Medal "For the construction of the Kremlin Palace"

Initially, the medal “In Memory of the Renewal of the Kremlin Palace in Moscow in 1773” was released on the occasion of the laying of the Grand Kremlin Palace by architect Vasily Bazhenov . It was made of bronze medalist Timofey Ivanov, presumably based on sketches of the architect himself ^{[3] [4]} . But the grandiose design of the palace was never realized due to the settlement of the walls of the Archangel Cathedral and the high cost of the work ^[5] . In 1838, they began the construction of a more modest palace complex under the guidance of architect Konstantin Ton. The construction lasted about twelve years ^[6] , a large group of Moscow masters took part in the work under the supervision of chamberlain Lev Bode , who, in turn, formally subordinated to Prince Alexander Urusov ^{[7] [8] [9]} . The main artist was Fedor Solntsev , and the architectural assistant was Pyotr Gerasimov , who, along with Nikolai Chichagov, was responsible for interior design. In addition, Vladimir Bakarev , Nikolai Shokhin , Giuseppe Artari and others took an active part in the development. In 1843, Fedor Richter succeeded Konstantin Ton in matters of general leadership. After completion of construction, all those involved in the development of the project were awarded the medal ^{[10] [11] [12]} .

The medal "For the Construction of the Kremlin Palace" was established in 1847 by order of Nicholas I. The corresponding decree was transmitted by the Minister of the Imperial Court Petro Volkonsky to the Minister of Finance Fedor Vronchenko ^{[13] [14]} . Alexey Klepikov , the main medalist of the St. Petersburg Mint, was responsible for developing the stamps and creating forms in stone ^{[15] [16]} . From March to October 1849, 4,642 silver and 71 gold medals were made, as well as 3 gold copies with diamonds . In addition, medals of a different form of release were cast - 71 gold and 81 silver specimen without eyelet for attaching the tape. They were not intended to be worn and served as a memorable souvenir in memory of the celebrations at the end of the construction of the palace. All models were minted with identical stamps and had no degrees. For silver medals, silver 83 and 1/3 of the sample used since 1832 were used . The awards were prepared in advance, so that at the ceremony of the consecration of the palace the cavaliers would appear with insignia ^{[2] [14] [15] [16]} .

In the years 1858-1868 the management of the St. Petersburg Mint issued stamp catalogs located in the vaults of the medal part. The third edition, compiled by engineer V.P. Smirnov in 1908, included the medal "For the resumption of construction of the Kremlin Palace" under number 542 ^[17] .

The cavaliers of the medal were architects, contractors, artists, senior officials of the imperial court who took part in the construction of the Grand Kremlin Palace. Peter Volkonsky, Alexander Urusov and Lev Bode received special gold medals decorated with diamonds. In addition, construction participants were granted special privileges. So, Bode received fifty thousand rubles in silver, was awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky and appointed Ober-Hoffmeister instead of the elderly Count Urusov. His son was also granted a high rank and order. ^{[18] [2]} Peter Gerasimov was awarded the title of college assessor and a cash prize ^[19] . Members of the imperial family , soldiers and 18 officers of the palace grenadiers and the guards corps noted the medals without ears, not intended to be worn ^[14] .

The diameter of gold and silver medals was 34–35 millimeters. On the front side depicted the monogram of sovereign Nicholas I, crowned with a large imperial crown . Above placed the inscription: "Thank you." The reverse of the item adorns the main facade of the Grand Kremlin Palace with a fluttering standard . Under the cropped image there is a signature in two lines: "Pledged 1838 Consecrated 1849." The stigma of the medalist is placed below the side: “A. Klepikov R. ”(cut by Aleksey Klepikov) ^{[14] [2]} . Models with an eyelet for attaching the tape were worn on the chest. Most of the awards had a red ribbon of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, but three copies with diamonds decorated the blue one - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called ^{[18] [20]} .

• Medal "For the Renewal of the Winter Palace"
• Thank you medal

• Medal "For the construction of the Kremlin Palace" on the site "Awards of Imperial Russia 1702-1917"