Monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow on the Sparrow Hills: project

St. Vladimir - the baptizer of Russia is revered throughout the Slavic world. It was he who united the numerous tribes into one state, which became one of the strongest in medieval Europe. Only by coincidence in the Russian capital there is still no monument honoring his memory.

Historical personality

Prince Vladimir the Great sat on the throne in Kiev as a result of internecine war. He is known for leading a wild life and spending a lot of time in battles with nomads, who in those years often attacked the Kiev state. The prince not only managed to reflect them, but he also restored peace in many territories.

Management of Kievan Rus was not very easy, especially because of the huge territory it occupies. Vladimir began to look for an excuse to unite all the Slavic tribes and make them obey the central authorities. The idea was realized thanks to the change of religion.

At the end of the 10th century almost the whole of Europe has already adopted Christianity. But Vladimir was not in a hurry to baptize Rus. To him came representatives of various religious trends, and the prince carefully studied their features. Christianity attracted him to the fact that in him is worshiped one god, whose governor on earth is the ruler of the state.

July 28, 988 went down in history as the Day of the Baptism of Russia. It was then that Prince Vladimir announced the adoption of a new faith in the state and banned paganism. From a political point of view, this event was a success. It was in honor of this event, as well as to the 1000th anniversary of his death, that it was decided to erect a monument to Prince Vladimir on Vorobyovy Gory on the edge of the observation deck.

Initiators of erection

The main initiator and implementer of the project was the Russian Military Historical Society. It is engaged in the preparation of project documentation, the selection of a model for the future monument, the collection of funds for its construction.

But the original idea does not belong to this organization, but to a group of initiators who asked the question: Do you need a monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow? They felt that the Russian capital needed such a strong spiritual guardian.

The idea of erecting this monument was supported by the authorities of the capital, and Vladimir Putin himself, who has special feelings for his namesake and spiritual patron. Therefore, today we can safely say that the monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow will be exactly. It remains only to finish the project to the end, to confirm the place of its installation and to carry out all the works, so that in 2015 in the capital there was Vladimir the Great.

Twenty years late

About whether a monument to Vladimir in Moscow is needed, was said back in the early 90s of the last century. It was decided unequivocally that such a monument in the capital must be supplied. In 1994, even preparing a project for its erection. But due to political and economic circumstances, it was never realized.

Twenty years later, in 2014, the Moscow government was initiated by the initiators, who expressed their willingness to take on all the work to install a new monument in the capital. As support from the authorities, they chose the Russian military-historical society, which promised to promote everything. They asked the authorities for help in choosing the place and quickly approving all the necessary documents.

Thus, thanks to a public initiative, the Russian capital will be able to pay tribute to the baptizer of Russia.

Choosing a monument project

Originally planned to put a really giant monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow. 100 meters for him were considered the optimal height. But the real work on the project and the choice of the layout showed that this is an unreal height. Therefore, we stopped at a mark of 25 meters.

The choice of the project was held in the Russian Military Historical Society. There, 10 projects, created by seven creative teams under the guidance of famous sculptors, were displayed openly. Voting for the final version was held in secret. As a result, the national artist of Russia Salavat Shcherbakov won. His monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow, the layout of which he presented, most accurately reflects the essence of this project. In his interpretation, Vladimir appears before us as a powerful and powerful ruler and true baptizer of Russia.

Artistic differences of the monument

Every inhabitant of the capital is interested in what a monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow looks like. The photo of the project is published on the website of the Russian Military Historical Society.

The monument will be 24-25 meters high. The prince will appear before the observers in the clothes that are flying in the wind. In his right hand he holds a huge wooden cross, and the left hand is slightly sideways. On the belt, the prince has a beautiful long sword in sheath.

The pedestal on which the monument will be erected will be decorated with a bas-relief based on Victor Vasnetsov's fresco called "The Host of the Holy Princes - collectors of Russian lands". Namely, the scene of Vladimir's baptism in Korsun will be depicted. Next to him depict Alexander Nevsky, Daniel Moskovsky, David Smolensky, Dmitry Donskoy and Andrei Bogolyubsky. The second scene, planned on the pedestal, depicts the baptism of Rus Prince Vladimir.

Where to put Vladimir?

It is noteworthy that the monument to Prince Vladimir on the Sparrow Hills was decided not to be put immediately. Initially, for him planned other places. The main contender was Lubyanka Square. As you know, earlier there was a monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky, but it was moved from there, and the place began to empty. This was one of the arguments that it is here to perpetuate the memory of St. Vladimir. The Communists of the capital expressed extreme dissatisfaction with such a proposal. They believe that this place is rightfully owned only by Iron Felix, and they will not let anyone else put it on him.

The Moscow authorities also reacted with no enthusiasm to the idea of putting Vladimir on Lubyanka Square. Then it was decided to move the monument to the Sparrow Hills. Of course, this idea has many opponents. First of all, these are the same Communists who consider this place a symbol of the Stalin era. But there are other serious arguments against the implementation of this venture.

A complex geodetic situation

The thing is that on the Vorobyovy Gory there is always a danger of landslides. Every year, thorough geodetic surveys are conducted to stop the dangerous process of soil erosion in time. So, this year, a tender with a budget of 52 million rubles was announced for the study of the state of the upper layers and a landslide level on an area of more than 27 hectares. Of these, more than 1 km of the slope is in the most dangerous state. The ground here moves and crumbles every year.

It is noteworthy that in this place it is planned to erect a monument that does not strengthen the slope, but, on the contrary, will push it down. Therefore, before putting a ready monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow, the Vorobyovy mountains will carefully study and take all precautions so that the slope does not move along with the structure. In addition, they will create a schematic layout that will move along the intended area of the installation to find the optimal visual and geodetic version of its location.

The end of the Stalin era

The Communists' complaints about the fact that it is not worth erecting a monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow on the Vorobyovy Gory is based on the fact that they consider this place to be a memorable one, reflecting the full power of the epoch of Stalin's rule.

Everyone knows that opposite the observation deck, on the second bank of the Moscow River, is the building of the Moscow State University. This architectural ensemble became a significant part of the capital, one of his business cards. Therefore, it is unlikely that the new architecture of Moscow will fit here. The monument to Prince Vladimir is attributed to inappropriate modern structures.

According to the Communists of Russia, it is more logical to place a monument to the founder of Moscow State University. They believe that eventually this project will be realized.

Protest Muscovites

Residents of the Gagarin district are active in favor of the fact that the monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow can not be placed on the Sparrow Hills. They are worried that the slope is a place of landslide activity and that the monument will sooner or later slip down. People are afraid that no strengthening measures can not keep a large structure right above the precipice of the river. To be heard, they collect signatures on the Internet under a letter addressed to Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev and Sergei Sobyanin. People are asking to move the monument to a more reliable place.

There are also special cases when ordinary citizens turn to the competent authorities to check whether the choice of a viewing platform over the Moscow River is justified as the location of such a massive and heavy structure.

Meanwhile, on February 25, Moscow City Duma deputies decided that St. Vladimir would stand on the Sparrow Hills.

Postponement of opening dates

Originally planned to open a new monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow on the Day of the Baptism of Russia on July 28, 2015. In principle, these terms could have been sustained, but for today it's not necessary to say that builders and architects will have time on time. A long process of selecting the final design of the monument, determining its location and obtaining permits from all instances make it impossible to put a monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow at that date. The project is scheduled to close by 4 November. On the Day of National Unity, the first monument to the Saint of Russia can be opened in the capital. Because of the dangerous installation site, there is the possibility of delaying the construction process. Therefore, for today it is impossible to say exactly what the new appointed term will be sustained, and the monument to Vladimir the Great will be opened on time.

The question of finance

It has already been calculated that the total cost of the project is 150 million rubles. Earlier it was reported that it would be financed from the city budget. But it is known that such funds are not provided for in expenditures for this year. This information was untrue, since the authorities of the capital completely refuted it.

Still, the budget will partially allocate money for the monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow. The Ministry of Culture will pay for all design work. But the expenses for erecting the monument were undertaken by the Russian Military-Historical Society. Earlier it was announced the collection of funds for these purposes. As reported in the society, the required amount has already been collected. So now the erection of the monument is only a matter of time and the result of the preparatory work.

Comparison with Kiev Vladimir

Vladimir the Great was the prince of Kiev. He did not have any direct relation to Moscow, since Moscow was not a city at that time either. But this man was the one who gave Christianity to the entire East Slavic world. Therefore, Muscovites rightly consider him to be their saint.

In Kiev, the monument to him is already relatively long ago. That's why it makes sense to compare these two monuments. Let's look at the monument to Prince Vladimir on Vorobyovy Gory, photo project of which is in this article. Its location resembles Kiev: an observation deck by the river. Both Vladimirs hold crosses, only Kiev looks more like a monk, and Moscow - more like a determined warrior. And their view is different. In Kiev, the prince looks up into the sky, as if in repentance, and on Vorobyovy Gory, Vladimir fixed his gaze on the distance, showing the desire to carry the Christian faith to an increasing number of people.