Why was the monument to Minin and Pozharsky erected? Brief information about the monument to Minin and Pozharsky

The monument to Minin and Pozharsky became the first monument in Moscow: formerly in honor of important historical events established triumphal arches, chapels and temples.

The idea of ​​the composition

In 1803, members of the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts proposed to build a Nizhny Novgorod a monument to the 200th anniversary of the Russian victory over foreign invaders in 1612. They proposed Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and the zemstvo headman Kuzma Minin as the central figures of the composition.

The place and the heroes were not chosen by chance: in Time of Troubles Minin and Pozharsky gathered in Nizhny Novgorod the Second militia against the Swedish and Polish-Lithuanian invaders. In 1612 Russian army defeated the invading armies and completely liberated the capital.

Work on the monument

The author of the project is the sculptor Ivan Martos. In 1812, under his leadership, the craftsmen began work on the monument; 4 years later, the foundry worker Vasily Yekimov cast the entire sculpture. The monument took 18 tons of brass and copper. For the first time in European history such a large monument was cast in one go.

The pedestal for the monument was made by mason Samson Sukhanov from three pieces of granite - they were specially brought from Finland. Ivan Martos decorated the pedestal with two high reliefs. On the front high relief "Citizens of Nizhniy Novgorod", the sculptor depicted people donating wealth to defend the Motherland. Among the figures are Martos himself and his two sons, who are sent to war. In the back high relief "The Expulsion of the Poles" Ivan Martos depicted Prince Pozharsky, who drives the invaders from Moscow.

The figures of Minin and Pozharsky were made in classic style and reminded antique statues... However, there were also traditional Russian elements in the sculptural composition: Minin's clothes resembled a Russian shirt, the Savior Not Made by Hands was depicted on Pozharsky's shield, and an icon of the Kazan Mother of God was depicted on one of the high reliefs.

Opening of the monument

Initially, they wanted to erect the monument in Nizhny Novgorod. But Ivan Martos insisted that his place was in Moscow on Red Square in front of the Upper Trading Rows (today the GUM building). The monument to Minin and Pozharsky was erected in 1818.

Since 1818, the appearance of Red Square has changed several times: on the site of the shopping arcade, the GUM opened in 1893, and in 1930 the Mausoleum was built. The monument interfered with large-scale parades and demonstrations. In 1931 it was transferred to the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed, where it is still located.

Today the monument to Minin and Pozharsky is one of the main attractions of both Red Square and the capital as a whole. In winter, near the monument, as at the end 19th century, fill the skating rink.

For the first time, the ideas about the construction of the monument were voiced by the inhabitants of the Nizhny Novgorod province, supported by Emperor Alexander I, and the idea was realized by the Russian monumentalist Ivan Martos in 1818.

A brass-copper sculptural group - a monument to Minin and Pozharsky - is installed on Red Square in front of the majestic cathedral.

The front high relief of the pedestal depicts the sacrificial Russian patriots who give the most dear to the Fatherland. The high relief of the back side - thematic sketches about the military campaign and Prince Pozharsky, driving the Poles-conquerors from Moscow.

The Imperial Decree on the collection of funds throughout Russia, voluntary donations and the publication of the names of patrons, a competition for the best man-made project preceded the creation of a sculptural composition of Minin and Pozharsky. The Russians identified the monumental creation with the symbols of victory. It was decided to erect a monument in Moscow, and a marble copy of it was to appear in Nizhny Novgorod.

Foundry master Vasily Yekimov was entrusted with the monumental casting. For the first time in European history, such a grandiose monolith was cast simultaneously (for 10 hours of smelting 1100 poods of copper and 5 days of cooling).

In the original project, the pedestal was supposed to use Siberian marble, but in the process, the base became granite. A pedestal was hewn out of 3 solid granite blocks by the Petersburg stonecutter Samson Sukhanov.

The site for the monument was determined by Martos himself, choosing a site in the middle of Red Square, opposite the entrance to the Upper Trading Rows. An interesting fact is that when creating sculptural images of Ivan Martos, his sons posed.

Grand opening monumental sculpture Russian heroes took place in early March 1818 and became a national holiday. Due to this important event a guards parade was held on Red Square with participation in the celebrations of the imperial family. Stepan Degtyarev wrote the oratorio "Minin and Pozharsky".

In the early 30s of the twentieth century. a massive sculptural composition to Minin and Pozharsky became a "hindrance" for parades of technology and demonstrations on and he was moved to the Cathedral shrine of the Temple.

There is also a copy of the majestic monument in Nizhny Novgorod. The sculptural work of Zurab Tsereteli is only 5 cm smaller than its Moscow counterpart. A monument was erected under the walls of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, near the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist. A small copy model is on display art museum in Taganrog.

One of the most famous monuments Russia, dedicated to the heroes of the people's militia in 1612 - the Novgorod zemstvo headman Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. An object cultural heritage located next to St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square.

In early XIX century, a majestic monument to the heroes of the second national militia - the Novgorod headman and prince, who liberated Moscow from Polish, Lithuanian and Swedish invaders in 1612.

Description of the monument

On a high granite pedestal, there are figures of the heroes-liberators of Russia - a Novgorod resident Kuzma Minin, standing in full height raised up right hand and calling on Prince Dmitry Pozharsky to free the Motherland from the invaders, and the prince himself, sitting in front of him on the bed, wounded, holding a shield with the image of the Savior in one hand, and with the other hand resting on the sword extended to him by K. Minin, and full of determination to lead the people's militia ... The famous Russian sculptor of the early 19th century Ivan Petrovich Martos dressed both figures in antique robes with elements of Russian costume and subtle nuances in some details of the characters' appearance. So, the Roman toga of Kuzma Minin is in harmony with his hairstyle "in a bracket", characteristic of the Russian peasant, and the chiton trimmed with a pattern resembles a tiller's shirt.

The base of the monument is decorated with bas-reliefs on both sides. The obverse shows a scene of fundraising for the militia, consisting of two groups of people. The right group depicts men bringing donations, and the left - kneeling women in antique clothes, but Russian kokoshniks, laying their jewelry on the altar of victory. In the background, figures of men are visible - a father and his sons, whom he blesses on feat of arms... The portrait resemblance between the father and the sculptor I. Martos himself is not accidental - his son fought with the French in the army in 1812. In the very center of the bas-relief, the sculptor depicted donations brought by people and folded on the ground. On top of the composition are engraved words of gratitude to the descendants of the liberators of the Fatherland.

Back side the bas-relief is occupied by the plot of the expulsion of the invaders, also consisting of two compositional parts... In one part, courageous Russians are depicted, led by Prince D. Pozharsky, whose horse tramples a defeated enemy with a hoof, in the other - enemies fleeing in terror.

Prehistory of the creation of the monument

Two centuries after the tragic period in the history of medieval Russia - the Troubles, which ended with the expulsion of foreign invaders from Moscow and the victory over Poland in 1612, the recent graduates of the gymnasium at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, who created a literary and public organization - Free Society lovers of literature, sciences and arts, in 1803 they made a proposal to perpetuate in bronze the memory of folk heroes - K. Minin and D. Pozharsky. It was proposed to install the monument in the center of the people's militia.

The sculptor Ivan Martos liked this idea, and in 1804 he began work on the project. The outstanding muralist presented the first engraving of the future monument to the public in 1807. And already in 1808, the inhabitants of Nizhny Novgorod submitted a petition to the emperor to announce a competition for best project monument. Apart from Ivan Martos, the sculptors and architects known at the beginning of the 19th century - Ivan Prokofiev, Vasily Demut-Malinovsky, Stepan Pimenov, Andrei Mikhailov and the Frenchman Jean Thomas de Thomon - took part in the project competition. In November 1808, the sculptor I. Martos became the winner of the design competition. Emperor Alexander I issued a decree to start collecting donations for the construction of a magnificent monument. In early January 1809, a nationwide subscription began, and for all large provincial towns and small villages of Russia were sent engravings depicting the future monument. Alexander I himself was interested in the exaltation of folk heroes who brought freedom and independence. Russian Empire from the Poles, so he was the first to contribute twenty thousand rubles for the construction of a historical monument.

Funds were collected, as they say, "by the whole world." In addition to representatives of the nobility, merchants, bourgeois and artisans participated in the subscription. By 1811, the amount needed to start work was collected, and the names of all subscribers were printed and made public. By the same time, Moscow was determined as the final place for the installation of the monument, as an important monument to the heroic past of Russia, and it was decided to decorate Nizhny Novgorod with a marble obelisk in honor of the heroes of the militia - K. Minin and D. Pozharsky.

The history of the creation of the monument

The sculptor worked on small and large models of the monument throughout 1812, only briefly interrupting work due to the Patriotic War... The victory over the French was another landmark event, against the background of which the creation of the monument to Minin and Pozharsky acquired a deeper, sacred meaning, namely, the personification of Russia's victory over its enemies. The press covered not only the progress of work on the creation of the monument and the technologies used by the craftsmen in the manufacture of parts of the monument, but a series of articles was also devoted to this topic, in the discussion of which everyone took an active part. In February 1813 a large model of the monument was presented imperial family and the public. The mother of Alexander I, the Dowager Empress, liked the model, and was equally highly appreciated by the members Imperial Academy Arts.

For the casting of such a significant monument, the best foundry master at that time was chosen - the head of the Foundry House of the Academy of Arts Vasily Yekimov, and over a thousand poods of copper were prepared. Preparatory work continued almost until the end of the summer of 1816, and on August 5, the casting, which lasted ten hours, was made. There were no such grandiose works in Europe in those years. For which V. Yekimov received the Order of Anna II degree and a prize of twenty thousand rubles, and the sculptor I. Martos himself received a pension of four thousand rubles a year for life.

The pedestal was originally planned to be made of Siberian marble, but taking into account the large size of the monument, the marble was replaced with granite. Several huge pieces of this stone were brought from Finland, at that time the former province of the Russian Empire, and the famous Petersburg stone-cutter Samson Sukhanov made a pedestal from three granite blocks.

A copy of the monument in Nizhny Novgorod and others Interesting Facts associated with the legendary event

A copy of the Moscow monument, just five centimeters lower than the original, was created by the Russian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, even reproducing the inscription on the pedestal, only without indicating the year. A monument was erected on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin near the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist. As determined by historians, it was from the porch of this church in the fall of 1611 that Kuzma Minin called on to collect the people's militia. The grand opening of the monument took place on November 4, 2005 - on the Day national unity, which shortly before that, in December 2004, was included in the list public holidays amendment to federal law"On the days of military glory."

One of the versions of the reason for the transfer of the monument in 1931 is considered to be an event that occurred after the death of the leader of the revolution, when his comrades-in-arms began a fierce struggle for power. Then, according to legend, an inscription appeared on the pedestal of the monument: "Look, prince, what scum has started up in the Kremlin today." The inscription was immediately erased, but the monument was moved.

The feat of the Russian people - K. Minin and D. Pozharsky is forever inscribed in the tablets of the history of the Russian state, and the monument, created in honor of folk heroes, serves young generation an example of dedication, heroism, courage and readiness to give their lives for the Fatherland.

Monument to Minin and Pozharsky - a bronze sculptural group created by Ivan Martos; located in front of St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square. The first monument in Moscow.

Dedicated to the Nizhny Novgorod zemstvo headman Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky, who headed early XVII century the liberation struggle of the Russian people against the Polish-Lithuanian and Swedish invaders, which ended with the expulsion of the invaders from the Kremlin in 1612.

In 1803, members of the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts made a proposal to start raising funds for the construction of the monument. The same society proposed to put the national hero Kuzma Minin at the head of the composition of the future monument. The monument was supposed to be installed in Nizhny Novgorod - the city where the militia was assembled.

The sculptor Ivan Martos immediately began work on the monument. In addition to working on the project, he also acts as the main popularizer of the folk heroes Minin and Pozharsky, representing them Russian society as the liberators of the country from the foreign yoke. In 1807, Martos publishes an engraving of the first model of the monument.

By 1808, mass enthusiasm for the installation monument to Minin and Pozharsky gradually subsides. And then the citizens of Nizhny Novgorod again raise the question of erecting a monument "at the very place where Minin presented all his property to the people and thus ignited the competition of his fellow citizens." On May 2, 1808, the president of the Academy of Arts was instructed "to compose several projects for the monument, to whom the nobility and citizens of the Nizhny Novgorod province wish to commemorate the exploits of the citizen Kozma Minin and the boyar Prince Pozharsky and present them in a short time." Sculptors Prokofiev, V.I.Demut-Malinovsky, Piminov Sr., architects Tomon and Mikhailov are involved in the competition.

In November 1808, the sculptor Ivan Martos won the competition for the best design of the monument, and an imperial decree was issued on the start of fundraising. On January 1, 1809, a nationwide subscription was announced, and engravings with the image of the approved project were sent throughout Russia, "so that it would be known to all Russians." The drawing differs significantly from the first project and in its composition almost coincides with final decision monument.

By 1811, the amount collected was sufficient to start work. By the same time, it was decided to establish monument to Minin and Pozharsky in Moscow on Red Square, and in Nizhny Novgorod to erect an obelisk.

Interest in the creation of the monument was already great, but after the Patriotic War it increased immeasurably. The citizens of Russia saw this sculpture as a symbol of victory. The periodicals not only published notes on the progress of work on the monument, but dedicated large separate articles to it, including those on the technologies used in its manufacture.

The cast monument went on May 21, 1817 from St. Petersburg, where it was made, to Moscow by water with a special visit to Nizhny Novgorod as a sign of respect and gratitude to the people of Nizhny Novgorod for their heroism in the Time of Troubles and for participating in the creation of the monument. Delivery ended on September 6th. Until February 1818, work was underway on the installation, and finally on March 4 (February 20), 1818 took place Grand opening monument, accompanied by a parade and the performance of Degtyarev's oratorio "Minin and Pozharsky".

Originally Monument to Minin and Pozharsky was located in the middle of Red Square, opposite the entrance to the Upper Trading Rows (now the GUM building), but in 1931 it was considered an obstacle to demonstrations and parades of military equipment and was moved to St. Basil's Cathedral.

A major restoration of the monument is planned in 2010-2011. During the transfer of the monument, the water drainage system was disrupted, as a result, over the past 78 years, the monument has come into disrepair. Simultaneously with the restoration of the historical appearance of Red Square and the future preservation of the monument, the issue of its return to the historical site is being resolved.

The text of the inscription was criticized by A.S. Pushkin: The inscription to Citizen Minin, of course, is not satisfactory: for us he is either the petty bourgeois Kosma Minin, nicknamed Sukhoruka, or the Duma nobleman Kosma Minich Sukhorukoy, or, finally, Kuzma Minin, an elected person from the entire Moscow state, as it is named in the letter of election of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. All this would not be bad to know, as well as the name and patronymic of Prince Pozharsky.

On November 4, 2005, a monument to Minin and Pozharsky by Zurab Tsereteli was unveiled in Nizhny Novgorod - a reduced (by 5 cm) copy of the Moscow monument. It is installed under the walls of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, near the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist. According to the conclusion of historians and experts, in 1611 Kuzma Minin from the porch of this church called on the people of Nizhny Novgorod to gather and equip the people's militia to defend Moscow from the Poles. The inscription on the Nizhny Novgorod monument is preserved, but without indicating the year.

According to legend, after the death of Lenin in 1924, during the struggle for power, an inscription appeared on the monument:

Look, prince, what scum has started up in the Kremlin today

The monument to Minin and Pozharsky is located in front of St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow. This is the first monument in the capital, erected not in honor of the sovereign, but in gratitude to national heroes. The monument to Minin and Pozharsky on Red Square, created by the great Russian sculptor Ivan Petrovich Martos, became his best work. The sculptural composition reflects the patriotism and valor not only of the two heroes of Russia, but of the entire Russian people.

From the history

In 1803, the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts of St. Petersburg took the initiative to raise funds for the creation of a monument in honor of the heroes of the Nizhny Novgorod militia of 1612. The main figure of the composition was to be folk hero Nizhny Novgorod zemstvo headman Kuzma Minin, and it was planned to erect the monument in Nizhny Novgorod, since it was here that the Second Zemstvo militia gathered.

For reference: In 1612 Nizhny Novgorod merchant Kuzma Minin urged to create a militia and expel foreigners from Moscow. He proposed to appoint the chief commander Prince of Nizhny Novgorod Dmitry Pozharsky. A huge army was assembled near Nizhny Novgorod, for which people brought clothes, weapons and money. Under the leadership of these patriots, the people's militia with the Kazan icon Mother of God went to Moscow and on November 4, 1612 Kitay-Gorod was taken by storm and the foreigners were expelled from the capital.

Creation of the monument

In 1808, a competition was held to complete the design of the monument, as a result of which the work of Ivan Martos won. Funds for the construction were collected throughout Russia, and everyone could see an engraving depicting the future monument.

Above sculptural composition Ivan Martos worked for 14 years - from 1804 to 1817. It was planned to install it in 1812 for the 200th anniversary of the victory over the Polish-Lithuanian invaders, but the war with Napoleon prevented the implementation of these plans. At the same time, Russia's victory over the French caused new wave patriotism, the embodiment of which was the sculptural composition created by Martos.

Description

The main figure of the monument is the figure of Kuzma Minin - his hand raised up points to Pozharsky and the entire Russian people to Moscow, urging to protect it from a foreign yoke. The hero's courageous torso and wide stride express his confidence and determination.

Dmitry Pozharsky is depicted sitting, he has not yet recovered from his injury, but has already responded to Minin's call. In one of his hand is a shield with the image of the Savior, and the other hand is on a sword extended by Kuzma Minin.

The sword unites the figures of the two heroes, emphasizes their unity and expresses readiness to lead the militia and lead the people to fight the foreign yoke.

The works of Ivan Martos are for the most part executed in the classical style and therefore you can see that Minin's face resembles Zeus and both heroes have antique robes. But, if you look closely, you will notice that the Savior is depicted on the shield. Kuzma's shirt is trimmed with a pattern typical for Russian clothing, and the haircut is made with a staple, like that of a Russian peasant, that is, the author wanted to emphasize important role of the Russian people in the victory over the invaders.

The monument was opened on February 20, 1818. The ceremony was attended by Emperor Alexander I, his wife, Empress Elizabeth Alekseevna and big number residents of Moscow. Initially, the sculptures were located in the center of Red Square, and later the composition was moved to St. Basil's Cathedral to make way for demonstrations and military parades.

In Nizhny Novgorod, instead of a monument, an obelisk was erected in honor of the heroes of the militia, and in 2005, on the initiative of Yuri Luzhkov, under the leadership of Zurab Tsereteli, a copy of the monument erected in Moscow was cast. This composition was placed under the walls of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, next to the Church of St. John the Baptist. It was from the porch of this church that Kuzma Minin called on the people to unite and liberate Moscow.

The monument to Minin and Pozharsky on Red Square against the background of St. Basil's Cathedral is a symbol of Moscow. This monument is dedicated to the heroism of the entire Russian people, who rallied in the struggle against the Polish-Lithuanian yoke.