December 10, 2018, the day of the feast of the Mother of God icon “the Sign” at a monument to heroes of Plevna chapel of the Sign icon of the Mother of God and blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky — the prayer honored the memory of soldiers who fell in battle at Plevna, one of the decisive battles of the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878 Service the memorial service was led by the Bishop of Dmitrov Theophylact, according to patriarhiei.
It was concelebrated by: the representative of his Holiness the Bulgarian Patriarch to the Holy Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, Archimandrite Theoktistos (Dimitrov), representative of the Synodal Department for cooperation with Armed forces and law enforcement agencies Archpriest Konstantin Alesenko, priest, Archpriest Alexander Saltykov, the Iberian clergy of the deanery of Moscow city diocese Archpriest Arseniy Totev, Archpriest Aleksandr of Kurnasov, Archpriest Sergiy Maslennikov, priest Maxim Mikhailov, deacon Alexander Shishkin, as well as clergy of the Church of the Resurrection in kadashi, Moscow, father Igor Olenev and deacon Dimitri Fangs.
According to archival documents, in the opening of the monument in 1887 was defined: “every year on November 28, the day of the fall of Plevna and the capture of the army of Osman Pasha, in memory of the Grenadiers, who fell in this battle, appointed the commemoration of warriors in a Solemn memorial service. On the memorials there are still troops”. According to the new style this date is celebrated on December 10.
This year marks 25 years since then, how was resumed the interrupted for many years, the tradition to commemorate, together with representatives of the Armed forces soldiers who died in the battle of Plevna.
After the memorial services came the greetings of the Chairman of the State Duma Committee on defense, Colonel-General V. A. Shamanov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Russian Federation Atanas Cristina, Deputy Director, 4th European Department of the foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation Mr. Leonid Abramov, member of the Presidium “Skobelevsky Committee” of Colonel-General A. V. Kirillin,.
Greeting from the Ministry of defence of the Russian Federation was announced by assistant commander of land forces, Colonel I. N. Sivakov, on behalf of the Minister of culture of the Russian Federation chief specialist of the scientific Department of the Russian military-historical society, candidate of historical Sciences K. A. Pakaluk. With welcoming speech to the participants also asked the member of the Central Board of the “Union of friends of Bulgaria” by I. I. Kohan.
The event continued with the laying of wreaths from the Ministry of defence of the Russian Federation, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Russian Federation, Ministry of foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Was given military honors to the fallen. The participants also laid flowers to the monument to the Heroes of Plevna.
In the performance of the Military orchestra of the guard of honor the national anthems of Russia and Bulgaria. Choir of the Moscow Suvorov military music College named after General-Lieutenant Valery Khalilov, performed military-Patriotic works.
According to the website of the Iberian deanery