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THE NARVSKIE AND MOSKOVSKIE TRIUMPHAL ARCHS
Long ago it was customary to erect majestic monuments to military glory in cities-victors in the form of triumphal arches and columns. In 1814 Russian troops returned from Paris to homeland, to the banks of the Neva River, having gained the victory in the Patriotic War with Napoleon. In the summer of 1814 they disembarked and came to St. Petersburg from the side of the Narvsky highway. In this place they erected a wooden triumphal arch on the project by the architect Giacomo Quarenghi and decorated it with sculptures on antique plots in honour of the victorious troops.
On the 26th of August, 1827, at the anniversary of the Borodino Battle, they founded new arch in place of the old dilapidated one. This time it was made of bricks and planked with copper sheets. The inauguration of the new Narvskiye Triumfalnye Vorota (triumphal arch) constructed on the project by the architect Stasov took place on the 17th of August of 1834, at the anniversary of the field day - the victory of the Russian Army near Kulman. The grand triumphal arch is decorated with twenty columns. There are warriors’ figures in ancient Russian armor between the columns, and above them figures of geniuses of Glory and Peace with wreathes in their hands are situated. The arch is crowned with a chariot harnessed with six horses and driven by the winged goddess of Glory. Gilt inscriptions are seen against the dark background of the arch - they present names of the regiments passing this place in 1814 and names of important battles in which the Guards participated. All the sculptures decorating the arch were made of copper sheets at the Alexandrovsky Cast-Iron Plant in St. Petersburg.
The memory of the perfect Russian victory in the Russian-Turkish War of 1828-1829 is remained also due to the Moskovskie Triumfalnye Vorota (triumphal arch) on the Moscow Square. They were constructed also on the project by the architect Stasov. The inauguration took place on the 16th of October, 1838. When the reconstruction of this district began, the arch was taken away. And only one hundred years later, in 1956, it was restored. Twelve cast-iron columns hold the heavy overlapping - entablature - which is crowned with a sculptural decoration consisting of warriors’ armor and trophies. There are images of geniuses with emblems of Russian provinces in their hands on the entablature. Unlike Narvskie, Moskovskie Vorota differs by more simplicity and restraint of design.
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