The Plevna Chapel is a public subscription monument to the Russian

Grenadiers A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited from ...

who died during the

Siege of Plevna The siege of Pleven, was a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, fought by the joint army of Russia and Romania against the Ottoman Empire. After the Russian army crossed the Danube at Svishtov, it began advancing towards t ...

. It was opened on a square outside the

Ilyinka Ilyinka (russian: Ильинка) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. Modern localities Altai Krai As of 2012, two rural localities in Altai Krai bear this name: * Ilyinka, Shelabolikhinsky District, Altai Krai, a '' selo'' i ...

Gate of the Walled City in Moscow on the 10th anniversary of the taking of

Pleven Pleven ( bg, Плèвен ) is the seventh most populous city in Bulgaria. Located in the northern part of the country, it is the administrative centre of Pleven Province, as well as of the subordinate Pleven municipality. It is the biggest ...

(1887), in the presence of Field Marshal Nikolai Nikolayevich. The monument was designed by Vladimir Sherwood. Each side is decorated with a high relief plaque illustrating the exploits of the Grenadiers. The interior, now empty, once housed a set of bronze plaques listing 18 Grenadier officers and 542 soldiers who died at Plevna. An annual memorial service is held in front of the chapel on March 3 (the day of Bulgaria's liberation). In the

Perestroika ''Perestroika'' (; russian: links=no, перестройка, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg) was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s widely associated wit ...

years, the surrounding park used to be notorious as a gay

cruising ground Cruising for sex, or cruising, is walking or driving about a locality, called a cruising ground, in search of a sex partner, usually of the anonymous, casual, one-time variety. Published: 11-14-2007 Published: 9-21-2005 Article from NYT about a ...

Artistic features

The cast-iron octagonal tent-chapel on a low pedestal is crowned with the orthodox cross. The sides of the monument are adorned with four high reliefs: a Russian old peasant who is blessing a grenadier's son; a Turkish infantryman with a dagger, snatching a baby out of its Bulgarian mother's hands; a grenadier taking a Turkish soldier prisoner; a dying Russian warrior tearing a chain from a woman personifying Bulgaria. On the sides of the tent are the following inscriptions: on the northern side – "The Grenadiers to their fellows, fallen in the glorious battle of Plevna on November 28, 1877"; on the southern side – "In memory of the war with Turkey in 1877–1878" and a list of the main battles – "Plevna, Kars, Aladzha, Hadji Valy"; on the eastern and western sides – quotations from the Gospel. In front of the monument, there are cast-iron pedestals with inscriptions "In favour of the crippled grenadiers and their families" (donation cups were placed on them). In the interior of the chapel, decorated with polychrome tiles, were pictorial images of

Alexander Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (russian: Александр Ярославич Невский; ; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Grand P ...

John the Warrior John the Warrior ( gr, Ἰωάννης ὁ στρατιώτης, russian: Иоанн Воин, ''Ioann Voin'') or John the Soldier in the Catholic Church is a Christian saint and martyr. He was born in the 4th century and lived until his death in ...

Nicholas the Wonderworker Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...

, Cyril and Methodius, seven bronze plates with the names of fallen grenadiers (killed or died from wounds) – 18 officers and 542 soldiers.

References

External links

* {{coord, 55.7567, 37.6312, type:landmark_region:RU, display=title Military monuments and memorials Chapels in Russia Churches in Moscow Churches completed in 1887 19th-century churches in Russia Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) Pleven Monuments and memorials in Moscow Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Moscow