Nicolas 1- Model of Monument erected in Saint-Petersburg

The Monument to Nicholas I is a bronze equestrian monument of Nicholas I of Russia on St Isaac's Square (in front of Saint Isaac's Cathedral) in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Unveiled on July 7th [O.S. June 25th] 1859, the six-meter statue was a technical wonder of its time. It was the first equestrian statue in Europe with only two support points (the rear hooves of the horse), the only precedent being the 1852 equestrian statue of U.S President Andrew Jackson. The Neo-Baroque monument to the Russian ruler Nicholas I was designed by the French-born architect Auguste de Montferrand in 1856. When he planned the registration of Saint Isaac's Square, the uniform architectural ensembles of the Palace Square (in 1843) and the Senate Square had already been finished (in 1849). Monuments to the emperors Peter I and Alexander I dominated these squares. By tradition, de Montferrand intended to construct a monument on the new site, to unite the buildings of different architectural styles already there. Kind on Saint Isaac's Square with Saint Isaac's Cathedral. In the centre is Monument to Nicholas I At the personal request of his successor Alexander II, Nicholas was represented as a prancing knight, in the military outfit in which the late tsar was most majestic.Around the base are allegorical statues modelled on Nicholas I's daughters and personifying virtues. The statue faces Saint Isaac's Cathedral, with the horse's posterior turned to the Mariinsky Palace of Nicholas's daughter, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna of Russia. This was said to have caused the Grand Duchess considerable discomfort. The monument depicts Nicholas I, a determined absolutist Russian ruler, as a powerful military figure. However, being a junior army officer at heart, Nicholas I was especially devoted to his troops and was intricately involved in the details of the military — from ordering the alteration of military uniforms to specializing in the engineering of military fortresses. At the same time, his despotic regime (1825–1855) saw the crushing of the liberal Decembrist revolt and the November Uprising in Poland. The monument also depicts the social activities of the emperor: Nicholas I was for many years the chief of the nearby Konnogvardejsky regiment. Elements of the city topography, the Konnogvardejsky parkway and Konnogvardejsky lane, and the Konnogvardejsky arena are combined with the Konnogvardejsky regiment uniform in which the emperor is dressed.尼古拉一世纪念碑（Monument to Nicholas I）是一尊坐落于俄罗斯圣彼得堡圣以撒广场（St Isaac's Square，圣以撒大教堂（Saint Isaac's Cathedral）正前方）的俄罗斯沙皇尼古拉一世青铜骑马纪念碑。该雕像于1859年7月7日[旧历6月25日]揭幕，通高达6米，在其所处时代堪称工程奇迹。它是欧洲首座仅依靠两个支撑点（即马匹后蹄）固定的骑马纪念碑，此前唯一的先例为1852年的美国总统安德鲁·杰克逊骑马纪念碑。 这座纪念俄罗斯统治者尼古拉一世的新巴洛克（Neo-Baroque）风格纪念碑，由法裔建筑师奥古斯特·德·蒙费朗（Auguste de Montferrand）于1856年设计。在他规划圣以撒广场时，皇宫广场（Palace Square，1843年完工）与参政院广场（Senate Square，1849年完工）的统一建筑风貌已先后落成。彼得一世与亚历山大一世的纪念碑曾主导这两座广场的视觉焦点。按照传统设计思路，德·蒙费朗计划在这片新场地建造一座纪念碑，以整合场地内已有的多种建筑风格。 圣以撒广场与圣以撒大教堂场景，广场中央即为尼古拉一世纪念碑。 应其继任者亚历山大二世的个人要求，尼古拉一世被塑造为一名策马驰骋的骑士形象，身着这位已故沙皇最显威严的戎装。纪念碑基座四周环绕着以尼古拉一世的女儿为原型、象征各类美德的寓言雕像。该雕像面朝圣以撒大教堂，马匹的臀部朝向尼古拉一世之女俄罗斯大公夫人玛丽亚·尼古拉耶夫娜的玛丽宫（Mariinsky Palace），据称这曾令这位大公夫人倍感不适。 这座雕像将尼古拉一世塑造为一位果敢决绝的专制俄罗斯统治者与威风凛凛的军事领袖。事实上，尼古拉一世本质上仍出身陆军下级军官，他对麾下部队倾注了极致热忱，深度参与军事事务的各项细节——从下令修订军装样式，到精通军事要塞工程设计。与此同时，他在1825年至1855年的专制统治期间，镇压了自由主义的十二月党人起义（Decembrist revolt）与波兰十一月起义（November Uprising）。 该纪念碑同时展现了这位沙皇的社会活动：尼古拉一世曾长期担任附近的近卫骑兵军团（Konnogvardejsky regiment）的团长。场地周边的城市地貌元素，包括近卫骑兵林荫道与近卫骑兵巷，以及近卫骑兵竞技场（Konnogvardejsky arena），均与沙皇身着的近卫骑兵军团制服形成呼应与融合。