The Rostov Regional Museum of Local Lore received a unique exhibit – a fragment of a monument to the Russian Emperor Alexander II, demolished during the Civil War.
Frame from the film chronicle.
Dismantling of the monument to Emperor Alexander II in Rostov-on-Don, March 27, 1924. Perhaps the find belongs to him.
The artifact was accidentally discovered by Maria Bratolyubova, candidate of historical sciences. Surprisingly, in the middle of the sidewalk on Dnepropetrovskaya Street, an impressive block of polished black marble with the inscription “Fall with the sign of the cross, Orthodox people” and the postscript “The Supreme Manifesto of February 19, 1861” stood without an owner. ”.
According to local historian Alexander Ovchinnikov, the found artifact is part of an unknown monument to the Tsar Liberator, erected in honor of the anniversary of the abolition of serfdom.
“In 1911, Russia widely celebrated the 50th anniversary of this event. Memorial prayer services were held, commemorative tokens were issued, analogous to modern insignia, with a quote from the last lines of the manifesto “Fall with the sign of the cross, The Orthodox decided to erect monuments to the Tsar Liberator, on whose pedestal the same phrase was recorded,” Ovchinnikov told DON24.
A fragment of the monument was abandoned in the middle of the sidewalk on Dnepropetrovskaya Street. Photo: rostovbereg.ru
In the Don Public Library, the minutes of the meeting of the Don-Kuban-Tersky Agricultural Society were published, which decided in 1911 to install a bust of Emperor Alexander II in the council meeting room.
In addition, a scholarship was created for peasant children studying at the poultry school and 200 rubles were allocated for the best essay on agriculture. To understand the importance of the size of the bonus, you should know that at the beginning of the 20th century, for 200 rubles, a Cossack could buy a war horse, that is, translated into the modern scale of values - a car.
In Rostov-on-Don, the monument to Alexander II was located on Bazarnaya Square, in front of the cathedral, but in March 1924 it was demolished and only 100 years later historians discovered part of the monument.
