An attempt to build a monument to Peter the Great in Petrozavodsk in 1850

The article addresses an unsuccessful attempt to erect a monument to Peter the Great in Petrozavodsk in 1850 initiated by Governor Nikolay Pisarev. The monument was designed as a truncated stele about three meters high. However, the request for the monument’s installation was rejected by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Lev Perovsky, because of its low artistic value. The article proves that it was not the only reason for refusal: Nikolay Pisarev had a reputation as a bribe taker and a scoundrel, for which he was transferred from Ukraine and appointed Governor of the remote and sparsely populated Olonets Province. This position was an exile for him, and he saw his proposal to build a monument to Peter the Great as an opportunity to redeem himself. Moreover, on August 22, ten days before submitting the petition to Lev Perovsky, Nikolay Pisarev was publicly slapped in the face by an exiled minor official during a church service. This public disgrace of the Governor, who was soon dismissed, was another reason to deny the installation of the monument.