Plot
In August 1782, a bronze horse with a bronze emperor in the saddle reared up over the cold bank of the Neva. Mother Catherine, who wanted to unobtrusively indicate her greatness, ordered to indicate on the pedestal: "To Peter the Great - Catherine the Second." Read from student to teacher.
Catherine II timed the opening of the Bronze Horseman to coincide with two anniversaries at once
Clothing on Petra is simple and light. Instead of a rich saddle, there is a skin, which, according to the idea, symbolizes a wild nation, civilized by the sovereign. For the pedestal - a huge rock in the shape of a wave, which, on the one hand, spoke of difficulties, on the other, of naval victories. The snake under the feet of the rearing horse depicted "hostile forces." The figure of Peter should, as planned, express a combination of thought and strength, the unity of movement and rest.
Catherine expected to see Peter with a rod or scepter in his hand, riding a horse like a Roman emperor, not a legionnaire. Falcone, on the other hand, conceived something completely different: “My king does not hold any rod, he stretches out his beneficent right hand over the country he circles. He climbs to the top of the rock that serves as his pedestal."
The idea of a monument to Peter was born in Catherine's head under the influence of her friend, the philosopher Denis Diderot. He also advised Etienne Falcone: “There is an abyss in him fine taste, intelligence and delicacy, and at the same time he is uncouth, harsh, does not believe in anything ... He does not know self-interest.
To create a plaster model, Falcone posed for a guards officer who reared a horse. This went on for several hours a day. Horses for work were taken from the imperial stables: horses Brilliant and Caprice.
Plaster sketch of the head of the Bronze Horseman
The plaster model was molded by the whole world: the horse and rider were Etienne Falcone himself, the head was his student Marie Ann Collot, the snake was the Russian master Fyodor Gordeev. When the model was finished and approved, the question arose about the casting. Falcone had never done anything like this before, so he insisted that experts be called from France. They called. The French caster Benoit Ersman and three apprentices came to St. Petersburg not only with their own tools, but even with their own sand and clay - you never know, all of a sudden in wild Russia there is no right raw material. But this did not help him fulfill the order.
The situation was tense, deadlines were running out, Falcone was nervous, Catherine was unhappy. Found Russian daredevils. The casting of the monument lasted almost 10 years. Falcone himself did not see the completion of the work - in 1778 he had to leave for his homeland. On Grand opening the sculptor was not invited.
Context
The pedestal is a work no less powerful, however, already made by nature. Nicknamed the thunder-stone, it was found near the village of Konnaya Lakhta (now it is a district of St. Petersburg). The pit, formed after the extraction of rock from the ground, became a pond, which still exists today.
Petrovsky pond, which arose after the removal of the thunder stone
The required sample - weighing 2 thousand tons, 13 m long, 8 m high and 6 m wide - was found by the state peasant Semyon Vishnyakov, who supplied building stone to St. Petersburg. According to legend, the rock broke away from a granite rock after a lightning strike, hence the name "thunder-stone".
The most difficult thing was to deliver the stone to the Senate Square - the future pedestal had to overcome almost 8 km. The operation was carried out throughout the winter of 1769/1770.
The stone was brought to the coast of the Gulf of Finland, where a special pier was built for its loading. A special ship, built according to unique drawings, was sunk and planted on pre-driven piles, after which the stone was moved from the shore to the ship. The same operation was repeated in reverse order on Senate Square. The whole of St. Petersburg, from young to old, watched the transportation. While the thunderstone was being transported, it was hewn, giving it a "wild" look.
The action of the machine for transporting the thunder-stone. Engraving according to the drawings of Yuri Felten. 1770
Soon after the installation, urban legends and horror stories began to multiply around the monument.
Pedestal of the Bronze Horseman - Thunder Stone
For one of them, while Bronze Horseman stands in its place, the city has nothing to fear. This came from a dream of a certain major during Patriotic War 1812. Nightmare the warriors handed it over to Alexander I, who just gave the order to take the monument to the Vologda province - to save it from the approaching French. But after such prophecies, of course, the order was cancelled.
The ghost of the Bronze Horseman was allegedly seen by Paul I during one of the evening walks. Moreover, this happened even before the installation of the monument. future emperor he himself said that on the Senate Square he saw a ghost with the face of Peter, who announced that they would soon meet again in the same place. After some time, the monument was unveiled.
For Etienne Falcone, the monument to Peter I has become the main business of life. Before him, he worked mainly on orders from Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV. By the way, she also contributed to the appointment of the sculptor as director of the Sevres Porcelain Manufactory. This was the decade of sculpting figurines depicting allegories and mythological characters.
Etienne Falcone
“Only nature, alive, spiritualized, passionate, should be embodied by the sculptor in marble, bronze or stone,” these words were Falcone's motto. French aristocrats loved him for his ability to combine baroque theatricality with antique austerity. And Diderot wrote that he values in the work of Falcone, above all, fidelity to nature.
After a rather tense period of work under the supervision of Catherine II, Falcone was no longer invited to Russia. For the last 10 years of his life, paralyzed, he could not work and create.
The French sculptor E.M. Falcone arrived in Russia at the invitation of Catherine II in the autumn of 1766. Together with Falcone, his student Marie-Anne Collot arrived. Falcone thought out in advance the program of the monument to the "benefactor, reformer and legislator" of Russia, made in an innovative for its time, extremely concise and globokoy symbolic meaning form. Work on the equestrian sculpture lasted 12 years. M.-A. took part in the creation of the statue of Peter I. Collo, who made a portrait of the emperor. At the same time, the question of choosing a place for the installation of the monument was being decided, and a gigantic stone for the pedestal was being searched. The so-called "thunder-stone" was found in the vicinity of the village of Lakhta. For the transportation of stone weighing more than 1000 tons, original structures, devices were used, a special barge and ships were built.
Under the leadership and with the participation of Falcone, the casting of the equestrian statue in bronze was carried out by the master caster E. M. Khailov. In August 1775, the first, not entirely successful, casting of the sculpture took place. Due to the mold rupture and the fire in the workshop, the upper part of the bronze casting was damaged and it was "cut off". The final casting of the missing upper part of the statue was made by Falcone in 1777. In the summer of 1778, the casting and chasing of the sculpture was completed. In memory of this, the author engraved an inscription in Latin on the fold of the rider's cloak, which in translation reads: "Sculpted and cast by Etienne Falcone, Parisian, 1778." In September of the same year, the sculptor left St. Petersburg. The sculptor F. G. Gordeev took part in the creation of the monument, according to the model of which a snake was cast under the hooves of a horse. Following the departure of E. Falcone from Russia, the architect Yu. M. Felten supervised the progress of work on the construction of the monument.
In 1872, on the initiative of the St. Petersburg City Duma, on the occasion of the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Peter I, 4 lampposts with candelabra, made at the Chopin factory, were installed near the monument.
According to the plan of E. Falcone, the fence around the monument was not provided. In a letter to D. Diderot, the sculptor wrote the following on this subject: "There will be no lattice around Peter the Great, why put him in a cage?" Contrary to the author's idea for the opening of the monument, the fence, made by master Stefan Weber, was installed. In 1903, in connection with the 200th anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg, the fence, as distorting the original author's intention, was removed, "due to which the monument, in the idea of which the thought of unrestrained movement forward was invested, appeared for the first time in all its beauty."
In 1908, the Academy of Arts established a special commission to study the state of the monument, and in the following year, 1909, the monument underwent a major restoration for the first time, including opening a hatch in the horse's rump, when more than 150 buckets of water that had penetrated through numerous cracks were removed. Under the guidance of the sculptor I. V. Krestovsky in 1935-1936. carried out research and restoration work in the monument.
Modern studies of the monument and a complex of restoration works were carried out by the State Museum of Urban Sculpture in 1976. By this time, serious concerns were caused by cracks in the supporting legs of the horse, the cause of which had to be clarified. For the first time in the history of the monument, an extensive research program was developed and carried out on the composition of bronze, the state of the protective oxide film - patina, and the strength of the inner frame of the equestrian statue. The study involved scientists from the Polytechnic Institute, the laboratories of the Kirov and Izhora plants, the Research Institute. Efremov and other enterprises. With the help of special equipment, gammagraphy was carried out, as a result of which it turned out that the cause of the cracks was the “burning out” of the metal, when, in order to re-cast the top of the sculpture, Falcone heated its bottom to a high temperature. The composition of bronze is determined, in which more than 90 percent of copper. The cracks were sealed with inserts cast from specially smelted bronze. The supporting frame was examined and strengthened. Research gave complete picture design features monument. The height of the sculpture is 5.35 m, the height of the pedestal is 5.1 m, the length of the pedestal is 8.5 m.
Perhaps there are few such recognizable monuments in the world as the famous "Bronze Horseman", installed on the Senate Square in St. Petersburg.
For two centuries it has been a symbol of the Northern capital, its pride and a place of pilgrimage for tourists. Many St. Petersburg legends are associated with him, one of which served as the plot for Pushkin's poem of the same name. But who is depicted on the Bronze Horseman monument?
The idea of the monument
The Bronze Horseman was solemnly presented to the public during the reign of Empress Catherine. It happened on August 7, 1782, exactly one hundred years after the most famous monarch in the history of our country - Peter the Great. It was his equestrian statue that later became known as the Bronze Horseman.
Catherine always considered herself the successor of Peter's work to strengthen the power and glory of Russia, increase its territory and wealth. It is not surprising that on the centenary of the coronation of the great emperor, she decided to create a majestic monument to him. For this purpose, the most famous sculptor France of that time Etienne-Morris Falcone.
The artist agreed to work for a rather modest remuneration, inspired by the opportunity to create a truly majestic work. monumental art.
The history of the creation of the monument
Although Catherine wished to see a traditional monument in European style, where Peter would be represented as ancient roman emperor, Falcone immediately rejected the idea. 
He saw the monument as completely different - powerful and at the same time flying, moving, embodying the desire for new horizons.
At that time no one had created equestrian statue depicting a rearing horse. Main difficulty was to accurately calculate its weight and make sure that the monument turned out to be stable when supported by only three small points - the hind hooves and the tip of the horse's tail.
It took a lot of time to find a pedestal for the monument - a huge solid rock in the shape of a wave. It was found after a long search near Lakhta, and it cost a lot of work to deliver a block weighing 1600 tons to St. Petersburg. For this, a special road was built with wooden rails covered with copper, along which the rock was rolled with the help of thirty steel balls. Transporting the pedestal took almost a year and was a brilliant engineering task in itself.
Even more difficulties arose during the casting of the statue. It was conceived to be hollow from the inside, and the front part was supposed to have thinner walls than the back. abundance small parts and the complexity of the work led to numerous errors and alterations, which, in turn, increased the time of manufacture of the monument. 
Falcone had to study the foundry business himself, since the masters assigned to help him did not understand well what the sculptor wanted from them. The statue was completely cast only in 1777, after several failed attempts.
Falcone never got to see main work of his life completely completed: Catherine became angry with him for numerous delays, and he had to leave Russia for home in France.
The sculpture was completed by A. Sandoz, who completed the exterior decoration of the monument, Y. Felten, who supervised the installation of the statue on the pedestal, and F. Gordeev, who sculpted the snake trampled by Peter's horse and which symbolizes the enemies of Russia.
Legends associated with the Bronze Horseman
The magnificent monument has given rise to many legends. Some of them were terrifying, such as the stories that on moonless nights, the statue of the emperor comes to life, jumps off the pedestal and gallops through the streets of the city he built. Others were based on real events.
So, they say that the idea of the Falcone monument was prompted by an incident that happened to Peter on the banks of the Neva. Once the tsar argued with his entourage that he would jump from one bank of the Neva to the other. This took place in the same place where the monument now stands. The emperor took a run on his horse, exclaimed: "God and I!" - and flew to the other side. Of course, he immediately wanted to repeat the jump and, shouting: “I and God!” - sent the horse to jump.
However, this time the horse fell into ice water The Neva is approximately in its middle, and the king had to be pulled out in boats. Since then, Peter is said to have allowed no one to put him above God.
Monuments are the most interesting and spectacular way to pay tribute to the historical past. They are admired by admirers of art, creativity and history. There are monuments that have a sonorous name, but many people do not know who is on the pedestal. For example, a monument - who is depicted on it?
The monument to the Bronze Horseman is an excellent example of the personification of the spirit of history in life. Need a bit of history!
"The Bronze Horseman" - who is depicted on a horse?
Many people, even by occupation not related to history, have probably heard of the Bronze Horseman. But who is depicted on the rider", this remains an open question for most.
This question is crammed with many topics of forums and blogs on the Internet. Who is depicted on the monument on this occasion do not stop.
We won't bore you for long. On the monument "The Bronze Horseman" in St. Petersburg, Peter the Great himself is depicted. The author of the monument, Falcone, sought to recreate the figure of Peter in motion, so that he would be seen not only as a great commander and leader of the Russian people, but also as a true legislator and creator of life.
Peter has a wreath on his head. It is he who emphasizes that Peter is the winner and commander. The historical monument is unique in that it has three pillars on which it rests.
Now the question of who is depicted on the monument "The Bronze Horseman" can be safely answered - Tsar Peter the Great!
Why exactly in St. Petersburg?
The monument to the Bronze Horseman is an important element for the culture and architecture of Russia. You can often come across the question of who is depicted on the monument "The Bronze Horseman" in Moscow? But there is no such monument in Moscow.
So, where is the monument "The Bronze Horseman", who is depicted on it, we figured it out. And it is located not in Moscow, but in St. Petersburg. It was erected by Catherine the Second in honor. On the pedestal you can find the inscription: "To Peter the Great From Catherine the Second in the summer of 1782."
The one who is depicted on the monument "The Bronze Horseman" in St. Petersburg - outstanding personality for the city. So Catherine thought and therefore decided to capture the creator of the city forever. Thus, the empress decided to pay tribute not only to the city of St. Petersburg, but also to its immediate founder, Peter I. By the way, that is why the "Bronze Horseman" was made in St. Petersburg in honor of the founder of the city. Its weight is eight tons, and its height is five meters.
History - the beginning
The initiative to create the monument belongs entirely to Catherine II. By order of the Empress, Golitsyn Alexander Mikhailovich turned to Voltaire and Diderot for help and advice in building and designing such a significant object for Rus'. Catherine trusted Voltaire and Diderot very much, because their opinion was considered significant.
Etienne-Maurice Falcone - it was this person that they recommended to Catherine for the design and construction of the facility. And Falcone, in turn, has always dreamed of creating a huge monument that will pass through the centuries and be revered by descendants. The proposal of the Russian court delighted and inspired him. The master comes to Russia with Marie-Anne Collot. This is his 17-year-old design assistant.
A contract was signed with the sculptor for 200,000 livres. This is a small amount. The Russian court turned to other noble masters of their craft, but they asked for a much larger amount.
Later, Felten, a professional architect, was appointed Falcone's assistant, who was only supposed to speed up the process of building the pedestal.
Who is depicted on the monument "The Bronze Horseman", the photo perfectly demonstrates.
"Thunderstone" - what you need!
There was a question of search suitable stone, which would have placed a huge monument to Peter the Great. They decided to search for the stone through advertisements, and a corresponding message was posted in the newspaper "Sankt-Peterburgskiye Vedomosti".
Grigory Vishnyakov will kindly provide a suitable stone for the monument to Peter. It was a huge block, which he wanted to use for his own needs, but he did not even find a tool with which he could split it.
On March 27, 1770, the stone was delivered to the coast of the Gulf of Finland, and the operation was completed. During transportation, there were many problems that threatened to derail the entire project. However, everything went well.
The transportation of this stone, even today, is completely unique. It was the largest stone ever moved by man!
Monument preparation
In 1769, a plaster monument was shown to the public. Now the figure of Peter the Great was waiting to be completely cast.
However famous master and Falcone, the designer of the monument, refused to do the work himself. He had never encountered the casting of such a huge monument. Falcone was waiting for the arrival of Ersman, who was an expert in this matter.
However big hopes sculptor on Ersman did not materialize. He turned out bad specialist and could not cope with the task assigned to him. Falcone independently took up the casting of the monument.
The very first casting took place in 1775. Further castings were repeated in 1776-1777. Catherine II personally monitored the results of the work.
The second casting was more successful than the first. Then, after the completion of Falcone, in the inner part of the cloak of Peter the Great, he wrote "Sculpted and cast by Etienne Falcone, a Parisian." Thus, the work on this magnificent monument was completed.
Installation of the monument
The "Bronze Horseman" in St. Petersburg was ready to appear before the people. All that remained was the question of erecting a monument so that it would become a public property, and people could be proud of it.
"Thunder-Stone" was delivered to St. Petersburg long ago. The height of the block of 11 meters was exactly what was needed to place the monument.
However, the relationship between Falcone and Catherine II had completely deteriorated by this time. Falcone had no choice but to leave Petersburg for Paris.
The final installation of the monument was already done by Fedor Gordeev. This did not cause him great difficulties, and on August 7, 1782, the opening of the monument to Peter the Great took place. Falcone was never invited to the opening of his Russian brainchild. The opening was attended by Catherine II herself, who gave the order to open the monument on that very day!
Baturin's story
The year was 1812. It was the time when the Russian army was at war with Napoleon's army. There was a strong possibility that French troops they will break into St. Petersburg and Moscow and destroy all the heritage of culture that exists in Russia.
Obsessed with these thoughts, Emperor Alexander the First ordered all cultural heritage cities. Alexander's list also included the monument "The Bronze Horseman" on Senate Square.
At this time, a certain Baturin is announced, who was then in the rank of a simple major. He achieved a personal meeting with Prince Golitsyn in order to tell him a dream that haunted him for several last days. In a dream, the major is on Senate Square. The monument of Peter the Great turns its head towards him and says that in no case should he be taken out of his native Petersburg. Petersburg is safe only with him, and no one will touch him.
Surprised by Baturin's dream, Golitsyn immediately goes to Alexander and tells him about the vision. Alexander was "killed on the spot", but still canceled the order to take the "Bronze Horseman" out of St. Petersburg.
Paul's thoughts
A common story is that it is associated with Peter the Great and the future Emperor Paul the First.
Pavel was walking along the streets of St. Petersburg in the evening when it seemed to him that someone was walking next to him. At first he mistook it for a game of the imagination, but after that he began to really feel the presence of another person.
“Pavel, I am the one who takes part in you!” the figure next to him told him. Paul was amazed. He clearly saw the figure of Peter the Great in a cloak and hat.
This meeting took place on the Senate Square. As he left, Peter said that one day Paul would see him again here.
Over time, this happened. Pavel received an invitation to the opening of the monument in St. Petersburg. Who is depicted on the monument "The Bronze Horseman"? Paul knew the answer to this question for sure.
"The Bronze Horseman in Culture"
Bright monuments and monuments are often reflected in the stories of writers, in poems by poets and in drawings. famous artists. The description of the "Bronze Horseman" in St. Petersburg on Senate Square was no exception.
The monument made an impression on prominent figures of literature and art of various times, who then displayed it in their work.
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky in the novel "The Teenager" repeatedly mentions the "Bronze Horseman". In his works, he worried about the future of glorious Petersburg, but did not predict his death, because the city was tightly guarded by the spirit of the famous and great Peter the Founder.
Mystic Danil Andreev in his "Rose of the World" also recalls the "Bronze Horseman". However, he imagines Peter sitting on a dragon.
Mentioned in their works "The Bronze Horseman" and other writers. There are many paintings written and dedicated to this monument. Peter the Great, immortalized on horseback, made a great impression on artists.
"The Bronze Horseman" by Pushkin
Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is a man who sincerely admired Russian culture and its heritage. The monument of the Bronze Horseman in St. Petersburg could not leave him indifferent. The writer wrote the work "The Bronze Horseman".
The work tells how in 1824 Eugene lost his beloved during a flood. He takes this grief hard. In order to somehow escape from the accident, he wanders around St. Petersburg.
Eugene approaches the monument "The Bronze Horseman" and freezes for a moment. He recalls that it was Peter the Great who founded the city in the place where troubles and floods can occur. He begins to blame Peter for his troubles and for the fact that the construction was wrong, as well as the choice of the very place for the construction of St. Petersburg.
Eugene begins to threaten the monument. At this time, the "Bronze Horseman" jumps off the pedestal and begins to run after the accuser. In reality, this happens with Eugene or in a vision, he himself cannot understand.
Coinage
The "Bronze Horseman" was reflected not only in culture, art and literature, but also on state coins of the USSR period.
The idea to mint coins with Peter the First belonged to the Bank of the USSR during the reign of Mikhail Gorbachev in 1988.
So, in 1988, the Bank of the USSR begins to mint coins. The denomination of 5 rubles was awarded to the monument to Peter the Great in St. Petersburg on Senate Square. The coin was heavy - 20 grams. Its circulation was 2 million 300 thousand copies.
It's the only one famous case with the participation of the monument "The Bronze Horseman".
Legends, myths and interesting facts
There are interesting myths and Interesting Facts associated with the monument in St. Petersburg. Let's start with myths.
- There is a rumor that once Peter the Great wanted to jump over the Neva. When he said “All of God and mine” three times, he jumped over the Neva without any problems. When he changed the phrase and said "All mine and God's", he instantly froze in place and turned to stone. Since then, there has been a monument on the Senate Square.
- Once Peter the Great was lying in his bed and it seemed to him that the Swedes were advancing on Petersburg. He jumped up, jumped on his horse and galloped towards them. However, on the way, a snake turned around and stopped him on the Senate Square. She did not let him jump into the water and saved Peter.
- There are myths in which Peter says that only he can truly protect the city from harm. So it was during the war of 1812-1814. Indeed, the city was not touched by the French.
Interesting Facts:
- When transporting the stone under the pedestal, there were difficulties and contradictions between the workers. There were frequent emergencies. The whole of Europe followed the transportation of the stone.
- Falcone originally wanted his "Bronze Horseman" to be without a fence. But it was installed anyway. At present, this fence does not exist, and many leave their own spoiling it. There is a possibility that the fence will still be installed.
"The Bronze Horseman" is a symbol northern capital Russia. Petersburg is worth a trip and see this monument with your own eyes. Now, when you are in the city on the Neva, you will no longer have a question about who is depicted on the Bronze Horseman monument in St. Petersburg.
In St. Petersburg
In fact, the monument is not at all copper - it was cast from bronze, and it got its name thanks to poem of the same name Pushkin)
Bronze Horseman was created in 1768-1770 by the sculptor Etienne Falcone, his head was sculpted by the sculptor's apprentice, and Fyodor Gordeev sculpted the snake according to his plan. The final casting of the rider was completed only in 1778.
They searched for a stone for the monument of the rider for a long time, but they never found a suitable one, so the newspaper "Saint Petersburg Vedomosti" soon appeared an appeal to private individuals with a proposal to help the project
Very little time has passed since the ad was placed and the stone was found - it turned out to be a block, looked after by the state peasant Vishnyakov for his own needs for a long time. He never found a way to break it into pieces, so he pointed it out to Captain Laskari, the head of prospecting work in this project
The block was given the name Thunder-stone, but the place in which it was found today is not exactly known.
A number of measures were taken to transport the block, from the creation of a special platform rolled over copper-based alloy balls, to a system of levers when loading the stone onto this platform. In order to pull the stone out of the ground and load it onto the platform, the forces of thousands of people were involved, because it weighed more than 1,600 thousand tons. An interesting feature stone finishing is that 46 masons gave it the proper shape during transportation
This unparalleled finishing operation lasted throughout the entire journey, from November 15, 1769 to March 27, 1770, when the Gorm-stone arrived on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, at a pier built especially for its loading.
A special ship was also created to transport the block by water. As a result of these inhuman efforts, on September 26, 1770, the Thunder Stone solemnly arrived at the Senate Square
The whole of Europe watched with interest the movement of the Thunder-stone. Along the way, situations occurred many times that threatened the collapse of all undertakings, but the work managers each time found a way out of the current situation. In honor of the successful completion of the transportation of the block, a commemorative medal was created with the inscription "Boldness is like"
Falcone fell out of favor with Catherine II in 1778 and was forced to leave the country. His place was taken by the sculptor Felten, under whose leadership the Bronze Horseman was completed and inaugurated on August 7, 1782.
The Bronze Horseman became the first equestrian monument to the king. The ruler is depicted in conditional clothes, on a rearing horse, and only a sword hanging from his belt speaks of his role as a victorious commander, yes Laurel wreath crowning his head
The concept of the Bronze Horseman was developed jointly by Catherine II, Voltaire and Diderot. They came to the conclusion that the monument was supposed to symbolize the victory of man over nature, which Thunder-stone would depict - that is why modernity was outraged that Falcone hewed and polished a grandiose block of stone
The inscription "To Peter the Great Catherine the Second, summer 1782" is carved on the pedestal, which is duplicated by the Latin counterpart on reverse side. It reflects the intention of Catherine II to establish a line of succession between the activities of Peter I and her own
TO late XVIII centuries, many legends were composed about the monument, and at the beginning 19th century Bronze Horseman became one of the most popular themes in Russian poetry
For example, they say that in 1812, at the height of the Patriotic War, Alexander I, worried about the prospect of the capture of St. Petersburg by the French, ordered the most valuable works of art to be evacuated from the city, for which several thousand rubles were allocated to Secretary of State Molchanov. But at this time, Major Baturin managed to get a meeting with a close friend of the tsar, Prince Golitsyn, and told him that he had the same dream in which the rider on Senate Square descends from the pedestal and rushes to the palace of Alexander I on Kamenny Island. To the tsar who came out to meet him, Peter I said: "Young man, what have you brought my Russia to.. But as long as I am in place, my city has nothing to fear!" Then the rider turns and returns to his place. Prince Golitsyn, struck by Baturin's story, conveys his story to the sovereign, who, after listening to him, canceled his original order to evacuate the Bronze Horseman
It is quite possible that it was this legend that formed the basis of Pushkin's "The Bronze Horseman", it is also believed that it was because of this legend that during the Great Patriotic War the monument remained in place and was not hidden, unlike other sculptures in St. Petersburg
And if you look from this angle, it turns out very even interesting monument horse... =)
