The Column of Glory

The Column of Glory is one of the most remarkable symbols of St Petersburg. It is located at Konnogvardeiskiy Boulevard, connecting the St. Isaac's Square and the Senate Square with the district of Kolomna.This famous monument is represented by two granite pillars, crowned by bronze figures of the goddess of victory Nike. The Column of Glory was erected in hounor of thePatriotic War. The original monument stood eight meters high, and was crowned with the winged figure of victory with a wreath made of oak leaves in one hand and palm branches in the other.These sculptures were presented to Emperor Nicholas I by King Friedrich Wilhelm IV in 1845 as a specific response for the copies of the sculptural group "The Taming of the Horse", designed by P. Klodt. The original sculptures can be seen on the Anichkov Bridge in St Petersburg.Grey granite–famousarchitect Carlo Rossi used this materialfor the construction ofthe Column of Glory. The height of each column is 12 meters, the statue occupies 2,5 m. An iron spiral staircase was located inside. Ten cannons surrounded the monument. It should be said that Carlo Rossi contributed greatly to the architectural beauty of St Petersburg, as among his works the building of Senate, Mykhailovskiy castle, Aleksandriskiy theatre and others should be mentioned.

Historical reference

1775-1849 – Carlo Rossi’s life
1845-1846 – Krasnogvardeiskiy boulevard was laid
1812-1814 – Patriotic War
1844-1845 – creation of statues of the goddess Nike in Berlin (architect H.D. Rauch)
1845-1846 – the construction of the Column of Glory (architect C. Rossi)