Professor of the Department of Theory and Practice of Fine Arts of the Academy of Architecture and Arts of the Southern Federal University, Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts Sergey Oleshnya is known in Rostov-on-Don and other cities for his sculptural compositions: "Grigory and Aksinya in a boat" on the Rostov embankment, the light and music fountain "Friendship of Peoples" in Stavropol, the bust of Academician Korolev in Cheboksary.

But Sergey Nikolaevich calls only that sculptural composition a real monument, which carries an educational function: it tells about the history of the city and the country.

"Sculpture is a complex craft, not only because it requires a vision of three—dimensional space and great skill of the hands, but also because the sculptor must be hardworking and have extensive knowledge. Every real work of art has its origins, and the monument has its roots in history. When working on sculptural structures, I first fill myself with knowledge like a bowl of water, and only when the "bowl" is filled to the top, plastic images are born in my head," Sergey Oleshnya shared.

On the International Day of Monuments and Historical Places, Sergey Oleshnya told the story of the creation of three monuments of his authorship on Bolshaya Sadovaya Street in Rostov-on-Don.

Monument to the Founders of the fortress of Dimitri Rostovsky (Fortress Lane).

Rostov-on-Don, like all the most beautiful cities in Europe, was founded as a fortress, the professor shares. The regular troops of the Russian Empire located in the south after the Azov campaigns of Peter the Great huddled in the earthen fortress of St. Anna near the modern village of Starocherkasskaya. There the soldiers suffered from malaria, floods and conflicts with the Don Cossacks. A new fortress was needed — to guard the external borders and protect the Temernitsky customs.

The place for the customs — near the Rich Well tract — was chosen by the commander-in—chief of the old fortress, Major General Baron Rodion Kondratievich von Wedel, and the place for the new fortress — on a hill near the customs - Captain Sipyagin.

The construction was led by military engineer Alexander Rigelman. According to his instructions, a brick factory was built on the Kiziterinskaya beam — inside the future fortress. Stone for construction was extracted from a Rich source, and the forest was cut down and floated along the Mius to the Mius estuary. The fortress was founded in 1761, the earthworks and the main buildings of the fortress were completed in 1763.

The monument to the Founders of the fortress depicts Alexander Rigelman himself, the first commandant of the fortress Ivan Somov, the customs administrator Vasily Hastatov, the commander of the Don army Danil Efremov and his adjutant — the Dolomanov Cossack. Models similar to the listed historical figures posed for the sculptural composition.

"I won the competition of design solutions for this monument: in addition to the sketch itself, my team and I prepared a situational plan, a link to the environment, because it is very important where the sculpture will stand. The monument to the Founders stands on the site of the Alexander Nevsky redoubt — the fortress was in the shape of a star, and this is the top of one of its rays," said Sergey Oleshnya.

The sculptor added that the work did not go quickly immediately, the Mayor's office of Rostov-on-Don postponed the start of work, referring to more urgent issues like housing and communal services problems.

"But we had and still have many smart and wise managers, one of the deputy mayors advised me to return with the project in a year. And indeed, then everyone approached the creation of the monument with the greatest enthusiasm. This suggests that before it appears on the streets of the city, the monument must "mature" in the minds of people," Sergei Oleshnya stressed.

Monument to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna (Pokrovsky Square)

In 1763, life began in the mentioned fortress: soldiers were on duty, and people who began to be called Rostovites settled near the walls and up to the very bank of the Don. The soldiers brought with them and assembled a wooden temple, where civilians also went to pray. And from the first years of life in the fortress, they discussed the idea of erecting a monument near the temple to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, who founded the fortress by her decree and gave it the name of St. Dimitry of Rostov.

"People came under the protection of the fortress walls, fished and traded, glorifying the name of the empress. Before the October Revolution, several sketches were created, but the monument never "matured". I have seen these sketches, and relied on them in many ways. I worked with archives and the smartest historians not only to understand what clothes to fashion on the empress. When I started working, I knew literally everything about Elizabeth Petrovna, from how many dresses she had in her wardrobe to what her favorite poems were. And from this knowledge, the plastic of the image was born," said Sergey Oleshnya.

The professor added that such a long-awaited monument, the idea of which reached us from the first Rostov residents, would have appeared sooner or later anyway, but Sergey Nikolaevich is glad that it happened through his work.

Monument to Rostov water supply (Kirovsky Prospekt)

Pools were equipped in the Don, where barrels of drinking and industrial water were collected for the needs of the fortress garrison. However, over time, there was a need for water supply, and in 1865 pipes were laid to the intake columns. In place of the very first such column, there is also a sculpture by Sergei Oleshni.

"The so-called "monuments" to cucumber, stool, clothespin and similar works by modern sculptors do not make our citizens smarter and richer — they only have a decorative function. The monument does not necessarily have to be dedicated to a specific historical person, but it should at least immerse in the historical context. The place where the first water intake column was located was, as it is now, the square near the temple: someone went there to pray, someone to walk and chat, and someone for water, because water is life. Therefore, the park sculpture at this place depicts a young Donetsk woman in mid-19th century clothes. She came to the pump not just to get water, but also to like her peers, so the girl is wearing beads and a beautiful, though not rich dress," Sergey Oleshnya shared.

The original column is still kept in the museum of the Rostov vodokanal. It was the then head of the vodokanal, Alexander Scriabin, who came to Professor Oleshna with the idea of sculpture, with the desire to "leave something real."

"Art is a synthesis not only of creativity and science, but also of politics. The artist must deeply analyze the place and time in which he lives, understand which legends and truthful facts need artistic embodiment right now. Why is the People's Museum built on the initiative of the governor so important, and on the Sambek Heights? Because he tells the story of how Hitler's vaunted army was stopped and defeated on Rostov land. Those who downplay the significance of our Victory would like us to forget about these events, and we will never forget, since there is a historical monument on the site of the battle," Sergei Oleshnya summed up.