Day of the Smiling Stone Lions

Sculptures of representatives of predatory mammals from the cat family greet guests of St. Petersburg on the Promenade des Anglais, visitors to the Vorontsov Palace in Crimea, tourists on San Marco Square in Venice and near the Museum of the Monument of Folk Literature in Prague. The silent lion is one of the symbols of the Freemasons, denoting the confidentiality of information received by members of a secret society. Lewis Carol belonged to him, who wrote a novel about the girl Alice, in which, among other characters, there is a smiling Cheshire cat. Few people know that the prototype of this hero was the grinning stone lions depicted on the church in Cheshire County in the UK. Smiling inhabitants of the prairies and savannas decorate the Nativity and Assumption Cathedrals in Suzdal and Vladimir, built in 1122 and 1160s. There are also images of lions on the walls of the St. George Church, the construction of which, according to various sources, dates back to 1129 and 1152. It is still unclear where Russian architects and carvers of the 12th century came from. had a detailed idea of ​​the appearance of lions. Researchers are of the opinion that the masters were given the task of depicting a cross between a cat and a dog, “a leopard with a dog-shaped head.” And they did it well. Historians and architects pay attention to the amazing calmness and lack of aggression even in scenes of martial arts among predators depicted in Orthodox cathedrals. Sculptures with a hospitable and good-natured representative of the genus Panthera are found in Lvov and Odessa, on the stairs of the Brenno Palace in Pavlovsk, in the American city of Princeton and the German city of Darmstadt. In honor of the peaceful nature of predators, a funny holiday has been established - the Day of Smiling Stone Lions, which is celebrated on October 30. The King of Beasts is a traditional symbol of power and might in China. Paired stone statues of lions were installed in the Celestial Empire in front of the entrance to the house by officials from the first to the seventh rank. The number of curls in the mane depended on the status of the mandarin. Sculptures of smiling predators decorate ancient Chinese bridges, building facades and other architectural ensembles. Since the Middle Ages, lions have been an indispensable attribute of the coats of arms of the European nobility. In Russia, the fashion for decorating royal and boyar chambers with images of royal animals appeared under Ivan the Terrible. Usually they "served" in pairs. Heraldic shields and other symbols of power were placed in the paws of the animals. Coat of arms of the city of Vladimir from the 12th century. is the ancestral sign of the Vladimir-Suzdal princes - a lion. Historically, it is considered a symbol of strength, courage and loyalty. Sculptures of predators have long decorated the Kremlin. Under Peter I, the place of the copper lions of the Granovite Chamber, which burned down in the fire of 1682, was taken by white stone ones. Until the end of the 19th century. the sculptures were covered with gilding, and later with yellow paint. “There are more lions in this city than inhabitants,” came the conclusion of the hero of the film “The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia,” who came to Leningrad in the 70s. last century. Today, smiling predators greet tourists and residents of St. Petersburg on the granite descent to the Neva on the spit of Vasilievsky Island, at the Mikhailovsky Palace and on Petrovskaya Embankment. The toothless Moscow lions standing at the entrance of ancient Moscow buildings on Pyatnitskaya and Patriarch's ponds have long been loved by the townspeople. At the beginning of the twentieth century. with their smile they greeted visitors to the apartment building on Malaya Molchanovka - M. Voloshin, A. Tolstoy, S. Yesenin and M. Tsvetaeva. The royal animals warmly welcome guests of the Maryino estate and tourists walking along the streets of Moscow in the courtyard of a house near the Krasnye Vorota metro station. In honor of these and other predators, the Day of Smiling Stone Lions was established.