Bronze Horseman Statue

Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Bronze Horseman is an equestrian statue of Peter the Great in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Commissioned by Catherine the Great, it was created by the French sculptor Étienne Maurice Falconet. It is also the name of a narrative poem written by Aleksander Pushkin about the statue in 1833, widely considered to be one of the most significant works of Russian literature. The statue came to be known as the Bronze Horseman because of the poem's great influence and success. The statue is now one of the symbols of Saint Petersburg, in much the same way that the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of New York City. Both of them were designed and built by French artists.

The statue's pedestal is the enormous Thunder Stone, claimed to be the largest stone ever moved by man (1,250 t). In its original state the stone weighed about 1500 tonnes. It was carved during transportation to its current site.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1770-1782
Category: Statues in Russia

Rating

4.9/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Sebastian Kluth (4 years ago)
The Bronze Horseman is a stunning statue of Peter the Great situated in the beautiful Senate Square. The statue's pedestal is believed to have been the largest stone ever moved by humans. It's the most beautiful statue in the entire city and definitely worth a detour.
Eugene Eremchenko (5 years ago)
One kf the most recognized monuments in Russia with rich history. Amazing landscape and quite modern design even now...
Oleg Naumov (5 years ago)
Buildings of Senate and Synod built in 1829-1834 by Russian Architect Carlo di Giovanni Rossi (1775-1849) who was born in Naples but became Russian subject as many other Italians in XV - XIX centuries and Monument to Emperor Peter I (1672-1725) aka Peter the Great made in 1768-1770 by French sculptor Etienne Maurice Falcone (1716-1791) but head of the statue was sculpted by French woman Marie-Anne Collot (1748-1821). That equestrian statue is better known as The Copper Horseman. Saint Petersburg,
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.