The Monument to Catherine II, Saint Petersburg
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The Monument to Catherine II, located on Ostrovsky Square in St. Petersburg, was established in honor of the Empress Catherine II in 1873. The idea to build a monument to Catherine II came to her retainers and nobles of the city in the early years of the reign of the Empress. But Catherine II was against it. The monument was created a century later, under decree of Alexander II. This is evidenced by the inscription at the base of the monument: «To Empress Catherine II during the reign of Emperor Alexander II. 1873.» The Monument to Catherine II is a sophisticated sculptural composition. The Monument to the Empress is placed on a high pedestal, made of granite of Serdobol. At the base there are eight prominent people of her era — P. Rumyantsev, G. Potemkin, A. Suvorov, I. Betskoy, A. Bezborodko, E. Dashkova, A. Orlov and G. Derzhavin. All figures, including twice surpassing the others in size, the statue of Catherine, are made with astonishing portrait precision. The statue of Catherine II was directly made by sculptor M. Chizhov.