Description of the attraction
Monument to Duke, or rather, a monument to Armand Emmanuel du Plessis, Duke de Richelieu, is another landmark of Odessa and the first monument opened in this city. It was created in 1828 and is a full-length bronze figure.
How did this Frenchman deserve such an honor, and how did he end up in Odessa? The Duke de Richelieu arrived in Odessa on March 9, 1803. At that time, Odessa had already existed for 8 years, but it was a small village with a couple of hundred wooden houses. The Duke de Richelieu, who became the first mayor of Odessa, turned it into a real pearl by the sea, creating one of the largest commercial ports here. During his rule, Odessa began to actively build up, the first Odessa Opera House, a printing house appeared, a commercial school and an institute for noble maidens were opened. The Duke de Richelieu remained the unchanged mayor of Odessa for eleven years. During this time, the city's population reached 35 thousand people.
However, when the Bourbons came to power in France again, he returned to his homeland, where he became prime minister. Alexander I, who visited Odessa three years later, after the Duke left Russia, was so struck by the metamorphoses and transformation of the city that he immediately issued a decree awarding the Duke de Richelieu with the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. The duke died at the age of 56 in France. When the news of his death reached Odessa, all the inhabitants of South Palmyra were amazed at the sudden death of the most respected person in the city. And then Alexander-Louis André de Langeron, the then mayor of Odessa and a great friend of the duke, urged residents to collect donations for the construction of the monument. The sketch of the monument was developed by the greatest sculptor of that time, Ivan Martos, who depicted the duke in full growth, as if walking through Odessa. The permission to erect the monument was signed by Alexander I.
A lot of water has expired since then, a lot has changed in Odessa, however, the Duke monument still remains a favorite meeting place for Odessa citizens and a visiting card of the city.
