CITY LEGENDS

Prophetic dream of the sculptor

In the city folklore the legend survived about the unusual dream of the sculptor V.I.Demut-Malinovsky. In 1827 the sculptor made two colossal bronze figures of oxes which were installed at both sides of the main entrance of stockyard, built two years before at the corner of Tsarskoselskaya road and Obvodny channel

The monumental bulls, established on granite pedestals, made huge impression to Petersburgers. And the sculptor also loved the creatures.

And once it has dreamt to him that the bulls have come to the creator.

Anybody from friends and acquaintances of the sculptor could not interpret this mysterious dream. Demut-Malinovsky has died in 1846, without having solved secret of the dream.

He have been buried in Alexander-Nevsky Lavra. And sculptures of the bulls continued the independent life. In 1936 in Leningrad, behind the Srednya Rogatka (Average Slingshot), the new meat-packing plant has been constructed, and bulls have established here.

In 1941 when the front has come nearer closely to a city, the bronze bulls, having a big art value, have transported to the Lavra where according to plan all the most valuable city sculpture should be digged.

Then the old legend was recollected about Demut-Malinovsky's mysterious dream.

The bulls modeled by him have come to the creator and all war have staid in a few steps away from a tomb of the sculptor.

Source: N.A. Sindalovsky "Legends of St. Petersburg"