The Rostral Columns are majestic architectural monuments located in the center of St. Petersburg, on the spit of Vasilyevsky Island, which in turn is one of the most famous architectural ensembles of the city. In the 19th century, these columns were used as lanterns to illuminate the port of the capital of the Russian Empire.

They were built according to the project of the French architect Jean-Francois Thomas de Thomon in 1805-1810 and were decorated with rostra of ships (in Latin, rostra is the plural of rostrum meaning the bow of a ship). Photos by: Yuliya Baturina.

Rostra symbolized the power of the navy of the Russian Empire and was also a reference to the ancient Roman custom of decorating the columns with rostra of defeated (captured) enemy ships. Hence the name of the columns.

The famous stone mason Samson Sukhanov, a native of a peasant family from the Vologda Governorate, also worked on the project. The statues of sea deities at the foot of the columns were made by sculptors Joseph Cumberlain and Jacques Thibault. The opening of the columns took place in 1815. The columns are not fixed by anything and are held by their own weight.

Inside each column there is a spiral staircase leading to the upper observation deck with a huge lamp-bowl. Until 1896, hemp oil was used to guide ships in the darkness of the night or a veil of fog. Later, this method of lighting was rarely used because it was very expensive. Since 1957, natural gas has been used for this purpose and now they are lit only on special occasions.

The Rostral Columns in St. Petersburg in the 19th century.

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

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