The monument to the cross was opened in the Kremlin. Worship Cross to Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich

The Kremlin unveiled a cross in memory of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich on Thursday. The solemn ceremony was attended by Vladimir Putin, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The monument was erected at the site of the murder of the Moscow Governor-General - 65 steps from the Nikolskaya Tower. In the same place, in 1908, in memory of the prince, a cross was erected according to the project of Vasnetsov - it was demolished by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

This event can be fully called the restoration of historical justice. It is not for nothing that the president of the country and the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, members of the government and the mayor of Moscow gathered in the Kremlin at the opening of the memorial. Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich - the fifth son of Emperor Alexander II, the Moscow Governor-General died in February 1905. He left in a carriage without servants and adjutants, with one coachman, and was immediately blown up by the terrorist Kalyaev, not far from the Nikolskaya Tower. People for a long time collected bloody pieces of overcoat. Only the pectoral cross and icons remained intact. In memory of his death, a cross was first placed next to the tower, and a little later - a monument by Vasnetsov. Money for it was collected by the whole world, reports.

“This cross was the first monument on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin destroyed after the revolution. More than 10 years later, the Chudov Monastery, located on the territory of the Kremlin, where the Grand Duke was buried, was also demolished,” said Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

Almost a hundred years later, the cross returned to its place. The memorial was restored on behalf of Vladimir Putin. According to the President, the events of that time became one of the most difficult trials for our country. And this cross is a symbol of sorrow and repentance.

"It serves as a reminder of the price that had to be paid for mutual hatred, disunity, enmity, that we must do everything to preserve the unity and harmony of our people. And today I want to say again: we have one Russia, and we all, Whatever different views and positions we hold, we must cherish and protect it, put the future of our people, the happiness of our people, our children and grandchildren at the forefront," Putin said.

At the opening ceremony of the recreated cross, it became clear that history moves in a spiral. Several charitable organizations, together with the Russian military-historical society, announced a public fundraiser to implement this project. Everything worked out. People responded.

The restoration of the cross was preceded by detailed research - archival, historical. But now we can say with confidence: it is recreated with absolute accuracy. Numerous experts confirm this. The main thing is that the drawings survived during the years of testing.

"We have an almost uniquely authentic cross. The fact is that the Vasnetsovsky cross - it really disappeared. Its fate is unknown. But all the drawings, all fragments of details, decoration, huge tracing papers have been preserved. The largest plan of this cross is more than 6 meters" , - said the historian, adviser to the director of the Federal Security Service of Russia Sergey Devyatov.

Today's event is very important not only for historians. The recreated cross is as a reminder. Yes, in a fit of hatred, anything can be destroyed. Even kill. But the memory cannot be erased.

Olga Streltsova, Sergey Davidyak, "TV Center", Moscow.

MOSCOW, May 4 - RIA Novosti. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia consecrated on Thursday in the Kremlin a memorial cross at the site of the death in 1905 of the former Moscow governor-general, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, calling this event "the restoration of historical justice."

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church recalled that this cross was the first monument on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin that was destroyed after the revolution. Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the opening ceremony of the recreated cross.

"The re-creation of the cross in memory of Sergei Alexandrovich is an act of restoring historical justice, but justice is not a linear search for who is right and who is wrong. There is probably not a single family in the space of Russia that would not have been divided at one time by a revolution. And today we should learn from the Hieromartyr Elizabeth Feodorovna, the wife of Sergei Alexandrovich, who forgave the murderer of her husband," the patriarch said.

According to him, it is precisely through such manifestations of mercy, love and sacrifice that, ultimately, the unity of any human community, whether it be a family, a nation or a state, is maintained.

"This year marks the centenary of the tragic revolutionary events. It is important that the lesson of fratricidal strife give us the moral strength to see our brothers and sisters in our compatriots, and we can go into the future, overcoming the difficulties that arise, maintaining the unity of spirit in the union of peace," he said. head of the ROC.

Work on the restoration of the cross was carried out by the Russian Military Historical Society and the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational Society Foundation for Assistance in the Revival of the Traditions of Mercy and Charity on behalf of the President of the Russian Federation.

The organizations carried out detailed archival and historical research, which subsequently made it possible to restore the cross with absolute historical accuracy. A crucifix is ​​depicted on the front side of the memorial cross. In the niche above the cross is placed the icon of the Mother of God in the image of the gate.

Grand Duke Sergei Romanov is the fifth son of Alexander II. On February 4, 1905, he was killed as a result of an attack organized by Ivan Kalyaev, a member of the Socialist-Revolutionary militant organization: when the prince drove up to the Nikolskaya Tower from the Nikolaevsky Palace in the Kremlin, a terrorist threw a bomb into his carriage.

A commemorative bronze cross with enamel inserts and the crucified Christ depicted on it was placed at the Nikolskaya Tower on April 2, 1908 with public donations. At the foot of the cross was the inscription: "Father, let them go, they don't know what they're doing." On May 1, 1918, it was destroyed; Vladimir Lenin personally participated in the demolition. The monument-cross was recreated in 1998 in the Novospassky Monastery, where the remains of Sergei Alexandrovich were transferred.

The laying of a memorial cross at the site of the death in 1905 of the former Moscow Governor-General, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich took place on Tuesday near the Nikolskaya Tower of the Kremlin, it is planned to restore the monument, which was on this site until 1918, RIA-Novosti reports.

Bishop Egoryevsky, head of the Patriarchal Council for Culture Tikhon (Shevkunov), Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky, commandant of the Kremlin Sergei Khlebnikov, official representative of the FSO Sergei Devyatov, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational society" Anna Gromova.

On the foundation stone, in addition to quotes from the Old Testament, it is written: “This stone was laid at the foundation of the Cross erected by the Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna in memory of her husband, Moscow Governor-General Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. The laying of the recreated Cross takes place on November 1, 2016 under the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.”

According to Medinsky, the opening of the most memorable cross is planned in 2017 on the day of the 99th anniversary of its demolition (May 1). Thus, the minister is sure, this will restore historical memory and justice. “The fact that the Russian Military Historical Society (RVIO) is now restoring the cross directly at the site of the death of the Governor-General of Moscow, who did a lot for our capital, is a good deed. In this way, we are restoring the memory of those people who gave all their strength, mind, soul to their country and their people, ”said the head of the Ministry of Culture, who also heads the RVIO.

Anna Gromova noted: “It is very important for us today to tell about all periods of our history, (including) those complex and contradictory ones that someone wants to hush up, someone wants to falsify. I am glad that we are cooperating with the RVIO in this common cause of restoring the memory of our people, the more we know about these events, the happier, clearer and more understandable, the more prosperous in the spiritual sense our future will be."

FSO representative, historian Sergei Devyatov called the event a milestone. “This cross, when it appears at the site of the death of the Grand Duke, is an important step in recreating not just our spiritual life that existed before 1917, it is also the revival of the unique historical and architectural complex of the Moscow Kremlin,” Devyatov emphasized.

The order to consider the issue of recreating the cross in memory of the tragic death of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich on the historical site was given by Russian President Vladimir Putin last summer, along with other instructions, following the results of an inspection of the park at the site of the dismantled 14th building of the Moscow Kremlin.

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (fifth son of Emperor Alexander II, Governor-General of Moscow from 1891 to January 1, 1905) was blown up in a carriage 65 steps from the Nikolskaya Tower of the Kremlin by terrorist-SR Ivan Kalyaev on February 4, 1905. The remains of the Grand Duke were buried in the crypt of the Cathedral of the Chudov Monastery (demolished in 1929-1932). At the site of the death of Sergei Alexandrovich, a cross was erected, which in 1907-1908 was converted into a monument designed by Viktor Vasnetsov; On May 1, 1918, this cross became the first monument demolished in the Kremlin by the Bolsheviks.

The remains of the Grand Duke were discovered during restoration work in the 1980s and in 1995 they were transferred to the Novospassky Monastery in the capital with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. A new commemorative cross was also erected there. Due to the fact that the original design materials of Vasnetsov have been preserved, the cross-monument can be restored according to archival documents and directly at the site of the death in 1905 of the former Moscow mayor.

Today, 65 steps from the Nikolskaya Tower of the Kremlin, there is an empty pavement. Few people remember that this is the site of the murder of the Governor-General of Moscow, Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov, and on these stones there once stood a memorial cross, whose fate is no less tragic than the fate of the one in whose honor it was erected. The massive cross, made by the legendary artist Viktor Vasnetsov, stood for only 10 years; V. I. Lenin personally participated in its demolition, throwing a rope loop over the head of the crucified Christ…

These events of May 1, 1918 are described in detail in the memoirs of the commandant of the Kremlin, P.D. Vladimir Ilyich left. He was cheerful, joking, laughing. When I approached, Ilyich greeted me cordially, congratulated me on the holiday, and then suddenly jokingly shook his finger: “All right, my friend, everything is fine, but this disgrace has not been removed. It's not good." He pointed to a monument erected at the site of the murder of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. I sighed ruefully. “That's right,” I say, “Vladimir Ilyich didn't remove it. I didn’t have time, there weren’t enough workers.” “Look, you found the reason! So, you say, there are not enough workers? Well, there are working hands for this business even now. How are the comrades? - Vladimir Ilyich turned to those around him. He was supported by friendly voices from all sides. “See? And you say there are no workers. Come on, while there is time before the demonstration, drag the ropes. I immediately ran to the commandant's office and brought the ropes. Vladimir Ilyich deftly made a loop and threw it over the monument. Everyone got down to business, and soon the monument was entangled with ropes from all sides. “Well, together,” Vladimir Ilyich commanded provocatively. Lenin, Sverdlov, Avanesov, Smidovich, other members of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars and employees of a small government apparatus harnessed themselves to the ropes, leaned, pulled, and the monument collapsed on the cobblestone. "Down with him, to the landfill!" Vladimir Ilyich continued to command. Dozens of hands grabbed the ropes, and the monument rattled along the cobblestones to the Tainitsky Garden. Today, the cross is considered lost.

***
The cross-monument was erected on the site of the death of Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov. 110 years ago - on February 4, 1905 - an explosion of terrible force thundered in the Kremlin. The bomb of the terrorist Ivan Kalyaev smashed the carriage of the Governor-General, the windows in the building of the Court Regulations and in the building of the Arsenal flew out from the blast wave, the Grand Duke himself died on the spot, his coachman died of his wounds a day later. No one else was hurt: having long received threats, the governor-general deliberately did not take guards with him.
The first burial place of the Grand Duke was in the Kremlin. The same monastery, which, according to legend, was founded by St. Alexis of Moscow in memory of the miracle of healing from blindness Taidula, the mother of Khan of the Golden Horde Dzhanibek; the very one from where the rogue monk Grishka Otrepyev, the future False Dmitry I, escaped; the one that became Napoleon's headquarters in captured Moscow.
Here, in the basement of the Aleksievskaya church, the remains of the prince were buried - under the floor, as if under the shrine of St. Alexy, whom the Grand Duke greatly revered. On February 10, 1905, Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov was buried, all of Moscow saw him off. A year and a half later, the remains were transferred to a specially built temple-tomb in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

At the site of the explosion, the 5th Grenadier Regiment, whose chief was the Grand Duke, erected a simple white cross, to which people soon began to bring money - for a monument. And in 1908 it was erected on the same place: a cross-monument by V. M. Vasnetsov. At the foot of the cross is the inscription: "Father, let them go, they don't know what they're doing." And all over the cross it is written: “If we live, we live in the Lord, if we die, we die in the Lord: if we live, if we die, we are the Lord. Eternal memory to Grand Duke Sergiy Alexandrovich, who was assassinated on February 4, 1905. Remember us, Lord, when you come into your kingdom.”
After the revolution, a tragic fate awaited the Chudov Monastery with its tomb church. In 1929, the Kremlin administration called the artist Pavel Korin to dismantle valuable frescoes, but did not let him finish the work. The last person to see the interiors of the Chudov Monastery was Pyotr Baranovsky, an architect and restorer of monuments of ancient Russian architecture (it is believed that it was he who saved St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square from destruction). From the monastery he managed to take out the shrine with the relics of St. Alexis. The monastery was destroyed in 1930.
The miraculously preserved crypt with the remains of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was discovered in 1986 during restoration work in the Kremlin. In 1995, they were transferred to the revived Novospassky Monastery, to the ancestral tomb of the Romanov boyars. The transfer was accompanied by military honors, and His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II then personally led the procession from the Kremlin to the Novospassky Monastery.
In 1998, a semblance of the Vasnetsov cross was installed in the Novospassky Convent in memory of the Grand Duke. And today, an exact copy of the original monument is planned to be installed in its historical place: three public organizations undertook to recreate it according to the surviving archival documents at once - the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational Society Foundation, the Foundation for the Memory of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and the Foundation for Prizes in Memory of the Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Macarius (Bulgakov).
And on this cross there will still be the words of forgiveness spoken by Christ on the Cross: “Father, let them go, they don’t know what they are doing” ....

Today in Moscow, the opening ceremony of the monument-cross to Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich took place at the place of his death - in the square near the Nikolskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin. The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin took part in the ceremony.

Work on the restoration of the cross, put on public donations in 1905 and destroyed in 1918, was carried out by the Russian Military Historical Society and the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational Society Foundation for the Promotion of the Revival of the Traditions of Mercy and Charity on behalf of the head of state.

We are publishing an article by Vladimir Medinsky, Chairman of the Russian Military Historical Society, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation.

A memorial cross at the site of the death of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, brother of Emperor Alexander III. This is not just a monument rebuilt 99 years after it was destroyed. This is another episode of restored historical justice, historical memory, unity and continuity of our history. This is especially significant right now - in the year of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution.

Both the fate of the prince and the very fate of this memorial cross are like a broken thread of time. The prince was a courageous man, not afraid to face danger. In his youth, he fought against Turkey, earning the Order of St. George 4th degree with courage. Then he served as the Moscow Governor-General. And although evil tongues called him a retrograde, but judging by his deeds, he was a real enlightened conservative. He supported trade unions, with him a tram service, the Museum of Moscow and the Moscow Art Theater were opened. In addition, he became one of the founders of the Orthodox Palestinian Society, was the chairman or trustee of a dozen scientific or philanthropic organizations. And it was he who became one of the first victims of the turmoil of 1905.

He was killed here, in this place - by the Socialist-Revolutionaries, the direct successors of the previous wave of terror, the People's Will. The Grand Duke without protection - an abandoned bomb turned the carriage around, killing not only the Grand Duke, but also the coachman. During the investigation, the widow of the murdered man came to the terrorist's prison. Princess Elizabeth Feodorovna. She forgave him on behalf of the deceased. Such mercy shocked even the terrorist. Elizaveta Fedorovna herself soon founded a sisterly monastery, lived a clean, bright life, during the First World War she actively helped the wounded, and in 1918 she was brutally tortured by the Bolsheviks and thrown alive into a mine in Alapaevsk.

In 1908, at the place of the death of the Grand Duke, a memorial cross was erected, created according to a sketch by the artist Viktor Vasnetsov. The production of the Monument-Cross went exclusively on public donations.

The monument stood at this place for exactly 10 years. And during the 1st communist subbotnik on the eve of the May Day holiday of 1918, Lenin personally participated in the demolition of the cross, despite protests from the church. This, by the way, was the first monument destroyed in the Kremlin under Soviet rule. In 1930, the Chudov Monastery was also destroyed, where the remains of Sergei Alexandrovich rested.

Today, the re-creation of the cross in the very heart of our state is a symbolic gesture. This Monument is in itself a sad lesson in denying one's own past. After all, objectively studying our Revolution and the Soviet era with all its tragedies and achievements, we must learn lessons. We see that attempts to distort historical memory do not lead to anything good. It is no coincidence, I think, that the most striking accomplishments of the Soviet period occurred just at the time when the state authorities refused to overthrow the history of their country and, on the contrary, restored historical and cultural continuity as best they could. This is an important lesson for us: you cannot create the future by destroying your own past.

The second lesson is also obvious. We all remember how the SR terrorists ended up. After all, political terror is a crime not only against specific individuals and not even against a specific political regime, it is a crime against statehood and against the people as such. Having shaken and ultimately destroyed imperial Russia, the bandits-terrorists themselves found themselves buried in the shameful cemetery of history. But, alas, along with them there were millions of not just innocent, but the best, brightest, most active citizens of Russia.

In conclusion, I want to thank the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational Society, which, together with the Russian Military Historical Society, helped to do this good deed.

The memorial cross should become not only a symbol of the memory of the Moscow mayor, but also evidence of the unity of Russia, a visible reminder of the inadmissibility of the ideology of violence and the destruction of historical heritage. For without the past, there is no future!