The Millennium of Russia (1862).

The Millennium of Russia is a famous bronze monument in the kremlin of Novgorod, Russia. It was erected in 1862 to celebrate the millennium of Rurik's arrival to Novgorod, an event traditionally taken as a starting point of Russian history. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2000x3008, 1662 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Novgorod ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2000x3008, 1662 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Novgorod ... Kremlin (Кремль) is the Russian word for citadel or castle and refers to any major fortified central complex found in historical Russian cities. ... Velikiy Novgorod (Russian: ) is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia, situated on the M10(E95) federal highway connecting Moscow and St. ... Rurik or Riurik (Old East Norse Rørik, meaning famous ruler) (ca 830 – ca 879) was a Varangian who gained control of Ladoga in 862 and built the Holmgard settlement (Rurikovo Gorodische) in Novgorod. ... Velikiy Novgorod (Russian: ) is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia, situated on the M10(E95) federal highway connecting Moscow and St. ...

A competition to design the monument was held in 1859. An architect Viktor Hartmann and an artist Mikhail Mikeshin were declared the winners. Mikeshin's design called for a grandiose, 15-metre-high bell crowned by a cross symbolizing the tsar's power. The bell was to be encircled with several tiers of sculptures representing Russian monarchs, clerics, and courtiers active during various periods of Russian history. Viktor Alexandrovich Hartmann (Russian: Виктор Александрович Гартман; b. ... Look up bell and Bell in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A Greek cross (all arms of equal length) above a saltire, a cross rotated by 45 degrees For other uses, see Cross (disambiguation). ...

Mikeshin himself was no sculptor, therefore 129 individual statues for the monument were executed by the leading Russian sculptors of the day, including his friend Ivan Schroeder and the celebrated Aleksandr Opekushin. Rather unexpectedly for such an official project, the tsars and commanders were represented side by side with sixteen eminent personalities of Russian culture: Lomonosov, Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Karl Brullov, Mikhail Glinka, etc. The name Lomonosov may refer to: Mikhail Lomonosov, a polymath and writer of Imperial Russia Lomonosov Gold Medal, an annual award given by the Russian Academy of Sciences Lomonosov, Russia, a city named for Mikhail Lomonosov (formerly Oranienbaum) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages... Pushkin may refer to: People Aleksandr Pushkin - a famous Russian poet Apollo Mussin-Pushkin - chemist and plant collector Aleksei Musin-Pushkin - statesman, historian, art collector Other Pushkin, a town in Russia Pushkin Square - square in Moscow Pushkin Museum - fine arts museum in Moscow This is a disambiguation page — a navigational... Alternate meaning: Mikhail Lermontov (ship) Mikhail Lermontov in 1837 Mikail Yurevich Lermontov (Михаил Юрьевич Лермонтов), (October 15, 1814–July 27, 1841), Russian poet and novelist, often called the poet of the Caucasus, was born in Moscow, of Scottish descent (from the Learmount family), but belonged to a respectable family of... Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol (Russian: Николай Васильевич Гоголь) (March 31, 1809 - March 4, 1852) was a Ukrainian-born Russian writer. ... Karl Pavlovich Briullov (Карл Павлович Брюллов), called by his friends the Great Karl (December 12, 1799, St Petersburg - June 11, 1852, Rome), was the first Russian painter of international standing. ... Mikhail Glinka Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (Михаи́л Ива́нович Гли́нка) (June 1, 1804 – February 15, 1857) was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition inside his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music. ...

The most expensive Russian monument up to that time, it was erected at a cost of 400,000 roubles, mostly raised by public conscription. In order to provide an appropriate pedestal for the huge sculpture, sixteen blocks of Sortavala granite were brought to Novgorod, each weighing in excess of 35 tons. The bronze monument itself weighs 65 tons. For the WWII naval operation, see Operation Pedestal Pedestal (from French piedestal, Italian piedestallo, foot of a stall) is a term generally applied to a support, square, octagonal or circular on plan, provided to carry a statue or a vase. ... Sortavala (Сортавала) is a town in the Russian Republic of Karelia, located at the northern tip of Lake Ladoga. ...

At the time when the monument was inaugurated, many art critics felt that it was overloaded with figures. Yet Mikeshin's design is in harmony with medieval monuments of the kremlin, subtly accentuating the vertical thrust and grandeur of the nearby 11th-century Saint Sophia Cathedral. The Cathedral of St Sophia in Novgorod is the oldest preserved church in Russia. ...

External links

• (Russian) History and description on the website of the Novgorod administration