Chesme Column

The Chesme Column (Russian: Чесменская колонна) is a rostral column (a type of victory column) in Catherine Park of the former Russian royal residence of Tsarskoye Selo, a suburb of Saint Petersburg, Russia, that commemorates three Russian naval victories in the Russo-Turkish War, 1768-1774, specifically the Battle of Chesma. It was constructed in the Large Pond of the Landscape Park of the Catherine Palace to Rinaldi's designs over the years 1774-78.[1] The column should not be confused with the Chesme Obelisk in Gatchina.

Chesme Column in Tsarskoe Selo.

The monument is a Doric rostral column of white-and-pink marble, decorated with ship bows rostra and crowned by a bronze figure of an eagle (symbol of Russia) trampling a crescent (symbol of Turkey). The column stands on a grey marble pedestal lined with bronze bas-reliefs illustrating the Russian victories: these were destroyed by the Germans during World War II and subsequently restored from old photographs. The pedestal rests on a stepped pyramid-like granite platform.[1]

  • Catherine II strolling in the park at Tsarskoye Selo with the Chesme Column in the background
  • Marble Bridge in Tsarskoe Selo (1774). The Chesme Column may be seen in the distance
  • Side view shows an entrance leading to the base pedestal.[1]
Eagle trampling a crescent moon
A fragment of the original bas-relief found at the bottom of the pond
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References
  1. "The Chesme Column". tzar.ru. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.

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