The sculptural heritage of Russia is rich and boundless. One of the truly greatest monuments of the past can be called the statue of Peter I, which is on the Senate Square in St. Petkrburg. The statue was created for 10 years, starting from 1768, and was inaugurated on August 7, 1782.

It all started with the fact that in 1766, Empress Catherine II, on the advice of her friend, a famous encyclopedist, D. Diderot, entered into an agreement with a sculptor from France, Etienne Maurice Falcone, according to which the master took on the statue of the Bronze Horseman.

The best craftsmen were involved in the erection of the monument, in addition to the sculptor Falcone himself, the elements of the monument were created by Fyodor Gordeev, the overall composition was reviewed by Yu.M.

An unusual concept was developed - a rider sitting on a horse tramples a snake with his hooves.

The monument became a significant stumbling block during the creation of the sculpture. It turned out to be quite difficult to find a stone that would serve as a worthy pedestal for the statue of Great Peter. After a futile search, a way out was found, an announcement was made in the newspaper "Sankt-Peterburgskiye Vedomosti", in which it was proposed to participate in the search for private individuals. And there was a man who pointed to the stone, which he was originally going to use for his needs. But since the boulder weighed about 1600 tons, it was not possible to use it otherwise than as a monument to the king.

The stone transportation company lasted about six months. To deliver the boulder to the coast of the Gulf of Finland, a separate pier was built, the remains of which can still be seen at low tide.

Falcone depicts Peter I in dynamics, it is interesting that the author simplified the silhouette of the tsar to the impossible, wanting to present him not as a majestic conquering monarch, but rather as a ruler-legislator, close and understandable to his people. The statue was intended to become a symbol of the victory of justice, reason, law over authority and subjugation-conquest.