The Presidential Library spotlights the 160th anniversary since the installation of the Millennium of Russia Monument in Veliky Novorod

On September 20, 1862 the first monument, dedicated to the Russian State, was opened in Veliky Novgorod. The arrival of Rurik for the reign (862), thanks to which the unification of disparate tribes took place, is considered to be the starting point of Russian statehood.

The idea of installing the monument belonged to Emperor Alexander II and was supported by the Committee of Ministers. According to the plan, the monument should reflect all historical stages of the millennium since inviting Rurik to reign.

In 1859 after the competition, to participate in which “all Russian or residing in Russia artists” were invited, the most “grandiose and complex” project of the unknown then graduate of the Imperial Academy of Arts Mikhail Mikeshin was chosen.

The goal of Mikeshin’s monument was to show “the most remarkable figures of the Russian land, known in the millennial period of Russian statehood”. The square in the Novgorod Detinets near the Cathedral of St. Sophia has been chosen as the location for installing the monument.

The monument is a globus cruciger on a bell–shaped pedestal, which displays 11 sculptural groups of 128 models of historical figures of the IX-XIX centuries. Sculptural images are divided into three levels. The upper level consists of two figures – an angel with a cross in his hand and a kneeling woman, embodying the Orthodox Church and Russia. The middle part of the monument features six sculptural groups around the globus cruciger, symbolizing various periods of the history of the Russian state – the invitation of the Varangians to Rus’, the Christianization of Rus’, the beginning of liberation from the Tatar-Mongol yoke (Battle of Kulikovo), the foundation of the autocratic kingdom of Russia, the beginning of the Romanov dynasty, the establishment of the Russian Empire. In the lower part of the monument there is a frieze consisting of four high-relief compositions: statesmen, military men and heroes, educators, writers and artists.

The history of the monument’s installation is described in detail in the book Monument to the Millennium of the Russian State in Novgorod (1878), available on the Presidential Library’s portal.

In order to install the pedestal, it was necessary to find granite that was well polished and could withstand the severity of the local climate. Such granite was found in Serdobol (currently the town of Sortavala) and transported along Lake Ladoga to Veliky Novgorod. It was decided to make the “inner mass of the pedestal” “out of a carved Putilovo plate”. The stone for the “sidewalks near the monument” was delivered from Olonets Governorate.

While “the stone was being cut and the pedestal was being prepared” in Veliky Novgorod, artists in St. Petersburg “molded models from plaster” to later cast them in bronze. The task wasn’t easy. About 40 architects and sculptors were involved in the creation of the monument, including Ivan Schröder, Robert Salemann, Nikolai Laveretsky, Matvey Chizhov.

It took around a year and a half to build the monument. In the summer of 1861, the pedestal was completed, and in the winter of 1861-1862, “all colossal figures and high relief, lattice and candelabra” were cast and assembled, according to the book Monument to the Millennium of the Russian State in Novgorod. In the end, the entire work cost 500 thousand rubles in silver.

The opening of the monument, which took place on September 20, 1862, was a significant event not only for Veliky Novgorod, but for Russia as a whole. On this day, Emperor Alexander II and his entourage, representatives of the nobility and artillery troops solemnly arrived in the city. How the military opened the ceremony with a “march and salute” is described in the book Regulations on the Gathering of Troops in Novgorod for the Opening of the Millennium of Russia Monument on September 8, 1862 (1862).

The Presidential Library’s collections contain unique lithographs depicting the Millennia of Russia Monument. Video material featuring photographs of the monument and sculptural groups of each level is available on the Presidential Library’s portal. “An edifying chronicle of people embodying talent, intelligence and rare moral qualities over the millennial period of the existence of the state” – this is how the book Monument to the Millennium of the Russian State in Novgorod defines the significance of the monument, the 160th anniversary of which is celebrated in 2022. Materials dedicated to the anniversaries of the celebration of Russian statehood are featured on the Presidential Library’s portal as well.