Monument to the heroes of Plevna in Moscow: how to get there?

In Moscow there is a monument to the heroes of Plevna, which is also called the monument to the grenadiers who died during the siege and storming of Plevna. What is this Plevnenskoe battle and who are heroes-grenadiers?

The decisive episode of the Russo-Turkish War

The Bulgarian city of Pleven, or in Russian Pleven, located in the northern part of the country, went down in history as one of the most important events of the war between 1877-1878 between Russia and Turkey. This critical episode is devoted to the film "Turkish Gambit", based on the novel of the same name by B. Akunin, and the novel by B. Vasiliev "There were also nebyli". The Turks heroically defended themselves. From the side of the Russian-Romanian troops, four assaults of the city, turned into a fortress, were undertaken. But Osman Pasha, who settled in Plevna, also made one sortie. The siege of the city, lasting four months, delayed the advance of Russian troops and allowed the Turks to significantly strengthen Istanbul and Andrianople.

The fate of the Russian soldiers is to liberate other nations

Near Plevna, more than 31 thousand Russian soldiers died, who displayed on the battlefield, as always, the wonders of courage. The monument to the heroes of Plevna was originally planned to be erected on the site of their death, but Muscovites insisted that the chapel remain in Moscow. But in Russia the beautiful chapel did not escape the sad fate. In the years of unbelief, the monument to the heroes of Plevna was not only looted - it was turned into a public toilet. This is not cynicism - it is an outrage over the memory of the fallen heroes-compatriots, ordinary soldiers.

Grenadiers - elite troops

Among the tens of thousands of deaths, there were also grenadiers, considered to be the best parts of the infantry or cavalry. They got their name from the old name of hand grenades ("grenades", or "grenadiers"). These troops were intended for storming or siege of enemy fortifications. They walked first and first perished. The best, possessing good physical data and personal courage were selected in these divisions. Therefore, in colloquial speech, a grenadier is called a big and brave man.

After the war, the surviving warriors of this corps decided on personal funds to erect a monument to the heroes of Plevna. Their idea was realized in 10 years.

The creators of the monument

The author of the chapel is Vladimir Iosifovich Sherwood (1832-1897), a famous Russian artist, sculptor and architect. He is the creator of the famous monument to NI Pirogov, he owns the project of the Historical Museum on Red Square in Moscow, many portraits of famous people of Russia. In the construction of the chapel, apart from the eminent and talented V. I. Sherwood, who was an architect and sculptor, Colonel-General AI Lyashkin took part. On the 10th anniversary of December 11, 1887, a chapel was erected at the beginning of the Ilinsky Square . The monument to the "Grenadiers - heroes of Plevna" was called.

Grand opening

The opening was held with pomp: the city duma was present, the governor was Prince VA Dolgoruky, the former commander of the grenadier corps PS Ganetsky and the participant of the Plevnoy battle, General MP P. Danilov. In addition, there was a "combined battery with five music choruses". The parade of the units of the Grenadier Corps, four squadrons of the Moscow garrison was hosted by General-Field Marshal Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich the Elder, Commander-in-Chief of the Danube Army. In solemn circumstances, the act on the transfer of the monument to Moscow was handed to the mayor Alekseev. There is a version that originally on this site it was planned to build a monument only to General MD Skobelev, the hero of the Russian-Turkish war. Often in white robes, always on a white horse, he appeared in the thick of the battle, inspiring the personal courage of the soldiers. The idea was already collected money, but for some reason it was rejected.

National monument

Monument to the heroes of Plevna in Moscow, the surviving fighters of the Grenadier Regiment also built on their own money in memory of the dead combat comrades. Requests for the future chapel were large, but the collected funds were not enough for everything, therefore the original sculptures were replaced by high reliefs (the relief image protrudes above the plane by more than half), and laurel wreaths generally had to be abandoned. Separate cast-iron details of the monument were collected with special precision and scrupulousness: seams are not visible at all. The four high reliefs decorating the chapel show the events of the Russo-Turkish war, depict the crimes of the Turks on the Bulgarian land and the exploits of the Russian liberator soldiers.

Peculiar construction

The octagonal monument to the heroes of Plevna in Moscow is a tent-chapel, crowned with an Orthodox cross, and has a low pedestal. On the plates there are inscriptions and statements, informing, in honor of which event and to whom the monument is erected, the names of the deceased grenadiers (18 officers and 542 soldiers) are listed, the places of the main battles are indicated. On cast-iron pedestals there were to be mugs for donations in favor of mutilated soldiers and their families. The interior of the chapel is decorated with tiles from polychrome. Here in the interior on the walls there are images of Orthodox saints, especially revered in Russia: Cyril and Methodius, Alexander Nevsky, Nicholas the Wonderworker, John the Warrior.

The general tragedy of religious buildings during the years of atheism

It is unclear why the monuments of ordinary citizens of tsarist Russia were destroyed. How could you steal boards with the names of the dead and in what economy could this be useful? Nevertheless, under Soviet rule the monument was plundered and desecrated. Repeatedly there was a question about its demolition, remelting of pig-iron with the purpose of manufacturing from it a monument to Kuibyshev. Fortunately, this did not happen. At the end of the forties of the last century, the chapel was even brought to some sort of order - gilded inscriptions and restored the cross. For many years the monument was a ghost and collapsed. In the 1950s, it was covered with a preservative composition, making it black. And he towered above the square with a black lifeless scarecrow until 1992, when the authorities transferred it to the Nikolo-Kuznetsky temple.

Resurrection

The monument-chapel to the heroes of Plevna began to revive especially actively since 1999, when Alexy II took the military shrine under his personal guardianship. He established the Patriarchal Compound with her, thus breathing new life into the chapel. Since that moment to this day here regularly began to be performed for funeral services. The illumination of the restored shrine took place on March 1, 1998. Restored for the money of the Russian Orthodox Church, the monument is very beautiful and unusual. Its restoration was carried out by the Society of Zealots of Orthodox Culture. The restoration was supervised by Professor DI Zarudin. As always, there were dissatisfied with the results of the work done, believing that excessive gilding had ruined the monument, turning it into a replica. Chernenky, he was better. It is clear that the beautiful chapel, which has such a rich history, is a landmark of Moscow. And books and films awaken to her the interest of both Muscovites and guests of the capital.

Location of the masterpiece

The monument to the heroes of Plevna in Moscow has the following address: Moscow, Lubyansky Proyezd (metro station "Kitay-Gorod"). The monument is included in all the guidebooks around the capital, information about it is widely available. This landmark in the people is called a bell, as it looks like a large cast-iron bell. One of the most beautiful pages in the general book of Russia's victories is a monument to the heroes of Plevna in Moscow. How to get to this masterpiece of V. I. Sherwood? It was noted above that the nearest metro station, which connects all the districts of Moscow, is "Kitai-Gorod". From the name it is clear that the square of the Ilyinsky Gate, on which the chapel is located, is in the heart of Moscow and is one of the central. It belongs to the Tver region, is located between the Old and New squares, Lubyansky passage and Ilyinka. This street goes to the monument directly from the Spassky Tower. That is, in walking distance from the Kremlin is a monument to the heroes of Plevna. How to get to it by overland public transport? There are trolleybuses No. 25 and 45, bus N3, minibus 325M to the stop "Il'inskie Vorota". But they come from some 4-5 districts. The most convenient way to get anywhere in the center of the capital is by metro.