The Narva Triumphal Arch (, lit. ''Narvskie Triumfal'nyye vorota'') was erected in the vast Stachek Square (prior to 1923 also known as the Narva Square),

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, in 1814 to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon. The wooden structure was constructed on the then highway to

Narva Narva is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in the Ida-Viru County, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia border, E ...

with the purpose of greeting the soldiers who were returning from abroad after their victory over Napoleon. The architect of the original Narva

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...

was

Giacomo Quarenghi Giacomo Quarenghi (; , ; 20 or 21 September 1744) was an Italian architect who was the foremost and most prolific practitioner of neoclassical architecture in Imperial Russia, particularly in Saint Petersburg. He brought into vogue an original mo ...

. The program was meant to respond to the

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel () () is a triumphal arch in Paris, located in the Place du Carrousel. It is an example of Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassical architecture in the Corinthian order. It was built between 1806 and 1808 to commemo ...

in Paris, originally erected to celebrate Napoleon's victory over the Allies at Austerlitz, but the material used was a weather-resistant plaster that was never intended to be permanent. Between 1827 and 1834

Vasily Stasov Duke Vasily Petrovich Stasov (Russian: Васи́лий Петро́вич Ста́сов; 4 August 1769 – 5 September 1848) was a famous Russian architect, born into a wealthy noble family: his father, Pyotr Fyodorovich Stasov, came from ...

redesigned and rebuilt the gate in stone. A similar gate, also by Stasov, was erected on the road leading to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. A sculptor

Vasily Demut-Malinovsky Vasily Ivanovich Demut-Malinovsky (Russian: Василий Иванович Демут-Малиновский); 2 (13) March 1779 – 16 (28) July 1846 was a Russian sculptor whose works represent the quintessence of the Empire style. Biography ...

was responsible for the arch's sculptural decor. As has been conventional since Imperial Roman times, sculptures of

Pheme In Greek mythology, Pheme ( ; Greek: , ''Phēmē''; Roman equivalent: Fama), also known as Ossa in Homeric sources, was the personification of fame and renown, her favour being notability, her wrath being scandalous rumours. She was a daughter ...

offering laurel wreaths fill the

spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame, between the tops of two adjacent arches, or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fil ...

s of the central arch. The main

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

breaks boldly forward over paired Composite columns that flank the opening and support colossal sculptures.

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

, the Goddess of Victory, surmounts the arch, in a

triumphal car Trionfo () is an Italian word meaning "triumph", also "triumphal procession", and a triumphal car or float in such a procession. The classical triumphal procession for victorious generals and Emperors known as the Roman Triumph was revived for ...

drawn by six horses, sculpted by

Peter Clodt von Jürgensburg Peter Jakob Freiherr Clodt von Jürgensburg (; 5 June 1805 – 25 November 1867) was a Russian sculptor. He was well regarded by Nicholas I of Russia. Biography Born in Saint Petersburg, Klodt belonged to a distinguished family of Baltic Ger ...

, instead of the traditional

Quadriga A quadriga is a car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast and favoured for chariot racing in classical antiquity and the Roman Empire. The word derives from the Latin , a contraction of , from ': four, and ': yoke. In Latin the word is almos ...

. Neither the arch nor the

Russian Admiralty Board of Admiralties (, ''Admiralteystv-kollegiya'') was a supreme body for the administration of the Imperial Russian Navy and admiralty shipyards in the Russian Empire, established by Peter the Great on December 12, 1718, and headquartered in t ...

were protected from artillery bombardments during the

siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad was a Siege, military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 t ...

. The arch was restored in 1951. A small military museum was opened in the upper part of the arch in 1989. At the beginning of 21st century, the gate was completely restored and, according to experts, is in fine condition as of August 2009.

References

External links

Narva Triumphal Arch
- History from Saint Petersburg.com

{{coord, 59.9009, N, 30.2738, E, type:landmark, display=title Culture in Saint Petersburg Neoclassical architecture in Russia Buildings and structures in Saint Petersburg Buildings and structures completed in 1814 Tourist attractions in Saint Petersburg Triumphal arches in Russia Vasily Stasov buildings and structures Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg