The first monument commemorating Russia’s contribution to the independence of Greece will open in the center of Thessaloniki. It is already being created in St. Petersburg, and the Greek side will determine the date of the solemn ceremony in the near future.
About the event to GreekReporter informed Sergey Markov, First Deputy Chairman of the City Committee for External Relations. It was preceded by an appeal by “Alexandros Ypsilantis”, a Greek public organization of the Union of Pontic Officers, to the administration of St. Petersburg. She took the initiative in creating and erecting a monument to Russian and Greek heroes who fought in 1821-1829 for the independence of Greece and its liberation from the rule of the Ottoman Empire. The idea was supported by Alexander Beglov, the governor of St. Petersburg, and the authorities of Thessaloniki. Markov notes the importance of the event:
For the first time in 200 years, the contribution of Russia will be celebrated in this way, there is no such monument there. At the end of December, negotiations were held with the mayor of Thessaloniki Konstantinos Zervas and vice-mayor Stefania Tanimanidou (project curator from the Greek side). I presented a model of the monument, created by St. Petersburg architects. The Mayor of Thessaloniki liked him. He noted that the monument will successfully fit into the architecture of the city. For installation, we were offered a place in the central part of the city – a square adjacent to Alexander Ypsilanti Street.
Reference: Alexander Ypsilanti – major general of the Russian army, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, leader of the Greek revolution and national hero of Greece.
Markov considers this place “quite worthy”, with a developed infrastructure and convenient for viewing:
In the future, it is planned to open a metro station in this place, and perhaps this station will be named after Alexander Ypsilanti. The square is nameless so far, and, perhaps, its name will be somehow thematically connected with our monument.
The stele of heroes will be made of gray granite. Its height will be 7.5 meters. The monument will be crowned with an Orthodox cross, in its upper part there will be elements in the form of temple domes, and on four sides there will be bronze medallions depicting Ypsilanti, the coat of arms of Thessaloniki, the coat of arms of St. Petersburg and the symbol of the city – an angel from the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
Markov reports that the Russian side proposed the opening date of the monument on March 24, 2022, on the eve of Greece’s Independence Day. On this day, a military parade is traditionally held in Thessaloniki with the participation of the first persons of the country, he recalls:
Firstly, it would be symbolic, and secondly, it would draw attention to this event.
In addition, according to Markov, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the partnership between Thessaloniki and St. Petersburg. Regarding the opening date of the monument, he explains:
An exact opening date has not yet been confirmed. The Greek side took time out to assess whether they could prepare in such a short time. St. Petersburg is ready to deliver the monument to Thessaloniki by March 10, and it will take 5-7 days to assemble. We have resolved all technical and financial issues. Our part of the work undertook to pay [петербургская компания] “Revival”. The Greek part of the work is paid by the president of the national-cultural autonomy of the Greeks of Russia, Ivan Savvidi. Work is already underway to cut the stone and prepare the monument itself.
It is expected that the opening ceremony of the monument will be solemn, with the participation of leading Greek and Russian artists, Markov reports:
We have confirmation from the High Command of the Russian Navy that we are ready to send a ship to Thessaloniki on a friendly visit to participate in the solemn ceremony so that the Russian sailors – taking into account what exactly [их предшественники] made a decisive military contribution to the independence of Greece – also took part in this ceremony.
As part of the program, as planned, there will also be an international scientific and practical conference with the participation of scientists from St. Petersburg. It will address questions on the subject of the era of the Greek War of Independence:
Together with [Российским государственным] archive, together with the Archival Committee of St. Petersburg, we are preparing a historical essay that will reveal previously unknown details, names and biographies of specific participants in those events. We will introduce them into scientific circulation and, on the basis of this, we will prepare an exhibition that will be exhibited in Thessaloniki as part of the opening. It seems to us that it would be logical and correct to also create an alley with busts of specific heroes in the square so that they can be named by name.
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