A Monument to the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky Unveiled in Moscow

On September 1, 2021, a monument to the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky was unveiled in Moscow. The monument is installed on the territory of the Patriarch’s metochion church of St. Alexander Nevsky at MGIMO, the University of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Moscow sculptor Karen Sarkisov is the author of the sculpture.

Participating in the unveiling ceremony were Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov; First Deputy Speaker Andrey A. Turchak of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia; Prefect of Moscow’s Western District Aleksey O. Aleksandrov; MGIMO Rector Anatoly V. Torkunov; Vladimir R. Legoyda, chairman of the Holy Synod’s Department for Church’s Relations with Society and Mass Media; Russian journalist and TV anchorman Yevgeny G.Popov; Dean of MGIMO’s Department of International Journalism Yaroslav L. Skvortsov; Archpriest Igor Fomin, dean of St. Alexander Nevsky’s church; MGIMO teachers and students, the parishioners of the church, and many guests.

Addressing the participants of the ceremony, Sergey Lavrov pointed out that Alexander Nevsky, combining the characteristic traits of the military commander and diplomat, had been a great statesman, who first of all had been thinking about the statehood of his country and about preservation of its cultural and religious identity.

“In the spirit of Alexander Nevsky’s heritage, and having absorbed his lessons, we are ready to seek compromise. To achieve it we have to sit down at table and begin talking honestly and following the principle of equality trying to reach agreement. This behest left to us by the prince will always be at the core of our foreign policy,” said the MFA head, pointing out that Prince Alexander Yaroslavich had always achieved the balance of interests, acceptable both for himself and for his partners.

Andrey Turchak underscored that “Alexander Nevsky’s words, ‘God is not in potency but in truth’ have entered into the annals and into our memory to stay forever; and as long as the truth is with us, our country is invincible.” The senator handed over to the church an icon of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky, painted in a special relief technique, which makes it accessible for visually impaired people.
Yevgeny Popov thanked the local citizens whose “civic engagement… allowed the work on the monument to be done within a short period of time.” He also underlined the importance of the fact that “people continue to look to the precepts, left by the great prince, for guidance; his whole life is a vivid example of serving the Fatherland.”

The consecration of the monument and icon was performed by priest Aleksandr Kuznetsov, a cleric of St. Alexander Nevsky’s church.

At the end of the unveiling ceremony the Foreign Minister of Russia and other guests of honour laid flowers to the monument.

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A Monument to the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky Unveiled in Moscow

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons