The exhibition of the Alexander Palace features a model of the monument to the destroyer “Steregushchy”, created by sculptor Konstantin Isenberg with the highest approval of Emperor Nicholas II.
The monument is dedicated to one of the tragic events of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904–1905. On February 26, 1904, the Russian destroyer “Steregushchy”, returning from a mission, confronted an enemy squadron. During the battle almost the entire crew of the Russian ship was killed. The remaining sailors Vasily Novikov and Ivan Bukharev decided to sink the ship and opened the ship’s kingstones — the valves that blocked access to the ship’s system, which communicated with the outside water. Together with the bodies of dead and wounded, the destroyer “Steregushchy” went underwater in full view of the enemy.
The sculptor Konstantin Isenberg began his work on the monument in 1908. The five-meter composition, representing a giant cross punctured by shells, with a sculptural group embedded in it, is installed on a pedestal — a block of gray granite 2.8 m high. The monument stands on an elevated earthen platform, where stone stairs lead. The monument blends harmoniously into the space of Kamennoostrovsky Prospect in St. Petersburg and the surrounding green area of Alexandrovsky Park.
A scaled-down model of the monument that used to decorate Nicholas II’s State (New) Study in the Alexander Palace reproduces the bronze part of the monument, representing part of the ship’s hull and two sailors opening her keystones. In the upper part of the cross is the name of the heroic destroyer “Steregushchy” inscribed in superimposed letters. On the sides of the monument are lantern beacons, mounted on stone pillars.
The opening ceremony of the monument took place on May 10, 1911 with the participation of Emperor Nicholas II, the families of the officers perished on the destroyer, Chairman of the Council of Ministers Pyotr Stolypin, as well as the highest ranks of the army and navy. The sculptor Isenberg was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class.
The monument to the “Steregushchy” was the only monument in the Art Nouveau style in St. Petersburg and the last monument to be erected in the pre-revolutionary years.
The monument is dedicated to one of the tragic events of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904–1905. On February 26, 1904, the Russian destroyer “Steregushchy”, returning from a mission, confronted an enemy squadron. During the battle almost the entire crew of the Russian ship was killed. The remaining sailors Vasily Novikov and Ivan Bukharev decided to sink the ship and opened the ship’s kingstones — the valves that blocked access to the ship’s system, which communicated with the outside water. Together with the bodies of dead and wounded, the destroyer “Steregushchy” went underwater in full view of the enemy.
The sculptor Konstantin Isenberg began his work on the monument in 1908. The five-meter composition, representing a giant cross punctured by shells, with a sculptural group embedded in it, is installed on a pedestal — a block of gray granite 2.8 m high. The monument stands on an elevated earthen platform, where stone stairs lead. The monument blends harmoniously into the space of Kamennoostrovsky Prospect in St. Petersburg and the surrounding green area of Alexandrovsky Park.
A scaled-down model of the monument that used to decorate Nicholas II’s State (New) Study in the Alexander Palace reproduces the bronze part of the monument, representing part of the ship’s hull and two sailors opening her keystones. In the upper part of the cross is the name of the heroic destroyer “Steregushchy” inscribed in superimposed letters. On the sides of the monument are lantern beacons, mounted on stone pillars.
The opening ceremony of the monument took place on May 10, 1911 with the participation of Emperor Nicholas II, the families of the officers perished on the destroyer, Chairman of the Council of Ministers Pyotr Stolypin, as well as the highest ranks of the army and navy. The sculptor Isenberg was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class.
The monument to the “Steregushchy” was the only monument in the Art Nouveau style in St. Petersburg and the last monument to be erected in the pre-revolutionary years.
