At the beginning of the 18th century, an overgrown swampy grove was located on the site of the present Field of Mars. Subsequently, it was turned into a place for troop reviews and was named the Great Meadow. Celebrations and festivities in honor of the victories in the Northern War were held at this place. Carnivals, performances and fireworks took place here, resulting in the Great Meadow being renamed the Amusement Field. But this name did not stick for long: the palace of Peter the Great’s wife, Catherine I, was erected near the field, and the territories adjacent to it became known as Tsaritsyn (Tzarina’s) Meadow. Only in 1805 the field was named after the ancient god of war – Mars.

In 1917, the victims of the February Revolution were buried in the center of the Field of Mars, and later the victims of the Civil War were also buried there. In 1918-1920, Finnish communists were interred on the Field. In 1917-1919, a memorial to the Victims of the Revolution with epitaphs written by A.V. Lunacharsky was built according to the project of architect L.V. Rudnev.

In the 1920s, a garden square was laid out around the memorial. In 1957, the memorial was reconstructed under the guidance of the architect S.G. Maiofis. After the reconstruction, the Field of Mars became the first place in the country where the Eternal Flame was lit.