Monument to Prince Vladimir in Belgorod: history, description, photo

Monument to Prince Vladimir in Belgorod was opened in early August 1998. This date was preceded by several events:

• 55th anniversary of the liberation of the city from the troops of fascist Germany;
• The eve of the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ.

How the monument was created

At the end of the twentieth century, namely in the 90s, the city authorities decided to build a monument to Prince Vladimir in Belgorod. Its history is simple. Belgorodtsy believe that the founder of their city is Prince Vladimir. However, there is no documentary evidence of this fact.

The development of the monument belongs to the sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov. A few years earlier he had participated in the construction of a temple on the Prokhorovsky field in the Belgorod region.

Budget and erection

Monument to Prince Vladimir in Belgorod was built at the expense of donations and funds from sponsors. The money was collected in a short time. Sculpture was performed in the technique of knockout. It was created in Kaluga. In 1998, the city's symbol was transported to its native land. It was decided earlier that to erect a monument to Prince Vladimir in Belgorod is necessary on the Kharkov mountain.

Was in charge of the construction at that time Vasily Boltenkov. In the erection of the monument took part and the elder brother of the singer Igor Talkov - Vladimir Talkov. And already in August 1998 the monument was inaugurated. The opening ceremony was timed to coincide with the 55th anniversary of the liberation of the city from the troops of fascist Germany.

The monument to Prince Vladimir in Belgorod is considered a modern symbol of the city.

About technical characteristics

In order for the monument to find the right kind, it took more than one and a half tons of copper! The monument to Prince Vladimir in the Belgorod looks grand. Its height from the surface of the earth is almost 23 meters, of which 15 is the pedestal. Sculpture of the prince in height of 7,5 meters.

Description of the monument to Prince Vladimir in Belgorod

The composition consists of only three tiers:

• The bottom is formed of four six-figure reliefs, in total in the lower tier 24 figures were placed;
• The middle tier has 3 single-figure reliefs;
• On the last, third tier, the sculpture of Prince Vladimir was hoisted, to the pedestal the townspeople climb the wide staircase.

The first tier

As already mentioned above, the lower tier makes 4 reliefs. They are devoted to the subject of military valor and courage, as well as sacrifice. In addition, they are called to glorify all the defenders of our fatherland.

On the north-west side is the face of the Savior of the Almighty (this is the central image in the iconography of the Savior). As expected, Archangel Michael is located to the left of the son of God, and Gabriel to the right. They were surrounded by the founders of the Orthodox Church - the Apostles Paul and Peter. On the edges of this relief depicted the holy warriors, who are especially revered in Russia: George the Victorious and Dmitry Solunsky.

The northeastern side has the image of the soldiers, as well as princes, who were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church: Martyrs Mercury Smolensky, John the Warrior, Damian, Prince Michael Yaroslavich from Tver, and Prince Andrey Smolensky.

From the south-eastern side of the relief look at us Russian princes, ranked as saints: Gleb and Alexander Nevsky, Alexander Peresvet, Dmitry Donskoy and others.

The latter side has images of especially revered Christian warriors and devotees: Andrei Bogolyubsky, Theodore Tiron, martyr Prince Boris, healer Panteleimon and others.

Middle tier

This part of the monument is much more massive. Its first part has an inscription that says that the monument is dedicated to the Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir. Above her, a cross was named "The Blossoming Tree", it symbolizes the baptism of the Russian land. On the other reliefs of the middle tier you can find an image of the saints, who were canonized before the events of the revolution. On the left of the prince was placed the saint Joasaph of Belgorod, and on the right - Seraphim of Sarov. Behind the baptizer of the Russian land is the Emperor Nicholas II, who looks toward Kiev.

Upper level

Here, as you already guessed, is the sculpture of the prince. He is standing on a laurel wreath. With his right hand he holds a cross, which he raises high above his head. With this gesture he blesses the Russian land, which spread at his feet. With his left hand, the Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince rests on a shield. This is also a kind of symbol, in which his promise is pledged to protect and protect the Slavic people, which is united by ancestry and Orthodox faith.

The monument to Prince Vladimir in Belgorod is not just a sculpture. It carries a huge semantic load. Its creators pursued the goal that the monument would encourage the younger generation to learn the history of their state and their native land. The figure of the prince is a material reminder of our origins, a heroic past that is inextricably linked with the modern world! The monument symbolizes the respect of Russians for the prince's activities and his decisive decision to adopt Orthodoxy.

Thanks to Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich, Kievan Rus took the path of a strong state. Flowering is associated with this person. He actively spread faith, baptized the Russian people in other lands. It was he who laid the tradition of building temples by princes, which lasted until the beginning of the twentieth century, and again resumed. Thanks to Prince Vladimir in Russia, the first schools appeared, the distribution of books began. Orthodoxy, which appeared on Russian soil, became the moral basis of the Old Russian people. That is why the personality of Vladimir Svyatoslavich became a symbol of unification.

Faith in God has always helped a person to endure severe trials. Therefore, it was decided to erect a monument to St. Vladimir.