Russian Glory

This monument and crypt with remains of Imperial Russian soldiers was finished in 1936. It is located at Belgrade's Novo groblje (eng. New Cemetery). Author is Roman N. Verkhovsky, co-author is Valery Stashevsky and the idea came from Mikhail Skorodumov Imperial Russian officer and later general. According to information I found in one article the crypt contains remains of 13 officers and 274 NCOs and soldiers of the 2. and 4. special infantry brigade exhumed from southern parts of Kingdom (Thessaloniki Front), 138 NCОs and soldiers who lost their lives during the defense of Belgrade 1914-15, two sailors from the steamboat "Tiraspol" and 66 soldiers who died in Austro-Hungarian POW camps.

Above the entrance to the crypt is written "Rest in peace warrior eagles" (Спите, орлы боевые). There are two more inscriptions, one also in Russian "Eternal glory to the Emperor Nicholas II and 2 000 000 Russian soldiers of the Great War" (Вечная память Императору Николаю Второму и 2 000 000 русских воинов Великой войны) and other on the back side in Serbian "To our brothers Russians bravely fallen during defense of Belgrade, on Thessaloniki front and other parts of Kingdom of Yugoslavia 1914-1918" (Храбро палој браћи Русима при одбрани Београда, на Солунском фронту и осталој територији Краљевине Југославије 1914-1918).

Next to the monument is Russian Necropolis with around 3000 remains of Russian emigres and Iverskaya Chapel, an exact copy of the chapel that was demolished by the Bolsheviks in Moscow’s Red Square.

I visited this place many times because some of my ancestors are buried not more that couple of steps behind the crypt. Two of them lost their lives during Great War, my great-great grandfather, lieutenant colonel of the Royal Army, was captured by Bulgarian troops and buried alive in 1915 and his son, infantry 2nd lieutenant, who lost his life previous year during Serbian offensive in Srem. He was only 21.