Monument to Derzhavin in Kazan: a difficult history of establishing

One of the most famous literary works, which was written by GR Derzhavin, is the "Monument". In this poem, created in 1795, the poet touches the problem of the glory of the writer. From his point of view, the goal of art is the education of love for the beautiful, enlightenment, the eradication of bad morals. Thus, the best monument to the poet is his work. But the love for Gabriel Romanovich of his countrymen, the inhabitants of Kazan, was very great. Therefore, immediately after his death, in 1816, it was decided to perpetuate the name of the great poet.

The decision to erect a monument to Derzhavin was taken by members of the society of connoisseurs of literature in Kazan in the year of the writer's death. But then the usual Russian bureaucracy showed itself. The first project of the monument was developed only 14 years later, and it was rejected by the Imperial Academy of Arts. The financial issue did not at all serve as an obstacle to construction. On the contrary, after Nicholas I announced the collection of funds for the construction of the monument, the money flow flowed by the river. After all, many negotiators considered it their duty to respond to the call of the emperor.

Money was collected so much that the commission "stabbed" and the earlier adopted project, believing that the monument to Derzhavin needs to be improved. A new contest was announced, and the emperor personally chose the option he liked: the joint work of Halberg and Ton. The place for the monument was also determined by the autocrat himself - the courtyard of the university. As it is usual, the once generously allocated funds at the end of the works were scanty, and to deliver the sculpture to its place in 1847, it was necessary again to appeal to the people.

But the monument to Derzhavin was so liked by the people of Kazan that it was postponed 24 years later (again for the money collected by voluntary subscription) to the Theater Square. The bronze sculpture of the writer was depicted in the form of an ancient genius. In toga and sandals, with the head uncovered, the poet holds a lyre and style. No less interesting are the decorative details depicted on the bas-reliefs from three sides of the monument. These are the muse, who listens to the poet, the allegorical figures of Day and Night, and also the Enlightenment, which conquers Ignorance.

After the revolution, the new authorities decided that Gabriel Derzhavin, whose monument was central to Kazan, was a court poet and singer of the autocracy. In 1930, the bronze figure was sent for remelting, the red marble pedestal disappeared in an unknown direction, and the plaster bust of Emelian Pugachev was placed on the site of a once majestic statue of questionable artistic value.

But in 2003, to the 260th anniversary of Derzhavin, the Kazanians returned their famous compatriot. True, the place on which the monument was previously located now occupies the building of the Opera House. Therefore, it was decided to build a monument in the Lyadsky Garden. There was not a fragment from the original original work of Ton and Halberg, so the sculptors Mahmud Gasimov and Rosalie Nurgaleeva had to restore the monument to a few photos that survived to our time. With their task they coped perfectly well. True, the present monument to Derzhavin looks lower than the previous one, due to the fact that there is already no staircase and a high marble pedestal. By the way, in Russia there are other monuments that perpetuate the memory of Derzhavin: in Tomsk, as well as a small bust of a writer in the courtyard of his St. Petersburg residence.