The Monument to Prince Vladimir the Great is a giant monument, one of the largest monuments in Russia, opened on Borovitskaya Square on National Unity Day on November 4, 2016. The monument was erected on the initiative of the Russian Military Historical Society.

Vladimir I Svyatoslavich (Great, Holy, Baptist) is a holy Equal-to-the-Apostles prince who ruled Kievan Rus in 978-1015. He went down in history as the Baptist of Russia, for which he was canonized as a saint. In the image of the Baptist, Prince Vladimir is depicted in sculpture: in his right hand he holds a huge cross, in his left – a sword. Behind the pedestal are 3 bronze bas-reliefs depicting scenes: the life of Vladimir before baptism, the baptism of the prince and the baptism of the inhabitants of Russia by the clergy.

The appearance of Vladimir was recreated based on icon-painting images, the fresco “Baptism of Russia” by Viktor Vasnetsov in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev and the existing sculptures of the prince.

The total height of the monument is 17.5 meters: the 12-meter figure of the prince is set on a granite pedestal, and a huge cross rises another 3 meters above it. The sculpture was cast in Khimki near Moscow, then delivered to Borovitskaya Square in parts: the figure of Vladimir, the details of the cloak, the hand and the cross, which were installed on the spot and welded into a single whole.

Sculptor – Salavat Shcherbakov, architect – Igor Voskresensky.

Monument to Prince Vladimir controversy

Even at the design stage, the monument to Prince Vladimir provoked a loud public discussion about the appropriateness and location of its installation.

Initially, the project of the monument involved the erection of a larger sculpture and its installation on the Sparrow Hills: a giant pedestal with a 24-meter figure of the prince weighing about 330 tons was to be placed on the edge of the observation deck of the Sparrow Hills directly opposite Moscow State University. This caused dissatisfaction and fears of the public: after all, in this case, the monument would not only spoil the prevailing view of the high-rise building, but could also lead to a landslide on a rather dangerous slope. In addition, Vladimir was supposed to be installed facing the river, which means that it would be possible to observe him close up only from the back.

During the Internet voting, Muscovites were offered 3 sites for the installation of the monument: Borovitskaya and Lubyanskaya squares, as well as Zaryadye; The choice of Muscovites fell on Borovitskaya Square, where, before the installation of the monument, there was essentially a large wasteland. It was decided to reduce the monument in order to install it in a new place.

The monument to Prince Vladimir in Moscow is installed on Borovitskaya Square. You can get to it on foot from the metro stations “Borovitskaya” Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya line, “Lenin Library” Sokolnicheskaya and “Aleksandrovsky Sad” Filevskaya.