White Roses on the grave of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna

White rose on the grave of the Empress Alexandria Theatre

Founded in 1756. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna signed a decree on the creation of a theater "to present tragedies and comedies." The director of the theater was appointed playwright A. Sumarokov.

Since 1759, the theater received the status of court.

In 1832, according to the project of the architect K. Rossi, a majestic building was built, in which the theater was located, which had not previously had a permanent room for rehearsals and performances. The first performance took place on August 30, 1832 on the new stage - "Prince Pozharsky" by M. Krikovsky.

Since 1832, it is called Alexandria, in honor of the wife of Emperor Nicholas 1 - Alexandra Feodorovna.

For example, already in 1836 on the stage of Alexandria was the premiere of the “Inspector” N. Gogol. The author himself took an active part in the production. In 1859, for the first time, A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “Thunderstorm” was staged on the stage of the Alexandria Theatre, and in 1870 the tragedy of A. S. Pushkin “Boris Godunov” was staged.

But already in the years of the USSR, February 9, 1937 remembered the centenary of the death of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, the theater was named after the poet.

The building is one of the outstanding architectural monuments of St. Petersburg, made in the Empire style. The yellow building of the theater, decorated with white columns and facing the facade to Nevsky Prospekt, is one of the best examples of Russian classicism.

Its symbol was the chariot of Apollo - a sculptural composition located on the attica of the building. In the niches that adorn the facade of the theater, there are statues of the dance muse Terpsichora and the muse of the tragedy Melpomen. The sculptural decoration of the facade was made by masters S. Pimenov, V. Demut-Malinovsky and A. Triskorni.

In the Auditorium of the theater to this day, carvings of the royal lodge and some lodges against the wall have been preserved. A distinctive feature of the Alexandrinsky Theatre is its excellent acoustics: every whisper spoken by the actor from the stage can be clearly heard from any place in the auditorium, which greatly enhances the impression of the performance.

The Alexandrinsky Theatre is one of the oldest professional theaters in Europe. His acting team, thanks to which "Alexandrinka" is rightfully called "theater of masters", occupies an important place among the strongest theater troupes of St. Petersburg. The names of such outstanding masters of the stage as V. Komissarzhevskaya, V. Meyerhold, B. Freundlich are associated with the theater. "Queen of Alexandrinka" was called the famous actress M. Savina. Today, the Alexandrinsky Theatre is led by the famous director, People's Artist of Russia Valery Fokin.

During the Second World War, the theater was in evacuation in Novosibirsk, but on its stage in the blockade performed another theater - the Leningrad Theater of Musical Comedy.

In 1991, the name Alexandrinsky returned to the theater. The official name of the theater: A.S. Pushkin Russian State Academic Drama Theater (Alexandrinsky).

Now it is called the Alexandrinsky or Pushkin Theatre.

In connection with the 210th anniversary of Empress Alexandra Fedorovna (1798-1860) in 2009, the leadership of the Alexandrinsky Theatre decided to revive one of the long-standing traditions of the solemn ceremony of laying white roses (on the day of her birth on July 13 and especially on the day of the founding of the theater on August 30) on the grave of the Empress patroness of the Alexandrinsky Theatre in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

But on this day (August 30) roses are laid on another grave - the tomb of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, the founder of the theater.

For the wife of Emperor Nicholas I Alexandra Fedorovna since childhood, the name Blanchfler - White Flower was fixed. To the people around her, she was truly gentle, pure and noble, like the White Rose.

That is why this flower appeared on her coat of arms. The famous poet Vasily Zhukovsky dedicated her famous lines “As a genius of pure beauty”, which Pushkin then repeated in his poems.