The Sevastopol Bratskoe
Cemetery
by Deacon Ioann
Bystryakov.
Published 1902.
"Da v chadakh k rodine lyubov zazhgut
otsov mogily!"
"Verily, the graves of the fathers
kindle love for the motherland in the children!"
Foreword.
The present philanthropic publication continues to acquaint readers
with Sevastopol's memorial sites. This is—the story of the Bratskoe
Cemetery, located on a picturesque hill in the city's North Side. [Note:
"Bratskoe" literally means "fraternal," but here its specialized sense is
"communal grave" - M.C.]
Cemeteries are honored places, especially those in which rest the
remains of warriors who "laid down their lives for their brothers." The Bratskoe
Cemetery is a place of communal rest and contemplation in prayer, where the
living and the dead are joined in mysterious communion.
Eulogies for the dead, prayers for those held in honor—these
are inherent in the history of the Russian people. it is indisputable that
the chief memorials in Russian cemeteries are the towers and chapels erected
in them.
The ancient custom of funeral feasts (the
trapeza, the feeding of the spirits
of the dead) is blessed by the Christian church. It is with the hope of renewal
and resurrection that we perform the most honored Orthodox church
services—burial rites. Ancient and deep is the custom of preserving
in chapels the bones of martyrs, pious men, ascetics, and heroes who have
suffered for Faith and Fatherland.
The St. Vladimir Cathedral is built over the graves of the admirals
[Nakhimov, Kornilov, and Istomin - M.C.]. Its elder brother—the chapel
of St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker—is at the foot of the communal grave
of soldiers who died in the Crimean War. The two churches, by a miracle still
whole after terrible times, rise
opposite each other, as if parts of a set united by the theme of remembrance
of our heroic past. These dominate the city. Sevastopol is unthinkable without
them, and is consecrated by them.
Before the traveler picks up Deacon I. Bystryakov's guidebook and
sets off for the North Side, here are a few words about the creator of these
beautiful churches.
The St. Nicholas Chapel as well as the St. Vladimir Cathedral was
designed and built by Aleksei Aleksandrovich Avdeev (1819-1885). He was an
exceptional person. He came from the nobility of Tver Province and was educated
at the Moscow Institue for Nobles.
Avdeev displayed architectural ability at a yung age. His first
project—a bell tower—was for his own family estate and was constructed
in 1840. He did not go unnoticed. Avdeev was invited to join the students
of the famous young architect M. D. Bykovskii, under whose tutelage his talent
was developed.
In the 1850s and '40s, Avdeev built many buildings in Moscow: the
university observatory, private residences—Koloshev's on Povarskaya
Street, Krotkov's on Nikitskaya Street, and others. During these same years
he built a church in a Byzantine-Russian style on the estate of A. S. Khomyakov
(Dankov District, Ryazan Province).
Building the church was the beginning of a study of ancient Christian
architecture, a field in which the architect became a great
specialist.
In February of 1850, Avdeev passed exams in the Department of Plans
and Drafting which gave him the license to construct buildings. He perfected
his architectural mastery in Italy, Germany, and France.
The successful design of the church for Khomyakov's estate led the
minister of war, Prince V. I. Vasil'chikov, to commission Avdeev to build
a church for the military cemetery in Sevastopol.
In 1857 the project was finalized. It was unusual in the special choice
of architectural form. In the explanatory memorandum for the project it was
noted that the chapel would be built in the form of a massive memorial over
the graves, for which the style of an Egyptian pyramid would be appropriate
and symbolic—a sign of eternity and rest. The plans received Highest
approval and were realized in 1870. For this work Avdeev earned the rank
of academician of the Imperial Academy of the Arts.
Next was the St. Vladimir Cathedral, begun in 1862 and finished in
1888 after the architect's death. The distinctive peculiarity of the church's
design, besides its Byzantine aspects, was the strong influence of the ancient
Georgian and Armenian churches which were an object of archaeological attraction
for Avdeev. It must be noted that besides the overall project, the architect
paid much attention to realizing the interior details: the roll of the dead,
decorative details, and church-plate were all executed strictly according
to his orders and sketches.
For the city of Sevastopol, Avdeev carried out a project for an Armenian
church, built a tower over the grave of Prince Gorchakov and a tower on the
Inkerman Heights (no longer standing). In addition, the architect's design
was used to build the Pokrovskaya Church (1885) on the Oreand estate of Grand
Duke Constantine Nikolaevich, echoing Armenian churches of the 6th
century.
Outside the Crimea, Avdeev designed churches in Tula Province, built
a tower in the Russian Cemetery in Paris, and a monument over the grave of
Admiral Kazarskii in Nikolaev.
The architectural activity of the designer was combined with historical
and archaeological work: excavations at the mouth of the Don (Tanais), in
the Chersonese and environs of Sevastopol, and at Karasubazar and Kerch.
He studied the antiquities of Chernigov, the Balaklava monastery, and the
palace at Bakhchisarai, and made numerous reports on these at the meetings
of the Moscow Archaeological Society, of which he was an active member. Accounts
of his scientific work often appeared as articles in P. M. Leont'ev's
Propilei,
Russkii Vestnik, and
Moskovskiya Vedomosti. In 1871
Avdeev prepared an edition of plans and sketches of St. Nicholas's Chapel
in the Bratskoe Cemetery, which is now a great bibliographical
rarity.
The architect did not have a permanent residence. The work of a scholar
and architect required constant travel throughout Russia, as well as in other
countries.
Aleksei Aleksandrovich Avdeev died in March of 1885 in St. Petersburg,
where he had come for business relating to the building of the St. Vladimir
Cathedral. He was buried in the Nikol'skoe Cemetery in St.
Petersburg.
May every visitor to the Bratskoe Cemetery and St. Nicholas's Chapel
remember Aleksei Aleksandrovich Avdeev along with the honored heroes, the
humble creator of churches who left a significant mark in Sevastopol's
history.
The proceeds from the sale of this book will be used for the restoration
of churches created by this architect.
The present edition was made at the order of the Museum of the Heroic
Defenders of Sevastopol. Proceeds from the sale of this book will be used
for the restoration of St. Vladimir's Cathedral over the graves of the
Admirals.
The Sevastopol
Bratskoe Cemetery
Sevastopol. Printed by N. Kovalev, 1902.
Published with the permission of the Protopresbyter of the Military and Naval
Chaplaincy, 7 August 1902, St. Petersburg.
"Da v chadakh k rodine lyubov zazhgut
otsov mogily!"
"Verily, the graves of the fathers
kindle love for the motherland in the children!"
"O ground of Sevastopol! Protect in
your bosom the remains of the fatherland's sons and defenders. Be green and
fruitful until that bright day when the dawn of eternity flashes and the
sun of truth illuminates all who lie dried up in the grave." (Words from
the sermon of His Sacred Eminence Innokentii, Archbishop of
Kherson.)
On the southern edge of our fatherland, on the shores of the Black
Sea which separates Orthodoxy from Islam, near ancient Korsun, where our
Rus' were first enlightened by the teachings of Christ, in the
city of Sevastopol and its environs, 50 years ago, every day—for 11
months, heroic feats were performed by Russian soldiers, the memory of which
will forever live in the hearts of the Russian people.
And what Russian has not heard of the glorious defense of Sevastopol?
Whose heart has not quivered upon reading lines describing all the horrors
of that war? Who has not exulted in the courage and self-sacrifice of the
Russian fighting man, who in that trying year showed before the whole world's
eyes that he knew how to defend the cause that is just and love his fatherland
and his Father Tsar to the point of being ready to lay down his
life?
Where the glorious Crimean battles took place there are many monuments,
but the most important of them is the Bratskoe Cemetery.
The Bratskoe Cemetery is on Sevastopol's northern side. Its origins
lie in the first days of the siege.
At the same time as the ceaseless roar of the cannonade was heard
in the besieged part of the city, when every possible kind of projectile
was flying through the air in all directions, and there were shouts of victory
and groans and cries from the wounded and dying—at this time everything
was relatively quiet and peaceful on the North Side. Only rarely, without
causing anyone any harm, did a lost enemy cannonball reach here. But it was
only here, on the North Side, that one could judge how many heroes'
lives the previous day had cost.
Here were carried all the killed and those who died from wounds, here graves
awaited them—ready, crowded, dark.
Old timers tell how every day during the whole eleven-month siege
slain soldiers were transported to the shore of the bay. Here they lay in
rows, face up with their comrades' last gift in their hands—a wax
candle.
It was frightening, they say, to pass by the small Nicholas headland
at night when it was covered with the dead. It was then that the candles
in the hands of the deceased were lit and softly illuminated their pale
blood-covered faces, while the sea waves soughed, as if taking in breath
and then mourning them. Every day a big boat came here on which they were
carried to the North Side. Here they were laid on long Tatar carts, and the
sad train, accompanied by a priest with a cross and the hymn "Hold God,"
slowly ascended the hill.
Burial of the heroes was done simply. There was no special ceremony,
the drawn-out notes of the funeral march did not sound forth over the area,
no beat of drum was heard. Only now and then was there the quiet singing
of the burial prayer by the old priest, and yes, there was heard the muffled
strikes of the spade in the hard soil. They were digging right here, next
to those who had just been buried, so there would be fresh graves for
tomorrow.
The dead were laid fifty at a time, or a hundred or more, in one grave.
The graves were covered with earth, and a wooden cross erected over them,
or simply a stone laid down. Several such graves appeared each day and in
this way the Bratskoe Cemetery was formed during the eleven-month siege of
Sevastopol.
More than 40 years passed... During that time the Bratskoe Cemetery
was finished thanks to the interest and efforts of the government. Like a
big green carpet, it stands out amidst the barren environs of Sevastopol.
The white monuments of the fraternal graves picturesquely stand out from
afar against the deep green, and above them the memorial chapel stands tall,
like an eternal witness to the past and a faithful guardian of the fallen
heroes' final refuge.
The Cemetery is surrounded on all sides by a wall built from stone
quarried locally. Iron gates on opposite sides lead into its interior. At
each of the gates are two cannons from the time of Sevastopol's
siege.
In picturesque disorder behind the walls there wind between the graves
clean paths strewn with sea sand. Beautiful greenery grows everywhere; chestnut
trees, lilacs, white and yellow acacia,
almond and thuja trees thickly
press against the heroes' graves from all sides. Here are also found pretty
clumps of flowers of all possible colors.
On the graves, in place of the original wooden crosses, are now erected
beautiful memorials of every possible kind. Some of them are in the shape
of tombs, others are reminiscent of pyramids, on still others are placed
a giant stone cross, and finally some graves simply have plinths laid over
them.
On the left, at the very entrance, rest the remains of the famous
Sevastopol hero General A. S. Khrulev. The memorial over his grave is
distinguished by its beauty. Atop a fine large marble column sits an artistically
executed bust of the deceased. Below, at the middle of the column, are a
double-headed eagle and shield, ringed with laurels with the inscription
"To Khrulev - From Russia. "Around the column the marbel bears the lines:
"To his eternal glory after him he led those who gave of themselves, and
among those who give of themselves he was honored for his great military
glory." "Move aside, burial mounds! And press close, You who do a hero's
duty! Here Your 'Old Man' came to show His love, so that everyone could see
that he did not stand apart either in glorious battles or among the rows
of graves; press your ranks more closely
together, You brave men unsurpassed,
and surround a hero of the Sevastopol battle in a more comradely fashion
in your family grave!"
Khrulev died eleven years after the end of hostilities and willed
that he be buried among those with whom for eleven months he shared all the
adversities of a siege unparalleled in history. There was not a skirmish
or sortie in which he did not take part. Soldiers idolized him and called
him "our old man, dear fellow," and just on one word from him were ready
to go through fire and water. on the last day of the siege, when the French
occupied the Malakhov Kurgan's fortifications, Khrulev was wounded twice
in a desperate attempt to turn them back. For the most part, Khrulev's services
during the defense of Sevastopol were invaluable and give him an honored
place in the circle of Russia's glorious defenders during the most difficult
moment of her military history.
Uphill from Khrulev's grave there are long rows of huge mass graves
in all directions. In them, many thousands of untimely fallen heroes sleep
the eternal sleep from which they cannot be wakened! And here among the deep
green, between gigantic mass graves, are sheltered hundreds of identical
heroes' graves. Their burial memorials, erected through the efforts of relatives
or comrades of the deceased are beautiful and splendid. Many graves of glorious
military generals and admirals are counted among them, and even more of field
and company-grade officers. All of them were either killed or died of wounds
defending the fatherland from its enemies. More than once over these graves
have surviving Sevastopol defenders wiped away a bitter tear.
Leading uphilslon the slope along the main way, on the left, near
a pathway and under the shade of the trees, humbly lie two little graves
of a young girl and little boy. In one of them, according to the tombstone
inscription, rests Deonisiya Tuluzakova, killed at the 5th Bastion on 29
March 1855 when she was sixteen years old. A little further on, under a simple
gray plinth, is hidden a victim of the war—the five-year old boy Ivan
Simonenko, killed by a mortar bomb.
Where the main path takes a turn is the grave of Prince Gorchakov.
Erected here is a tower of gray granite with groups of marble columns on
the sides. In the middle is a bust of the deceased and under it a marble
plaque in the wall with the inscription "The body of the deceased, buried
according to his wish among the soldiers who did not allow the enemies of
the fatherland to cross beyond the place where their graves lie."
General-of-Infantry Prince M. D. Gorchakov was commander-in-chief of the
Crimean War in 1855-56.
Nearby is the grave of Prince Maksutov. On a simple gray rock stands
a white marble cross, while below is the bronze medal for the 349-day defense
of Sevastopol. On a marble scroll unrolled at the foot of the cross we read:
"Prince P. P. Maksutov, born 15 April 1825, died 2 May 1882. Took part in
the Battle of Sinope on the ship Parizh and in the defense of Sevastopol
for 349 days."
On the opposite side of the main path is interred the former Sevastopol
city mayor and commander of the port, Rear Admiral M. N. Kumani. On his grave
is a splendid marble memorial with a mosaic image of the archangel Michael
under a white marble overhang. In the small doorway to the tomb can be seen
many wreaths, laid at the deceased's grave by various government officials
and personal admirers. Alongside, over the grave of Admiral Spitsyn stands
a beautiful marble column with a bust of the deceased on top, all behind
a magnificent iron grating made from anchors. Admiral A. P. Spitsyn commanded
the frigate "Kagul" in 1852 and was at the Battle of Sinope and took part
in the defense of Sevastopol from 13 September 1854 to 27 August 1855. Here
are even more recent graves: Mol'skii, Stavraki, Reitlinger, Novikov, and
others.
Just where the graves of defenders end is buried Graf Eduard Ivanovich
Totleben, famed for building the hastily erected Sevastopol defenses. As
a coastal city, Sevastopol was fortified only on the side facing the sea.
On the landward side it was not even entrenched, and thus could have been
made the easy prize of an enemy. But what cannot a Russian do at the decisive
moment?!... The Sevastopol residents fiercely loved their native city and
resolved as one to defend their home sand hearths to the utmost. Before the
eyes of an amazed enemy, under a hail of bullets and cannonballs, there began
to rise the shield that brought him to astonishment. Here the work went furiously
both day and night. Everyone worked—men, frail women, and even small
children. To the last one of them, they all made a great contribution, as
much as each one could. Thanks to such a unity of spirit, with unbelievable
speed the city was surrounded on the landward side with a line of imposing
fortifications. The genius behind all these works was the young Totleben
(at that time a colonel). By his example, eye, and voice he encouraged and
exhorted the laborers. He did not know what rest was and hardly ever left
the work sites. Five or six thousand persons worked under his direction from
morning to late at night, and these efforts made him famous, giving him an
honored place in the circle of glorious defenders of Sevastopol.
A Russian steps almost trembling past the fence into the heroes' burial
sanctum. Inspired, he moves from one grave to another, duty bound to stop
in front of each, admiring their beautiful monuments and with rapt attention
reading on them the short stories of the heroes. To his mind's eyes appear
the field of battle and these martyrs for the faith; the shouts of victory
are heard, the groans and cries of the wounded and dying, and he hurries
toward the chapel that can be seen on the hill among the greenery. He bows
before the One Eternal God and places a candle for the repose of the souls
slain on the field of strife.
On the highest point on the hill, on a level yard surrounded by a
short six-sided enclosure, there stands on a grave of Russian soldiers the
chapel-monument of St. Nicholas, built in 1870 by the wish of the late monarch
Alexander II, now resting in God.
On the southern side of the yard are symmetrically placed imposing
witnesses of the past—seven large English guns taken from the enemy
in battle. From here can be seen a colorful view of Sevastopol and its nearest
environs. The beautiful buildings of the city rise picturesquely in every
kind of architectural style in tiers one above the other, at the head of
which is St. Vladimir's Cathedral, all above the dark waters of Sevastopol
Bay, always covered with tens of large and small ships, past which flash
pretty skiffs in various directions with spread sails, looking like flocks
of seagulls.
On the right can be seen the Chersonese Monastery with its magnificent
chapel, the Chersonese lighthouse, and the boundless sea. On the left—there
rises the Malakhov Kurgan, soaked with the blood of heroes, and in the distance
on the blue horizon, huge dark masses picturesquely outline the contours
of the Crimean mountains.
The chapel-monument has the form of a massive carved pyramid with
a great six-foot granite cross on top. It is all made from local yellow stone
darkened over time and has now taken on the color of granite. On all four
sides of the chapel, four feet above the ground, there are emplaced in the
wall great dark-colored marble plinths on which are detailed the names of
divisions, regiments, and naval équipages, the times they took part
in the campaign, and their total casualties, namely:
Unit.
Casualties.
In
garrison.
4th Inf.
Division
Belozersk
Regiment
950
From 5 through 27 Aug.
1855.
Olonets
Regiment
1604
"
"
Schlüsselburg Jäger
Regt.
919
Ladoga Regiment
924
5th Inf. Division
H.I.H. Grand Duke Vladimir
Aleksandrovich's Archangel
Regt.
24
From
24 through 27 Aug. 1855.
Vologda
54
Kostroma Jäger
Regt.
273
From
26 through 27 Aug. 1855.
Galich
Regt.
307
6th Inf. Division
Murom
Regt.
2371
From 27 May
through 27 Aug. 1855.
7th Inf. Division
Smolensk
Regt.
3
From 23
July through 2 August 1855.
Mogilev
Regt.
6
Vitebsk Jäger
Regt
19
From 22 July through
1 Aug. 1855.
Polotsk
Regt.
48
8th Inf. Division
Graf Diebitsch of the Trans-Balkans'
Chernigov
Regt.
3689
From
9 Apr. through 27 Aug. 1855.
Poltava
Regt.
2868
From 7 April through 27 Aug.
1855.
Aleksandropol Jäger
Regt.
2608
From
4 April through 27 Aug. 1855.
Kremenchug
Regt.
2816
From
2 April through 27 Aug. 1855.
9th Inf. Division.
Yelets
Regt.
2674
From 3 June through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 1).
Sevsk
Regt.
2819
"
"
Gen.-Adj. Prince Gorchakov's Bryansk Jäger Regt.
2640
From 27 May through 27 Aug. 1855.
Gen.-Field Marshal the Prince of Warsaw,
Graf Paskevich of Erivan's Orel
Regt.
2412
From 23 Apr. through 27 Aug. 1855
10th Inf. Division.
Yekaterinburg
Regt.
4648
From 22 Oct. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855.
Tobolsk Regt.
4521
Tomsk Jäger
Regt.
3330
Kolyvan
Regt.
4238
11th Inf. Division.
Selenginsk Regt.
2811
From 5 Nov. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855.
Yakutsk.
Regt.
1887
From 6 Nov. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855.
Okhotsk Jäger
Regt.
1799
From 5 Nov. 1854 through
27 Aug. 1855.
Kamchatka Regt.
2830
From 9 Dec. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855.
12th Inf. Division.
Azov
Regt.
418
From 20 Apr. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 2).
Dnieper
Regt.
868
From 6 Mar. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 2).
Ukraine Jäger
Regt.
950
From 16 Mar. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 2).
Odessa
Regt.
601
From 30 Mar. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 2).
14th Inf. Division.
Volhynia
Regt.
3896
From 19 Oct. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855
Minsk.
Regt.
4161
From 27 Sept. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855
Podolia Jäger
Regt.
2878
From 20 Apr. 1855 through 27 Aug. 1855.
Zhitomir
Regt.
2047
From 20 Apr. 1855 through 27 Aug. 1855.
16th Inf. Division.
Vladimir
Regt.
3147
From 25 Mar. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 2).
Suzdal
Regt.
2099
From 13 Mar. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 2).
Uglich Jäger
Regt.
1864
From 5 Oct. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855.
H.I.H. Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich's
Kazan Jäger
Regt.
2078
From 9 Mar. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 2).
17th Inf. Division.
Moscow
Regt.
294
From 19 Sept. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 3).
Butyrskii
Regt.
1310
From 23 Sept. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855
His Imp. Majesty's Borodino Leib-Jäger
Regt.
448
From 19 Sept. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855
Tarutino Jäger
Regt.
375
From 17 Sept. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855
Reserve Brigade of the 13th Inf. Division.
5th and 6th Battalions of:
Brest Reserve
Regt.
Bialystok Reserve Regt.
Lithuania Reserve Regt.
Vilna Reserve
Regt.
5511
From 13 Sept. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855.
4th Rifle
Battalion.
370
From 5 Nov. through 27 Aug. 1855.
6th Rifle
Battalion.
370
From 5 Nov. through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 4).
3rd Sapper
Battalion.
298
From 23 Apr. 1855 through 27 Aug. 1855.
4th Sapper
Battalion.
513
From 24 Oct. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855.
6th Sapper
Battalion.
756
From 13 Sept. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855.
Reserve Brigade of the 14th Inf. Division.
6th Battalions of:
Volhynia Reserve Inf. Regt.
Minsk Reserve Inf.
Regt.
1687
From 29 Sept. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855.
15th Reserve Inf. Division.
Modlin Reserve Inf.
Regt.
1144
From 17 July 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 2).
Praga Reserve Inf.
Regt.
1077
From 17 July 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 2).
Lublin Reserve Inf.
Regt.
1803
From 20 June 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 2).
Zamosc Reserve Inf.
Regt.
1468
From 16 July 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 2).
10th Artillery Brigade.
Heavy Battery No.
1
94
From 24 through 27 Oct.
1854.
Heavy Battery No.
2
34
From 22 through 26 Oct. 1854
Light Battery No.
1
20
From 27 Apr. through 27 Aug. 1855.
Light Battery No.
2
51
From 29 Oct. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855.
11th Artillery Brigade.
Light Battery No.
3
30
From 1 Apr. 1855 through 27 Aug.
1855.
Light Battery No.
4
46
From 27 Apr. 1855 through 27 Aug.
1855.
Light Battery No.
5
124
From 14 Nov. 1854 through
27 Aug. 1855.
12th Artillery Brigade.
Light Battery No.
7
35
From 11 June through 27 Aug. 1855
(Note 5).
Light Battery No.
8
88
From 11 June through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note
5).
Light Battery No.
9
106
From 22 June through 27 Aug. 1855
(Note 5).
14th Artillery Brigade.
Light Battery No.
4
26
From
13 Sept. through 15 Nov. 1854.
Light Battery No.
6
3
From 24 Oct. through
15 Nov. 1854.
16th Artillery Brigade.
Heavy Battery No.
1
39
From 13 Sept. through 24 Oct.
1854
Light Battery No.
1
18
From 24 Oct. through 15 Nov.
1854.
17th Artillery Brigade.
Light Battery No.
4
108
From 13 Sept. through 31 Oct. 1854, and from 22
July through 27 Aug. 1855.
Light Battery No.
5
60
From 13 Sept. through 25 Oct. 1854, and from
1 June through 27 Aug. 1855 (Note 6).
Black Sea Cossack Host.
Battalion No.
2
540
From 20 Sept. 1854 through 24 Apr.
1855.
Battalion No.
8
1177
From
20 Sept. 1854 through 5 May 1855.
Kursk Opolchenie [mass levy].
Druzhina No. 47
Druzhina No. 48
Druzhina No. 49
From 22 through 27 Aug. 1855.
Greek Volunteer
Battalion.
From 1 Mar. through 27 Aug. 1855.
Engineer Department:
Military Labor Companies Nos. 14 and
15.
From 13 Sept. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855.
Companies of the Sevastopol Artillery
Garrison.
From 13 Sept. 1854 through 27 Aug. 1855.
Navy Department:
Naval Équipages 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,
39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45.
Cargo Équipage No. 4
Labor Équipages 17, 18, and 19.
Port companies.
Arsenal and laboratory companies.
Penal companies.
15,977(*) (Note 7.)
(*) In these military units, casualties are indicated in total without allocation
to individual units.
Splendidly worked doors of cast bronze lead into the chapel from its
west side. On their outside is a large mosaic image of Christ the Savior.
Similarly on the opposite wall of the chapel is a sacred image painted on
lacquer of the moment when the women carrying myrrh, in the words of the
church hymns, early in the morning visited the tomb of the Giver of Life
and found an angel sitting on a stone who announced to them the joyful news
of the resurrection from the dead of Christ the Savior. Above this sacred
image, on a gray granite frame, in big gold letters are written the angel's
words to the women, "He has risen, and is not here!"
As the chapel's exterior appearance startles the unprepared visitor
with its original and magnificent form, no less does its interior construction
captivate the eye with its exquisite splendor and grandeur.
Four large arches, set one opposite the other, divide the chapels'
interior into the form of the cross. The lower half of the chapel's walls
are faced with Italian marble of great workmanship. Marble of various colors
is set in straight rows, and each row is outlined by a edging of white marble.
Above, along the whole length of the chapel's walls, horizontally run mourning
plaques on which in gold letters are written the first and last names of
the generals, admirals, and field and company-grade officers killed during
the defense of Sevastopol. The accompanying list shows their
numbers:
Admirals
3
Generals
11
Field and company-grade officers:
General Staff
6
Engineers
14
Artillery
34
Infantry
666
Cavalry
9
Opolchenie
5
Naval officers
88
Noncombatant officials:
Naval
22
Medical Establishment 3
Total 881 (Note 8)
Of the icons, the image of God's judgment is especially striking by
its size—5-1/4 feet square—and its artistic execution. On a throne
surrounded by an assembly of angels and faces of the saints, the Lord sits
over the heavenly hosts; below, underfoot, is a deep abyss into which sinners
are plunging, their faces contorted with fear. A depiction of Christ's rising
from the dead, of similar artistic work and size, can be seen on the opposite
eastern wall.
Originally the chapel walls were decorated with fine paintings by
the academician Korneev, Vasil'ev, and Markov, but this was damaged by damp
and in some places completely destroyed. In 1885 the Sovereign Emperor Alexander
III, now resting in God, after visiting the heroes' graves examined the chapel
and ordered that the painting be replaced by a mosaic that would be an exact
copy of the original work. This work was carried out in the workshop of Selviati
in Venice by using copies of pictures and decorations in the chapel, and
local artist M. N. Protopopov worked long and hard on the execution of this
effort. Overall, the entire restoration was done under the direction and
oversight of Engineer-Colonel Ya. P. Semenov.
In an separate part [raznitsa] is kept an image of Christ the
Savior which suffered during the enemy bombardment of Sevastopol. Below it
a short inscription reads: "On 10 June 1855, all of the decorative frame
and metal mounting were destroyed and turned to ashes by an enemy
7-pood bomb that exploded in the
house, but the image of the Savior remained unharmed." (Note
9.) In 1837 this picture had
been a gift to bless the wedding of V. and A. Tuluzakov, whose descendants
donated it to the chapel.
The chapel's historical significance, its location close to the graves
of our country's heroes, and lastly its grandeur and beauty, produce a strong
and deep impression. Many are the emotions felt by a true Russian in this
chapel! While reading the heroes' names on the chapel's cold plinths, a long
line of historical faces and events appears to stretch before him. On the
field of battle a Russian warrior fights for his sacred faith and in the
name of this faith becomes invincible, and therefore nothing can be more
appropriate than building a religious monument.
Here in the quiet refuge, a bloodless sacrifice is made and fervent
prayers ascend for the tsars and their servitors who have fallen on the field
of battle. Here, in this chapel, the Russian warrior accumulates moral support
to be fully worthy of his fathers.
Peace to Your ashes, glorious defenders of the fatherland! And let
the memory of Your heroic deeds live forever in the hearts of the Russian
people. Let Your graves serve as an example of the duty to love Faith, Tsar,
and Fatherland.
May Your memory live forever, dear brothers! May the people's path
to Your sacred graves never be overgrown from disuse!
Church of the Sevastopol Bratskoe Cemetery
Deacon Ioann Bystryakov.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Notes by the translator.
Note 1. Almost identical lists were published in
Oborona Sevastopolya; Podvigi
zashchitnikov, Colonel Zaionchkovskii, St. Petersburg, 1899, and in
Sevastopol' i pamyatniki ego oborony, Lieutenant Colonel Parskii,
2nd edition, Odessa, 1903. For the Yelets Regiment, instead of "From 3 June
through 27 August," Zaionchkovskii
states "From 3 July through 27 August 1855," while Parskii states "From 31
July through 27 August 1855."
Note 2. The starting date in the garrison should be 1855 instead of 1854.
Zaionchkovskii and Parskii correctly state 1855.
Note 3. Zaionchkovskii and Parskii state "From 18 Sept. 1854."
Note 4. Parksii incorrectly states "5th Rifle Battalion."
Note 5. Instead of June, Zaionchkovskii and Parskii both state
July.
Note 6. Instead of 1 June, Zaionchkovskii and Parskii both state 1
July.
Note 7. Zaionchkovskii indicates 15,977 as total casualties for the Kursk
Opolchenie, Engineer Department, and Navy Department, but totaling such disparate
branches together seems unlikely. Parskii lists 1719 as total casualties
for the Kursk Opolchenie and Engineer Department, and 15,977 for the Naval
Department units alone. Furthermore, Parskii lists total army (i.e. non-naval)
casualties as 101,941, and overall total casualties (army plus navy) as
117,918. Between Zaionchkovskii,
Parskii, and Bystryakov, I find Parskii's figures to most likely be
correct.
Note 8. Parskii lists by name 943 officers killed during the defense of
Sevastopol, as taken from the inscriptions in the St. Nicholas Chapel plus
casualties from battles that took place around the besieged city.
Note 9. Since a Russian pood is 36 pounds, this is perhaps a 13-inch mortar bomb, which weighed 213 pounds.
____________________________________
Translated by Mark Conrad, 2001.