Putin, patriarch unveil monument to Alexander I outside Kremlin
MOSCOW. Nov 20 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a ceremony inaugurating a monument to Emperor Alexander I at the Alexander Garden near the Moscow Kremlin walls on Thursday.
The ceremony was also attended by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky, representatives from the Russian Orthodox Church and public figures, according to a statement posted on the Kremlin website.
Unveiling the monument, Putin praised the emperor's role in forming the system of European and international security at the time.
This event is timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary since the end of the war against Napoleon, in which the victory became Russia's global triumph and Alexander the First played a huge role in uniting the nation and defending our country's independence, the president said.
"Alexander I has gone down in history as the man who beat Napoleon, as a strategist and diplomat with a vision, a statesman aware of responsibility for safe European and global development. It was the Russian emperor who founded the then European, international security system, which was quite adequate for those times," Putin said.
He added that it was then that a balance was created based on mutual respect for other nations' interests and their moral values.
The president also recalled Russia's attitude to France's sovereignty. "It is important to recall the respect and magnanimity shown by Russia, the winner nation, towards France's sovereignty and the national dignity of the French people," he said.
Putin also praised the emperor's role in renewing and reinforcing Russia. "This period saw many state and legal reforms. Russia sent its first expedition around the world and founded five new universities. After the invasion and the fire the ancient Russian capital, Moscow, was rebuilt. The Manezh and the Kremlin Armoury were built, and the construction of the Christ the Savior Cathedral began," said the head of state.
The monument was chosen from among several variants, each one of them was very good, but this one fully meets the purpose, the president said.
Eight sculptors took part in the competition to create the monument, with each one of them submitting several variants.
Following the vote, the judges chose the project offered by Russian artist Salavat Shcherbakov who spoke to the president about his work of art.
The monument to the emperor was erected at the Alexander Garden of the Moscow Kremlin. It is a statue of Alexander I on a pedestal. The emperor is holding a sword, with the enemy's weapons under his feet. Opposite the monument are bas-reliefs depicting two major battles, including the battle of Borodino, the emperor himself, Saint Seraphim of Sarov, and two churches - the Christ the Savior Cathedral built on Alexander I's proposal, and the Kazan Cathedral.
