Monument to Catherine II - an unexploited Vilnius monument to Empress Catherine the Great by Mark Antokolsky .
The idea of constructing the monument appeared in connection with the centennial of the annexation of the North-Western Territory to the Russian Empire as a result of the sections of the Commonwealth . A special committee was established, to which a native of Vilna, the famous sculptor Antokolsky, was invited, who in 1900 agreed to take up the monument. Before his death in 1902, Antokolsky managed to make a monument and bronze jewelry, which were highly approved. In the spring of 1903, the monument was delivered to Vilna.
The monument was very elegant and was one of the best works of a talented sculptor. The Empress was standing looking east, she had a power in her left outstretched hand, and a scepter in her right. The height of the figure with the footboard was about 3 meters, and the height of the entire monument was 8 meters. The weight of the statue was 22 tons, including a pedestal - 33 tons. “Empress Catherine the Second” was engraved in gold letters on the front side of the pedestal; on the opposite side, the famous motto “ Torn Back ” was engraved.
The monument was erected on Cathedral Square after expensive work to stabilize the foundation was carried out with funds from the local merchant A. M. Pimonov [1] . The grand opening of the monument took place on September 10, 1904 . At the festivities on the occasion of the opening of the monument all the prominent people of the North-Western Territory gathered, and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich , the younger brother of Nicholas II , was also present. In connection with the erection of the monument, a general refinement of the previously neglected area was also carried out, and a square was laid out.
The monument was not destined to stand for a long time: in 1915 , with the approach of German troops, it was dismantled and evacuated deep into Russia. His traces were lost during the Civil War .
See also
- Monument to Mikhail Muravyov
Notes
- ↑ Chairmen of the Vilnius Old Believer community . The booklet of the Samara Old Belief (2008). Date of treatment October 28, 2012. Archived December 28, 2012.
Links
- Monument to Empress Catherine II in Vilna on the blog Szhaman.livejournal.com
- Color photographs of S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky - Vilna , www.ps-spb2008.narod.ru
- Jekaterinos II paminklo statybos Vilniaus Katedros aikštėje Information and photographs on the work on establishing the foundation of the monument (lit.)