Moscow, like Petersburg, is a city of museums and theaters, a city in which modernity and history are closely intertwined. And this is reflected both in metropolitan collections and architectural objects, as well as in monuments. One of the historical monuments is the monument to Dmitry Donskoy in Moscow.
One of the young
Monument to Dmitry Donskoy, Old Russian Prince - one of the youngest in the capital of Russia. In one of the historical districts of Moscow, where the monument to Dmitry Donskoy is located, the current Yauzskaya and Nikoloyamskaya streets intersect. The author of the project V. Klykov completed the monument in bronze. The monument is quite high - reaches 12 meters, not counting the pedestal. Its pedestal is made of granite. A monument was erected at the place where, according to legend, the Russian army led by the prince went on a military campaign against the Golden Horde to the Don - on Kulikovo Field. It was there that a decisive battle took place with the Mongol-Tatar army. An interesting connection between the shape of the foundation stone for the monument - in the form of a cross, and the fact that Dmitry Donskoy was numbered by the Russian Orthodox Church. That is why there is a sense of holiness in the image of Dmitry Donskoy in the monument to Moscow. In the photo, this feeling, unfortunately, is not transmitted.
Shortcut to reign
Dmitry Ivanovich was born on October 12, 1350 in the family of the Russian Prince Ivan the Red. He continued on the princely throne the dynasty of the Rurikovich. And very early he was able to show his qualities as a ruler, and just a wise person. For this, already at the age of 9 he was declared the Prince of Moscow, however, under the guardianship of Metropolitan A.F. Byakont, and then at the age of 13 he received the label of a great reign. From this moment, the primacy from the Principality of Vladimir passes to Moscow. However, Prince Mikhail of Tverskoy did not agree with this fact. As a result, a feud broke out between the principalities of Tver and Moscow, which ended after the victory of Dmitry Donskoy over the Lithuanian prince Olgerd, who concluded an agreement with the principality of Moscow. After some time, the Lithuanian prince Jagiello will agree with the Horde Khan Mamai. Ryazan prince Oleg will join them. What should this lead to? If successful, the principality of Moscow should have been divided between these three rulers. However, there is a version that Oleg had an order from Dmitry Donskoy to withdraw Lithuania from the hostilities. This confrontation between the Horde and the Prince of Moscow ended in the complete defeat of the first in the Battle of Kulikovo.
Defender of the Russian land
He received his first baptism of fire as ruler of Russia as a teenager, when he had to defend the throne several times before the Lithuanian prince Algerd, who tried to forcefully take him from the young prince. The results of problems with Lithuania greatly undermined the economy of Russia. Many lands were devastated, a large number of people were taken prisoner.
At the same time, it was necessary to defend the throne from other Russian princes: Smolensky and Bryansk. And then against the terrible enemy - the Golden Horde, led by Khan Mamai. The centralization of power and the strengthening of the economy by collecting tribute were able to make the Moscow principality strong, which could not but disturb the Horde ruler. The defeat of Mamai by Dmitry Donskoy at the River Vozha was not the last. Mamai again gathered enormous forces and threw them to the place of the confluence of Nepryadva in the Don. In this battle, Mamai was defeated, but subsequently Dmitry Donskoy was forced to defend Russia from another Horde khan - a descendant of Genghis Khan Tokhtamysh.
The image of Dmitry Donskoy in the monument to Moscow
On a proud mighty horse, crouching on his hind legs and beating a hoof of his right front leg, as if impatiently waiting for the rider to rush into battle, a young prince Dmitry Ivanovich, dressed in armor, with cloaked shoulders and an uncovered head, is seated. His legs, shod in morocco boots, firmly rest against stirrups. The back is proudly straightened. The prince sits confidently and firmly in the saddle. With his left hand he holds the rein, and in the right he holds a banner with the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands - a symbol of God blessing on a just cause.
The high pedestal of the Dmitry Donskoy monument in Moscow made of polished brownish granite in shape resembles a sarcophagus - a symbol of eternal life, which is granted to the prince by his glorious exploits and joys for the good of the Russian land.
Opening of the monument
The grand opening of the monument to Dmitry Donskoy in Moscow took place on May 8, 2013. In the presence of Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Metropolitan Kirill, the monument was consecrated. This happened in a momentous year when all Orthodox believers in the capital celebrated the year of the 700th anniversary of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
This ceremony was very symbolic. Speakers at the ceremony at the monument to Dmitry Donskoy in Moscow noted that only thanks to the support of the church and the personal merits of the leader of the Russian army Dmitry Donskoy, the Russian people could survive in the battle on Kulikovo Field and undermine the forces of a powerful enemy. Which proves: against even the greatest force there will always be another force - both physical and spiritual, which together can work miracles. That every Russian person is always ready to fight evil for their homeland, for their land. The Battle of Kulikovo Field also showed how much in difficult times Rusics can rally and unite in the face of a common danger, and the church can make them a powerful support, believing in a righteous battle.