Chesme Column

Chesme Column in Tsarskoe Selo.

The Chesme Column (Russian: Чесменская колонна) in Tsarskoye Selo 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. The column should not be confused with the Chesme Obelisk in Gatchina.

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 red marble pedestal lined with bronze bas-reliefs illustrating the Russian victories: these were destroyed by the Germans during the World War II and subsequently restored from old photographs. The pedestal rests on a stepped pyramid-like granite platform.

Gallery

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  Catherine II strolling in the park at Tsarskoye Selo with the Chesme Column in the background

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  Marble Bridge in Tsarskoe Selo (1774). The Chesme Column may be seen in the distance