Monument to Nicholas I
Description:
The monument to Nicholas I was built on St. Isaac’s Square in 1859 by the project of Auguste Montferrand.
This is a 6-meter equestrian statue standing on a pedestal. The author of the monument Klodt depicted Nicholas I in the ceremonial uniform of the Life Guards of the Horse Regiment. Four bas-reliefs on the pedestal tell about the Decembrist uprising in 1825, the cholera riot of 1831 on Sennaya Square, the awarding of Speransky and the opening of the Vereinsky Bridge by the emperor in 1851.
The pedestal of the monument is made of red Finnish granite, white Italian marble and dark raspberry Shohan porphyry. It is decorated with four female allegorical figures that represent Power, Wisdom, Faith and Justice. The heads of the figures are images of Alexandra Fedorovna, Maria, Alexandra and Olga. Between the first two statues there is an emblem with the inscription “Nicholas I – Emperor of All Russia”. 1859.
The monument was the first equestrian statue in Europe, where the horse stands on two hind legs. This effect was first used in the United States.