History of the monument
In the early 1860s, the idea arose to erect a monument in the city to mark the 100th anniversary of Catherine II’s accession to the throne. One of the monument options, made to scale 1 ⁄ 16 life-size, located in the Grotto pavilion in Tsarskoe Selo. In the center of the park on Alexandria Square, a monument to Empress Catherine II was opened in 1873. Its author is the artist Mikhail Mikeshin.
In the late 1960s, vandals snatched and stole the sword from the hands of Alexander Suvorov. It was reproduced again twice - attempts on the sword continue to this day.
Authors
The artist Mikhail Mikeshin took part in the construction of the monument, the sculptural work was carried out by Matvey Chizhov, who sculpted the statue of Catherine, and Alexander Opekushin, who created the figures surrounding the pedestal. The author of the project for the pedestal of the monument and the laurel wreath around its foot, the floor lamps, candelabra, and the inscription board under the foot of the monument is the architect David Grimm, who supervised all work on the creation of the monument. The ornamental details of the lanterns were made according to the drawings of the architect Victor Schröter.
Technical data
Around the pedestal there are nine figures of prominent figures of Catherine's era: Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, statesman Grigory Potemkin and commander Alexander Suvorov facing Nevsky Prospect, poet Gabriel Derzhavin and President of the Russian Academy Ekaterina Dashkova facing Anichkov Palace, Prince Alexander Bezborodko and President of the Russian Academy artists Ivan Betskoy - to the Public Library, polar explorer and naval commander Vasily Chichagov and statesman Alexei Orlov-Chesmensky - to the facade of the Alexandrinsky Theater. On the front façade of the monument there is a bronze plaque decorated with attributes of the sciences, arts, agriculture and military affairs. On the book, standing among these attributes, the word “law” is written and the inscription is made: “To Empress Catherine II during the reign of Emperor Alexander II, 1873.”
According to the original plan, the monument was to be installed in Tsarskoye Selo, but later it was decided to install it in St. Petersburg in front of the Alexandrinsky Theater. Between the Alexandrinsky Theater and the monument to Catherine II there is a square called Catherine's.
The events of the last years of the reign of Alexander II - in particular, the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 - prevented the implementation of the plan to expand the memorial of the Catherine era. D. I. Grimm developed a project for the construction in the park next to the monument to Catherine II of bronze statues and busts depicting figures of the glorious reign. According to the final list, approved a year before the death of Alexander II, six bronze sculptures and twenty-three busts on granite pedestals were to be placed next to the monument to Catherine.
The following should have been depicted full-length: Count N.I. Panin, Admiral G.A. Spiridov, writer D.I. Fonvizin, Prosecutor General of the Senate Prince A.A. Vyazemsky, Field Marshal Prince N.V. Repnin and General A. I. Bibikov, former chairman of the Code Commission. The busts include publisher and journalist N. I. Novikov, traveler P. S. Pallas, playwright A. P. Sumarokov, historians I. N. Boltin and Prince M. M. Shcherbatov, artists D. G. Levitsky and V. L Borovikovsky, architect A. F. Kokorinov, favorite of Catherine II Count G. G. Orlov, admirals F. F. Ushakov, S. K. Greig, A. I. Cruz, military leaders: Count Z. G. Chernyshev, Prince V M. Dolgorukov-Krymsky, Count I. E. Ferzen, Count V. A. Zubov; Moscow Governor-General Prince M.N. Volkonsky, Novgorod Governor Count Y. E. Sivers, diplomat Ya. I. Bulgakov, pacifier of the “plague riot” of 1771 in Moscow P. D. Eropkin, who suppressed the Pugachev rebellion Count P. I. Panin and I. I. Mikhelson, the hero of the capture of the Ochakov fortress I. I. Meller-Zakomelsky.
City's legends
Wits say that the bronze figures of Catherine’s favorites around the pedestal on the monument to Catherine demonstrate with gestures the size of their advantages. Only Derzhavin throws up his hands guiltily. And above them rises the majestic depraved empress with a sly smile and a standard scepter in her royal hands. In fact, of those depicted on the monument, Catherine’s favorite (according to some sources, even her secret husband) was only
The monument to Catherine the Great is rightfully considered one of the most famous monuments in St. Petersburg. The Empress, imprinted in granite, majestically looks at her subjects from above, and her favorites humbly sit at her feet - people who determined the politics of that time, weaved intrigues, lost and gained power...
History of the creation of the monument
The idea of immortalizing the empress in stone arose in the first years of her reign (Catherine the Second came to power in 1762 and ruled the Russian Empire until her death in 1796), but the empress herself then categorically rejected this idea. However, her merits were appreciated not only by her own subjects, but also by her successors. Thus, Emperor Alexander II (the same one who abolished serfdom in Russia and received the prefix “liberator” for this) ordered a competition to be announced for the best design of a monument to Catherine. They wanted to install the monument in Tsarskoe Selo, and entrust the project to the artist Mikeshin. As a result, the monument, based on the artist’s model, was cast in bronze and safely went to an exhibition in London, where it received honors and a medal.
In 1863, Prince Suvorov (grandson of the famous Russian commander) personally appealed to Emperor Alexander II to erect a monument opposite the Alexandria Theater. Mikeshin significantly changed the project, which was no longer much like the previous model. About a year later, work on the production of the model was completed. Permission was received from above, and then the monument finally began to be erected.
The construction work was led by the architect David Grimm. The granite for the pedestal was delivered by water: it took a rather bizarre route - from the Karelian Isthmus to the Neva embankment near the Summer Garden and from there to the desired location by rail. Not only the monument to the empress itself was created: in parallel with this, the park adjacent to the monument was also developed.
In total, construction took a little over 10 years and lasted from 1862 to 1873. The opening day of the monument was not chosen by chance: the solemn, surprisingly magnificent ceremony took place on St. Catherine’s Day, at the same time the name day of the Empress Catherine the Great herself was celebrated - November 24 (December 6), 1873. On a city scale, it was a real celebration: a ceremonial parade took place in the streets, fireworks thundered, and luxurious tables were laid in the National Library in order to properly honor the authors of the monument and those who took part in this grandiose construction.
Over 300,000 rubles were spent from the state treasury on the creation of the monument, but in the long term it turned out to be a truly profitable investment: even many years after the opening of the monument, thousands of residents and guests of the city come with admiration to look at one of the most prominent monuments of Old Petersburg.
In memory of the first “Tsarskoe Selo Project”, a monument was erected in Tsarskoe Selo, similar to the one on Ostrovsky Square - approximately 1/16 the size of that one.
According to some sources, in the 1930s the government of Soviet Leningrad intended to demolish the monument, replacing it with a statue of Vladimir Lenin. Instead of Catherine’s nine favorites, accordingly, it was planned to place members of the Politburo on the pedestal. However, these plans remained plans, and the monument stoically survived even the siege of Leningrad. In the mid-1960s, the local granite Suvorov lost his sword, which then had to be restored.
The composition of the monument is as follows: Catherine, dressed in an ermine robe, clutches in her hands a symbol of power - a scepter and a symbol of triumph - a laurel wreath, and at her feet is the crown of the Russian Empire. Strict and calm, Catherine silently looks at the city from a height of almost four and a half meters, and at the foot sit those who owed her their high position at court and left an important place in the history of the Russian Empire. In total, there are nine figures among the members of “Catherine’s circle”...
Grigory Potemkin-Tavrichesky, the founder of Dnepropetrovsk, Sevastopol and Nikolaev, was rumored to be the secret husband of Catherine the Great.
Alexander Suvorov is the greatest Russian commander who glorified Russia in triumphant military campaigns.
Gabriel Derzhavin is a Russian poet and statesman who took part in the suppression of the uprising of Emelyan Pugachev.
Ekaterina Dashkova is one of Catherine the Great’s close associates, her friend, who, in particular, took part in the coup of 1762, which allowed Catherine to ascend the Russian throne.
Alexander Bezborodko is a Russian statesman who initiated the division of Poland.
Ivan Betskoy - secretary of the empress and president of the imperial academy of arts.
Alexey Orlov-Chesmensky is a prominent Russian figure and commander, who received a prefix to his surname for his triumphant participation in the Battle of Chesmensky.
Catherine's favorites are surrounded by various attributes of military affairs, arts, sciences, and agriculture. Among all this there is a large book on which the word “law” is written and the inscription “To Empress Catherine II during the reign of Emperor Alexander II, 1873” is made. Thus, Alexander honored the empress’s services to subsequent generations.
Statue of Empress Catherine II by the outstanding Russian sculptor A. M. Opekushin (1838-1923). Made of Carrara marble (260 cm high and weighing more than 3 tons).
History of creation
In 1785, Empress Catherine the Second signed a very important document - the “Grant for Rights and Benefits to the Cities of the Russian Empire,” thanks to which the cities received the right to self-government. 100 years after this event, the Moscow City Duma decided, in memory of this event, to erect a monument to the Empress on the square in front of the new Duma building. In 1885, a competition was announced for the best design of the monument. City Mayor N.A. Alekseev and some members of the Duma put forward a proposal to obtain the creation of a monument to Mark Matveyevich Antokolsky. The sculptor, widely known by that time, was in Paris at that moment, but was ready to come to Russia to work on the monument. For some unknown reason, the final decision in favor of Antokolsky was delayed. Only in 1888 did the sculptor begin work. By mid-December of the same year, he sent a model of the monument to Moscow, and a month later it was reviewed at a meeting of the Duma. The work received positive reviews, including from Emperor Alexander III. Despite this, permission to make the monument was not received. As a result, in 1890, the Duma was forced to refuse the services of Antokolsky, due to the rejection of this model by the technical and construction committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: “the proportions of the figure are unsuccessful and the general contour of the entire monument is ungraceful.”
In 1891, the issue of the monument was raised again. This time the work was entrusted to the sculptor Alexander Mikhailovich Opekushin, who was well known as the author of the monument to A.S. Pushkin in Moscow. In March 1893, Opekushen submitted his model of the monument to the Duma for consideration, which was highly appreciated by the specially invited art connoisseur Savva Ivanovich Mamontov. During the negotiations, it was decided to solemnly open the monument to the 100th anniversary of the death of Catherine the Great.
For 21 years the statue of the Empress adorned the Duma meeting room. After the revolution, the marble statue was sent to the storerooms of the Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin as working material. In the 1930s, they wanted to use it to make marble busts of Karl Marx, V.I. Lenin and I.V. Stalin. The statue was doomed to destruction. She was saved by the director of the museum, sculptor Sergei Merkulov. In 1952, he secretly sent it to his friend, the chief architect of Yerevan Mark Grigoryan. He assigned the statue to the national art gallery, where it stood for more than 30 years in the museum courtyard in a blue niche.
During a visit to Armenia in 2003 by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, a decision was made to return the statue. In the same year, the marble empress flew to the capital on a special flight from the Ministry of Emergency Situations. It was not possible to install it in the Moscow Duma; the statue turned out to be too large for a modern building. The sculpture was temporarily placed in the Tretyakov Gallery, where for several years restorers Olga Vladimirovna Vasilievna and Vladimir Ilyich Cheremikhin restored its original appearance. And in 2006, the monument was sent to Tsaritsyno, where it received permanent registration. The statue was placed in the main hall, which was soon called Catherine's.
The second half of the 18th century in the city on the Neva is the time of the reign of the “enlightened” empress. This period became one of the fundamental ones for the formation of the appearance of the Northern capital. And the monument to Catherine 2 in St. Petersburg is a monument to an entire era.
Catherine the Great: personality and contribution to history
The Austrian princess Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst, called to Russia by Elizaveta Petrovna, daughter of Peter I and the autocrat of All Russia, in order to become the wife of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, became the truly Russian empress of the Russian State. But the path she took to the throne, and then to recognition, was long and difficult.
The first step - renouncing her faith and accepting Orthodoxy - advanced her along the path of establishing mutual understanding with the Russian people. Moreover, this step was taken informally: Catherine truly became a truly Orthodox and deeply religious empress, who fully accepted and implemented all church dogmas and adhered to all Orthodox canons. Thanks to the Empress, a large number of Orthodox churches were built in St. Petersburg and Russia, many of which were financed by philanthropists who were Catherine’s associates.
The second step is an attentive attitude to the problems of the common people, a genuine interest in their traditions, the desire to somehow make the life of every poor and needy, orphan and wretched.
The third step is political and economic reforms aimed at strengthening Russia’s position in the international arena, including the successful waging of wars with Turkey, Poland, Prussia, and the reconquest and development of the Odessa port. The most important economic reforms were: the introduction of high customs duties on goods imported into Russia, the abolition of duties on domestic trade, the introduction of special privileges for nobles so that they could trade surplus products from their estates, the modernization of the system of transporting goods within the state - in St. Petersburg this is the creation of brawlers on the islands of the Neva delta, where goods from deep-draft ships were unloaded into barns and then distributed to shallow-draft lighter ships. All this gave impetus to the development of domestic industry and trade, as well as the economy as a whole.
The fourth step is to carry out important reforms in the field of culture and education. We will talk about them in more detail later.
Place for a monument
The monument to Catherine 2 in St. Petersburg was erected near the Alexandrinsky Theater (drama theater named after A.S. Pushkin) on Ostrovsky Square near the main city thoroughfare - Nevsky Prospekt. This place was not chosen by chance. There are buildings around that in one way or another reflect the main milestones in the life and work of Catherine the Great in Russia and for Russia.
The figure of Catherine the Great is turned towards Nevsky Prospect, as an allegory of the fact that Her Majesty cares about her people day and night and monitors life in the capital of her state. And since Nevsky Prospekt is the main place in the city, where foreign titled persons meet with Russian aristocrats and high-ranking officials to resolve important government affairs in a relaxed atmosphere, it also follows the life of the entire empire.
Monument to Catherine 2 in St. Petersburg: general information
The monument was erected on the square in front of the theater for the anniversary date - the 110th anniversary of the reign of Catherine the Great. This event took place on November 25, 1873, and exactly one hundred and ten years ago - on November 25, 1763, Catherine II, having overthrown the legitimate heir Peter Fedorovich (Emperor Peter III) from the throne, usurped the throne with the support of a large number of Russian nobles and guardsmen of all regiments close to throne: Preobrazhensky, Semenovsky, Izmailovsky, Horse Guards. The Senate and Synod swore allegiance to her. The Church legalized the act of enthronement, proclaiming Ekaterina Alekseevna the legitimate empress, and her son Pavel Petrovich as heir to the throne.
On the monument you can read the inscription: “To Empress Catherine II during the reign of Emperor Alexander II.” The beginning of the implementation of the idea coincided with the centenary of the accession to the throne of the brilliant Catherine, but the creation lasted for ten years. The monument itself is cast from bronze and installed on a granite pedestal. The weight of the structure is 270 kg, and the height of the entire monument is 14.2 m. This is one of the largest monuments in the Northern capital. The author of the monument to Catherine 2 in St. Petersburg is not one, but a whole group of St. Petersburg masters.
The image of the "enlightened" empress
The main description of the monument to Catherine 2 in St. Petersburg comes down, first of all, to a description of its characters. The giant inverted bell is crowned by a full-length “enlightened” empress in the guise of the Roman goddess of Justice Minerva. A heavy mantle covers her shoulders, an order ribbon is thrown across her chest, an order badge is on her chest, a laurel wreath is on her head - a symbol of Victory, in her right hand the empress holds a staff with coat of arms symbols as a symbol of power over the country and its subjects, in her left hand - lowered down laurel wreath - symbol of peace and victory. At Catherine's feet lies a large imperial crown on a medallion with Her Majesty's monogram and a garland of laurel leaves attached on both sides to the curls of a decorative element - a volute.
The bottom of the medallion is framed by the leaves of the Greek acanthus plant - a symbolic sign of triumph and overcoming trials. The sculptor of the monument to Catherine 2 in St. Petersburg is Mikhail Osipovich Mikeshin.
Catherine II's entourage in the monument
At the feet of the Almighty, especially close nobles who made a huge contribution to the history of the Fatherland were located in plot groups. Among them:
- Field Marshal Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov, the favorite commander of Catherine II, commanded the Russian army - he fought in Poland, Ukraine, won many glorious victories, raised battle tactics and strategy to an unprecedented height.
- Catherine’s favorite and, according to some assumptions, secret husband, His Serene Highness Prince Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin, Field Marshal General and creator of the Black Sea Fleet, made an invaluable contribution to the course of the military campaign to annex Tavria (Crimea) to Russia, as a result of which access to the Black Sea was won, and the prince himself received a second surname and began to be called Potemkin-Tavrichesky.
- The empress's friend Ekaterina Romanovna Vorontsova-Dashkova, who accompanied the future empress during the palace coup, and history has preserved her in its annals as the first female director of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
- The poet Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, a participant in the Pugachev rebellion, a brilliant master of versification, he glorified the ascension to the throne of the “brilliant” empress with the famous “Ode about Felitsa”.
- Field Marshal Pyotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev, a graduate of the Land Noble Cadet Corps, a brilliant strategist and tactician, a valiant warrior, commanded the Russian army in the Russian-Turkish War and became famous for his heroic deeds in the battles of Kagul and Larga, for which he received a second surname and became known as Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky .
- Count Alexey Grigorievich Orlov, general-in-chief, led the Russian navy in the Russian-Turkish war, became famous for his sharp mind and foresight in decision-making, was directly related to the capture of Princess Tarakanova, one of Catherine’s associates, who accompanied her throughout her reign from the palace coup , in which he was directly involved. For the victory of the fleet under his command in the Battle of Chesme, he received the title of Chesme.
- Count Ivan Ivanovich Betskoy, personal secretary of Catherine II, founder of the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens, Orphanage, reformer of the education system, President and reformer of the Academy of the Three Most Noble Arts.
- Chancellor Alexander Andreevich Bezborodko, Count and His Serene Highness Prince, member of the Little Russian State Court and a prominent military figure who accompanied P. A. Rumyantsev in the battles of Larga and Kagul and proved himself to be a valiant warrior.
- Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov, the greatest Russian navigator, admiral of the Russian fleet, commanded the Kronstadt and Revel ports, a detachment of the Don flotilla in the Russian-Turkish war.
Around the monument
The area around the monument to Catherine 2 in St. Petersburg is clearly visible in the photo: on the right are the buildings of the Russian National Library, the authors of which were architects K. I. Rossi and S. Sokolov (the corner building of Nevsky Prospekt from Sadovaya Street), on the left is the northern the pavilion of the Anichkov Palace - the former estate of Elizabeth Petrovna's favorite Alexei Grigorievich Razumovsky, the architect is still the same Rossi, behind the street leading to the Lomonosov Bridge is a street of two identical houses - Zodchego Rossi Street, in one of the buildings of which the Academy of Classical Dance is located. Agrippina Yakovlevna Vaganova and the Theater Museum with a theater library; another building formerly housed the Administration of the Imperial Theaters.
The green area around the monument is Catherine’s (popularly known as Katkin’s) Garden. The author of the architectural ensemble, which mainly took shape in the middle of the 19th century, was Karl Ivanovich Rossi, an Italian architect. The monument to Catherine II in St. Petersburg is the central focus of this brilliant composition.
Legends and myths of St. Petersburg about the monument to Catherine II in St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg is a city where myths and legends live and multiply. Many of them are recorded in the books of the historian and St. Petersburg specialist Sindalovsky.
One of these legends says that huge treasures are buried under the monument - rings with precious stones of incredible value, which were thrown into the hole under the foundation by St. Petersburg aristocrats during the foundation of the monument.
There is also an opinion that all the sculptures of men around the queen are images of her favorites, but in fact this is not so - only G. A. Potemkin was the favorite of them.
There is also a hypothesis that the Bolsheviks wanted to dismantle the monument to Catherine as glorifying the era of Tsarist Russia and erect a monument to Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the leader of the proletariat, in this place as a symbol of victory over tsarism and capitalism.
The monument and modern St. Petersburgers
The monument to Catherine II is often destroyed by vandals: the sword of Suvorov’s sculpture is broken off, the orders of nobles are cut off, and the chain of the empress herself is cut off.
But there are also positive examples of the attention of St. Petersburg residents to the monument to the Ruler. Catherine's Garden is a favorite place for walks for city residents, and at the entrance, young and not so young painters and graphic artists demonstrate their talent to passers-by, painting their portraits and views of St. Petersburg.
Traditional festivals are held near the monument. So, in April the opening of the festival of light took place here, for several years in a row there was an ice cream festival, the annual Petrojazz festival, a motorcycle festival, etc. Such popularity is a true assessment of the monument to Catherine 2 in St. Petersburg.
Legends of Catherine SquareEveryone's favorite Catherine Square in St. Petersburg is located in the city center on Nevsky Prospekt. The park is surrounded by the architectural ensemble of the Anichkov Palace. Catherine Square is also adjacent to the Russian National Library and the Alexandrinsky Theater.
Catherine Square was laid out and opened in 1820-32 by the architect K. I. Rossi and the garden master Y. Fedorov. It was redesigned in 1873-80 by the architect D.I. Grimm and the botanist E and L. Regel.
The dimensions of the Catherine Square are 160 X 80 m. The last reconstruction of the Catherine Park was carried out at the end. 20th century Among the relatively few trees there are extensive flower beds.
In 1873, a monument to Catherine II was erected in the center of the park (hence the name). ABOUT creation of a monument to Catherine II thought about it even during her reign, but the great empress herself was against its construction. In 1860, the Academy of Arts announced competition for a model of the monument to Catherine II for Tsarskoye Selo. This competition was won by the project artist Mikhail Osipovich Mikeshina.
Later in 1862 Alexander II ordered the creation of a monument according to this model. They decided to erect a monument to Catherine II in St. Petersburg on the 100th anniversary of her accession to the throne. And Governor General Prince A. A. Suvorov, the grandson of the famous commander, made a proposal to install this monument in the park opposite the “Alexandria Theater in St. Petersburg, in view of the Public Library, the establishment of which belongs to the wise empress.”
By 1864 artist Mikeshin designed a model of the monument, which was somewhat different from the monument erected in Tsarskoye Selo. This model received the Highest approval.
Grand opening of the monument was timed to coincide with St. Catherine's Day - the Empress's name day - November 24 (December 6), 1873.
Composition of the monument to Catherine the Second in St. Petersburg
Majestic bronze figure of the Great Empress Catherine II looks at the Northern capital with a slight smile. In her hands is a symbol of imperial power - scepter and laurel wreath, lies at your feet crown of the Russian Empire. An ermine robe falls from the Empress's shoulder, and on her chest we see Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.
Around the “pedestal” are figures of prominent figures from the era of the empress’s reign.
The figures on the monument to Catherine the Second in St. Petersburg face four directions:
TO :
Field Marshal Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky Pyotr Aleksandrovich,
statesman Potemkin Grigory Alexandrovich,
commander Suvorov, Alexander Vasilievich.
To Anichkov Palace:
poet Derzhavin, Gabriel Romanovich,
President of the Russian Academy Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova.
TO Public library:
Prince Bezborodko, Alexander Andreevich,
President of the Russian Academy of Arts Ivan Ivanovich Betskoy.
To the gable Alexandrinsky Theater:
polar explorer Chichagov Vasily Yakovlevich,
statesman Orlov Alexey Grigorievich.
According to the project, approved a year before the death of Alexander II, the ensemble of the monument to Catherine II was to include 29 more figures of figures from the reign of the empress. In the Catherine Garden, space was provided for six more bronze sculptures and twenty-three busts on granite pedestals. However, the Russian-Turkish War (1877 - 1878) intervened in these plans.
On the front façade of the monument there is a bronze plaque decorated with attributes of the sciences, arts, agriculture and military affairs. On the book, standing among these attributes, the word “law” is written and the inscription is made: “To Empress Catherine ΙΙ during the reign of Emperor Alexander ΙΙ, 1873.”
Legends and facts of the monument to Catherine II
One of the many legends that arose around the monument to Catherine II says that treasures are kept under the monument. They said that the laying of the monument made such a strong impression on one of the spectators that she, not knowing how best to express her emotions, tore the diamond ring from her finger and threw it into the pit, as a sign of gratitude to the great empress for her deeds. The noble ladies and gentlemen present at the ceremony followed her example, and soon at the bottom of the pit lay a multitude of earrings, rings, brooches, bracelets and necklaces. The ceremony of laying the foundation of the monument lasted beyond the planned time, since there were a lot of people who wanted to “bring their precious jewelry as a gift” to Catherine II. There are rumors that the treasures still lie under the monument in the Catherine Garden.
An interesting fact related to the monument to Catherine II is that during the “reign” of the All-Union Bolshevik Communist Party (1930s), the Leningrad party authorities recognized the monument as old regime and planned instead of the figure of the empress, install the figure of V. I. Lenin, and instead of the figures, seat representatives of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee.
Since the 1960s, the sword in the hand of A.V. Suvorov periodically disappears and has to be restored. But it's not all missing. At the monument to Catherine II Various sculptural details often disappear(bronze chains, orders). And once the empress was seen wearing a vest. Most likely, the St. Petersburg sailors had a lot of fun.
There is a legend that figures of figures of Catherine's era hint at the size of their own merits with gestures. But Derzhavin throws up his hands.
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