Арка Славы, Магілёў, Triumphal arch in Mogilev, Belarus.
The Arch of Glory is a monument featuring classical columns and detailed stone carvings, with inscriptions honoring military accomplishments. The structure dominates the central area of Mogilev with its solid construction and carefully crafted sculptural elements.
Built in 1780 on Cathedral Square opposite the site of the lost St Joseph's Cathedral, the arch marked the route by which Empress Catherine II entered Mogilev that year to meet Emperor Joseph II of Austria. Restored in the 1950s, its passage was bricked up and bas-reliefs of Lenin, Stalin and the USSR emblem placed above the niche; Stalin's was later replaced by a hammer and sickle. Memorial plaques listing Red Army units awarded orders or the name "Mogilev" were installed in 1964 and renewed in 2011.
The arch's name, Arch of Glory, dates from its Soviet-era reuse as a war memorial. In 1964 memorial plaques were placed in the bricked-up central niche listing Red Army units awarded orders or the honorary names "Mogilevsky" and "Mogilevskaya" for the 1941–1944 fighting. The plaques were renewed in 2011.
The arch stands on Pervomayskaya Street in the I. S. Lazarenko public garden, in the city centre. The passage was bricked up in the 1950s, so it is viewed from outside rather than walked through; the memorial plaques sit in the former opening of the main facade.
The passage through the arch was bricked up during the 1950s restoration, so the structure no longer functions as a gateway. Bas-reliefs of Lenin, the USSR emblem and, later, the hammer and sickle were placed above the semicircular niche. In 1964 memorial plaques listing Red Army units honoured with the names "Mogilevsky" and "Mogilevskaya" were installed in the walled-up niche; they were renewed in 2011.
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