Earlier, at the place where the Moscow Triumphal Gate is now located, there was an outpost in St. Petersburg. This name of the attraction was given because the road to the Russian capital began from this place. The Arc de Triomphe is of particular importance for the whole country and St. Petersburg in particular, since its construction was marked by the victory of the Russian army over Turkish and Persian troops.
Moscow Triumphal Gate in St. Petersburg: the history of occurrence
The initiator of the construction of this architectural structure was Nicholas I. himself. The emperor ordered this need after the uprising of the Commonwealth was successfully suppressed and military campaigns with Turkey and the Persian kingdom were completed.
The installation of gates on Moskovsky Prospect was to take place even earlier. They started thinking about this in 1773. Then the project was developed by two specialists: the architect Charles-Louis Clerisso and the sculptor Etienne Maurice Falcone. In 1781, they handed over their construction plan for familiarization with the emperor, but in a detailed study it was all over.
They returned to this question only after exactly half a century. In 1831, Nicholas I considered two projects: the Russian architect Stasov Vasily Petrovich and the Italian specialist Albert Katerinovich Kavos. The emperor found the plan of the latter too expensive, so they approved the development of a domestic architect. Moreover, by that time Stasov had already realized the Narva Gate - another grand project of his own.
The Moscow Triumphal Gate in the form of a pencil sketch Nicholas I approved in 1833. Immediately Vasily Petrovich began to work out smaller details, since only the facade was presented in the project. He consulted with experts in the field of casting, and together with them the architect decided to cast the gate, moreover, in parts, using Greek technology.
Preparations for the construction of the Moscow Triumphal Gate in St. Petersburg
In 1834, preparations began for construction. This year, Nicholas I determines the place of construction of the monument, makes some amendments regarding the height of the upper part of the object and the width of the opening between the columns. The project is being approved again, including its location, and workers are embarking on the second preparatory phase.
It is worth noting such an important feature: in order to clearly show the emperor what the Triumphal Gate will look like, they created a wooden model. It had a life size and width, in connection with which the emperor could identify shortcomings. But there were none. Therefore, Nicholas I only made some amendments and approved the draft.
Further, at the request of Stasov, a convoy is made at a foundry. In total, it is planned to create 12 such elements. The emperor again gives the go-ahead, the wooden structure is demolished, and they begin to prepare the place where the Moscow Triumphal Gate will stand.
It all started with the arrangement of the bottom of the pit. At first it was tamped very diligently, then almost 600 stone blocks were laid out, which remained on the site of the proposed, but never implemented project of the bell tower on the territory of Smolny Dvor. After that, they began to lay plates, the total height of which was 4 m.
When the pit was ready, important persons and, of course, the emperor himself and the architect Stasov were invited to solemnly lay the gates. At the bottom of the pit, moments of various denominations poured and threw stones where the names of those present were carved. This event occurred in early September 1834.
Start of construction
Since it was decided to cast the gate, the main work took place at the foundry. Stasov spent the whole time there together with the workers, prompted something, corrected, in general, led the process, because the task was not easy. It was required to produce columns in parts, and each of them consisted of 9 blocks. This was an ingenious decision, because it was easier to work both at the factory and directly at the construction site, as well as transporting elements.
Here, capitals decorating the Moscow Triumphal Gate in St. Petersburg were cast from copper. One such element had a weight of more than 16 tons, and 1 cast-iron column - almost 82. The total weight of the structure is about 450 tons. At that time, it was the first cast-iron prefabricated building in the world with such a huge mass.
The military decorations of the gates (symbols and high reliefs with images of the geniuses of Glory) were made by the sculptor Orlovsky. Also on the attic you can see the inscription from overhead bronze gilded letters. The text was developed and written by the emperor with his own hand: "To the victorious Russian troops in memory of the exploits in Persia, Turkey and during the pacification of Poland in 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830 and 1831."
The ceremonial procession of regiments under the gates took place in 1878 in the presence of the townspeople. As they often say in art, this project crowned the architect career of Vasily Petrovich Stasov.
The image of the Moscow Triumphal Gate
The monument consists of 12 columns with a length of 15 m each. The total width of the structure is 36 m and its height is 24 m. The Moscow Triumphal Gate is crowned with a frieze with thirty geniuses of Glory mounted on it, holding the arms of the provinces of the Russian Empire. They were knocked out of sheets of copper and further emphasize the triumphal theme.
Featured Landmark
Is it a match? In 1936, in order to transfer the monumental gate to a new place (it was planned to shift the city center to the south), they were completely disassembled and removed. But with the advent of World War II, the plans were not destined to come true, and therefore the return of the sights in the literal sense to the earth took place only in 1961. Thus, without realizing it, Petersburgers saved the metal monument.
Years of war and recovery period
When there were fierce battles, cast-iron elements were used to equip structures against tanks. Blockades were established at all entrances to St. Petersburg. After the war, the elements found were restored, the lost parts were recreated (there were most of them), and in 1961 the Moscow Triumphal Gate was again built. The architects Ivan Kaptsyug and Evgenia Petrova were engaged in this.
From that moment, work related to the arch was carried out once - in 2000-2001. So far, there has been no more restoration work.
Reviews about Triumphal Gate on Moskovsky Prospekt
Tourists and locals believe that visiting the monumental gate and even passing by gives a sense of triumph, victory, extravaganza and just a holiday. No wonder they were created in honor of the victories of the Russian army over enemy troops. In the evening, the lights turn on, and the gates begin to play with bright multi-colored lights. Some guests of the northern capital call the backlight not very good, saying that it could be better.
Petersburgers believe that every Russian who has a reverent attitude to history and honors the memory of heroes who fell in wars should definitely visit this attraction.
Moscow Triumphal Gate in St. Petersburg: address
If you get to the monument by metro, you need to get to the Moscow Gate station. The exit from the underground tunnel leads to the eponymous square, where the attraction stands, in the very center. It is difficult to approach it - from four sides there is active automobile traffic.
The Moscow Triumphal Gate in St. Petersburg, the photo of which was presented in this article, by its appearance gives the city landscape a little severity, because they are completely made of metal. On the other hand, they do not spoil the architectural appearance of the city, on the contrary, harmoniously combine with the environment and attract attention. While in St. Petersburg, you must definitely see the monumental gate that adorns one of the main avenues of the northern capital.