What is hidden behind the restoration of the tomb of Alexander Nevsky?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

In 2021, the 800th anniversary of the birth of the holy right-believing Prince Alexander Nevsky, whom the historian Sergei Soloviev called "the most prominent historical person in ancient history from Monomakh to the Donskoy", will be celebrated. The celebrations will take place in many cities of Russia: in Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Moscow. And, of course, in St. Petersburg. In particular, in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

The events will also take place in other places in the Northern capital.

The Hermitage houses a whole memorial consisting of seven items - the tomb for the relics of the holy prince. After restoration, most of it glows with "the silver of my Lord." All, except for the pyramid, which crowns the entire complex and has not yet undergone restoration.

The memorial is not only kept in the Hermitage. This is one of the main exhibits of the museum, which has been taken care of for many years, the state of preservation is monitored, and restoration and conservation work is carried out. At the moment, work has already been completed on the restoration of the sarcophagus, armor and trophies. The small ark and the pyramid remained. Igor Malkiel, the head of the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Precious Metals of the State Hermitage, told me this. He showed me the premises of the laboratory, where the painstaking work was going on. I could examine many objects from a very close distance or using the unique instruments and microscopes that the laboratory is equipped with. It is important for Igor Karlovich that in a few hours of our meeting I would not only learn something new, but would be able to tell about what I saw.

But there was one more task - to make it to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in order to talk with the Bishop of Kronstadt, the governor of the Lavra, Vladyka Nazariy (Lavrinenko). It was very important to understand that the museum and the Lavra are in a calm dialogue on this very difficult issue of reaching agreements on the presentation and preservation of a unique, unique complex in the world.

The history of the creation and existence of the tomb of Alexander Nevsky is not easy and fully reflects the multifaceted history of our country. The relics of the saint have been resting for the last decades in the Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra, and the silver decor of the tomb is kept in the Hermitage. The location of the complex to this day for many is a difficult issue and an important milestone in building relationships between art historians, scientists and the Church.

Holy but prince

In 1263, the Grand Duke of Vladimir and Novgorod, Alexander Yaroslavovich, was returning from the Horde. When he was already with Khan Berke, he felt that he was getting sick. Before reaching home, he died on the way and was buried in the Rozhdestvensky monastery in the city of Vladimir. In 1381, the first examination of the relics took place and Alexander Nevsky was recognized as a locally revered saint (revered in a certain region), after which a day of his memory was appointed, a canon was written (a special genre of church hymnography) and an icon on which the prince was depicted in the clothes of a schema-monk, because he managed to accept this highest degree of monasticism.

Almost immediately after the death of Alexander Nevsky, "clarifying data" began to appear in his biography, indicating that the prince was not only an ideal ruler, but also an ascetic. Subsequently, his biography, life was repeatedly rewritten: some events from the biography of the schemnik disappeared, and others appeared in their place. As the historian Andrei Zaitsev writes in his study, "in the 15th century all critical references to his rule disappear from the text, and he himself appears before the readers as the defender of Novgorod and its order, who" worked a lot for Novgrad and Pskov and for the whole land of Ruska giving her belly ". It was the swan song of a free city - Moscow was rapidly uniting the Russian lands around itself, and she needed another Alexander Nevsky - an autocrat, like the Roman and Byzantine emperors."

Apparently at the same time the last word of the associate of the prince, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia Kirill III was rewritten in the life: his appeal to the prince "the sun of the land of Suzdal" was changed to "the sun of the Russian land". At the same time, the list of miracles that occur at the relics during prayers to the saint is rapidly growing. The main feat of Alexander Nevsky is the defense of the Russian land and faith from the Latins, and the prince himself is referred to as a defender of the faith.

The case was clearly heading towards a change in "status." And at the local council of the Russian Church held in 1549, Prince Alexander Nevsky was recognized as an all-Russian saint. The relics still remained in Vladimir. The only thing, in 1695, the Suzdal Metropolitan Hilarion transferred the remains to a new shrine - a wooden ark, decorated with chased gilded copper plates covered with floral ornaments. On the side walls there were five large gilded copper medallions describing the exploits of the prince and fragments of his life that have not survived to this day. Igor Karlovich sadly shrugs his hands: "When it happened, it's hard to say. We saw photographs in albums of the 1920s, when the cancer was taken apart even before it entered the museum, they were no longer there." The restorer shows some of the surviving decorative elements of this ark - the chasing of wondrous beauty. “It seems to me that this is the most beautiful part of the tomb,” says I. K. Malkiel. So it starts to seem to me too.

The ark was originally covered with an icon on which the prince is a schema-monk. Later, the icon was replaced with a new one: the monk disappears, an invincible warrior-ruler appears. But three surviving icons from the 18th century represent this style. On the first, Alexander Nevsky with a sword is depicted on horseback. The second icon depicts the saint in gold armor and a long purple cloak trimmed with fur. In his right hand he holds a scepter, in his left a shield. His face resembles the face of the Savior on the icon of Christ the Almighty. In the third icon (this is part of the iconostasis of the tomb of the Romanov dynasty in the Peter and Paul Cathedral), Alexander Nevsky, wearing a red mantle lined with ermine, stands against the background of a desert landscape, and the silhouette of a city is visible on the horizon. Most likely, this is Petersburg, founded by Peter I. The city, the patron of which the tsar chose the prince.

Since 1710, Saint Alexander Nevsky began to be remembered in churches as a prayer representative for the Neva side.

Alexander Nevsky and Peter the Great

Having elected a patron, the autocrat decides to transfer the relics of Alexander Nevsky from Vladimir to St. Petersburg. It took many years to solve this problem, but having chosen this mission, Peter was in no hurry, realizing its importance.

The saint, of course, was not chosen for nothing. The future emperor heard his name in childhood: Peter built his first amusing flotilla in Pereslavl, in the homeland of Alexander Nevsky. But this alone would hardly have been enough for the decision to make the saint the patron saint of the city, which Peter I considered his brainchild. Another parallel was much closer to him: in the war with Sweden, the Russian tsar claimed the territory around the Neva as the historical border between Novgorod and Sweden during the time of Alexander Nevsky. That is why after the capture of Ingermanlandia, Karelia, Estonia and Livonia, Peter I was honored as the finalist of the case of Prince Alexander. Calling the saint the patron saint of St. Petersburg was the next step in consolidating the continuity.

It turns out that the tradition of choosing a heavenly patron for the city originated in antiquity: it was believed that a saint who takes a city under his wing protects its inhabitants from tragedies and misfortunes of both general and private nature. The tradition has perfectly taken root in urban culture. The most striking example is the choice of the Apostle Peter by Rome as its patron.

The companion of Christ and the successor of His work became the patron saint of St. Petersburg. But this was clearly not enough: firstly, Catholic Rome was the first to choose the apostle as a patron; becoming the second was wrong from the point of view of building an empire. More importantly, the Russian tsar needed a Russian saint. So Alexander Nevsky became the governor of the apostle in Russia.

Transferring, transporting relics is relatively easy. But they had to be put somewhere. Not just somewhere, but in a place befitting a patron. Peter I decides to found a monastery in St. Petersburg in honor of the Holy Trinity and Alexander Nevsky. He found a place for the future monastery at the confluence of the Black (Monastic) river into the Neva: there, according to legend, the prince defeated the Swedes.

Two crosses and a wooden chapel were erected on the site, the construction of the monastery began only a year and a half later. The architect of the first stone church was the author of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, Dominico Trezzini. According to his project, a two-storey building was built in the then fashionable Baroque style, where the lower Church of the Annunciation and the upper Church of St. Alexander Nevsky were located. It was consecrated on August 30 (September 12 according to the new style) of 1724 - on the day of the solemn transfer of the relics of the patron saint of the new capital.

On August 11, the relics of Alexander Nevsky were removed from Vladimir. They were transported in a specially designed chariot, to which a special guard was assigned. For greater safety, it was forbidden to stop in cities and villages, and the spiritual and secular authorities were to greet and escort the procession "reverently".

The relics of the Grand Duke and the commander were greeted with military honors: the entire fleet of the young capital was sent to escort the crayfish from Shlisselburg to St. Petersburg. Peter I personally took the helm of the galley, which was carrying the patron saint of his city. About six thousand spectators watched the movements of the armada from the banks. The whole city heard about the arrival of Alexander Nevsky at the Lavra - the saint was greeted with cannon shots and the ringing of bells. The celebration of the third anniversary of the Peace of Nystad and the acquisition of the heavenly patron by the city lasted three days.

Empresses and tomb

After the death of the tsar, interest in the heavenly defender of St. Petersburg chosen by him does not pass. On the contrary, Empresses Elizabeth and both Catherines strongly support the veneration of the holy prince: it is important for each to strengthen its succession from the Russian rulers.

We will not speculate why they needed it - it's an empty matter. Therefore, to the facts. "In November 1746, at the behest of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, work began on the manufacture of a new, much more luxurious container for the relics of the heavenly patron of St. Petersburg," writes art critic Larisa Zavadskaya.

Further, Zavadskaya describes the production work in great detail. Igor Malkiel also tells me. With the huge difference that during our conversation I do not consider illustrations in the book, but silver details - from the smallest nails to elements of ornament and flags - here they are, the real ones - lie in front of me. And while Igor Karlovich speaks, I seem to be watching a historical movie.

So, Elizaveta Petrovna decides that the cancer in which the relics of Alexander Nevsky are located is not good enough and rich enough. Better to make a new, silver one. The court portraitist Georg Christoph Groth was chosen to work on the project. Carver Ivan Shtalmeer was entrusted with making a life-size wooden model. The work was supervised by Ivan Shlater, adviser to the coin office. Bas-reliefs with scenes from the life of the prince were knocked out on the walls of the sarcophagus according to the sketches of Jacob Shtelin.

The Empress ordered that Rostov craftsmen, embossers from Moscow, foundry workers from the St. Petersburg foundry yard, and German craftsmen should be involved in the work as needed. The work of the foreigners was supervised by the silversmith Zakhariya Deikhman, and all the work was supervised by Baron Ivan Cherkasov.

The consumption of silver was strictly controlled every day: each part was weighed several times, carefully, recording how much silver, copper, iron went into its manufacture. On Saturdays, there was a general check of the metal.

Two years later, when the model was finished and work began on the tomb, the Empress changed her mind. It occurred to her that "it is necessary to rearrange the tomb in which these holy relics are now located, without having unsealed them, into a" new shrine."

Elizabeth did not think that the work of dozens of people was thereby recognized by her as insignificant and unnecessary - the manufactured elements did not fit in size to her new idea (and did not fit anywhere at all). New sketches, plans, engravings will be required - everything will have to be done anew.

I didn’t think so. That with a generous hand she compensated: the empress presented the shrine from the Kolyvan mines - the first field discovered in Russia - one and a half tons of silver.

Grotto and Schlater resumed work. They were joined by the carver Martelli and the carving master Johann-Franz Dunker.

And again, for days on end, drawings, calculations, production of parts, nails and screws (only they were chiseled "150 kilograms and none of them repeat the previous one, since they were made by hand", - Igor Malkiel voices the picture to me). Checks, control, weighing, control again.

September 12, 1750 - for the holiday of the transfer of the relics of Alexander Nevsky, the sarcophagus with a lid weighing 19 pounds 29 pounds and 53 spools was completed. A couple of years later, the silver candlesticks and the pyramid were ready. True, when it was installed, it turned out that Mikhail Lomonosov's poems embossed on it were not visible, so the empress made new changes. She ordered to attach two angels to the pyramid, and to knock out the text of Mikhailo Vasilyevich on their shields. Yes, so that the words of the poet-scientist could be read by any pilgrim.

On September 12, 1753, the memorial construction, made in the fashionable baroque style of that era, was completed. It consisted of seven parts: a wooden small ark made in 1695 (where the relics were located). The ark was placed inside a sarcophagus with a lid. At the back was a five-tiered pyramid, on the sides of which were installed two pedestals with trophies and two candlesticks. In total, Alexander Nevsky's cancer weighed 89 pounds and 22 pounds. It cost the treasury 80,244 rubles 62 kopecks.

In 1725, Empress Catherine I established the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky from gold, silver, diamonds, ruby glass and enamel. The total weight of the 394 diamonds was 97.78 carats. The Order of Alexander Nevsky was considered one of the highest awards in Russia. It existed until 1917.

As for Catherine II, during her reign, the construction of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery had to be completed, which gave the Empress the opportunity to contribute to the relationship between church and state.

In 1768, the Empress deigned to grant the monastery a golden icon lamp and a cover with the image of Alexander Nevsky and a diamond insignia of the order of his name. During the consecration of the Trinity Cathedral in 1790, a reliquary with relics was brought in and placed on the right side of the church at the altar. According to historians, the imperial family did not fail to be at this event. This was the first movement of the monument.

Unfortunately, not the last.

The tomb and its wanderings

Soon after the 1917 revolution, Grigory Zinoviev and the Commissariat of Justice tried to get permission from the Petrograd Soviet to open the tomb and seize the relics of Alexander Nevsky. At first, they were scared - the authorities were openly afraid of protests from the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Benjamin (Kazan) and the believers. And yet, in May 1922, an autopsy order was passed. The tomb was transferred to the Hermitage. The relics of Alexander Nevsky remained for some time in the Lavra, and then ended up in the Museum of Atheism - the former Kazan Cathedral.

In 1922, the Hermitage hosted an exhibition "To help the hungry", which included almost all the valuable icons and church utensils from the cathedrals and churches of St. Petersburg. Immediately after the exhibition, many of the exhibits were sold abroad. And they decided to remelt the tomb of Alexander Nevsky - the country wanted silver.

Igor Karlovich even today is uncomfortable with the mere thought of a possible crime. He excitedly tells that knowing exactly the consequences, Hermitage Director Sergei Troinitsky, Director of the Russian Museum Nikolai Sychev and artist Alexander Benois sent Kalinin a telegram asking him to stop the destruction of the iconostasis of the Kazan Cathedral and the Nevsky Lavra shrine. “The iconostasis of the Kazan Cathedral, unfortunately, died, but the cancer was defended,” Igor Malkiel repeated this and the following chapter of the tomb's history several times during the meeting. And it is not surprising: both of them are about the quiet, everyday, little-noticeable feat of museum workers.

In the thirties, the authorities again remembered the idle one and a half tons of "precious metal", and the complex was again decided to be melted down. Silver was required in cash, not cultural property. All the more religious. Then the museum workers "paid off"! They collected one and a half tons of silver coins by weight - duplicates. "They understood that the monument is unique. And the authorities did not need a monument, they needed silver." Unfortunately, I understand very well what Malkiel is talking about.

In July 1941, the tomb of Alexander Nevsky, along with other unique exhibits, was evacuated to the Urals to the Sverdlovsk Art Museum. Placed "exhibit" in 10 boxes, which for the sake of special secrecy were numbered at random. After the Victory, all 10 boxes returned to Leningrad. Fortunately, given the funds available at that time, a minor restoration was carried out, and in 1948 the tomb was assembled in one of the state rooms of the Nevsky suite. But even after that it was moved again: it was one of the exhibits of the exhibition "Russian Artistic Silver".

Cancer in restoration

We walk around the workshop. There are a variety of museum exhibits containing precious metals: a mirror and a lamp that belonged to different empresses, a casket, a shield, an ancient goddess of such a beautiful age that it is decent to call it - about two thousand years.

Igor Karlovich manages to tell, show and sometimes turn on different devices - there are a huge number of them here. Some were bought specifically for work with the tomb of Alexander Nevsky. The restoration began when, in the course of regular preventive examinations of the exhibits, it became clear that it was impossible to do without it. "The decision was taken collectively. There were many meetings of the restoration commissions, we discussed the technology of restoration, the technology of copying."

Stop! Copying?

Igor Karlovich patiently explains: “During the restoration, such a huge exhibit is dismantled in its component parts. Now there is an opportunity to use new technologies and make it in a different way. Research has been carried out - which method of its manufacture is better. We imagine how many master engravers are now in our country. As you know, during the time of Elizabeth, the minters were taken to the capital from everywhere, but even then most of all were foreign masters, mostly Germans. In a word, making by hand now, when many processes are automated, is practically impossible, there is no required number of highly professional chasers.

But now there is an opportunity, using the latest technologies, to grow all the elements of this unique exhibit. The smallest too. For example, nails and screws. The laboratory has special equipment on which you can create a 3D model, then a shape, then an exact copy of a particular part, preserving all the details of the original, up to chips and scratches. During the restoration, many parts have already been restored that were damaged, bent, and broken. These are the elements of fasteners that suffered the most during the numerous assemblies and disassembly of the exhibit (in the 1920s, during the evacuation). dozens, sometimes hundreds of elements in one day. Impressive!

This is what the new technology is about: First, a 3D shape is made of platinum silicone for each element, reproducing micro-details invisible to the eye. The forms will hold out "in the form" for several hundred years. So in the event of further restorations or losses, they can be repeated: in the Hermitage they are kept in separate rooms.

The technique was developed uniquely - growing inside the mold, outside the mold. But, even having purchased the most advanced equipment, the restoration did not begin immediately. "For about two years, we experimented on samples that were not exhibits. We watched how they would behave, modernized the machines. And only after that we began to work with the tomb."

Seven people took part in the restoration of the tomb of Alexander Nevsky. Not so many, but these are all highly professional specialists. For example, several delicate cleaning agents have been invented specifically for crayfish so as not to damage the metal. After cleaning, the crayfish was covered with a layer of polymers so that the silver would not oxidize. Everything was done by hand, otherwise we would have ruined the monument."

Igor Malkiel shows one more device, also specially made in Italy for the restoration of crayfish. It is a joystick-operated laser welding and cleaning machine with a hydraulic lift that can support up to half a ton of "items". No other laser can fit such a volume. The installation allows you to clean the thinnest layers. The work is delicate, delicate, thorough, fast and, most importantly, safe. The action takes place in milliseconds and cannot damage the exhibit.

For parts made of organic materials - some devices, for metal - others. There are only 8 lasers in the laboratory for different tasks.

"We cooperate with scientists from Australia, with whom we constantly meet at conferences, where we discuss working with different types of materials. We have to be physicists, chemists and, at the same time, restorers," says Igor Karlovich.

Another setup runs at a nanosecond speed. It connects breaks in the seams, of which there are many: "When the cancer was made, they did not expect that it would be disassembled and assembled. Moving any product weighing one and a half tons inevitably leads to deformation of the wooden frame, metal bending begins. Some parts were not designed for this. For example, lightweight flags on trophies. Swing them several times - the metal, having received tension, begins to tear, "Malkiel explains patiently.

Not one monument should have withstood this. On the other hand, due to the fact that it was delicately cleaned, but not to a mirror shine, the drawings have been preserved in the smallest detail, traces of embossing are visible. And the oak frame of the first crayfish turned out to be in perfect shape. impregnated with natural shellac (natural natural preservative) with wax, and it will last for several more centuries.

For many years after the completion of the restoration, the monument will calmly retain its present appearance - this is the expert opinion of Igor Karlovich. At the same time, he does not hide the fact that the object requires constant attention of specialists: “We monitor it every day. As you constantly deal with a small child, so we are cancer. It takes a huge amount of time, it takes a lot of effort, but we realize how unique this monument is. Realizing its importance, the Hermitage invested a huge amount of funds and trained specialists."

I have to ask the question that hung in the air during our meeting - about the location of the tomb in connection with the celebrations. Igor Malkiel replies that he thinks: "The monument has been in the museum for many decades. As you saw, it requires constant close attention of curators, restorers, specialists from the scientific and technical department. Our main task is to preserve outstanding works of culture and art for future generations. Technical capabilities now they are so large that you can make a very high-quality copy for the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra. A dialogue between the church, the museum and the state must take place about this. And since the anniversary is close, the first and real step is to make a copy of a wooden ark of the 17th century with gold overlays, in which the relics were kept. And to make an exact copy of the icon that covered it. In addition, we have a lot of interesting material that we found inside during the restoration of already finished elements of the crayfish. I hope we can make an exhibition in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. and show the stages of restoration and these amazing finds. O. This move would be good for both sides."

Relics in the Lavra

It would be at least unprofessional and completely wrong for me not to visit the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Natalya Rodomanova, head of the communications sector of the St. Petersburg diocese, accompanied me to the churches and the museum. In the Holy Trinity Cathedral she showed the place where the painting "Lamentation of Christ" by Jacob Jordaens usually hangs, which is now temporarily in the Hermitage, where it has become the central exhibit of the exhibition "Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678) Paintings and Drawings from the Collections of Russia". In September, the exhibition will also move to a temporary exhibition in Moscow, in the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A. S. Pushkin. This is a good example of the unhurried dialogue between the Hermitage and the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

The governor of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra explained: "We are open to dialogue. We met with Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky more than once and discussed many issues. Yes, we had friction and there will be discussions until we implement our plans. But we have already reached an important agreement, that Alexander Nevsky's cancer is a significant object both for the museum and for us. But after all, it was arranged for the relics of Alexander Nevsky. And if we do make a copy (which we agreed to), then the exact one and in the same material, and not from silvered plastic. His Holiness the Patriarch supported this idea. Therefore, we have a very large project ahead of us, and Mikhail Borisovich and I are unanimous in the opinion that this issue should be resolved. the award system of Russia. His badge reproduces the design of the pre-revolutionary order - Vesti. Ru). Famous people will certainly want to help us."

- Is there any hope that you will have time to start work by the anniversary? For example, for making an internal crayfish?

- I think yes. We are developing a joint appeal to the public to help us. Now, of course, there are no craftsmen capable of forging a shrimp. And we do not have an empress, who would have her own mine, and she could help us, but we need to stir up people. They will be pleased to know that there is also their share of participation in cancer: Alexander Nevsky belongs to everyone.

Bishop Nazariy is right, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia is closely following the preparations for the anniversary. He has already expressed his position that St. Alexander Nevsky "should not remain only a hero of the past." That the cause of the saint-prince is still relevant today, since "he was one of those historical figures who laid the foundations of the state and managed to repel aggression from the West and reconcile Russia with the East. All state political and international activities of Alexander Yaroslavovich were determined by sincere love for his people and devotion to the faith of our fathers. Love for our neighbors, willingness to lay down our lives for the peace and well-being of our homeland - this is what the Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavovich can teach us."

Monument of the era and monument to the era

Having become one of the wonders of the northern capital, Alexander Nevsky's cancer was constantly mentioned in all books on St. Petersburg. The tomb of Alexander Nevsky made a huge impression on the Abbot Georgel, who visited St. Petersburg at the end of the 18th century. Historians of the XIX century constantly mentioned the magnificent structure. The founder of the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski Pavel Svinin wrote: "A true royal and Christian offering is to devote the first fruits of earthly riches to the source of all blessings."

Cinema was not filmed then, of course, but now I have an excellent idea of the centuries-old history of the saint and his tomb. And there is a movie too. Olga Zharkovskaya, an employee of the Hermitage's electronic publishing sector, showed an almost finished film about the history and restoration of this greatest shrine and this monument of the era. The film will be constantly shown to museum visitors next to the monument itself.

Not all pilgrims who come to St. Petersburg go to the Hermitage. Secular tourists do not always have time to visit the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The fact that now the tomb is in the museum, and at the relics you can pray in the monastery suddenly became a double reminder of the saint and the prince.