Decembrists square

The square was named after the uprising which took place here on December 14, 1825. It was the first armed revolt against autocracy and serfdom in Russia. The uprising took place on the day when the Senate and the troops were to bring an oath in fidelity to the new tsar Nicholas I. The uprising was prepared by a group of progressively-minded officers of noble birth, who wanted to over throne the monarchy and proclaim Constitutional Republic in Russia, and to abolish serfdom. The rebels chose a day during interregnum: Tsar Alexander I had died, his brother Constantine, who was to inherit the throne, abdicated in favor of another brother Nicholas I. Meanwhile the troops had already taken an oath of allegiance to Constantine, as the Senate swore allegiance to a new Tsar Nicholas I. About 3000 soldiers, seamen and officers were drawn up on the square. But the indecision of the leaders defeated the uprising. When attempts to persuade the rebels to disperse failed, Nicholas I ordered artillery to be brought to the square. The revolt was suppressed. Its leaders, 5 army officers of noble origin, were imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress and then hanged on July 26^th1826. The rest were sentenced to hard labour in Siberia. Since that time Siberia has become a place of exile in our history. The insurgents went down in Russian history as the Decembrists; hence the name of the square. In 1925 on the occasion of centenary of this uprising the former Senate Square got the name Decembrists square.

In the centre of the square stands the monument to Peter I, the founder of St Petersburg. This statue is also known as the “Bronze Horseman”: the name is due to Alexander Pushkin, a prominent 19^th-century Russian poet, who wrote a poem of the same title. This was the first monument in Russia; it was unveiled in 1782, a hundred years after Peter I’s accession.

The Bronze Horseman, the work of the French sculptor Maurice Falconet, is a very fine example of monumental sculpture. It is a symbolic statue, an allegorical representation of Peter the Great created by the sculptor at the request by Catherine II: the granite rock which serves as the pedestal is shaped like a sea-wave; the sign on it says: “to Peter I from Catherine II- 1782”, the pedestal is a solid piece of granite 1600 tones heavy, the figure of the horseman placed at the crest(вершина) of the wave is symbolic of Peter I’s struggle to get an access to the sea for Russia. The horse tramples a snake symbolizing the evil forces which opposed Peter’s reforms (the snake also provides the third point of balance for the figure). Peter’s head is crowned with a laurel wreath – a symbol of glory. Thus constructing the city here Peter the Great cut off the medieval period of Russian development to a new one.

During WWII this monument, like many others, was carefully protected. As it was too heavy to be moved off the pedestal, it was covered with sandbags and planked up.

The architectural ensemble of the square was finally formed in the mid-19^th century. One of the wings of the Admiralty fringes the square from the east; opposite it is the yellow-and-white building of the former Senate (the highest body of government, was the Supreme Court of Justice) and the Holy Synod (the main office of the Russian Orthodox Church, was the highest Body of Ecclesiastic Administration). These two buildings joined by an arch were the last great work of the outstanding Classical architect Rossi (1829-1834). At present they house the State Historical Archives.

We continue our tour driving towards another square named after the cathedral of St Isaac dominating over the square. On the right hand side we are passing by the former Horse-Guards’ Riding School designed by Quarenghi in 1804-1807. Nowadays it is used as Manege Central Exhibition Hall to display different exhibitions.