In the Rossony region, the foundation of a chapel built to commemorate the victory in the War of 1812 was found

The discovery made by local historians and brothers Andrey and Alexey Bukhovetsky from Polotsk can be called sensational, at least within the scope of Belarus. In the agro-town of Klyastitsy, Rossony District, they unearthed a fragment of the foundation of a chapel monument, dedicated to the victory over the French in the war of 1812, which was destroyed in the 1930s.

– According to the plan of Emperor Nicholas I, a total of 6 monuments were erected in the places of the most significant battles, – Andrey Gennadievich said. – Of these, only the one in Borodino was of the first class. The second class monuments were in Polotsk, Klyastitsy, Smolensk, Maloyaroslavets, and Krasnoye. The monument in Klyastitsy was the last one. Its construction was carried out by Lieutenant-Engineer Domoratsky, based on the designs of the St. Petersburg architect Antonio Adamini. The construction of the monument began in 1855, and a commemorative plaque was laid inside. By the end of 1856, it was completed and surrounded by a fence of iron chains. The great distance from the district, let alone the provincial center, played a negative role in the maintenance, repair, and protection of the monument. Over time, the foundation settled under its weight, some cast-iron posts around it fell, almost all the paint chipped off, and the bronze details darkened. Only by the centenary of the monument was it put in order. On December 8, 1910, the precinct chief of the I Stan of the Drissensky Uyezd reported that the monument near the Church of Saints Peter and Paul "is in good condition," and attached a series of photographs to his report as confirmation.

It was based on one of those photographs that the twin brothers Bukhovetsky conducted their search in our time. They visited Klyastitsy many times, trying to dig in different locations of the supposed foundation.

– What was interesting was that wherever we dug, we found cobblestones and lime mortar, – the interlocutor continued. – The large area indicated that it could not be the foundation of a church. The platform had to be this huge to support over 200 tons of the monument.

Although the local historians of Polotsk are amateurs, they are more knowledgeable than anyone else when it comes to monuments dedicated to the War of 1812. It was with their help, incidentally, that the exact location of a similar monument in Polotsk was established and a plaque with an address to posterity, laid in 1848, was found.

The Bukhavetsky brothers would like to find a similar plaque in Klyastitsy. But this requires full-scale archaeological excavations. And most of all, the local historians dream that here, as in their hometown, a replica of the monument will be erected on the site of the old foundation.

"Polotsk's 'Tekhnolit' also manufactured and later installed monuments in the Russian cities of Krasnoye and Maloyaroslavets. It would be right to return their history to Klyastitsy as well," the brothers believe.

It goes without saying that the local residents, who know and are proud of their heroic past, desire this no less. That is why the chairman of the Klyastitsy rural council, Nikolai Khomenok, when Andrey and Alexey Bukhavetsky approached him, immediately gave them carte blanche to study the area and search for the foundation. He was also present at the historic moment of the excavation. Together with the director of the local school, Tatyana Melman, and several students, he curiously examined a 19th-century boathook found in the ground (a little later, as the local historians reported, they unearthed a small decorative detail of the column and a second bolt from the monument). Nikolai Mikhailovich also promised to bring a boulder to the site of the find, on which a commemorative plaque prepared by Andrey Bukhavetsky with the following content could be installed:

"With the hope of restoration, this stone marks the site of the chapel-monument destroyed in 1939, erected in 1857 by decree of Emperor Nicholas I in honor of the victories at Yakubovo and Klyastitsy on July 18 and 19, 1812. Here, the 1st Infantry Corps of the Russian troops under P. Kh. Wittgenstein, having defeated the French corps of Marshal Oudinot, finally stopped the advance of the French troops towards Saint Petersburg."

Of course, it is difficult to find funds for the restoration of the monument in Klyastitsy. However, considering its significance in the context of the Union State, perhaps the enthusiasts' dreams are not so unrealistic. This last of the six monuments could connect them into a single historical and tourist route worthy of special attention.

Ekaterina Knyazeva, Vitebskiye Vesti