Memory of Russia: The opening of the bust to Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich, timed to the Day of missile troops and artillery, in Saint-Petersburg

November 19, 2013 on the day of the missile troops and artillery, on the outer exposition of the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps (St. Petersburg) on a granite pedestal will be inaugurated the bust to Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich (1832-1909), the last general Feldzeugmeister (chief of all Russian artillery) in the history of imperial Russia.

The bust is a gift of St. Michael’s Mount Athos monastery in the Caucasus, which was founded at the initiative of the Grand Duke, the former governor of nearly 20 years of the Caucasus. The idea of creating a monument to Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich occurred in December 2009, the centenary year of the death of the Grand Duke, and was to honor his services to Russia, the Caucasus and the Russian artillery. In October 2010, in St. Michael Athos monastery was opened Russia’s first monument to Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich. This is a bust made by sculptor Alexander Appolonov.

The abbot of St. Michael’s Mount Athos monastery in the Caucasus Father-Superior Gerasim made ​​a proposal to present a gift to the monastery of St. Petersburg - a copy of the bust of the Grand Duke, set in a monastery. Of all the options the best mounting location has been recognized by the Museum of Artillery, as nearly fifty years, the Grand Duke was the chief artillery officer of the Russian Empire and, as a general-Ordnance, became a patron of the museum and made ​​a significant contribution to its development and updating collections. Here are stored the original things of Mikhail Nikolayevich, including his desk, clothes, personal weapons. Some of them were the subjects of the exhibition, opened in 2012, to the 180th anniversary of the birth of the Grand Duke.

On the same day the museum will host another landmark event. By order of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation it will be held a solemn transfer of weapons seized by the customs authorities of the North-West.

By the North-West Customs operations on that day will be given four items of weapons, which according to the findings of examinations of art composed by Rosokhrankultura certified experts, are the weapon of cultural significance.