The sculpture of Millennium of Russia was added to Novgorod Kremlin in 1862 to commemorate 1000 years of official Russian state. It consists of Derzhava or Country in Russian, sphere with a cross on top, surrounded by sculptures of various historic figures. The top raw represents main events in Russian history. This includes arrival of Rurik, Viking prince who was invited by Slavic tribes to rule over them in 862. Next comes Saint Vladimir who accepted Christianity as an official religion of Russia in 988. Another figure is that of Dmitry Donskoy (Donskoi) who defeated khan Mamai and his Tatar- Mongol army. This became the beginning of the end of the Golden Horde yolk that lasted for almost two centuries. Then goes Ivan III the Great, who undertook final defeat to the Tatars and found independent Russian Tsardom in 1891. Next is a sculpture of young Tsar Michael of Russia, the first of the Romanov dynasty. He is presented with royal signs by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky who organized national volunteer resistance, defeated Polish army and established Romanovs as the rulers of Russian in 1613. And finally the last group represents Peter the Great, founder of the Russian Empire and first Russian Emperor. A man at the feet of the tsar is a defeated Swede that represents defeated Swedish Kingdom upon conclusion of the Great Northern War. The base of the monument has a line of Russian tsars, spiritual leaders, poets, statesmen, generals and other notable historic figures.
Traditionally, starting from the Russian chronicle "The Tale of
Bygone Years" of the beginning of the 12th century and up to the
present, the calling of the Varangians in 862 is considered the starting
point of Russian statehood.
In historical science, the calling of
the Varangians is the subject of controversy. There is no generally
accepted point of view either on the dating of this event, or on its
specific circumstances, or on the very fact of calling. Some historians
attribute the beginning of the Russian state to a different time or tie
it to another event (for example, to 882, when Prince Oleg captured
Kyiv, uniting the two centers of Rus').
The monument is a giant ball-power on a bell-shaped pedestal; the
general outlines of the monument are bell-shaped (according to some
assumptions, it was intended to "bring to the descendants about the
heroic past of Russia"). There are six sculptural groups around the orb.
The total height of the monument is 15.7 m (the height of the pedestal
is 6 m; the height of the figures is 3.3 m; the height of the cross on
the orb is 3 m).
The diameter of the granite pedestal is 9 m;
ball-power - 4 m; the circumference of the high relief is 26.5 m. The
weight of the metal of the monument is 100 tons, the weight of bronze
casting is 65.5 tons (ball-power - 400 pounds; colossal figures - 150
pounds; cross on the ball - 28 pounds).
In total, the monument
contains 128 figures. Sculptures are divided into three levels:
The
group crowning the composition consists of two figures - an angel
supporting the cross (the personification of the Orthodox Church) and a
kneeling woman (the personification of Russia). This group is installed
at the top of the orb (a symbol of the state power of the monarch),
covered with a pattern of images of crosses. The power is decorated with
a relief ornament of crosses (a symbol of the unity of the church and
autocracy) and is girded with the inscription: "To the completed
millennium of the Russian state in the prosperous reign of Emperor
Alexander II, 1862."
The middle part of the monument is occupied by
17 figures (the so-called "colossal figures"), grouped into six
sculptural groups around a ball-power, symbolizing various periods in
the history of the Russian state (according to the official
historiography of that time). Each group is focused on a certain part of
the world, which has a symbolic meaning and shows the role of each
sovereign in strengthening certain borders of the state.
In the lower
part of the monument there is a frieze, on which high reliefs of 109
historical figures are placed, embodying the idea of relying autocratic
power on society in the person of its most glorious representatives[9].
Within each section, the persons are arranged according to their
position on the monument from left to right.
Orthodoxy
An angel supporting a cross and blessing a kneeling
woman in a Russian national costume, leaning on a shield with a coat of
arms and the date "1862". The figures were made by the sculptor I. N.
Schroeder, the cross was made according to the drawing of the architect
V. A. Hartman.
Calling the Varangians to Rus' (862)
The first prince Rurik in a
pointed helmet with a pointed shield (the inscription "Summer 6370" -
according to the Byzantine chronology, the difference between this
chronology and the modern one is 5508 years, therefore it turns out
6370-5508 = 862 AD), in an animal skin thrown over shoulders. Behind him
on the right is the pagan god Veles (see photo) (facing south, towards
Kyiv). This group was made by the sculptor P. S. Mikhailov.
Baptism of Rus' (988-989)
The Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir
Svyatoslavich is in the center of the composition with an eight-pointed
Byzantine cross raised up, a Slav woman holding out a child to him for
baptism, and a Slav overthrowing the pagan idol Perun (facing south).
This group was made by the sculptor R.K. Zaleman.
The beginning
of the expulsion of the Mongol-Tatars (Battle of Kulikovo, 1380)
Dmitry Donskoy, holding a six-horse in his right hand, and a bunchuk in
his left, tramples on the defeated Tatar Murza with his foot (facing
east, towards Moscow). This group was made by the sculptor R.K. Zaleman.
Foundation of the autocratic kingdom of Russia (1491)
Ivan III in
royal robes, Monomakh's hat, with a scepter and an orb, accepting a sign
of power from a kneeling warrior of the Golden Horde - a bunchuk. Nearby
lie a Lithuanian defeated in battle and a defeated Livonian knight with
a broken sword (facing east). In the background is the back-turned
figure of a “Siberian” man supporting the state, symbolizing the
beginning of the annexation of Siberia to the Russian kingdom. This
group was made by the sculptor I. N. Schroeder.
Election to the
kingdom (1613)
Mikhail Fedorovich - the founder of the Romanov
dynasty, Prince Pozharsky in the clothes of an ancient Russian warrior
with an uncovered head, protecting him with a naked saber, and kneeling
Kuzma Minin, handing him Monomakh's hat and scepter. This group was made
by the sculptor R.K. Zaleman.
Foundation of the Russian Empire
(1721)
Peter I in the uniform of an officer of the Preobrazhensky
Regiment and purple, crowned with a laurel wreath with a scepter in his
right hand, and Genius-winged angel, showing the way to the north, to
the place of the future St. Petersburg. At the feet of Peter, a Swede
kneeling down, defending his torn banner (facing north, towards St.
Petersburg). This three-figure group was made by the sculptor I. N.
Schroeder.
The frieze is divided into four sections:
"Enlighteners"
31
figure, starts from the southwest side under the figure of Grand Duke
Vladimir Svyatoslavich
"State People"
26 figures on the east
side of the monument
"Military people and heroes"
36 figures
from the northeast side of the monument
"Writers and Artists"
16 figures
Contest
In 1857, on the eve of the memorable date of
the 1000th anniversary of Rurik's calling to reign, at the request of
the Minister of the Interior Sergei Lansky and the subsequent decision
of the Committee of Ministers, a competition was announced for the best
design of the monument, which was planned to be placed in Novgorod,
where, according to legend, the Varangian and was called. In the process
of discussion at the top, it was decided to make a monument not to one
person, but to many people who deserved before the country. The state
announced the beginning of a widespread collection of money from all
classes of the population for the construction of this monument. It was
planned that the cost of the monument would be 500 thousand rubles,
donations by subscription amounted to about 150 thousand rubles.
(according to other sources - 72,507 rubles); the missing amount was
allocated from the state treasury.
In April 1859, the press
announced the start of a competition between sculptors for the
implementation of this project, and also announced the program that the
monument had to correspond to - six periods in the history of Russia
(the era of the founding of the state (Rurik), the adoption of the
Christian faith (Vladimir), the overthrow of the Tatar yoke (Dmitry
Donskoy), Moscow autocracy (Ivan III), restoration of state power by
electing a tsar from the house of the Romanovs (Mikhail Fedorovich),
transformation of ancient Russian life (Peter I)). Six months were
allotted for projects (until November 1, 1859). Six periods were to be
carried out in sculptural groups, the height of the monument was to be
no more than 18 meters.
52 projects were submitted for the
competition (submitted anonymously under mottos). The Competition
Council, established at the Academy of Arts, chaired by its
vice-president Prince G. G. Gagarin, with the participation of leading
architects, painters and sculptors of the Academy of Arts and engineers
and architects seconded from the Main Directorate of Communications and
Public Buildings, by secret ballot at a meeting on November 25 In 1859,
he recognized three projects as meeting the conditions of the
competition:
architect Antipov. The project of the architect P. E.
Antipov was an imitation of the Bavaria monument in Munich and was
considered too large for the Novgorod square;
Academician Gornostaev.
In the project of the architect I. I. Gornostaev, Russia was
allegorically depicted in the form of a large statue. The commission
decided that this allegory would not be understood by the general public
and would not make the proper impression;
artist Mikeshin. The
project of the young artist M. O. Mikeshin most fully and in detail
corresponded to the conditions of the competition.
Between I. I.
Gornostaev and P. E. Antipov the second prize (1000 rubles) was divided,
the first prize was awarded to M. O. Mikeshin (4000 rubles). Nikolai
Shtrom, Ya. Dombrovsky and many others also participated.
Mikeshin's initial project was an overturned "Monomakh's
hat" and consisted of three parts.
It was decided to build the
entire monument from bronze. The opening of the monument was originally
scheduled for August 26, 1862. The construction of the monument was
entrusted to the Main Directorate of Communications and Public
Buildings, headed by Adjutant General K. V. Chevkin. “In order to
achieve the stylistic and compositional unity of the monument, the Main
Directorate of Communications ordered Mikeshin and Schroeder a model of
one-fifth of the natural size. The model was made by Schroeder.
Schroeder worked, not knowing rest, forgetting about sleep, and
fulfilled a responsible assignment with honor. First, all parts of the
monument were made in one-fifth size from plaster, then everything was
made in full size, also from plaster.
On the plinth, where
historical figures are now located, according to the original plan,
bas-reliefs were to be located, which depicted six eras and were
separated from each other by medallions. After the selection of the
project, it was assumed that they would be prepared within three months.
The task was entrusted to Klodt. But in June 1860, Emperor Alexander II
examined the model and saw that the plots of the bas-reliefs only repeat
the plots of six sculptural groups. He ordered (Mikeshin writes that on
his recommendation) to replace individual bas-reliefs on the pedestal
with a continuous sculptural belt with famous people of Russia. Mikeshin
had to create a circular frieze about 27 meters long and place about a
hundred historical figures on it - a grandiose project for those times.
The artist did not simply arrange the sculptures of people in
chronological order, he mixed them together, creating several mise en
scenes. By September 1, 1860, Mikeshin presented a new version of the
project.
The approval of the list of 109 "prominent people" also
took a long time. Mikeshin did not decide who to portray, but attracted
historians (Nikolai Kostomarov, Mikhail Pogodin, Fyodor Buslaev,
Konstantin Bestuzhev-Ryumin) and writers (Ivan Goncharov, Ivan Turgenev,
Apollo Maykov, etc.) to choose the characters. As a result, the
following were excluded: the poet Koltsov, the dramatic actor
Dmitrevsky, the poet Kantemir and the naval commander Ushakov. Famous
Russian architects are not placed on the monument: Andrey Voronikhin,
Andrey Zakharov, Vasily Bazhenov, Matvey Kazakov. A scandal erupted with
the deletion of the poet Taras Shevchenko from the list. Among the
statesmen there is no image of Ivan the Terrible (as a symbol of
despotism), although there are three of his close associates: the first
wife Anastasia Romanovna, A.F. Adashev, Archpriest Sylvester. Nicholas I
was added at the last moment by order of Emperor Alexander II. In the
Russian State Historical Archive, the original list of Mikeshin with
pencil corrections by Chevkin, as well as the list submitted for
consideration and approval to the emperor, have been preserved.
The model of the sculptural belt was made by Mikhail Mikeshin and
Ivan Shroeder.
In July 1860, the Main Department of Railways
concluded contracts with sculptors, according to which a reward of
4,000 rubles was assigned for sculpting each figure in clay, then
casting it in plaster in two copies, followed by delivery to a
bronze factory.
For the final approval of the monument, an
artistic council was created at the Academy of Arts. In January
1861, a high commission headed by the vice-president of the Academy
of Arts, Prince Gagarin, members of the artistic council, sculptors
Klodt, Pimenov and others, came to the workshop. Klodt and Pimenov
began to criticize the sculptures and demanded that the order be
transferred to reputable sculptors. The emperor could decide the
fate of the project - after examining the work already done by
Mikeshin and Schroeder, the emperor ordered: "Fix what is needed,
and put it in plaster."
By July 1, 1862, all bronze groups,
reliefs and a lattice around the monument were assembled in a
foundry, and the king was invited to inspect them. He approved the
finished parts of the monument. Soon they were transported along the
Neva and Volkhov rivers to Novgorod.
The winning project belonged to the young artist M. O. Mikeshin (who
had graduated from the Academy of Arts the year before) and the young
sculptor I. N. Schroeder. Formally, only Mikeshin is considered the
author of the project, but Schroeder also participated in its creation
(in particular, he fashioned a reduced model of the monument). A painter
with no experience in sculpture, Mikeshin attracted his talented peer
Schroeder, a volunteer student of the sculptural class of the Academy of
Arts, to develop the monument.
The engineer of communications,
major general, member of the Committee for Buildings and Hydraulic Works
V. D. Evreinov, the engineer-head of the staff captain A. B. Adams, the
foreman of stone work, the state peasant Andrey Kazakov, the foreman for
carpentry, the peasant Ivan Karabanov. The general supervision of the
construction of the monument was entrusted to Adjutant General K. V.
Chevkin.
The Council of the Academy considered it expedient, in
order to speed up the process, to involve several sculptors in
cooperation, who were to complete separate groups and reliefs of the
pedestal.
R. K. Zaleman (groups of Mikhail Fedorovich, St.
Vladimir and Dmitry Donskoy), P. S. Mikhailov (Rurik group), N. A.
Laveretsky (“Statemen”), A. M. Lyubimov ( “Military people”), M. A.
Chizhov (“Enlighteners”, “Military people”) with the participation of
architects G. A. Bosse (iron lattice) and V. A. Hartman. Mikeshin and
Schroeder performed the highest group of an angel with a cross and
"Russia", the groups of Peter I and Ivan III, separately Schroeder -
"Writers and Artists".
The laying of the monument took place on May 16 (28), 1861 on the
Kremlin Square, between St. Sophia Cathedral and the building of
government offices. Before that, there was a monument to the Novgorod
militia of 1812, which was moved to the square in front of the building
of the Nobility Assembly.
At a depth of 10 meters, a foundation
was laid, made in the form of a cylindrical wall, expanding downwards,
with a void inside about 4 meters in diameter. A granite stone was laid
in the foundation, in the recess in which a bronze box was inserted with
an inscription about the time of the laying of the monument and its
purpose. This box contained medals from the time of Alexander II, as
well as gold and silver coins of 1861. A granite pedestal was erected on
the foundation, gradually tapering upwards. It also has a vaulted void
inside. The outer cladding is gray polished Serdobol granite, mined on
the northern shore of Lake Ladoga. The bronze parts of the monument were
cast in St. Petersburg at the factory of Plinke and Nichols[6]. In
connection with the erection and grand opening of the monument, Novgorod
was repaired and re-paved.
The monument was solemnly opened on
September 8 (20), 1862 in the presence of Emperor Alexander II. A solemn
military parade was arranged, the celebrations lasted three days. The
entire august family with members of the closest retinue arrived in
Novgorod for this event, up to 12 thousand soldiers and officers were
brought. The population of Novgorod almost doubled for several days. The
ceremony included: a procession to St. Sophia Cathedral after the
liturgy in all the churches of the Novgorod Kremlin and in the Church of
the Sign, the transfer of the holy relics of the builder of St. Sophia
Cathedral, Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich, from a dilapidated wooden shrine
to a new silver one (September 7).
The next day, the tsar
received a deputation from the local nobles, then traveled around the
troops lined up for the parade, and then, together with the empress and
her retinue, went to St. Sophia Cathedral to the sound of bells, where
he celebrated the liturgy. After that, the procession moved from the
cathedral to the monument, around which the troops stood and the
audience settled on specially constructed platforms. The veil was
removed from the monument. This was followed by a salute of 62 guns and
a military parade, then a gala dinner. The third day of the celebration
coincided with the birthday of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich. After
a prayer service in the cathedral, the tsar accepted bread and salt,
presented to him by a peasant deputation on a wooden platter. Then he
visited the gymnasium and the orphanage, this was followed by dinner,
and in the evening - a ball.
Two guidebooks around Novgorod (the
first in the history of the city) were published especially for the
opening. In late April - early May 1862, the first one was published -
"Guide to Novgorod with an indication of its church antiquities and
shrines" (author - Metropolitan Macarius; St. Petersburg, 1862. - 32
p.). In July-August - "A guide to Novgorod: A reference book for those
traveling to the opening of the monument to the millennium of Russia"
(the book was published anonymously; author - V. A. Dolgorukov. St.
Petersburg, 1862. - 27 p.).
On the day of the opening of the
monument, a royal decree was issued on rewarding those who participated
in the creation of the monument. The artist M. O. Mikeshin was awarded
the Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree, he was assigned a life
pension of 1200 rubles a year. The sculptor Schroeder was awarded the
Order of St. Anne, 3rd class, and a prize of 3,000 rubles (in the 1890s,
he was also given a lifetime pension of 1,200 rubles a year for the
creation of the monument). Sculptors Zaleman, Mikhailov, Laveretsky and
Chizhov were awarded valuable gifts.
1917-1941
After the revolution, the monument was perceived as a
monument to the autocracy - at that time, a brochure was published in
mass circulation under the title "Monument to the Millennium of
Autocratic Oppression." The monument would definitely have been
demolished already in the first post-revolutionary months, if all the
forces of the authorities had not been thrown into the looting of the
richest Novgorod diocese that had just begun. The monument survived, but
during the days of communist holidays they began to cover it with
plywood shields painted with revolutionary slogans.
Destruction
of the monument during the Great Patriotic War and subsequent
restoration
On August 15, 1941, the Germans entered Novgorod. The
German general von Herzog, who served at the headquarters of the German
army besieging Leningrad, ordered the Millennium of Russia monument to
be dismantled and taken to Germany, deciding to make a gift to his
friend at home. In the winter of 1943-1944, dismantling work began. The
railroad managed to take away the bronze lattice of the work of
Professor Bosse that surrounded the monument, as well as the bronze
lanterns of artistic work that stood around it. The dismantled monument
to the occupiers failed to take out. On January 20, 1944, Novgorod was
liberated by Soviet troops.
By this time, the monument was a
completely bare pedestal, on which the lower half of the orb remained.
Its upper part was half destroyed. The colossal figures that previously
surrounded the ball were scattered around the monument. At the same
time, many of them turned out to be damaged: a three-meter cross, which
stood on a ball-power, was cut down at the base and bent into an arc;
the bronze fasteners were everywhere chopped or torn out of their
places. Such small details as swords, staves, shields, etc. have
disappeared without a trace.
The Committee for Architecture under
the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the executive
committee of the Leningrad Regional Council of Workers' Deputies decided
to restore the monument in its original form as soon as possible, and
among the first objects of the devastated Novgorod. This was done by the
Leningrad Regional Department of Architecture. “A narrow-gauge track was
built for the movement and lifting of the figures, and scaffolding was
arranged around the monument to put the figures in their places and the
necessary devices were made. More than 1,500 missing parts needed to be
made.” The restoration work was carried out under the guidance of the
architect Zakharov, the artist-restorer Chernyshev, and the engineer
Davydkin. The monument was inaugurated on November 2, 1944.
In 1954, the previous restoration works were completed (welding
of seams, strengthening of individual casting slabs, all bronze
parts were patinized).
The second half of the 1970s - specialists
from the Leningrad Research and Production Association "Restorer"
restored the lanterns and the grate around the monument (instead of
those taken to Germany).
April-June 1982 - thorough inspection
and cleaning.
Finally, in 1994, a detailed inspection of the
monument revealed its threatening condition due to partial
destruction and significant corrosion of the steel supporting
structure of the upper part of the monument. Some decorative
elements were missing (not restored in 1982). Ampir JSC (St.
Petersburg) in the period from February to October 1995 carried out
another cycle of restoration work.
Unexpected finds happened
during restorations: in the 1990s, in a small room inside the
monument, experts found peculiar stalactites, stalagmites and the
remains of a staircase forgotten in the middle of the 19th century.
The monument was depicted on a trial coin of Russia with a face value of 50 kopecks (1998), a banknote of 5 rubles (a sample of 1997 is no longer issued), on commemorative coins of Russia in 2002 and 2012. Postal envelopes were repeatedly published.