In Ilyinsky-Usovo, Moscow Region, a monument to Empress Maria Alexandrovna was unveiled. She went down in the country’s history as a champion of mercy, education, philanthropist, and patroness of the Russian Red Cross Society.
Artem Lokalov
Monument to Maria Alexandrovna and her sons in Ilyinsky-Usovo.
Princess Maximiliane Wilhelmine Augusta Sophie Maria was born 200 years ago to Grand Duke Ludwig II of Hesse and Rhine and his wife Wilhelmine, née Princess of Baden. She was the younger sister of Empress Elizabeth Alexeyevna, wife of the Russian Emperor Alexander I.
Princess Maria spent her childhood in the suburbs of Darmstadt. There, at the age of 14, she met the future heir to the Russian throne, Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich. Princess Maria first appeared on Russian soil at the age of 16 and accepted not only the Orthodox faith, but also the people, traditions, and values.
The opening of the monument was timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the Empress’s birth. The monument is located on the territory of the Museum of School and Childhood, which is located in the historic building of the primary public school. It was founded by Maria Alexandrovna in 1873 for peasant children.
The Empress was engaged in the education of not only her children, but also the education of the country in general, paying much attention to education, health care, charity, and faith. And she formulated the motto: “Strength is in love.”
The sculptors didn’t forget about the pet. Photo: Artem Lokalov
Maria Alexandrovna’s son, the future Emperor Alexander III, wrote in 1884: “If there is anything good, kind and honest in me, then I owe it solely to our dear, sweet Mama!”
In the sculpture group, which was created in the studio named after Mitrofan Grekov, the empress is depicted with her younger sons – the Grand Dukes Sergei and Pavel. The artists-sculptors Ilya Gureev, Alexander Zakhezin and the architect Vasily Danilov worked on the monument under the direction of Lyudmila Semikopenko.
– The idea of what the monument would be like was suggested to us by family photos of the empress. In them, she is captured with children in a classroom. In fact, we transferred these images from the photo into 3D. We decided that the beloved pet would lie at the feet, but behind the dress of the empress. And next to her are her sons Sergei and Pavel, – the Rodina correspondent reports the words of the artist-sculptor Ilya Gureev.
The same photograph (left) that became the basis for the monument. Photo: Artem Lokalov
Source: rodina-history.ru
