The Russian Academy Of Arts

On November 4th, 2008 Russia celebrates the National Unity Day: the state holiday commemorating the liberation of Moscow from Polish invaders in 1612 by people’s volunteer corps. On November 4, 2005 the focus of the celebrations was in Nizhni Novgorod, where there was an unveiling ceremony for the replica of the monument to Minin and Pozharsky created by Zurab Tserteli for Nizhni Novgorod. The monument stands in front of the Cathedral of John the Baptist, the place where Kuzma Minin called to people for the national uprising and joining the people’s volunteer corps.

According to Zurab Tsereteli, this is his creative replica which is 5cm lower than the original monument by sculptor Ivan Martos located in the Red Square in Moscow, as the creative replica can not be the same size as the original. The size of the replica perfectly fits the square where it has found its home.

The idea of creating a monument to Minin and Pozharsky came in 1803 to Vasili Popugaev, the noted Russian enlightener and founder of St. Petersburg Free Society of the Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Art. The sculptor Ivan Martos, who was a member of the Society, was carried away by the idea and a year later presented his design of such a monument.

Originally, it was planned to install the monument in the Kremlin in Nizhni Novgorod. Ivan Martos won the competition for the monument. The cost estimate amounted to 150.000 roubles that were collected from private donations mostly from Nizhni Novgorod merchants. However, the tsar Alexander I suggested moving the monument to Moscow and erecting an obelisk in Nizhni Novgorod.

The unveiling ceremony for monument and a military parade under the command of Alexander I took place in Moscow in 1818. It was the first monument in the history of Russia devoted not to a tsar or a commander in chief but to people’s heroes: citizen Kuzma Minin and prince Dmitri Pozharsky.

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