Description of the attraction
Opposite the Trinity Bridge is one of the largest squares in St. Petersburg - Suvorovskaya, which was formed according to the project of Karl Rossi in 1818. The center of the square is the monument to Suvorov. According to some sources, this square between the Marble Palace and Saltykov's house is a kind of architectural foundation of the Trinity Bridge, according to others - the beginning of the Field of Mars ensemble.
Suvorov is the greatest Russian commander, who was awarded the highest military rank of Generalissimo, he has not lost a single war. The idea of creating and erecting a monument to the great commander came to the mind of Emperor Paul I after the victorious return of the Russian troops from the famous Italian campaign. When in 1798 Napoleon captured Northern Italy and Switzerland, the Allied countries asked for help from Russia in the war with France. Field Marshal Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian-Austrian troops. Count Suvorov returned from this campaign with a victory. And in this regard, Paul I gave the order to erect a monument to the field marshal in Gatchina. For the first time in all Russian history, it was decided to erect a monument during the hero's lifetime.
The project of the monument was approved at the beginning of 1800, its author was the famous sculptor Mikhail Kozlovsky. He presented the generalissimo in the form of Mars, the ancient Roman God of war, since the commander was often called the "god of war". In his creation, Kozlovsky did not strive for a portrait resemblance to the famous military leader, but rather focused on the glorification of the commander's talent. Mars, clad in a helmet and armor, swiftly raises his sword. On the altar - Sardinian and Neapolitan crowns, tiara - the headdress of the Pope. They are covered by a shield with the coat of arms of the Russian Empire. All this symbolizes the victories of the Russian troops under the command of Suvorov. On the sides of the altar there are allegorical images of Faith, Love, Hope. The pedestal was made according to the project of A. Voronikhin. The bas-relief on the pedestal created by the master F. Gordeev is an allegorical image of Glory and Peace, overshadowing a shield with an inscription that recalls the great victories of the Generalissimo in the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791 on the Rymnik river, and in Italy.
The statue was cast from bronze by the famous caster V. Yekimov. The height of the sculpture is 3, 37 m, and the height of the pedestal on which it rises is 4, 05 m. The monument to Suvorov, in terms of expressiveness and perfection of composition, is one of the best monuments in Russia of the 18th century. The uniqueness of the monument also lies in the fact that it is the first significant monument entirely created by Russian masters.
Initially, the monument was planned to be installed in Gatchina, but then the location was changed - Emperor Paul I decided to erect a monument near his new residence - Mikhailovsky Castle. But the monument to the commander never became a lifetime. Count Suvorov died a year before the opening of the monument. And the initiator of its construction - Paul I - did not see its opening, he was killed two months before the opening in the Mikhailovsky Castle. On May 5, 1801, a grand opening of the monument to A. V. Suvorov, which was attended by Alexander I, the son of Suvorov, the entire generals of St. Petersburg.
In 1818, the redevelopment of the territory around the Mikhailovsky Castle was completed. At the suggestion of Karl Rossi, it was decided to move the monument to the Generalissimo to a new square overlooking the Neva, which was named Suvorovskaya. In 1834 g.the cherry marble pedestal, which was cracked from frost, was replaced with a pink granite pedestal. The work was carried out by the master Visconti, its original form has been preserved.
During the Great Patriotic War, the monument to Suvorov, as well as two other monuments of the great commanders of Russia - Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly, were not hidden. There was a sign: Leningrad would not surrender until a shell hits these monuments. During even the most terrible shelling, not a single monument was damaged.
But there is an opinion that they still wanted to hide the monument in the basement of a house located nearby, but the window opening turned out to be too narrow to be placed there, and the Leningraders, weakened by hunger and shelling, did not have the strength to do so.
The Suvorov Monument still stands today in the middle of Suvorov Square, personifying the valor of Russian weapons and the invincibility of the Russian army. A model of this monument is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery.
