Il y a 133 ans, à Moscou, a été érigé un monument en l’honneur d’Alexandre Sergueïevitch Pouchkine. Le jour de l’inauguration du monument, le 6 juin 1880, dès 10 heures du matin, de nombreuses foules de gens se sont rassemblées à Moscou, près de la place située près du monastère des Saints Martyrs.2 photos

133 years ago, in Moscow, a monument to Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was inaugurated. On the day of its opening, on June 6, 1880, starting at 10 a.m., dense crowds of people and numerous vehicles began to gather in the area near the Strastnoy Monastery. It seemed as if entire Moscow had come together to pay tribute to this great poet. Around the monument, white shields were erected, bearing gold-engraved titles of the poet’s works. The Tverskoy Boulevard was decorated with garlands of live greenery. People bought up all the lilies of the valley and violets available from vendors and threw them onto the pedestal of the monument. By evening, the illumination came on. At the foot of the still-covered monument, renowned Russian writers such as Turgenev, Polonsky, Maykov, Pleshcheev, and Dostoevsky delivered solemn speeches. When the covering was removed, the entire square erupted in cheers of joy. The monument to Alexander Pushkin was created by the sculptor Alexander Opekuşin. It depicted the poet in a moment of deep contemplation: his head tilted back, one hand resting behind his back, his steps slow and deliberate… In 1950, the monument was moved to the other side of the reconstructed Strastnoy Square (now Pushkin Square) and rotated 180 degrees before being placed in its final position on the site of the former Strastnoy Monastery bell tower. A concrete foundation had to be constructed in order to raise the monument to its proper height.