A monument-chapel to the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 has been opened in Polotsk

May 21, Polotsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The monument-chapel to the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 has been recreated and solemnly opened today in Polotsk, BELTA correspondent reports. "The recreation and opening of the monument to the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 in Polotsk is a common celebration for the peoples of Belarus and Russia. This is evidence that we do not intend to rewrite our common history. The time has come not only to recreate monuments, but also to strengthen ties between our peoples," said Alexander Babakov, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, at the ceremony. Sergey Shukhno, Deputy State Secretary of the Union State, read out a welcome address from Pavel Borodin, State Secretary of the Union State. "This monument fosters respect for Belarus and Russia among present and future generations," the address states. The solemn opening ceremony of the monument was also attended by Vladimir Rylatko, First Deputy Minister of Culture of Belarus, Oleg Matskevich, Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, representatives of the Union parliament, and employees of the Russian Embassy in Belarus. The monument, erected in 1850 according to the design of architect Fixen, was dismantled in 1932. The same fate befell five other identical monuments erected in the mid-19th century at the sites of the most significant battles with the French. Only the monument-chapel in Smolensk has survived to this day. It, along with archival materials, served as the basis for creating an exact replica of Fixen's creation. The monument is a pyramid crowned with a dome with a gilded cross. Around it stand eight cast-iron columns with domes, on which gilded eagles are perched. All this rests on a cylindrical pedestal. The height of the monument is about 24 m, and its weight is 110 tons. The decision to restore the monument was made in June 2006 at the thirtieth session of the Parliamentary Assembly, held in Polotsk. More than 44 million Russian rubles were allocated from the Union State budget for these purposes. -0-