St. Vladimir - the baptist of Russia is revered throughout the Slavic world. It was he who united numerous tribes into one state, which became one of the strongest in medieval Europe. Only by coincidence, in the capital of Russia there is still no monument honoring his memory.
Historical person
Prince Vladimir the Great sat on the throne in Kiev as a result of civil war. He is known for leading a wild life and spent a lot of time in battles with nomads, who in those years often attacked the Kiev state. The prince not only managed to repulse them, but he also restored peace in many territories.
Management of Kievan Rus was not very easy, especially because of the vast territory it occupies. Vladimir began to look for a reason to unite all Slavic tribes and force them to submit to central authority. The idea was realized thanks to a change of religion.
At the end of the 10th century, almost all of Europe has already adopted Christianity. But Vladimir was in no hurry to baptize Russia. Representatives of various religious movements came to him, and the prince carefully studied their features. Christianity attracted him by the fact that in him one god was worshiped, the governor of which is considered to be the governor of the earth.
July 28, 988 went down in history as the Day of the Baptism of Russia. It was then that Prince Vladimir announced the adoption of a new faith in the state and banned paganism. From a political point of view, this event was a success. It was in honor of this event, as well as the 1000th anniversary of his death, that it was decided to erect a monument to Prince Vladimir on the Sparrow Hills on the edge of the observation deck.
Erection initiators
The main initiator and implementer of the project was the Russian Military Historical Society. It is engaged in the preparation of project documentation, the selection of a model of the future monument, and the raising of funds for its construction.
But the original idea did not belong to this organization, but to a group of initiators who asked the question: does Prince Vladimir need a monument in Moscow? They felt that the Russian capital just needed such a strong spiritual amulet.
The idea of erecting this monument was supported by the authorities of the capital, and Vladimir Putin himself, who has special feelings for his namesake and spiritual patron. Therefore, today we can safely say that the monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow will definitely be. It remains only to complete the project, to approve the place of its installation and to carry out all the work, so that already in 2015 there was Vladimir the Great in the capital.
20 years late
About whether a monument to Vladimir in Moscow is needed, they spoke in the early 90s of the last century. An unambiguous decision was made that such a monument in the capital should be put up. In 1994, even a project was being prepared for its construction. But due to political and economic circumstances, it was never implemented.
After 20 years, in 2014, the Moscow government faced initiators who expressed their willingness to take on all the work of installing a new monument in the capital. As support from the authorities, they chose the Russian Military Historical Society, which promised to assist in everything. They asked the authorities for help in choosing a place and quickly approving all the necessary documents.
Thus, thanks to public initiative, the capital of Russia will be able to pay tribute to the baptist of Russia.
Selection of the design of the monument
Initially, it was planned to erect a really gigantic monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow. 100 meters for him were considered the optimal height. But the real work on the project and the choice of layout showed that this is an unreal height. Therefore, we stopped at around 25 meters.
The choice of the project took place in the Russian military-historical society. There, 10 projects were created in the public domain, created by seven creative teams led by famous sculptors. Voting for the final version was held in secret form. As a result, the national artist of Russia Salavat Shcherbakov won. His monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow, the model of which he presented, most accurately reflects the essence of this project. In his interpretation, Vladimir appears before us as a strong and powerful ruler and true baptizer of Russia.
Artistic differences of the monument
Each resident of the capital is interested in what a monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow will look like. A photo of the project is published on the website of the Russian Military Historical Society.
In height, the monument will be 24-25 meters. The prince will appear before the observers in clothes fluttering in the wind. In his right hand he holds a huge wooden cross, and his left is slightly laid aside. On the prince's belt hangs a beautiful long sword in a scabbard.
The pedestal on which the monument will rise will be decorated with a bas-relief based on a fresco by Victor Vasnetsov, entitled "The Host of Holy Princes - collectors of Russian lands." Namely, the scene of the baptism of Vladimir in Korsun will be depicted. Next to him will depict Alexander Nevsky, Daniel of Moscow, David Smolensky, Dmitry Donskoy and Andrei Bogolyubsky. The second scene, planned on a pedestal, will depict the baptism of Rus by Prince Vladimir.
Where to put Vladimir?
It is noteworthy that the monument to Prince Vladimir on the Sparrow Hills was decided not to be erected immediately. Initially, other places were planned for him. The main contender was Lubyanka Square. As you know, earlier there was a monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky, but it was moved from there, and the place began to be empty. This was one of the arguments in order to perpetuate the memory of St. Vladimir. The communists of the capital expressed extreme dissatisfaction with such a proposal. They believe that this place rightfully belongs only to Iron Felix, and they will not let anyone else put on it.
Moscow authorities were also not enthusiastic about the idea of putting Vladimir on Lubyanka Square. Then it was decided to move the monument to the Vorobyovy Gory. Of course, this idea also has many opponents. First of all, these are the same Communists who consider this place a symbol of the Stalin era. But there are other serious arguments against the realization of this venture.
Difficult geodetic situation
The thing is that on the Sparrow Hills there is always a danger of landslides. Every year, thorough geodetic surveys are carried out in order to stop the dangerous process of soil destruction in time. So this year, a competition has been announced with a budget of 52 million rubles to study the state of the upper layers and landslide level on an area of more than 27 hectares. Of these, more than 1 km of the slope is in the most dangerous condition. The soil here moves and crumbles every year.
It is noteworthy that it is in this place that it is planned to erect a monument that will not strengthen the slope, but rather will push it down. Therefore, before erecting a ready-made monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow, the Vorobyovy Gory will carefully study and take all precautions so that the slope does not move along with the structure. In addition, they will create a schematic layout that will be moved along the estimated area of the installation in order to find the optimal visual and geodetic version of its placement.
The end of the Stalin era
The claims of the Communists that it is not worth building a monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow on the Sparrow Hills are based on the fact that they consider this place to be memorable, reflecting all the power of the era of Stalin's rule.
Everyone knows that opposite the observation deck, on the second bank of the Moskva River, the building of Moscow State University is located. This architectural ensemble has become a significant part of the capital, one of its business cards. Therefore, the new architecture of Moscow is unlikely to fit here. They attribute the monument to Prince Vladimir to inappropriate modern buildings.
According to the Russian Communists, it is more logical to place a monument to the creator of Moscow State University. They believe that over time this project will succeed.
Muscovites protest
Residents of the Gagarinsky district are active in favor of the fact that a monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow cannot be put on the Sparrow Hills. They worry that the slope is a place of landslide activity and that the monument will slide down sooner or later. People are afraid that no reinforcing measures will be able to keep the large structure directly above the cliff of the river. To be heard, they collect signatures on the Internet under a letter addressed to Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev and Sergei Sobyanin. People are asking to move the monument to a more reliable place.
There are also special cases when ordinary citizens turn to the competent authorities to check how justified the choice of an observation deck above the Moskva River is as the location of such a massive and heavy structure.
Meanwhile, on February 25, the Moscow City Duma deputies decided that St. Vladimir would stand on the Sparrow Hills.
Postponement of opening dates
It was originally planned to open a new monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow on the day of the baptism of Rus on July 28, 2015. In principle, these terms could have been sustained, but today it is not necessary to say that the builders and architects will be in time on time. The lengthy process of selecting the final design of the monument, determining its location and obtaining permits from all authorities makes it impossible to erect a monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow by this date. The project is planned to close by November 4. On the Day of National Unity, the first monument to the Prelate of Rus can be opened in the capital. Due to the dangerous installation location, it is possible to delay the construction process. Therefore, today it is impossible to say for sure that the new deadline will be met, and the monument to Vladimir the Great will be opened on time.
Finance issue
Already calculated that the total cost of the project is 150 million rubles. Earlier it was reported that it will be financed from the city budget. But it is known that such funds are not provided for in expenses for this year. This information turned out to be untrue, since the authorities of the capital completely denied it.
Nevertheless, money will be partially allocated from the budget for the monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow. The Ministry of Culture will pay for all design work. But the Russian military-historical society undertook to take on the costs of erecting the monument. Earlier, a fundraiser was announced for these purposes. According to the company, the required amount has already been collected. So now the erection of the monument is only a matter of time and the result of preparatory work.
Comparison with Kiev Vladimir
Vladimir the Great was Prince of Kiev. He had no direct relation to Moscow, since Moscow as a city in those days did not exist. But this man became the one who gave Christianity to the whole East Slavic world. Therefore, Muscovites rightly consider him their saint.
