Monument to Minin and Pozharsky description and photo - Russia - Moscow: Moscow (Topic)

Monument to Minin and Pozharsky description and photo - Russia - Moscow: Moscow. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

The sculptural monument in honor of the leaders of the people's militia, who put an end to the Time of Troubles in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century, enjoys the constant attention of guests of the Russian capital. It is dedicated to “Citizen Minin and Prince Pozharsky” , as the inscription on the pedestal reminds of. The monument was erected next to the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed on Red Square.

The history of the creation of the monument

In 1802, students of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts received an assignment on a historical theme. They were asked to sketch a draft of the project of a memorial in honor of the feat of the people's militias led by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and the Nizhny Novgorod head Kuzma Minin . A year later, the idea of erecting a monument was also expressed at a meeting of the highly authoritative Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts. However, the emperor did not support her. Alexander I was sure that it would not be possible to raise the required amount, and as usual, there were no extra funds in the treasury.

The model of the monument was presented in 1804 by the adjunct rector Academy of Arts . Having shown his own initiative, Ivan Martos already in the first version deeply reflected the main message, which was the role of Minin and Pozharsky in the liberation of the Russian land from foreign invaders. Despite the lack of imperial support, the residents of Nizhny Novgorod began raising funds, and by 1808 the required amount was ready. Now Alexander I supported the petition of the Novgorodians and announced a competition for the best project. The work of Martos won, and the monarch ordered the installation of a future monument in Nizhny. The sculptor defended his point of view and obtained permission to erect a sculptural composition in the capital, where the main events of the Second People's Militia took place.

In 1811, the collected amount exceeded 135 thousand rubles, and the Committee of Ministers of the Russian Empire gave the go-ahead for the construction of a monument in Moscow. In the homeland of Kuzma Minin, an obelisk was erected with funds collected from Nizhny Novgorod. It can be seen next to the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael in the Kremlin of Nizhny Novgorod. The ashes of the headman are buried in the church.

Seven important years in the life of Ivan Martos

After the approval of the project, a very important stage began in the life of Martos. The sculptor had to translate into reality a significant monumental work, which was to become a symbol of everything heroic and patriotic that was and is in the Russian people. At the end of 1811, Ivan Martos started the project, starting to create a small model of the future monument .

The Patriotic War of 1812 that broke out soon did not stop the artist. In his work, he was assisted by his sons, who posed to create the figures of the leaders of the militia, and the sculptor Ivan Timofeev, who took over all the hard and rough work. As a result, both small and large models were presented to the public in 1815. Then the molds were removed from them, and the casting was entrusted to the foundry master Vasily Ekimov who served at the Academy of Arts.

In his work, Yekimov used new technologies and the production process looked very impressive:

- One of the first masters of his level, Yekimov began casting whole figures. Previously, such large monumental fragments were made piece by piece and then put together.

- Before the casting of future sculptures, a mixture of beer and crushed bricks was used to coat wax blanks. The process was repeated 45 times, using natural feathers to dry.

- To prepare the desired composition, from which it was supposed to cast the figures, the fire was continuously maintained in 16 ovens. Within 10 hours, 13 tons of copper, 120 kg of tin and more than 700 kg of zinc were melted in them.

- The casting process took only 9 minutes. On August 5, 1816, both figures as part of a single composition were cast simultaneously.

The author of the monument paid a lot of attention to the pedestal of the future monument . Martos found a suitable granite in the Vyborg province. The sculptor commissioned Samson Sukhanov to make granite blocks for the pedestal. The famous stone-mason sculptor created many unique works, including the Rostral columns and colonnades of St. Isaac's and Kazan Cathedrals in St. Petersburg.

The work was completed in May 1817, and the monument was to be transported to Moscow. The creators chose a waterway and carried the future monument along the Neva, Lake Onega, Sheksna and Volga. In Nizhny, he was solemnly greeted by the fellow countrymen of Kuzma Minin, and then blessed for the last stage of the journey - along the Oka and the Moscow River. On September 2, 1817, the monument arrived at the walls of the Moscow Kremlin and work began on its installation in the very heart of the capital.

Symbol of the Russian spirit

The monument was erected for about six months. Initially, it was planned to put it near the Tverskaya Zastava on the square where the Belorussky railway station is located today. But Martos was convinced that the monument should stand in the very heart of the Fatherland. He achieved the realization of his own idea, and the sculptural composition took place on Red Square in front of the Upper Trading Rows . Minin and Pozharsky looked at the Kremlin, lanterns illuminated the composition in the corners.

The opening celebration took place on February 20, 1818 and was very lavish. The walls and towers of the Kremlin barely accommodated all the city public wishing to watch the ceremony. The event was accompanied by a specially written oratorio by the composer Degtyarev, and the consolidated guards regiments invited from St. Petersburg gave special solemnity to what was happening. The imperial family was present at Red Square in full force.

The public commented widely on the new monument, and almost all reviews of the work of Ivan Martos were enthusiastic. The sculptural composition on Red Square was called a symbol of Russian invincibility, and the names of the heroes, according to Belinsky, now could not disappear "in the ocean of eternity."

Important details

They lay them on the symbolic altar of the Fatherland in the hope that their values will help save the homeland from the hands of foreign invaders. The reverse side of the pedestal is dedicated to the victory of the people's militia . The battle scene depicts the running, ashamed Poles, defeated by brave warriors with Dmitry Pozharsky at the head. The prince is depicted astride a horse, holding a sword in his hand, symbolizing the unity of the people during the Time of Troubles.

The height of the sculptural group is 4.5 m, the pedestal is about 3.7 m.

Copies of the monument in other cities of Russia

Nizhny Novgorod residents still received their Minin and Pozharsky. Historical justice was restored in 2005, when a copy of the capital's monument was unveiled in the city. Its author is Zurab Tsereteli , and the Novgorod replica differs from the original only by a five-centimeter difference in height and a smaller mass. The monument was erected at the foot of a hill in the center of Posad in front of the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist. It was at this place in 1611 that Kuzma Minin urged the people to gather a militia and free the Russian land from the invaders.

A small copy of the monument adorns the museum in Taganrog. In the process of realizing his own idea at the beginning of the 19th century century it was made by the author of the monument Ivan Martos.

The bronze mantel clock adorning the St. George Hall of the Kremlin also repeats the theme of the monument to the leaders of the people's militia in 1612.

Another smaller copy was installed in 2017 on the territory of the kindergarten in the city of Irmino . The choice of the site for the monument seems very strange, but it is easily explained by the representatives of the International humanitarian motor rally "Big Russia". At one of the mines near the town in 1935, the Stakhanov movement was born, and the participants of the rally decided to celebrate this historical fact by presenting Minin and Pozharsky to the city.

Interesting facts

Moscow guides tell the guests of the capital not only the history of the creation of the monument, but also many interesting details and facts:

- In the image of a father who gives his sons to the militia, the author portrayed himself and his children . Their figures can be seen in the background of the bas-relief on the left side of the pedestal. The profile portrait was made by a student of Ivan Martos, Samuil Galberg. One of the sons of Martos took part in the Patriotic War of 1812, and the second was killed in France.

- The monument to Minin and Pozharsky has appeared on Russian postage stamps more than once. This happened for the first time in 1904, when a postal charity issue was held to support orphaned soldiers of the Russian army. In the USSR, a stamp with a monument was first issued in 1946.

- In 2016, the Central Bank minted a 5-ruble coin , on the reverse of which the famous monument on Red Square is depicted.

- The image of the monument is also present in the decoration of Taganskaya station Moscow metro. On the side of the hall and platforms in niches there are panels with a monument.

- A bas-relief dedicated to the monument to Minin and Pozharsky can be seen in Treptower Park in the German capital. On one of the sarcophagi of the war memorial in Berlin, there is a sculptural composition on which people donate property for the front against the background of the monument.

- The monument changed its registration in 1931. The construction of the Lenin Mausoleum and the reconstruction of Red Square that began, led to the the monument being moved from the entrance to the GUM to the Intercession Cathedral . The order on relocation was signed by Stalin.

Nowadays, the memorial monument annually becomes the place of festive celebrations on the occasion of the Day of National Unity.

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Topic: Monument to Minin and Pozharsky description and photo - Russia - Moscow: Moscow.