Colonnade... Russian word stress

- (French colonne pillar). 1) a pillar supporting or decorating some part of a building. 2) a monument in the form of a pillar. 3) a known formation of the army. 4) ships built in several lines. Dictionary foreign words, included in the Russian language.... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (French colonne, from Latin columna column), an architecturally processed vertical support, round in cross section, the core element of a building, the load-bearing structure of a building and architectural orders. It arose as the simplest element of a rack... ... Art encyclopedia

COLUMN, columns, women. (Italian colonna) (architect.). 1. An architectural structure that looks like a tall cylinder and most often serves as a support for the gables or interior parts of buildings. Portico with columns. “I... built a house, with columns, huge...”... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Column- - vertical support of a building, structure, receiving vertical loads from other elements (beams, trusses, arches, vaults, etc.) [New Polytechnic Dictionary, Moscow, Scientific Publishing House, 2000] Column - (French colonne from Lat. ... Encyclopedia of terms, definitions and explanations of building materials

COLUMN, female, lat. pillar, pillar, riser; stand, prop; a lonely column, in the form of a monument, a stall. The decoration of pillars or columns is determined in architecture by orders, the conventional order to which they belong. | Horse and foot column... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

A vertical linear structure whose height significantly exceeds its cross section. A column designed to bear vertical (to a lesser extent horizontal) loads. Source: Dictionary of architectural and construction terms 1 ... Construction dictionary

Cm … Synonym dictionary

In military affairs, a formation in which military personnel are positioned behind each other's heads, and units (vehicles) one behind the other. Until sep. 19th century (in the Air Force in the 20th century) a column is one of the forms of combat formation of troops (aviation) ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

COLUMN, s, female. 1. A structure in the form of a high pillar that serves as a support in a building or is erected as a monument. Hall with columns. Triumphal k. 2. About people, objects located or moving one after another in an elongated line. TO.… … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

- (Column of ships) formation of a fleet in several lines, each of which is called K.K. can be windward, leeward, right, left, middle. Samoilov K.I. Marine dictionary. M.L.: State Naval Publishing House of the NKVMF Union... ... Marine Dictionary

Books

• A Dictionary of Coffee, Column Dashwood Maxwell. An indispensable book for those who have studied the surface of the “coffee” topic inside and out and now want to dive into it headlong! In small but succinct dictionary entries you will learn everything about how...
• The Last Column, W. Kuchelbecker. Leningrad, 1937. Publishing house "Fiction". Publisher's binding. The condition is good. The publication presents the unfinished novel by V. K. Kuchelbecker “The Last Column”,…

Greek columns, Roman columns and Russian columns were all based on elements of archaic architecture and are successors to older styles.

The columns of the Greek Parliament are created in the likeness of ancient Greek columns.

Columns have their origins in the architecture of archaic cultures. But European architecture was most influenced by archaeological excavations and surviving fragments of buildings from the era of Ancient Rome. Later, when the territory where Ancient Greece was once located became accessible to Europeans, theoretical treatises were created linking these ancient cultures and proving the continuity of architectural features.

Columns of Greece

The columns of Greece developed with the advent of the order system. If you want to decorate your home with Greek columns, you should get acquainted with the styles. The Doric style column was more massive and less decorated. Later, the Ionic column appeared, which was more elegant, and was decorated with a decorated capital. The later of the columns of Greece is the Corinthian column with a capital decorated with floral patterns. The origin of Doric style columns is traditionally considered to be the coast of the Aegean Sea in the 4th century. BC e. Doric columns had no base, the trunks were smooth or decorated with closely spaced vertical grooves with sharp edges - flutes, the number of which was from 16 to 20. The capitals were separated from the trunk by one to four horizontal “necks”. In the Doric order, the columns have a groove under the echinus, and the Roman columns have a convex rim in this place. Greek Doric columns were placed on a stylobate, Roman columns had bases. Let's consider the Ionic order of the columns of Greece from antiquity. The Ionic order, thanks to the assessment of Vitruvius, was considered “feminine”, so named for its grace, slenderness and carved pattern of capitals with volutes. Such columns adorned, starting from the 4th century BC, Asia Minor temples on the northwestern coast of the Aegean Sea. An example is the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus. The Ionic order column is divided into three parts: base, trunk and capital. The base usually rested on a square slab. Among the reliefs of the base are half-shafts, tori, ornaments and horizontal grooves. The capital was decorated with double spiral volutes - curls. In earlier temples, volutes were located only in the plane of the facade; later, the Ionic columns of Greece began to be decorated with volutes in four planes. Starting from the second half of the 5th century. BC. they begin to create capitals in which the angular volute is at an angle of 45° to the facade.

Columns of the Greek Ionic order of the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus.

In the Ionic order, echinus is located between the volutes, as if emerging from under them. Echinus and abaca were decorated with egg-shaped ova and leaves. There were 24 flutes on the trunk - deep vertical grooves. In relation to the diameter, the height of the columns was at different times 8:1, 9:1, 9, 52:1 (in the portico of the eastern facade of the Erechtheion). At the top the column trunk is narrower than at the bottom.

Comparison of proportions and decorations of Doric and Ionic columns in Greece.

The Corinthian order with a capital decorated with stucco in the form of a basket with fruits, ribbons, leaves, was more often implemented in Roman columns than among the Greeks, who used this order less often. Vitruvius also combined it with the Ionic order, who wrote that the Corinthian column differs from the Ionic only in height.

Column styles of Greece.

The architects tried to place the columns of Greece as far apart from each other as possible in order to create a feeling of lightness of the structure. For example, in the Temple of Hera of Samos, the intercolumnium (the distance between the columns) reached 8.47 m.

Roman columns

Columns of the restored Roman baths, Bath. Somerset.

Roman columns have long been considered the standard for artists, dating back to the Renaissance. The Romans borrowed the order system from the Greeks, and with it the columns. However, among the Greeks, columns served to support relatively light horizontal beams, and Roman buildings were more massive, and Greek columns were not suitable as supports. Load-bearing functions were assigned mainly to the walls, and the columns served mainly as decoration, remaining load-bearing mainly in the porticos. Roman colonnades lose the strict proportionality of the columns of Greece. The Romans introduced some novelty into the orders. The Roman Doric style is not similar to the Greek Doric: the column becomes taller (the ratio of diameter to height in the Greek column is 1:5, and in the Roman - 1:7). In addition, the thickening in the middle, characteristic of the Greek column, disappears. The Roman Doric column has a straight trunk without flutes, tapering upward (if there were flutes, they started from 1/3 of the height), the capital cushion took on a more austere appearance, and under the capital, instead of a groove, a convex ring appeared. Roman columns of the Ionic order also underwent changes. Barrels are often made without flutes, and the type of volute has also changed. The Romans also altered the Corinthian order, giving it greater luxury: the capitals appeared more leaves acanthus with rounded ends, leaves of laurel and other plants were added. Often the elements of the capital were cast from bronze. The trunk of a Roman column in the Corinthian style was made monolithic from granite or marble. More often the trunks were smooth, but if flutes were applied to them, then their number was greater than in the columns of Greece. Among the Roman columns, the composite style stands out, combining elements of different orders. The composite style invented by the Romans combined elements of the Ionic and Corinthian columns by placing scrolls of volutes above the “basket.” During construction, Roman architects could use different orders in one building: the Doric order decorated the first floor, Ionic - the second, and Corinthian and Composite - the upper.

Composite Roman column.

Roman columns did not have the same precise spacing on their facades as Greek ones. Sometimes they were grouped in twos, or even threes.

Russian columns

Old Russian architecture was based on Byzantine art. Acquaintance with the order system occurred only during the time of Peter the Great, who opened European art to Russia. "Russian" columns in the same capacity in which they existed in Ancient Rome And Ancient Greece, as such there were none. With the introduction of European styles, architects began to erect buildings decorated with columns in the classicist style - borrowing the proportions and decor of the order system used in European architecture. However, with the advent and development of the "neo-Russian" style ("pseudo-Russian"), "Russian" columns also appeared. This style deserves special attention due to its colorfulness, brightness, and fabulousness. The direction of the pseudo-Russian style arose in the 1870s on the basis of populist ideas , which gave rise to a wide interest among people of art in folk art of the 16th and 17th centuries. At first, this trend spread to suburban wooden construction, and then it was embodied in stone buildings. Houses were built of red brick or white stone, they were decorated in the manner of folk architecture. pot-bellied" and rectangular Russian columns and a roof resembling the roof of a tower. An example is the house of the merchant Igumnov on Bolshaya Yakimanka in Moscow by the architect N. Pozdneev, built at the end of the 19th century.

Russian columns of the house of merchant Igumnov on Bolshaya Yakimanka. Moscow. Pseudo-Russian style, architect N. Pozdneev. 1888-1895

The architecture of the building was sharply criticized by the architectural community. For example, the architect V. Stasov wrote about the building that it contains “five arshins of Greek classicism”, “three and a quarter of the Italian Renaissance”, “a slice of Romanesque”, “six spools of Gothic” and “a whole pound of Russian”. At the same time, he categorically rejected the opinion of Muscovites that the building was beautiful, since he believed that its architecture was alien to the Moscow spirit. “Russian” columns adorned a number of ancient Russian architectural monuments. For example, the Trinity Cathedral of the Ipatiev Monastery led to the Trinity Church from the north. The crown is a stone covered porch, its vaults are supported by four columns with semicircular arches decorated with alabaster.

Figured columns at the entrance to the Trinity Cathedral of the Ipatiev Monastery. 1650-1652

As an example of Russian architecture, on which supporters of the neo-Russian style relied, was St. Basil's Cathedral (Pokrovsky Cathedral), built in 1555-1561. by order of Ivan the Terrible.

Rectangular decorated columns of St. Basil's Cathedral. 1551-1561, presumably architect Postnik.

The GUM building by architect A. Pomerantsev became an example of the neo-Russian style. (1890-1893), Historical Museum of the architect Vladimir Sherwood (1875-1881)

Rectangular Russian columns at the central entrance to the Historical Museum. Pseudo-Russian style. architect Vladimir Sherwood. Moscow. Red Square. 1875-1881

By decorating your home with columns in one style or another, you can support an architectural idea that will reflect the idea of ​​architecture from past centuries. The main thing is to adhere to historical accuracy so that the design demonstrates taste and knowledge of architectural history.

The Alexander Column is one of the most famous monuments in St. Petersburg

I erected a monument to myself, not made by hands,
The people's path to him will not be overgrown,
He ascended higher with his rebellious head
Pillar of Alexandria...

A.S. Pushkin

If I remember correctly from school, then the poem sounds exactly like this) After that, with the light hand of Alexander Sergeevich, the Alexander Column began to be called the pillar, and the Alexandrian pillar =) How did it appear and why is it so remarkable?

Alexander Column erected in the Empire style in 1834 in the center of Palace Square by the architect Auguste Montferrand by order of Emperor Nicholas I in memory of the victory of his elder brother Alexander I over Napoleon.

This monument complemented the composition of the Arch of the General Staff, which was dedicated to the victory in Patriotic War 1812. The idea of ​​​​building the monument was proposed by the famous architect Carl Rossi. When planning the space of Palace Square, he believed that a monument should be placed in the center of the square. However, he rejected the proposed idea of ​​​​installing another equestrian statue of Peter I.

An open competition was officially announced on behalf of Emperor Nicholas I in 1829 with the wording in memory of the “unforgettable brother.” Auguste Montferrand responded to this challenge with a project to erect a grandiose granite obelisk, but this option was rejected by the emperor. A sketch of that project has been preserved and is currently in the library of the Institute of Railway Engineers. Montferrand proposed installing a huge granite obelisk 25.6 meters high on a granite plinth 8.22 meters high. The front side of the obelisk was supposed to be decorated with bas-reliefs depicting the events of the War of 1812 in photographs from the famous medallions by Count F. P. Tolstoy. On the pedestal it was planned to carry the inscription “To the Blessed One - Grateful Russia.” On the pedestal, the architect saw a rider on a horse trampling a snake with his feet; a double-headed eagle flies in front of the rider, the goddess of victory follows the rider, crowning him with laurels; the horse is led by two symbolic female figures. The sketch of the project indicates that the obelisk was supposed to surpass all monoliths known in the world in its height. The artistic part of the project is excellently executed using watercolor techniques and testifies to Montferrand’s high skill in various areas of fine art. Trying to defend his project, the architect acted within the limits of subordination, dedicating his essay “Plans et details du monument consacr? ? la mémoire de l’Empereur Alexandre,” but the idea was still rejected and Montferrand was explicitly pointed to the column as the desired form of the monument.

The second project, which was subsequently implemented, was to install a column higher than that of Vendôme (erected in honor of Napoleon's victories). Below in the photo is a fragment of a column from Place Vendôme (author - PAUL)

Trajan's Column in Rome was suggested to Auguste Montferrand as a source of inspiration.

The narrow scope of the project did not allow the architect to escape the influence of world-famous examples, and his new work was only a slight modification of the ideas of his predecessors. The artist expressed his individuality by refusing to use additional decorations, like the bas-reliefs spiraling around the core of the ancient Trajan's Column. Montferrand showed the beauty of a giant polished monolith of pink granite 25.6 meters high. In addition, Montferrand made his monument taller than all existing ones. In this new form, on September 24, 1829, the project without sculptural completion was approved by the sovereign. Construction took place from 1829 to 1834.

For the granite monolith - the main part of the column - the rock that the sculptor outlined during his previous trips to Finland was used. Mining and preliminary processing were carried out in 1830-1832 in the Pyuterlak quarry, which was located between Vyborg and Friedrichsham. These works were carried out according to the method of S.K. Sukhanov, the production was supervised by masters S.V. Kolodkin and V.A. Yakovlev. After the stonemasons examined the rock and confirmed the suitability of the material, a prism was cut off from it, which was significantly larger in size than the future column. Giant devices were used: huge levers and gates to move the block from its place and tip it onto a soft and elastic bedding of spruce branches. After separating the workpiece, huge stones were cut from the same rock for the foundation of the monument, the largest of which weighed more than 400 tons. Their delivery to St. Petersburg was carried out by water, for this purpose a barge of a special design was used. The monolith was duped on site and prepared for transportation. Transportation issues were dealt with by naval engineer Colonel Glasin, who designed and built a special boat, named “St. Nicholas,” with a carrying capacity of up to 1,100 tons. To carry out loading operations, a special pier was built. Loading was carried out from a wooden platform at its end, which coincided in height with the side of the ship. Having overcome all difficulties, the column was loaded on board, and the monolith went to Kronstadt on a barge towed by two steamships, from there to go to the Palace Embankment of St. Petersburg. Arrival of the central part Alexander Column to St. Petersburg took place on July 1, 1832.

Since 1829, work began on the preparation and construction of the foundation and pedestal of the column on Palace Square in St. Petersburg. The work was supervised by O. Montferrand. First, a geological exploration of the area was carried out, as a result of which a suitable sandy continent was discovered near the center of the area at a depth of 5.2 m. In December 1829, the location for the column was approved, and 1,250 six-meter pine piles were driven under the base. Then the piles were cut to fit the spirit level, forming a platform for the foundation, according to the original method: the bottom of the pit was filled with water, and the piles were cut to the level of the water table, which ensured that the site was horizontal. This method was proposed by Lieutenant General A. A. Betancourt, an architect and engineer, organizer of construction and transport in Russian Empire. Previously, using the same technology, the foundation of St. Isaac's Cathedral was laid. The foundation of the monument was built from stone granite blocks half a meter thick. It was extended to the horizon of the square using planked masonry. In its center was placed a bronze box with coins minted in honor of the victory of 1812. In October 1830 the work was completed.

After laying the foundation, a huge four-hundred-ton monolith, brought from the Pyuterlak quarry, was erected on it, which serves as the base of the pedestal. Of course, at that time, installing a 400-ton stone was, to put it mildly, not easy) But I don’t think it’s worth describing this process in this article, I’ll just note that it was hard for them... By July 1832, the monolith of the column was on its way , and the pedestal is already completed. It's time to begin the most difficult task - installing the column on the pedestal. This part of the work was also carried out by Lieutenant General A. A. Betancourt. In December 1830, he designed an original lifting system. It included: scaffolding 47 meters high, 60 capstans and a system of blocks, and he took advantage of all this in the following way: the column was rolled up an inclined plane onto a special platform located at the foot of the scaffolding and wrapped with many rings of ropes to which the blocks were attached ; another block system was on top of the scaffolding; a large number of ropes encircling the stone went around the upper and lower blocks and the free ends were wound on capstans placed in the square. After all the preparations were completed, the day of the ceremonial ascent was set. On August 30, 1832, masses of people gathered to watch this event: they occupied the entire square, and besides this, the windows and roof of the General Staff Building were occupied by spectators. The sovereign and the entire imperial family came to the raising. To bring the column into a vertical position on Palace Square, engineer A. A. Betancourt needed to attract the forces of 2000 soldiers and 400 workers, who installed the monolith in 1 hour 45 minutes. The block of stone rose obliquely, slowly crawled, then lifted off the ground and was brought to a position above the pedestal. On command, the ropes were released, the column smoothly lowered and fell into place. The people shouted loudly “Hurray!” And Nicholas I then told Montferrand that he had immortalized himself.

After installing the column, all that remained was to attach the bas-relief slabs and decorative elements to the pedestal, as well as to complete the final processing and polishing of the column. The column was surmounted by a bronze capital of the Doric order with a rectangular abacus made of brickwork with bronze facing. A bronze cylindrical pedestal with a hemispherical top was installed on it. In parallel with the construction of the column, in September 1830, O. Montferrand worked on a statue intended to be placed above it and, according to the wishes of Nicholas I, facing Winter Palace. In the original design, the column was completed by a cross entwined with a snake to decorate the fasteners. In addition, the sculptors of the Academy of Arts proposed several options for compositions of figures of angels and virtues with a cross. There was an option to install the figure of Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky. As a result, the figure of an angel with a cross was accepted for execution, made by the sculptor B.I. Orlovsky with expressive and understandable symbolism - “By this victory!” These words are connected with the story of finding the life-giving cross. The finishing and polishing of the monument lasted two years.

The opening of the monument took place on August 30, 1834 and marked the completion of work on the design of Palace Square. The ceremony was attended by the sovereign, the royal family, the diplomatic corps, one hundred thousand Russian army and representatives of the Russian army. It was carried out in a distinctly Orthodox setting and was accompanied by a solemn service at the foot of the column, in which kneeling troops and the emperor himself took part. This open-air service drew a parallel with the historical prayer service of Russian troops in Paris on the day of Orthodox Easter, March 29, 1814. In honor of the opening of the monument, a commemorative ruble with a circulation of 15,000 coins was issued.

The Alexander Column is reminiscent of examples of triumphal buildings of antiquity; the monument has amazing clarity of proportions, laconism of form, and beauty of silhouette. The plaque of the monument is engraved with “Grateful Russia to Alexander I.” This is the tallest monument in the world, made of solid granite and the third tallest after the Column of the Grand Army in Boulogne-sur-Mer and Trafalgar in London (Nelson's Column). It is taller than similar monuments in the world: the Vendome Column in Paris, Trajan's Column in Rome and Pompey's Column in Alexandria.

The monument is crowned with a figure of an angel by Boris Orlovsky. In his left hand the angel holds a four-pointed Latin cross, and raises his right hand to heaven. The angel's head is tilted, his gaze is fixed on the ground. Originally designed by Auguste Montferrand, the figure at the top of the column was supported by a steel rod, which was later removed, and during the restoration in 2002-2003 it was revealed that the angel was supported by its own bronze mass. Not only is the column itself taller than the Vendôme Column, but the figure of the angel surpasses in height the figure of Napoleon I on the Vendôme Column. The sculptor gave the angel’s facial features a resemblance to the face of Alexander I. In addition, the angel tramples a snake with a cross, which symbolizes the peace and tranquility that Russia brought to Europe, having won the victory over Napoleonic troops. The light figure of an angel, the falling folds of clothing, the clearly defined vertical of the cross, continuing the vertical of the monument, emphasize the slenderness of the column.

“Alexandrian Pillar” was surrounded by a decorative bronze fence designed by Auguste Montferrand. The height of the fence is about 1.5 meters. The fence was decorated with 136 double-headed eagles and 12 captured cannons, which were crowned with three-headed eagles. Between them were placed alternating spears and banner poles, topped with guards' double-headed eagles. There were locks on the gates of the fence in accordance with the author's plan. In addition, the project included the installation of candelabra with copper lanterns and gas lighting. The fence in its original form was installed in 1834, all elements were completely installed in 1836-1837. In the north-eastern corner of the fence there was a guard box, in which there was a disabled person dressed in a full guards uniform, who guarded the monument day and night and kept order in the square. The entire space of Palace Square was paved with ends.

Imperial linen
And chariot engines, -
In the black pool of the capital
The pillar angel is ascended...

Osip Mandelstam

Articles in this place:

People who are taking their first steps in studying art have probably already been interested in what a column is and what types there are. After all, it is with the help of such monumental decorations that both the large royal halls and the facades of buildings and palaces look more attractive. Today we will cover the topic of columns, tell you what they are, where they are used and how they are drawn.

Definition

What is a column? This is a vertical element of the building's supporting structure. Previously, the column was the basis of the frame, as it supported beams, trusses and floors. Today, construction has taken several steps forward, and it is quite possible to erect the roof of a building without additional supporting structures. The load will be divided evenly between all walls of the building. Columns in modern construction play only a decorative role.

The Russian language is rich in identical words with double meanings. Therefore, in order not to get confused, we will also tell you about the casing. This is a device for supplying energy to the bit to create a load on it. Such a column is used to control the well drilling trajectory.

What is a columned hall

Since ancient times, people have loved everything beautiful. Therefore, they tried to transform the interior of the room. The columns were an integral part of the supporting structure of the building, and since it was impossible to get rid of them, they began to play with the design of the halls. Such support pillars could be located around the perimeter of the room or divide it into several parts. Over time, columned halls began to form. This is a type of room in which the division of space occurs with the help of pillars. Columns are the main decoration of the room. They were either painted in White color or covered with gold. Balls, ceremonial receptions for ambassadors, concerts and performances were held in the columned halls.

Main components

We have found out what a column is, and now we will look at what parts it is assembled from.

Base- this is the lower part, whose task is to distribute the load.

But not all types of columns have this element.

Trunk- this is the main part.

The so-called column body. Most often it is decorated with carvings, stucco or flutes.

Capital- the top of the column.

Its task is to distribute the load between all components. It was according to the capitals that the supporting structures were assigned to one order or another. This affiliation was formed in Ancient Greece.

Warrants

There are 5 types of columns.

Tuscan order.

This column has a small base. The barrel is smooth without flutes. The column becomes thinner towards the top, its capital is round, smooth, without decoration.

Doric order.

This style was popular in Sicily and Greece. The capitals were powerful and had no decoration. But the barrel was decorated with flutes. There could be from 16 to 20 pieces. The column thickened at the bottom and became thinner at the top. Such supporting structures did not have a base. The ratio of the cross-section of the column at the bottom to its height was most often 6:1.

Ionic order.

Such columns are elegant and rather decorative. They were decorated with stucco and painting. The column was installed on a base - a base consisting of two disks. The barrel was decorated with flutes, of which there were up to 24 pieces. They were quite deep and separated by flat spaces. The capital was decorated with volutes, the curls of which were beautifully wrapped towards the center.

Corinthian order.

Such a capital has a complex base. The barrel is decorated with 24 flutes, which are rounded at the top and bottom. Very often such columns were not round, but square and could even be made in the shape of a cone. The capital of the Corinthian order is similar to the Ionic one.

Composite order is a mixture of Corinthian and Ionic.

The trunk of such a column was decorated with 24 flutes, which could be rounded at the top and bottom. The capital was decorated with four currencies with a vertical cylindrical core.

The most famous architectural monuments with columns

If we talk about world attractions, then, of course, the Colosseum is the first to come to mind. After all, what a column is is explained to children precisely from a picture of this monumental structure. Why? You may ask. Yes, because the Coliseum used columns of three orders at once: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. They were located along the perimeter of the amphitheater and decorated all three of its tiers. In addition to columns, the Colosseum was decorated with sculptures by the best Roman masters.

In second place in popularity is the Pantheon. It is decorated with 16 columns made in the Corinthian order. They support the portico and weigh 60 tons. The columns have interesting story. They arrived in Rome from Egypt. They were transported by river. It’s amazing how 11.8 m colossus could be carefully transported over such a long distance in 126 BC. e.

In the center of Palace Square in 1834, a colossus was erected, made from a single block of red granite. The Alexandria Column became an addition to the ensemble of the General Staff. Today this monument, erected in honor of the victory over Napoleon, is the tallest in the world. The column is decorated with a figure of an angel made of pink granite. The angel is incredibly similar to Alexander I. His right hand is directed to heaven, and his left hand holds a cross. The decoration of the column is considered to be bas-reliefs depicting wisdom, abundance, justice, etc.

The Grand Kremlin Palace is beautiful both outside and inside. It has 700 rooms. The most famous of them are, of course, the five ceremonial order halls. We will talk about two of them:

• The Vladimir Hall is very unusual. It is a square in plan, but thanks to the niches, it appears to the visitor as an octagon. The vault is supported by decorative arches and columns.
• St. Andrew's Hall is the most luxurious of all the rooms in the palace. It is decorated with ten pylons decorated with gold and excellent carved doors. The three throne seats located at the end of the hall cannot fail to amaze the viewer with their beauty.

The Columned Hall of the Unions is another wonderful example of how you can decorate a room with load-bearing structures. 28 snow-white columns of the Corinthian order give the room a solemn appearance. A huge crystal chandelier and mirrors visually expand the already rather large space of the columned hall. Today this is the best venue for concerts in Moscow, thanks to its amazing acoustics and state-of-the-art equipment.

Where are columns used today?

The columned hall of the house is already a rarity and luxury. Nowadays, architects can design a house without supporting structures in the middle. The roof or vault will be supported solely by the walls. Yes, some people who have dreamed of living in a palace all their lives can design a house with columns. But, since minimalism and primitivism dominate today, and most buildings are built according to ready-made standard solutions, load-bearing structures are removed from the decor.

But rostral columns are popular. Even in small towns they are installed in honor of significant events or local holidays. Of course, these are not monumental works of art made from a monolithic block, but they still look pretty nice.

How to draw a column capital

Place the sheet vertically. Now you need to outline the axis, base and capital of the column. Taking into account the perspective, we outline the main parts of the base and trunk. Now you need to make a drawing of the column.

When the preparatory part is ready, we move on to the most difficult part - the image of the capital. We draw an ellipse of echinus adjacent to the lower part of the abacus. We depict currencies and give them volume. When the linear constructive drawing is ready, we begin to introduce tone. We put a shadow on the right side of the column, and also, using the game of light and shadow, we transfer the volume to the capitals. Draw all the flutes. The last step is to generalize the drawing using the background image.

How to make a column at home

Sometimes there is a need to hide some pipe or supporting structure that was formed after remodeling the apartment. The easiest way to decorate large vertical objects is to create columns. The easiest way to make them with your own hands is from plasterboard. To do this, you will need to make an iron frame and fix it to the floor and ceiling. The sheet of drywall along its entire length must be cut by 2/3. And then we wrap the frame with the blank and fasten it with self-tapping screws. Such a column can be finished with any material. You can cover it with plaster, plaster, wallpaper or tile.

• The length of the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg is 9.5 m, and they are made from a single piece of malachite. Such colossuses weigh 114 tons. Some people are confident that it is impossible to put such columns in place without alien intervention.
• Many will be surprised, but the Alexandria Column weighing 700 tons is kept in an upright position due to its own weight. But they centered it on the pedestal using an interesting solution that contained cement, vodka and soap.
• And now one more fact about the casing, and the same one with which wells are drilled. They are now planning to be made of plastic. It seems surprising that steel, the hardest alloy in the world, can replace a lightweight piece of plastic, but technology does not stand still.

The column is a symbol that personifies the idea of ​​the world axis, which holds the sky, connecting it with the earth. Very often the column symbolizes the tree of life, stability and solid state. According to the ancient philosopher Philo of Alexandria, this symbol expresses the idea of ​​God, who shows stability in contrast to the changeable human nature. The broken column signifies death. If there is a person’s head at its top, then it represents a limit or boundary.

The two columns at the entrance to the temple symbolize the Gates of Heaven, through which believers pass to get inside. This passage means a transition to a new life or to another world. If there are three columns, then the middle one represents balance and united strength; if there is a crown at its top, then it symbolizes the path to heaven.

Column in heraldry. Coat of arms of Simbirsk.

Column in heraldry. Coat of arms of Crimea.

A symbol typologically similar to a column is a pillar. The ancient Greeks and Romans placed statues of gods on top of pillars, thus showing that they were celestial beings. Often the sacred wooden pillars erected by many peoples of the world are interpreted as phallic symbols, although this is not always the case. First of all, they, like the column, symbolize the connection between heaven and earth. The pillars erected by the ancient Jews embodied their belief that their ancestors were led through the Sinai desert to the Promised Land by a pillar of fire, thus personifying the torch that shines on a person and leads him to the center of his own personality. Christ was tied to the pillar in the scourging scene, and the pillars knocked down by Samson hint that any support can be overthrown.

Column, obelisk and pillar
The obelisk is a hewn monolith tapering upward with a pyramidal top and is a phallic symbol, personifying male creative power, fertility, and reproduction. IN Ancient Egypt this symbol denoted the sun god Ra. Typologically, it is associated with the ancient Greek herms - phallic pillars in honor of the god Hermes, which the Hellenes installed near their homes.

Pillars of Hercules
The ancient Greeks called the modern Strait of Gibraltar the Pillars of Hercules. According to legend, King Eurystheus ordered the hero to deliver Geryon's cows to Mycenae from the island of Erithia, which was located far to the west in the ocean. Sailing past Tartessus, Hercules erected two steles on the northern and southern shores of the strait that separated Europe from Africa, which were called the Pillars of Hercules. According to another version, the hero moved apart the mountains that blocked the entrance to the ocean, thus creating the Strait of Gibraltar. IN modern world The pillars of Hercules, entwined with ribbon, are the sign of the US dollar.

Stylites
Stylites were monks who took a vow in honor of God not to leave the top of the column (pillar) on which they lived. There is a well-known example of Saint Simeon the Stylite, who lived in this way for forty years.

Serpentine Column
After defeating the Persians in the battles of Salamis and Plataea, the Greeks presented the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi with a golden tripod, which was mounted on a 9-meter bronze column. This column, cast from the shields of Persian warriors, was made in the shape of three intertwined snakes. Snakes were sacred animals of Apollo.

Columns-symbols in European cities
Starting from the 17th century, the custom of installing columns in honor of saints in the main square of the city spread in Catholic cities of Western and Eastern Europe. Most often, such columns were erected in honor of the Holy Trinity, St. Mary and St. Roch. However, this element of Baroque architecture was associated not only with the feelings of believers, but also with the plague raging in Europe. As a rule, the construction of such a column symbolized victory over a terrible epidemic. This custom had its roots in the practice of the ancient Romans, who built high columns on the forums and erected statues of emperors on them.
In Russia, a similar column was built in the first half of the 19th century century on Palace Square in St. Petersburg. The so-called Alexandria Pillar became a symbol of the victory of the Russian army over Napoleon. Another ancient tradition associated with columns also took root in Russia. The Romans built rostral columns to commemorate their victories at sea. In the capital of the Russian Empire as a symbol of the power's dominance on the seas and rivers on the arrow Vasilyevsky Island similar columns were built.

Pillars of Alchemy
In ancient times, it was believed that four columns supported the earth from the four cardinal directions. This image was transformed in alchemy into four pillars of teaching, the number of which also corresponded to the cardinal directions, as well as the elements. The alchemists considered Geber, Arnold of Villanova, Ar-Razi and Hermes to be their pillars. A true adept had to emulate the four great teachers and founders of alchemy in everything. One of the main emblems of Freemasonry are the two columns of the legendary Temple of Solomon - the left one is Boaz (the name of King David's great-grandfather) and the right one is Jachin (the high priest of the temple). These words are translated as “In Him is strength” and “He will strengthen.” The pillar of Boaz is a symbol of the Moon, and Jachin is a symbol of the Sun.