of Elston became Jews with us, the Red Army soldiers of Elston: Gray slave war crimes, persons who betrayed the Oath. Now, since 1853, they have been running around with the entire Red Army, they still cannot agree among themselves: what are they called now? Either they are Prussian Jews, then they are Russian Jews, then they are German occupiers, then they are Soviet occupiers, then they are Slavs, then they are Christians, then Soviet peasants Hohenzollern, Holstein, Bronstein and Blank, chaps: Germans and Jews with weapons in their hands from 1853 -1953 Traitors.

If you steal someone else's History, live in someone else's houses and cities, in a foreign state, impersonate Russian (Army), ban the human language and force everyone to learn the language of their monkey, then probably your children and grandchildren will be loved in Russia captured by you.

When did Jews create Yiddish for themselves? In the 1910s? Well, here are all the tales about the Jews. We have other Jews: the Cossacks of Elston: Gray slave war crimes, persons who betrayed the oath, the entire red army of Elston-Sumarokov and the Holstein-Gottorp group.

Who would have believed that some beggarly cloaked Jews are capable of seizing power over the Cossacks? There would be no prices for the Jews then. Only if the Cossacks themselves were those Jewish soldiers of Elston: Gray slave war crimes, persons who betrayed the Oath.
The fact that the Romanovs were Jews, we learned recently. Officially, the Romanovs were Germans, and they called themselves Slavs.
And the Slavs proved to us that they were Russians, only for some reason Soviet Christian Jews with German bayonets from 1853-1953. They were Elstonian bandits, they became Stalinist bandits. And the gang is the same: dimacrezi social commune party intelligences. In the CPSU, Lenin ennobled her in 1917, contrary to Trotsky's prohibition.

And the Cross was already placed by Soviet Jewish soldiers with German bayonets during the restoration of 1901. But they say that she was in 1903. The Cossacks have been walking around as they please for thousands of years. What's two years? The biography of the Cossacks for 1352 does not converge with the General Staff of the Russian Army. State and National.

Alexander Column(often called Alexandria pillar, according to the poem by A. S. Pushkin "Monument") - one of the most famous monuments of St. Petersburg.

It is under the jurisdiction of the Museum of Urban Sculpture.

Erected in the Empire style in 1834 in the center of the Palace Square by the architect Auguste Montferrand by decree of Emperor Nicholas I in memory of the victory of his elder brother Alexander I over Napoleon.

History of creation

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 given 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, he rejected the proposed idea of ​​installing another equestrian statue of 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, but this option was rejected by the emperor.

A sketch of that project has been preserved and is currently in the library of the Institute of Railway Engineers. Montferrand proposed to erect a huge granite obelisk 25.6 meters (84 feet or 12 fathoms) high on an 8.22 meters (27 feet) granite plinth. 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 the medalist Count F. P. Tolstoy.

On the pedestal it was planned to carry out the inscription "Blessed - grateful Russia." On the pedestal, the architect saw a rider on a horse trampling a snake underfoot; a double-headed eagle flies ahead of the rider, the goddess of victory follows the rider, 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 known monoliths in the world with its height (secretly highlighting the obelisk installed by D. Fontana in front of St. Peter's Cathedral). The artistic part of the project is excellently done in watercolor technique and testifies to the high skill of Montferrand in various areas of fine art.

Trying to defend his project, the architect acted within the limits of subordination, dedicating his essay to Nicholas I " Plans et details du monument consacr e a la memoire de l'Empereur Alexandre”, but the idea was nevertheless rejected and Montferrand was unambiguously pointed out 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 the Vendôme column (erected in honor of Napoleon's victories). Trajan's Column in Rome was suggested to Montferrand as a source of inspiration.

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, such as the bas-reliefs that spirally wrap around the rod of the ancient Trajan's column. Montferrand showed the beauty of a gigantic polished pink granite monolith 25.6 meters high (12 fathoms).

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

Construction was carried out from 1829 to 1834. Since 1831, Count Yu. P. Litta was appointed chairman of the "Commission for the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral", which was also responsible for the installation of the column.

Preparatory work

For the granite monolith - the main part of the column - a rock was used, which the sculptor outlined during his previous trips to Finland. Mining and pre-treatment were carried out in 1830-1832 in the Pyuterlak quarry, which was located between Vyborg and Friedrichsgam. 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.

After the masons, having examined the rock, confirmed the suitability of the material, a prism was cut off from it, much larger than the future column. Giant devices were used: huge levers and gates in order to move the block from its place and overturn it on a soft and elastic bedding of spruce branches.

After separating the workpiece, huge stones were cut from the same rock for the foundation of the monument, the largest of which weighed about 25,000 pounds (more than 400 tons). Their delivery to St. Petersburg was carried out by water, for this a special design barge was involved.

The monolith was duped on the spot and prepared for transportation. Ship engineer Colonel Glasin dealt with transportation issues, who designed and built a special boat, named "Saint Nicholas", with a carrying capacity of up to 65,000 pounds (1,100 tons). To perform loading operations, a special pier was built. Loading was carried out from a wooden platform at its end, coinciding in height with the ship's side.

Having overcome all the difficulties, the column was loaded on board, and the monolith went to Kronstadt on a barge towed by two steamers, in order to go from there 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, the merchant's son V. A. Yakovlev, was responsible for all of the above work, further work was carried out on the spot under the guidance of O. Montferrand.

Business qualities, extraordinary intelligence and diligence of Yakovlev were noted by Montferrand. He most likely acted on his own. at your own expense» - assuming all financial and other risks associated with the project. This is indirectly confirmed by the words

Works in St. Petersburg

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

First, a geological survey of the area was carried out, as a result of which a suitable sandy continent was found near the center of the area at a depth of 17 feet (5.2 m). In December 1829, the place for the column was approved, and 1250 six-meter pine piles were driven under the foundation. Then the piles were cut to the 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 at the level of the water table, which ensured the horizontality of the site.

This method was proposed by Lieutenant General A. A. Betancourt, an architect and engineer, organizer of construction and transport in the Russian Empire. Earlier, 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 brought out to the horizon of the square with a plank masonry. In its center was laid a bronze box with coins minted in honor of the victory of 1812.

The work was completed in October 1830.

Building a pedestal

After laying the foundation, a huge four-hundred-ton monolith, brought from the Pyuterlak quarry, was hoisted onto 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:

1. Installing the monolith on the foundation

• The monolith was rolled on rollers through an inclined plane onto a platform built close to the foundation.
• The stone was dumped on a heap of sand, which had previously been poured next to the platform.

“At the same time, the earth trembled so much that the eyewitnesses - passers-by who were on the square at that moment, felt, as it were, an underground shock.”

• Supports were brought up, then the workers shoveled the sand and placed rollers.
• The props were cut and the block sank onto the rollers.
• The stone was rolled onto the foundation.

• The ropes thrown over the blocks were stretched with nine capstans, and the stone was lifted to a height of about one meter.
• They took out the rollers and added a layer of slippery solution, very peculiar in its composition, on which they planted a monolith.

The setting of the upper parts of the pedestal was a much simpler task - despite the greater height of the rise, the subsequent steps consisted of stones much smaller than the previous ones, moreover, the workers gradually gained experience.

Column installation

By July 1832, the column monolith was on the way, and the pedestal had already been completed. The time has come to begin the most difficult task - the installation of the column on the pedestal.

This part of the work was also carried out by Lieutenant General A. A. Betancourt. In December 1830, he designed an original lifting system. It included: scaffolding 22 fathoms (47 meters) high, 60 capstans and a system of blocks, and he took advantage of all this as follows:

• On an inclined plane, the column was rolled up to a special platform located at the foot of the scaffolding and wrapped around with many rings of ropes to which blocks were attached;
• Another system of blocks was at the top of the scaffolding;
• A large number of ropes encircling the stone went around the upper and lower blocks and were wound with free ends on capstans placed on the square.

At the end of all preparations, the day of the solemn rise was appointed.

On August 30, 1832, masses of people gathered to watch this event: they occupied the entire square, and besides this window and the 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 to a vertical position on Palace Square, engineer A. A. Betancourt needed to involve the forces of 2000 soldiers and 400 workers, who installed the monolith in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

The block of stone rose obliquely, slowly crawled, then broke away from the ground and was brought to a position above the pedestal. On command, the ropes were released, the column smoothly lowered and took its place. The people shouted "Hurrah!" loudly. The sovereign himself was very pleased with the successful completion of the case.

The final stage

After the installation of the column, it remained to fix the bas-relief plates and decorative elements on the pedestal, as well as to complete the final processing and polishing of the column. The column was topped with a Doric bronze capital with a rectangular masonry abacus 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 that was supposed to be placed above it and, according to the wishes of Nicholas I, facing the Winter Palace. In the original project, the column was completed by a cross wrapped around with a snake to decorate the fasteners. In addition, the sculptors of the Academy of Arts proposed several options for the compositions of the figures of angels and virtues with a cross. There was a variant with the installation of the figure of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky.

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

Finishing and polishing of the monument lasted two years.

Opening of the monument

The opening of the monument took place on August 30 (September 11), 1834 and marked the completion of work on the design of Palace Square. The ceremony was attended by the sovereign, the royal family, the diplomatic corps, a hundred thousandth Russian army and representatives of the Russian army. It was carried out in an emphatically Orthodox entourage and was accompanied by a solemn divine service at the foot of the column, in which the kneeling troops and the emperor himself took part.

This open-air service drew a parallel with the historical prayer service of the Russian troops in Paris on the day of Orthodox Easter on March 29 (April 10), 1814.

Then a military parade was held on the square. It was attended by regiments that distinguished themselves in the Patriotic War of 1812; in total, about a hundred thousand people took part in the parade:

In honor of this event, a memorial ruble was issued in the same year with a circulation of 15,000.

Description of the monument

The Alexander Column resembles samples of the triumphal buildings of antiquity, the monument has an amazing clarity of proportions, laconic form, and beauty of the silhouette.

Text on the plaque:

Grateful Russia to Alexander I

This is the tallest monument in the world, made of solid granite and the third tallest after the Grand Army Column in Boulogne-sur-Mer and Trafalgar (Nelson's Column) in London. It is taller than similar monuments in the world: the Vendôme Column in Paris, Trajan's Column in Rome and Pompey's Column in Alexandria.

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).
• The height of the pedestal is 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 diameter 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 shaft of the column is about 600 tons.
• The total weight of the top of the column 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 C. Byrd's factory in 1833-1834.

A large team of authors worked on the decoration of the pedestal: sketch drawings were made by O. Montferrand, artists J. B. Scotty, V. Solovyov, Tverskoy, F. Brullo, Markov painted life-size bas-reliefs on cardboard. Sculptors P. V. Svintsov and I. Leppe sculpted bas-reliefs for casting. The models of double-headed eagles were made by the sculptor I. Leppe, the models of the base, garlands and other decorations were made by the ornamental sculptor E. Balin.

The bas-reliefs on the pedestal of the column in allegorical form glorify the victory of Russian weapons and symbolize the courage of the Russian army.

The bas-reliefs include images of ancient Russian chain mail, cones and shields kept in the Armory in Moscow, including helmets attributed to Alexander Nevsky and Yermak, as well as the armor of the 17th century of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and that, despite Montferrand's claims, it is completely doubtful that the shield Oleg of the X century, nailed by him 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, a well-known lover of Russian antiquity A. N. Olenin.

In addition to armor and allegories, allegorical figures are depicted on the pedestal from the northern (front) side: winged female figures hold a rectangular board on which the inscription in civil script: "Grateful Russia to Alexander the First." Under the board is an exact copy of armor samples from the armory.

The symmetrically located figures on the sides of the armament (on the left - a beautiful young woman leaning on an urn from which water pours out and on the right - an old aquarius) personify the Vistula and Neman rivers, which were forced 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, the pedestal depicts the allegories of Victory and Peace (the years 1812, 1813 and 1814 are inscribed on the Victory shield), Justice and Mercy, Wisdom and Abundance ".

On the upper corners of the pedestal there are double-headed eagles, they hold oak garlands in their paws, lying on the ledge of the cornice of the pedestal. On the front side of the pedestal, above the garland, in the middle - in a circle bordered with an oak wreath, the All-Seeing Eye with the signature "1812".

On all the bas-reliefs, weapons of a classical nature are depicted as decorative elements, which

Column and sculpture of an angel

The stone column is a single piece of polished pink granite. The trunk of the column has a conical shape.

The top of the column is crowned with a bronze Doric capital. Its upper part, a rectangular abacus, is made of brickwork with bronze lining. A bronze cylindrical pedestal with a hemispherical top is installed on it, inside which is the main support array, consisting of multi-layered masonry: granite, brick and two more layers of granite at the base.

The monument is crowned with the figure of an angel by Boris Orlovsky. In his left hand, the angel holds a four-pointed Latin cross, and raises it to heaven with his right hand. The head of the angel is tilted, his gaze is fixed on the ground.

According to the original design of Auguste Montferrand, the figure at the top of the column rested on a steel bar, which was later removed, and during the restoration of 2002-2003, it turned out that the angel is held by its own bronze mass.

Not only is the column itself taller than the Vendome column, the figure of an angel surpasses in height the figure of Napoleon I on the Vendome column. The sculptor gave the angel's facial features a resemblance to the face of Alexander I. In addition, the angel tramples a snake with a cross, which symbolizes the peace and tranquility that Russia brought to Europe by defeating the Napoleonic troops.

The light figure of an angel, the falling folds of clothing, the clearly expressed vertical of the cross, continuing the vertical of the monument, emphasize the harmony of the column.

The fence and surroundings of the monument

The Alexander Column was surrounded by a decorative bronze fence designed by Auguste Montferrand. The height of the fence is about 1.5 meters. The fence was decorated with 136 double-headed eagles and 12 captured cannons (4 in the corners and 2 are 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 staffs of banners, topped with guards double-headed eagles. Locks were hung on the gates of the fence in accordance with the author's intention.

In addition, the project included the installation of a chandelier with copper lanterns and gas lighting.

The fence in its original form was installed in 1834, all the elements were completely installed in 1836-1837.

In the north-eastern corner of the fence there was a guardhouse, in which there was a disabled person dressed in full dress guard uniform, guarding the monument day and night and keeping order in the square.

The entire space of the Palace Square was paved with ends.

Stories and legends associated with the Alexander Column

• It is noteworthy that both the installation of the column on the pedestal and the opening of the monument took place on August 30 (September 11, according to the new style). This is not an accidental coincidence: this is the day of the transfer of the relics of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky to St. Petersburg, the main day of the celebration of St. Alexander Nevsky.

Alexander Nevsky is the heavenly protector of the city, therefore the angel, looking from the top of the Alexander Column, has always been perceived primarily as a protector and guardian.

• For the parade of troops on Palace Square, the Yellow (now Pevchesky) Bridge was built according to the project of O. Montferrand.
• After the opening of the column, Petersburgers were very afraid that it would fall and tried not to approach it. These fears were based both on the fact that the column was not fixed, and on the fact that Montferrand was forced to make changes to the project at the last moment: the blocks of power structures of the top - the abacus, on which the figure of an angel is mounted, was originally conceived in granite ; but at the last moment it had to be replaced with brickwork with a lime-based binder.

In order to dispel the fears of the townspeople, the architect Montferrand made it a rule to walk every morning with his beloved dog right under the pillar, which he did almost until his death.

• In perestroika, magazines wrote that there was a project to install a huge statue of V.I. Lenin on the pillar, and in 2002 the media spread the message that in 1952 they were going to replace the figure of an angel with a bust of Stalin.

legends

• During the construction of the Alexander Column, there were rumors that this monolith turned out by chance in a row of columns for St. Isaac's Cathedral. Allegedly, having received a column longer than necessary, they decided to use this stone on Palace Square.
• The French envoy at the St. Petersburg court reports interesting information about this monument:

• After the restoration began in 2002-2003, non-authoritative newspaper publications began to spread information that the column was not solid, but consisted of a certain number of "pancakes" so skillfully fitted to each other that the seams between them were practically invisible.
• Newlyweds come to the Alexander Column, and the groom carries the bride in his arms around the pillar. According to legend, the number of times the bridegroom with the bride in his arms goes around the column, so many children will be born to them.

Addition and restoration work

Two years after the installation of the monument, in 1836, white-gray spots began to appear on the polished surface of the stone under the bronze top of the granite column, spoiling the appearance of the monument.

In 1841, Nicholas I ordered an inspection of the flaws that were then noticed on the column, but the conclusion of the survey stated that even during processing, 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 that were originally characteristic of the monolith, but it was feared that an increase in the number and size of them "may give rise to the collapse of the column."

There were discussions about the materials that should be used to seal these cavities. The Russian “grandfather of chemistry” A. A. Voskresensky proposed a composition “which should have been given to the 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 fixed on the abacus of the capitals - 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 great height of the column.

The decorative lanterns near the column were made 40 years after the opening - in 1876 by the architect K. K. Rakhau.

For all the time 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 for the holidays the angel was covered with a red-painted canvas cap or masked with balloons descended from a hovering airship.

The fence was dismantled and melted down for cartridge cases in the 1930s.

During the blockade of Leningrad, the monument was covered only by 2/3 of the height. Unlike the horses of Klodt or the sculptures of the Summer Garden, the sculpture remained in its place and the angel was injured: a deep fragmentation mark remained on one of the wings, in addition to this, more than a hundred minor damages were caused to the monument by shell fragments. One of the fragments was stuck in the bas-relief image of the helmet of Alexander Nevsky, from where it was removed in 2003.

The restoration was carried out in 1963 (foreman N. N. Reshetov, the work was supervised by the restorer I. G. Black).

In 1977, restoration work was carried out on Palace Square: historical lanterns were restored around the column, the asphalt pavement was replaced with granite and diabase paving stones.

Engineering and restoration work at the beginning of the XXI 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 study of the column. They were forced to be produced on the recommendation of specialists from the Museum of Urban Sculpture. The alarm of specialists was caused 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 party” on top of the column using a special Magirus Deutz fire crane.

Having fixed at the top, the climbers took photos and videos of the sculpture. It was concluded that the urgent need for restoration work.

The restoration was financed by the Moscow association Hazer International Rus. To carry out works worth 19.5 million rubles on the monument, the company Intarsia was chosen; this choice was made due to the presence in the organization of personnel with extensive experience in such critical facilities. L. Kakabadze, K. Efimov, A. Poshekhonov, P. Portuguese were engaged in the work at the facility. The work was supervised by the restorer of the first category Sorin V.G.

By the autumn of 2002, the scaffolding had been erected, and the conservators carried out on-site surveys. 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 an angel relied 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 general 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 of the emerging spots 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 led to 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 shell of the sculpture. This water, seeping down into the pedestal and freezing in winter, ruptured the cylinder, giving it a barrel shape.

The following tasks were set for the restorers:

1. Get rid of water:

• Remove water from the cavities of the top;
• Prevent water accumulation in the future;

The work was carried out mainly in winter at high altitude without dismantling the sculpture, both outside and inside the structure. Control over the work was carried out by both specialized 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 weight of the finial in the abacus was replaced with granite, self-locking constructions without binders. Thus, the original intention of Montferrand was again realized. The bronze surfaces of the monument were protected by patination.

In addition, more than 50 fragments left over from the blockade of Leningrad were removed from the monument.

Scaffolding from the monument was removed in March 2003.

Fence repair

The fence was made according to a project completed in 1993 by the Lenproektrestavratsiya Institute. The work was financed from the city budget, the costs amounted to 14 million 700 thousand rubles. The historical fence of the monument was restored by the specialists of Intarsia LLC. Installation of the fence began on November 18, and the grand opening took place on January 24, 2004.

Soon after the discovery, a part of the lattice was stolen as a result of two "raids" of 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 St. Petersburg Central Internal Affairs Directorate decided to establish a round-the-clock police post near the Alexander Column.

Ice rink around the column

At the end of March 2008, an examination of the condition of the column fence was carried out, a defective statement was drawn up for all the loss of elements. It recorded:

• 53 places of deformation,
• 83 lost parts,
• Loss of 24 small eagles and one large eagle,
• 31 partial loss of details.

• 28 eagles
• 26 spades

The loss did not receive an explanation from the St. Petersburg officials and was not commented on by the organizers of the rink.

The organizers of the skating rink undertook obligations to the city administration to restore the lost elements of the fence. Work was to begin after the May holidays of 2008.

References in art

According to art historians, the talented work of O. Montferrand has clear proportions, laconism of form, beauty of lines and silhouette. Both immediately after its creation and subsequently, this architectural work has repeatedly inspired artists.

As an iconic element of the urban landscape, it has been repeatedly depicted by landscape painters.

An indicative modern example is the video clip for the song "Love" (director S. Debezhev, author - Y. Shevchuk) from the album of the same name by the DDT group. In this clip, among other things, an analogy is made between the column and the silhouette of a space rocket. In addition to being used in the video clip, a snapshot of the bas-relief of the pedestal was used to design the album sleeve.

Also, the column is 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 "Monument". Pushkin's Alexandria Pillar is a complex image, it contains not only a monument to Alexander I, but also an allusion to the obelisks of Alexandria and Horace. At the first publication, the name "Alexandria" was replaced by V. A. Zhukovsky out of fear of censorship for "Napoleons" (meaning the Vendome column).

In addition, Pushkin's contemporaries attributed the couplet.

Many tourists are admired. The Alexander Column occupies a special place among them. Many of those who come to go first of all to the Palace Square. It is here that the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg is located. It is one of the most famous monuments of this city. This Empire style building was erected in the center of Palace Square in 1834. Architect - O. Montferrand. The Alexander Column in St. Petersburg was built by decree of Nicholas I. It is a tribute to the memory of the victory over Napoleon Alexander I, which is very important for Russia and the whole world. Below is the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg (photo taken several years ago).

The idea of ​​Carl Rossi

This monument complements the composition of the General Staff Arch dedicated to the victory in the war of 1812. Carl Rossi, gave the idea of ​​building a monument. He believed that a monument should be placed in the center of Palace Square. Rossi rejected the idea of ​​installing another statue of Peter I on horseback. He wanted to see something else.

Montferrand's original design

The idea did not immediately arise, which was subsequently implemented as the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg. Let's briefly talk about the initial project proposed to the emperor. In 1829, an officially open competition was announced. Auguste Montferrand responded to him with his project of erecting a grandiose granite obelisk. However, the emperor considered that the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg should look somewhat different. A brief description of the original project can be made on the basis of its sketch, which has been preserved. The architect proposed to install a granite obelisk, the height of which will be 25.6 m, on a granite plinth. It was also supposed to decorate the front face of this obelisk with bas-reliefs depicting the events of the war of 1812. The architect saw on a pedestal a rider on a horse who tramples a snake with his feet. A double-headed eagle flies ahead of him. The goddess of victory follows the rider, crowning him with laurels. Two female figures lead a horse.

Influences of previous designs and design personality

The second project, implemented later, consisted in the installation of a column, the height of which exceeds that erected in honor of Napoleon's victories of Vendôme, installed on the square of the same name. Auguste Montferrand was suggested as a source of inspiration by the Roman Column of Trajan. The narrow scope of this project did not allow the architect to get away from the influence of samples known to the whole world. Only a slight modification of the ideas of his predecessors was the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg. The description of it, however, would not be entirely accurate if we did not mention the originality of this monument. In it, Montferrand expressed his own individuality by refusing to use additional decorations in the structure, such as bas-reliefs spiraling around the shaft of Trajan's column. The architect preferred to show the beauty of polished pink granite. 25.6 m is the height of the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg. Montferrand made his monument higher than all existing ones. In 1829, on September 24, the project was approved by the sovereign in this new form, without sculptural completion. In the period from 1829 to 1834, construction was carried out.

Extraction of stone for the future column

A rock was used for the main part of the column (granite monolith). Its sculptor had already outlined it during his previous trips to Finland. In 1830-32. mining and preliminary processing of the rock was carried out in the Pyuterlak quarry, located between Friedrichsgam and Vyborg. These works were carried out according to the Sukhanov method. V. A. Yakovlev and S. V. Kolodkin supervised the production. After examining the rock, the masons confirmed the suitability of this material, they cut off a prism from it, which was much larger in size than the future column. Giant devices were used for this: huge gates and levers in order to move a huge block from its place and then tip it over onto a resilient and soft bed of spruce branches. Huge stones were cut out of the same rock after the blank was cut off for the foundation of the monument. The largest of them weighed over 400 tons.

Delivery of stone and columns to St. Petersburg

It was very difficult at that time to implement such a grandiose project as the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg. Interesting facts are connected not only with the extraction of stone, but also with its transportation. Parts of the future column were delivered by water to St. Petersburg. A barque of a special design was used for this. The monolith itself was duped on the spot, after which it was prepared for transportation. Colonel Glasin, the ship's engineer, handled transportation issues. He designed and then built a special boat called "Saint Nicholas". Its carrying capacity reached 1100 tons. A special pier was built for loading operations. Loading was carried out from a wooden platform. The column was loaded on board, after which, on a barge towed by two steamers, the monolith went to Kronstadt, and then to St. Petersburg to Palace Embankment. In 1832, on July 1, the central part of the future column arrived in St. Petersburg - an important event that marked the history of the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg.

Column foundation

Since 1829, work began on the construction of the pedestal and foundation on Palace Square. They were led by the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg. First of all, a geological survey of the nearest area was carried out. The sandy continent was found at a depth of 5.2 m near the center of the area. The place for the column was approved in 1829. 1250 six-meter pine piles were driven under its foundation. Then they were cut to the spirit level. Thus, it turned out to be a platform for the foundation on which the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg was supposed to stand. A brief description of the foundation is as follows. It consists of stone granite blocks half a meter thick. With plank masonry, the foundation was raised to the horizon of the square. A bronze box with coins minted in honor of the victory in the war of 1812 was placed in its center. The work was completed in 1830, in October. The artist G. Gagarin captured on his canvas how the Alexander Column was built in St. Petersburg.

Column hoisting

A new stage was the hoisting of a 400-ton monolith on the foundation. This monolith serves as the base of the pedestal. At that time, of course, it was not easy to install such a heavy stone on the foundation. But they coped with this task. In 1832, by July, the pedestal was completed, and the monolith of the column was on its way. Now the most difficult task was to install the column on the pedestal. The original lifting system was designed by A. A. Betancourt in December 1830. For this, scaffolding 47 meters high, 60 capstans, as well as a block system were needed.

The column was rolled up an inclined plane to a special platform located at the foot of the scaffolding. After that, she was wrapped in rings of ropes with blocks attached to them. At the top of the scaffolding was another system of blocks. A large number of ropes that encircled the stone were wound with free ends on the capstans placed on the square. The sovereign, together with the entire imperial family, came to the raising. On Palace Square, to bring the column to a vertical position, Betancourt needed to attract the forces of 400 workers and 2000 soldiers, who installed a monolith in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Establishing a statue at the top of a column

After installation, it only remained to fix the decorative elements and bas-relief plates on the pedestal, as well as to polish the column. In September 1830, in parallel with the work on the construction of the column, Montferrand also worked on the statue that was supposed to crown it. It was supposed to be turned, according to the desire of Nicholas I, to the Column in the original project was completed by a cross, which was wrapped around a snake. The sculptors of the Academy of Arts, in addition, offered several options for angels with a cross. As a result, the figure, made by B. I. Orlovsky, was accepted for execution. The polishing and finishing of the monument lasted two years.

Grand opening of the monument

In 1834, on August 30, work on Palace Square was completed. The sovereign with his family, representatives of the Russian army and a 100,000-strong Russian army were present at the opening ceremony. In the Orthodox surroundings, it was carried out. The opening was accompanied by a solemn divine service performed at the foot of the column. In honor of the opening of this monument, a commemorative ruble was issued, the circulation of which amounted to 15,000 coins.

Description of the monument

Samples of triumphal buildings from antiquity are reminiscent of the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg, the photo of which is presented in this article. This monument has an amazing beauty of silhouette, laconic form, clarity of proportions. It is the tallest in the world, created from solid granite. The monument is crowned with the figure of an angel, made by Boris Orlovsky. He holds a four-pointed Latin cross in his left hand and raises his right hand to the sky. The head of the angel is tilted, his eyes are fixed on the ground. His figure, according to the original design of Montferrand, was supposed to be based on a steel bar. However, it was later removed. When restoration was carried out in 2002-2003, it turned out that the angel is supported by its own mass. His facial features were given a resemblance to Tsar Alexander I. The angel tramples on a snake with a cross, which symbolizes the peace and peace that Russia brought to Europe by defeating Napoleon's troops. The slenderness of the column is emphasized by the light figure of an angel, as well as the vertical of the cross, which continues the vertical of the monument.

bronze fence

The Alexander Column in St. Petersburg is surrounded by a bronze fence, which was designed by O. Montferrand. Its height is about 1.5 m. It was installed in 1834, and all the elements - in 1836-1837. The sentry box was built in its northeast corner. In it was a disabled person, dressed in a guards uniform. Day and night, he guarded such an important monument as the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg, and also kept order on Palace Square.