Egyptian Bridge, Fontanka River, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 190068
The single-span chain Egyptian Bridge was built in 1825-26 on the Fontanka River, near Novo-Petergofsky Avenue, by engineers of the Corps of Communications Treter and Christianovich. The bridge was suspended on chains passed through cast-iron gates, which consisted of three round columns and two buttresses in the Egyptian style, covered with hieroglyph imitations. The gates were topped with a characteristic Egyptian pylon projecting curved cornice. The entrance to the bridge was flanked on both sides by four sphinx sculptures lying on rectangular pedestals, with hexagonal lanterns fixed on their heads, made by academician Sokolov. Today, these sphinxes are the only surviving part of the original decoration of the bridge. All metal parts of the bridge were painted brown, and the relief images of the lotus on the cornices were gilded. The bridge was opened on August 25, 1826. For a time, the Egyptian Bridge was considered the most beautiful in Petersburg. The sphinxes guarding the entrance to the bridge, contrary to the Egyptian style, have female faces, which is more typical for sculptures of the Ancient Greek period. Among historians studying Petersburg’s architecture and the legacy of sculptor Sokolov, there is an opinion that the face of the sphinx is the likeness of Elizabeth Alexeievna, née Louise-Marie-Augusta, Princess of Baden and wife of Emperor Alexander I. Pushkin dedicated poems to her, she was friends with historian Karamzin, and it is quite possible that she was Beethoven’s muse, for whom he wrote “Für Elise.” Such bright acquaintances and colorful strokes in her biography can be explained by only one thing: the empress was fabulously beautiful and deserved to have poems composed about her and geniuses create in her honor.
According to Greek mythology, the sphinx with a female face is one of the most terrifying and mysterious demons. It was this creature that blocked the way in Thebes for a lone traveler and posed a riddle: “Tell me, who walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? None of all the creatures living on earth changes so. When he walks on four legs, he has less strength and moves slower than at other times.” Those who answered incorrectly were either strangled or eaten by the sphinx. The answer was: man.
The people instantly appreciated the features of the new crossing, unofficially calling the bridge “singing”: as people marched across it, various sounds were produced by the chains. Sometimes these sounds were quite mournful. Later, people would say: perhaps the bridge was humming a funeral song to itself.
In 1905, it collapsed under the passage of a cavalry detachment and was restored in a modified form only in 1955.
The Egyptian Bridge stood for almost 80 years, but on January 20 (February 2) 1905, an unforeseen event occurred. During the passage of a horse grenadier regiment across the bridge, it collapsed into the Fontanka River. Three horses died in the disaster.
Various theories about this incident are still put forward. Some experts claim that the rhythmic marching of the columns caused resonance. Others point to possible errors by the bridge’s designers and builders.
Instead of the collapsed bridge, a temporary wooden footbridge was built, which served until the 1950s, when the bridge was rebuilt in stone. The new structure bore no resemblance to the old, richly decorated bridge, as recreating its former appearance was not the goal of the architects who designed the new bridge to be more modest and light. However, the preserved Egyptian motifs and cast-iron sphinx sculptures allowed the structure to retain its former name.
A popular urban legend says that a certain Maria Ilyinichna Ratner, who lived near the bridge, shouted out the window during the passage of the cavalry: “May you all fall through!” and her wish was immediately fulfilled. The reasons for this unpleasant act remain unknown. Some believe that Maria Ilyinichna was utterly annoyed by the trumpets and kettledrums of the cavalry waking her every morning; others claim that Ratner was a victim of a seducer in uniform in her youth. Whatever the case, Maria Ilyinichna entered city folklore under the name “Maria the Egyptian.”
Sources:
https://www.visit-petersburg.ru/ru/showplace/196621/
https://spb.aif.ru/culture/event/1332084
