Odessa Gallery

The Duke de Richelieu Monument

The Duke de Richelieu Monument located in the middle of Primorsky Boulevard must be one of the most famous sites in Odessa both in its history and popularity. This monument has become one of the easily recognizable symbols of the city and the meeting points for many residents and visitors of the city.

Duke Armand Emmanuel Richelieu was born in Paris to an aristocratic family in 1776. He emigrated from France during the French revolution, settling in Russia. Legend has it that the Duke decided to build a new city that would be even more beautiful than his native Paris. He used to be Governor General of Odessa Territory and the Lord Mayor of the city from 1803 to 1814. He contributed a lot to the development of the city. When Napoleon was exiled to Elba in 1914, the Duke ended his service to Odessa and returned to France. The Duke then served twice as Prime Minister of France.

The Roman-toga figure was designed by the Russian sculptor, Ivan Martos. The statue was cast in bronze by Yefimov in 1826–1828, and unveiled in April 1829. It is the first monument erected in the city. The Duke sculpture has three bas-reliefs symbolizing trade, justice, and agriculture.

The monument stands where the famous Potemkin Stairs begin. It is called Duke for short. It has long been a meeting place of sweethearts, visitors of the city, businessmen, tradesmen, sailors and lots of other people coming to Odessa. If someone wants to make a date, in most cases he will say «meet me by the Duke». Also, people come here if they feel lonesome. One can be sure that by the statue of Duke he will meet his old friends or get acquainted with new ones.

Semi-circular buildings overlook the Duke Monument.

• The Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater
• The Primorsky Boulevard
• Deribasovskaya Street
• The Potemkin Stairs
• City Council
• The Duke de Richelieu Monument
• The Odessa Archeological Museum
• Laocoon
• The Cannon
• The Odessa Sea Port
• The Leonid Utesov Monument
• «12 chairs» Monument
• Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral
• The Pushkin Monument
• The Count Vorontsov Palace and the Colonnade