Vasiliy Vasilkovskiy haykali, Historical monument in Maloyaroslavets, Russia.
The monument to Vasiliy Vasilkovskiy stands in the city center as a bronze figure on a granite pedestal. The sculpture shows the person in full length with details reflecting his professional accomplishments.
The monument was unveiled on 5 October 2014 in the centre of Maloyaroslavets, initiated by the Russian Military Historical Society, which collected public donations. It commemorates Vasily Vasilkovsky, the first priest in Russian history to be awarded the Order of St George, for his conduct at the 1812 Battle of Maloyaroslavets. Sculptor Salavat Shcherbakov completed the work in six months; no portrait of Vasilkovsky survives, so the image is composite.
The monument was funded by public donations collected by the Russian Military Historical Society, and it was unveiled on 5 October 2014 in the city centre. At the ceremony Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky called it a monument not to one person but to the Russian spirit, noting that unarmed priests with a cross in hand went ahead of the attackers against Napoleon's troops.
The monument stands in the centre of Maloyaroslavets, in Kaluga Oblast, with the white church and its blue domes rising directly behind the statue. The gold inscription on the grey pedestal reads "ПОДВИЖНИКУ БЛАГОЧЕСТИЯ". The bronze figure holds a cross in the raised right hand, and a sculpted mass lies beneath his feet.
No portrait of Vasilkovskiy survives, so the sculptor Salavat Shcherbakov modelled a composite image; the statue was cast in six months and unveiled on 5 October 2014. The gold inscription on the pedestal reads "To the ascetic of piety".
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