Copper Horseman, monument to Peter
September 23, 1770 The thunderstone was taken to Senate Square. By this time, the relationship between the sculptor and the royal court had completely deteriorated. Falcone even began to attribute exclusively technical attitude to the monument. The master, insulted, went with the assistant Marie-Anne Collot to Paris in September 1778, without waiting for the opening of the monument.
Architect F. G. Gordeev directed bronze rider installation on a granite pedestal.
On August 7, 1782 (old style) the grand opening of the monument to the great emperor took place. From the eyes of observers, the sculpture was hidden by a canvas fence on which mountain landscapes were depicted. The rain that began in the morning did not interfere with a significant number of people who decided to gather in Senate Square. The sun came out at noon. The guard, which was led by Prince A. M. Golitsyn, entered the square. Empress Catherine II arrived in a boat at the fourth hour. Climbing to the balcony of the Senate building in porphyry and crown, she gave a sign for the opening of the monument. The fence fell, and the shelves under the drum roll moved along the embankment of the Neva.
Catherine II ordered the following words to be written on the pedestal: “Catherine II to Peter I”, thereby emphasizing her commitment to the reforms of Peter the Great.
As soon as the “Bronze Horseman” was installed on Senate Square, it began to be called Petrovsky.
A. S. Pushkin called the “Bronze Horseman” sculpture in the poem of the same name. The expression became so popular that it became almost official. The monument to Peter the Great became a symbol of St. Petersburg. "Bronze rider" with a height of more than 5 meters, weighs 8 tons.
During the siege of Leningrad, the monument was covered with sandbags and earth, sheathed with planks and logs.
In 1909 and 1976 the monument was restored. During the latter, the sculpture was examined using gamma rays. The space around the monument was fenced with concrete blocks and sandbags. A nearby bus was operated by a cobalt gun. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the frame of the monument will last for many years. In the cavity of the figure laid a capsule with a note, which included information about the restoration, participants of the work, as well as the newspaper of September 3, 1976.
Sculptor Falcone thought to build a monument without a fence. It is still installed, but to this day it has not survived. The criminal acts of vandals, who leave autographs on the Thunderstone and sculpture, are likely to cause the need to restore the fence.
Olga Simuni, from the material n St. Petersburg.