There is hardly a person who is unfamiliar with the exploits of General Mikhail Skobelev. He took part in hostilities in Turkmenistan and the Trans-Caspian region, for which he was awarded the Order of St. George IV degree. Under his leadership, Lovcha, Plevna, Sheinov were taken, the road to Istanbul was opened, Bulgaria was freed from the Turkish yoke. The talented military leader did not lose a single battle; according to military skill and strategy, Skobelev was deservedly considered equal to Suvorov.
His contribution to the formation of the Russian Empire is difficult to overestimate. He was truly a national hero and favorite, an excellent commander and strategist with a subtle military approach and respect for his soldiers. This is also evidenced by the fact that after the tragic death of the general, peasants twenty miles carried his coffin in their hands to the Skobelev family estate. During his short life, General Skobelev won many battles for the good of the Fatherland, for which he was immortalized in a memorial monument on Tverskaya, which, unfortunately, was not destined to stand for a long time.
Fundraising for the monument
For the first time, General Skobelev was talked about installing a memorial monument in 1907. However, the city did not have the necessary finances for its construction. As a result, it was decided to erect a monument to Skobelev in Moscow for folk funds - voluntary donations from residents. With the permission of the emperor, the Skobelev Committee began organizing fundraising for construction in 1908. General Skobelev, or the “White General” —that is what the people called their hero for a special faith in their white uniform — was an example of courage and patriotism. Despite the fact that at first the donations went at a slow pace, two years later in the fund for the erection of the monument there were already more than 60 thousand rubles.
Competition for the best project
Until May 25, 1910, a large-scale competition was held to select the best project. 27 sculptors took part in it. The jury consisted of six architects and nine military personnel who monitored the exact display of the military leader and the chronology of events. The commission decided to erect a memorial monument designed by Pyotr Aleksandrovich Samonov. The winner was a lieutenant colonel in reserve and a self-taught sculptor. Despite this, it was his work “For the Tsar and the Homeland” that won first place in the competition, according to the jury. When all the projects were put on public display, the choice of authorities was ambiguously met by the residents of the city.
So, representatives of the upper class, artists and artists claimed that the monument was absolutely tasteless amateur performances, and evil tongues blamed Samonov for plagiarism, claiming that the idea was based on the famous painting by Vasily Vereshchagin "Skobelev under Shipka". But the simple people liked the monument. Only on August 10, 1910, out of the 27 proposed options, the Samonov project was selected and finally approved for construction by decree of Emperor Nicholas II.
Manufacture
The ebb of the monument, as well as all the bronze, granite and foundation works, were entrusted to the St. Petersburg bronze foundry of A. Moran, in particular, to E. P. Hacker. P. A. Samonov worked seven days a week, daily, transferring as individual parts to the foundry. The construction of the Skobelev monument in Moscow by the project author was completed on March 21, 1912. During this time, the sculptor managed to create a horse with its rider, 14 soldiers, 11 bas-reliefs depicting the exploits of the commander, and 4 lanterns. The factory also worked quickly. In historical chronicles, the monument is described in 7 arshins tall and weighing 450 pounds.
On June 5, 1911, the foundation was laid for the future monument, the place for which was determined by Emperor Nicholas II himself, since it also became the subject of controversy. The foundation was laid on Tverskaya Square, although accommodation options were offered on Theater, Lubyanka Square and Lubyanka Square. Metropolitan Vladimir led the procession, organized on this occasion, and gave rise to laying the foundation, having personally installed the first stone in the foundation.
Opening of the Skobelev monument in Moscow, 1912
June 24, 1912 the main celebration took place. It was held on the occasion of the opening of the monument to General Skobelev. It was located opposite the house of the Governor General on Tverskaya Square. She was therefore renamed Skobelevskaya Square.
In Moscow, in the morning, the first figures of the city and the country, outstanding cultural figures and all the associates of the hero-commander, gathered here. Skobelev’s sister and his nephews also came to the opening. The celebration took place after the procession and prayer.
The monument quickly became a favorite place for city residents and visitors. It was near him that all rallies and meetings were organized, and after the outbreak of the First World War, patriotic speeches were announced by speakers.
Description
The bronze composition of the Skobelev monument in Moscow was a four-meter statue of a rider on a horse, having two supports on a pedestal of light gray granite on the hind legs of a horse.
On the sides of General Skobelev were two groups of loyal soldiers. On the left side of the horseman were displayed soldiers defending the banner in the battle of Central Asia. On the right side were immortalized soldiers who fought with the commander for the liberation of the Slavs during the Russo-Turkish war. 11 bas-reliefs around the perimeter depicted the commander's exploits in the battles of the Green Mountains, Plevna, near Khiva, the assault on Geok-Tepe and other heroic battles. On the reverse side of the monument was parting words of Skobelev, which he had given to his soldiers at the battle of Plevna.
Demolition reasons
The October armed uprising of 1917 radically changed the course of history, its priorities and became the answer to the question of why the monument to Skobelev in Moscow was demolished. The monarchist system was quickly replaced by the communist one, which inevitably entailed the reform movements in all sectors throughout Russia.
March 12, 1918 the capital was officially transferred from Petrograd to Moscow. It was planned to relocate another 100 thousand employees of the state apparatus along with their families to the already overpopulated and in need of better housing conditions. The question of the placement of study rooms was also sharp. During the autumn events, the Kremlin was significantly destroyed and at that time was under repair. Therefore, it was decided to place the Moscow City Council in the house of the former Governor General, in front of which a monument to the White General was erected.
On the basis of the formation of the new Reformation Government, on April 12, 1918, a directive was adopted on the removal of monuments erected in honor of the kings and their servants. Naturally, the monument to the hero in a white uniform, located directly in front of the nose at the highest ranks, was included in the list of planned work to dismantle the monuments of the tsarist regime, and Skobelevskaya Square in Moscow was immediately renamed Sovetskaya.
Dismantling the monument
On May 1, 1918, all parts, including bas-reliefs and lanterns, were barbarously sawn, transferred to the Mossovet courtyard, and then sent for re-melting. The work was carried out on the personal instructions of Lenin by the Guzhon plant, now - Hammer and Sickle. The pedestal made of Finnish granite did not give in to any influences. At first it was used as an oratory platform. Then, on the night of September 11, an unsuccessful attempt was made to blow up the pedestal, as a result of which the facades of the Moscow City Council and the Dresden Hotel were damaged . For a month, the pedestal was blown up in parts, and with the fifth explosion it was completely destroyed. Soon a new trihedral stele was erected at the same place with the first Constitution of the USSR. And in 1954 he was replaced by a monument to Yuri Dolgoruky, similar in design to the Skobelev monument.
Memory of the hero
The merits of the Russian military-historical society in 2014, a monument to Mikhail Skobelev re-placed in Moscow. This time in front of the Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. The brilliant commander is riding a horse, as in previous times, only now on top of an eight-meter granite pedestal. As before, the erection of the monument would not have been possible without voluntary donations. The project was developed and manufactured by sculptor Alexander Rukavishnikov.