The monument to Nicholas I is one of the most significant sculptural structures in St. Petersburg. It is located on one of the main squares of the northern capital and serves as its magnificent decoration. Outwardly reminiscent of the famous "Bronze Horseman", it nevertheless has its original features, primarily from an engineering and technical point of view, and also differs from it in appearance.
General characteristics
The monument to Nicholas I was erected on the initiative of his successor and son Alexander II. The author was O. Montferrand, or rather, the latter designed the composition and created the pedestal, and the very figure of the emperor was invented and cast by P. Klodt. Casting and creation lasted three years, and the opening took place in 1859. During its construction, valuable materials were used, such as Italian marble. Initially, the sculptor planned to make a figure of the ruler on a calmly standing horse, but this project was rejected by Montferrand, who wanted to combine the two parts of the square in the composition, which were solved in different architectural styles. As a result, the monument to Nicholas I acquired the form that exists now. The emperor is seated on a horse in motion, whichthe calm figure of the rider is contrasted.
Location
The sculptural composition is located on the square between St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Mariinsky Theatre. It is on the same axis with the famous "Bronze Horseman", which is a kind of allegory: after all, it is known that the emperor during his lifetime sought to imitate Peter I, and such an arrangement, obviously, was supposed to emphasize this continuity in politics. However, one should also take into account the fact that the creators sought to turn the square into a single cultural and archaeological ensemble, and for this they decided to erect a monument in this particular place. For the final design of the space at the indicated place, a monument to Nicholas I was erected on St. Isaac's Square. St. Petersburg, thus, was decorated with another sculptural composition dedicated to one of the emperors.
Appearance
At first glance, the new composition is very reminiscent of the famous statue of Peter I, whom Nikolai Pavlovich really wanted to imitate during his reign. That is why the composition has clear references to this monument, but at the same time it differs from it. First of all, this applies to the posture of the rider. In the first composition, the tsar is depicted in dynamics: he sits with his hand outstretched, his body is directed forward, and the turn of his head symbolizes aspiration to the future. The monument to Nicholas I, on the contrary, presents him as calm and majestic, which is also emphasized by the front door.the pedestal on which the figure is placed. The tsar himself is presented in the uniform of the Horse Regiment, which also emphasizes the official nature of the sculpture, while the Bronze Horseman had more symbolic meaning. It was made in the spirit of enlightenment ideals and was supposed to mark the victory of reason and the progressive nature of Peter's reforms. But the monument to Nicholas I on St. Isaac's Square personified the power and greatness of the imperial power. This was quite in line with the spirit of the reign of this king, who cared about strengthening absolutism.
Jewelry
Separately, it should be said about the allegorical images located on the pedestal of the monument. First of all, these are four female figures that symbolize strength, wisdom, justice and faith. Their faces are portrait images of the empress and the daughters of this king. Their author is R. Zaleman. Between the two figures is a coat of arms. We should also mention the bas-reliefs that depict the most significant events of the reign of Nicholas: the Decembrist uprising, the cholera riot, the awarding of Speransky for publishing a code of laws and the opening of the railway bridge by the emperor. Three bas-reliefs were made by Romazanov, one by Zaleman. At first, the monument to Nicholas I on St. Isaac's Square in St. Petersburg did not have a fence, but later it was added.
Technical merit
The sculpture is unique from an engineering point of view. The fact is thatthe statue stands on a pedestal, leaning only on two points - these are the horse's hind legs. It was the only building of its kind in Europe. A similar construction was used only in the USA during the erection of the sculpture of E. Jackson. At first, it was assumed that the monument to Nicholas I in St. Petersburg is stable due to the fact that metal shot was placed in the horse statue in order to make the fulcrum heavier. However, during the restoration work in Soviet times, nothing of the kind was found. It turned out that the structure is stable due to special heavy metal beams, which were ordered by the sculptor at one of the best factories.
Further destiny
In Soviet times, the question arose of how to demolish the monument to Nicholas I on St. Isaac's Square in St. Petersburg. Instead, it was planned to put a sculpture of one of the leaders of the Red Army: Frunze or Budyonny. However, when discussing the issue, they took into account the important fact that the structure is unique from a technical point of view, and that it would be very difficult to dismantle it, and in this regard, they decided to leave the structure. Subsequently, the project was also rejected to replace it with another structure. Only the fence was removed, which, however, was restored after some time.
Meaning
The neo-Baroque monument has really become the link of the entire square. The fact is that there are several buildings made in different styles on it, and the project was intended to create someharmony and unity in this space. This composition is distinguished both by lightness and dynamism, and at the same time monumentality, majesty, calm solemnity are inherent in it. Such a successful combination of several different architectural features allowed the composition to become the final element in the square. In addition, a clear resemblance to the "Bronze Horseman" is a kind of reference to previous buildings, which was supposed to link the entire cultural space of this place into a single whole. This task was fully solved by the creators of the new project.
The monument to Nicholas I in St. Petersburg, whose address is St. Isaac's Square (from the Admir alteyskaya station, along Morskaya Street), became a very successful architectural solution of its author to complete the general appearance of not only this place, but the whole city generally. Known to be one of the most visited attractions, both for its composition and for the beautiful lanterns around it.
