К проблематике коммеморативных знаков, посвященных семье бывшего императора Николая II: по материалам г. Тюмени

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Introduction. The formation of a special research area and studying historical and collective memory is based on international research, especially E. Durkheim, P. Ricœur, J. Assmann, etc, highlight the importance of the studies. The concept of “collective memory” by M. Halbwachs was developed in the studies of the French historian P. Nora. In the 80s of the XX century the researcher introduced the concept of “place of memory” (French lieudemémoire). The concept is based on the preservation of historical memory through the actualization of its objects: museums, monuments, collections, sculptures, memorial complexes, anniversaries, etc. [20, pp. 17-50].

There are few works dedicated to the “places of memory” of the Romanov family members in Russian historiography. Some of them represent the routes of objects dedicated to the memory of the imperial family in the Urals and Siberia [29], some mention individual objects [5, p. 798; 33, p. 241], including commemorative signs [32]. Others indicate objects that are not currently an official "place of memory", but are associated with the stay of the imperial family in Tyumen [13, p. 130].

Geopolitical shift at the beginning of the XX century led to an artificial interruption of the custom of perpetuating the memory of the Romanov dynasty history [1, p. 77], in particular, of members of the Emperor Nicholas II family [36, p. 1181].

However, at the end of the XX century the tradition was continued. Since 1990, in Russian cities, the memory of the imperial family has been perpetuated by the creation of various commemorative objects [43]. In 2000, family members of the former Emperor Nicholas II were canonized as holy passion bearers by the Russian Orthodox Church [29, p. 1]. As a result, the number of “places of memory” about the Romanov family has increased significantly [27]. Currently, they are placed in memorial churches [11], chapels [14], educational centers [4] and commemorative signs: worship crosses [11], memorial plaques, commemorative signs, monuments and sculptural compositions [11].

It is worth mentioning that the installation of individual objects caused a public outcry among the townspeople [12; 15; 34]. Thus, E.A. Besedina and T.V. Burkova emphasize that recently the commemorative practice gives examples of perpetuating the names of people “... towards whom the attitude is not well-established and defined in society” [3, p. 170]. Researchers note that this process is a consequence of changes in the memory policy of recent decades in the country, the introduction of figures previously rejected for ideological and political reasons into the official discourse [3, p. 170]. Thus, after the geopolitical shift, memorialization of the names of imperial family members becomes possible, but not universally approved. It caused division of the society into two groups: staunch supporters and initiators of the installation [32] and strong opponents of perpetuating the memory of memorialized persons [34]. On the one hand, a public outcry may be the result of the action delay. According to researchers, the possible reason could be that Russia has not had the disease of the Civil War yet [38, p. 10]. On the other hand, social tension can be caused by the policy of intensive memorialization of individual names, which has “... the character of social revenge with the usual overlap in such cases” [18, p. 17].

When comparing the number of objects located in cities associated with the exile of the imperial family members, it is clear that the largest number of “places of memory” is located in Yekaterinburg, where the martyrdom of the Romanovs took place [11]. In Tobolsk, the perpetuation of the memory of the Romanov family is represented by the exposition “Museum of the Family of Emperor Nicholas II” [26] and the memorial board installed on the facade of the museum complex “House of the Governor-General” [22]. Places of memory of the Romanovs in Tyumen are represented by a small number of objects. Their distinguishing feature is that they are all connected with the family transfer at the Tyumen railway station [6, p. 647; 13, p. 130]. It has been the most important transshipment base between the river and railway service in Tyumen as a single complex with numerous warehouses and storages [16, p. 755]. The station was located on the bank of the Tura River near the pier, being a dead end station of the Yekaterinburg-Tyumen railway line (until 1913) [16, p. 755].

Monuments located in Tyumen are installed in accordance with the following normative documents. It includes “Regulation on Installation of Monuments, Memorials and Commemorative Signs in Tyumen”, approved by the decision of the Tyumen City Duma No. 702 dated 29.09.2011 [31]. However, the Regulation does not apply to the installation and demolition of monumental objects “... on territories belonging to individual and legal entities that are closed for view and free access” [24].

Another normative document is “Regulation on Consideration of Proposals and Decision-Making on the Installation of Monumental Objects in Tyumen”, approved by the Resolution of the Administration of Tyumen No. 131 – dated 13.12.2011 (hereinafter referred to as the Regulation) [28].

Monumental objects installed in Tyumen in accordance with the above mentioned documents are included in the “Register of Monumental Art Objects installed in Tyumen” (hereinafter – the Register). Information about these objects is contained in the document “Register Information of Monumental Art Objects of the city of Tyumen, to be placed in the Internet information and telecommunications network” (as of 01.02.2021) (hereinafter - Register Information) [39].

Experiment. In 1995 V.P. Savchenko acquired a historical building in need of repair [19]. After the local historian learned in 2001 about the connection of the house location with the transfer of the family of Nicholas II, an exposition dedicated to the representatives of the Romanov house, as well as the house church of the Royal Passion-Bearers was opened in the building [41]. The complex was designed as a non-profit partnership “Historical and Cultural Center «Tsarskaya Pristan»” (hereinafter – “Tsarskaya Pristan”) in order to carry out educational activities [10]. At the same time, representatives of the Tyumen research community pointed out the incorrect name of the center [17].

The private museum “Tsarskaya Pristan” differs from the classical ones in its structure and functions [19]. On the one hand, the location of the house in a specific area of the Tyumen river port, the protected area of the complex, as well as the required pre-registration make it difficult for most tourists and residents of the city. On the other hand, the exposition includes copies of the works of O.A. Romanova, items related to the stay of the Romanov family in Tobolsk, Yekaterinburg, etc. [19]. Tourists can visit the exposition at a low price, and they do not need to meet the requirements of state museums [9].

The house church in the building makes it possible to pray for the memorialized persons, being near the exposition and in close proximity to the place of their transfer. This also requires a prior arrangement to visit the complex.

In 2001, installation of a wooden cross of worship on the territory of the Tsarskaya Pristan Center was initiated by parishioners (Fig. 1) [10].

The large design was made in one of the manufacturing workshops with the help of the Tyumen deputy [9]. Over time, the sign was consecrated and open for visitors [9]. In 2004 [44, p. 105] the cross of worship was moved to the Orthodox Religious Organization “Diocesan Ilyinsky Convent” (Tyumen) of Tobolsk and Tyumen Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (hereinafter referred to as the Bogoroditse-Rozhdestvensky Convent) on the initiative of Metropolitan Dimitri of Tobolsk and Tyumen [25]. According to the memoirs of T.D. Savchenko, the complex was transferred without regret [9].

Fig. 1. The memorial sign “The Emperor's Pier”. Bogoroditse-Rozhdestvensky Convent (Tyumen, 29, 25thOctober St.,). Photo by E. Makarov, November 24, 2022

According to the Register Information, the wooden memorial cross is designated as a memorial sign “The Emperor's Pier”, next to which there is a memorial plaque with a text – quote from the diary of Nicholas II (Fig. 1) [39].The complex is located on the territory of the convent, which has a fence and is restricted for free access. Therefore, according to the Regulation, the placement of this commemorative sign does not require the Administration of Tyumen to make any decisions on the installation of the object [28]. It is worth noting that the Department of Culture of the City Administration Tyumen has not received “...proposal for installation (demolition) of the Object from interested parties in accordance with the Regulation” [24].

Over time, the wooden cross was not re-installed on the territory of the Tsarskaya Pristan Сenter. The next step in memorializing the names of members of the Romanov family was to set new worship crosses here. The installation of memorial objects didn't follow the official procedure for the installation of monumental art objects located in Tyumen, because of a private area [9]. The initiators were parishioners and representatives of the Siberian Cossacks [30]: S.N. Krishtal (1959-2022) – adjutant general, ataman of the convoy of the Nadym Royal Cossack Miraculous Icon of Emperor Nicholas II [30]. The Siberian Cossacks did not believe that the parishioners would be able to quickly collect the necessary amount of money and installed a separate worship cross on behalf of the Cossacks [9]. In 2004, an object made of metal was opened (Fig. 2) [30]. In 2005, a marble memorial sign was installed by the efforts of parishioners (Fig. 3) [9].

Over time, the inscription became unreadable, but T.D. Savchenko made efforts to make the letters legibly visible [9]. Later, problems have arisen in relation to the preservation of the entire sign related to the material of execution. Considering that “marble is a capricious material, it began to turn yellow, and we tried to bleach it with various means, but in vain” [9]. According to V.P. Savchenko, commemorative signs haven't been abused and vandalized over the past 15 years [10]. Perhaps this is due to the fact that their location is under guard, and the facility is closed at night. At the same time, the problems of the preservation of commemorative signs in the Savchenko family are not discussed, since it is planned that in the future, representatives of successive generations will preserve objects located on their land [9].

Fig. 2. The Cross of Worship, installed at the initiative of the Siberian Cossacks. The Tsarskaya Pristan Center (Tyumen, 3, Gosparovskaya Str.). Photo by E. Makarov, November 3, 2022

Fig. 3. The Cross of Worship, installed at the initiative of parishioners. The Tsarskaya Pristan Center (Tyumen, 3, Gosparovskaya Str.). Photo by E. Makarov, November 3, 2022

Despite the presence of navigation signs leading to the “Tsarskaya Pristan” in the historical part of Tyumen [42], these signs are inaccessible to most tourists and residents of the city. The monumental objects are visited by people who have visited the exposition or individual persons who want to worship the crosses. On the other hand, citizens, who visit this place, receive information from its employees about the purpose of the signs and about the persons memorialized by their installation. Explanations are especially relevant in case of mistaken perception of signs as a grave place. Perhaps, the reason is the view of the signs, which resemble graves, as well as the tradition in the Russian Orthodox Church of burying priests on land adjacent to city temples or monasteries.

In 2020, a bronze monument was installed on the territory of the Bogoroditse-Rozhdestvensky Monastery [7] (Fig. 4).

Perpetuating the memory of imperial family members by installing the monument was offered by members of the Tyumen regional branch of the Tsargrad Society [8]. The object was consecrated by Metropolitan Dimitri of Tobolsk and Tyumen. The monument has been installed within about a year [7]. The monument is located in a closed area of the monastery. The sculptor I.V. Makarova noted that all her works dedicated to members of the Romanov family are located on the land occupied by the Russian Orthodox Church, because “... there is no other way, only under the protection of the Lord, his wing!” [7]. After a while, an entrance was made near the river side to view the monument through the reconstruction of the fence, which is the fence of the monastery.

Fig. 4. Monument to the family of the former Emperor Nicholas II. Bogoroditse-Rozhdestvensky Monastery (Tyumen, 29, 25th October Str.). Photo by E. Makarov, November 24, 2022

Discussion. As a result, during writing the research paper there are 4 art objects located in Tyumen, 3 of which are not included in the Register [39]. The commemorative signs were installed in the period from 2001 to 2020 . All objects are in a private area, located in the immediate vicinity of the railway station “Tura”: 2 objects on the right side and 2 – on the left (diagram).

The diagram of commemorative signs dedicated to the family of the former Emperor Nicholas II (No. 1 – memorial sign “Tsarskaya Pristan”, No. 2 – iron worship cross, No. 3 – marble worship cross, No. 4 – monument) and the railway station “Tura” (No. 5) on the map of Tyumen [35]

Representatives of various organizations were the initiators of the installation of commemorative signs. The desire to perpetuate the memory of the family members of Nicholas II in the cultural landscape of Tyumen, despite financial, bureaucratic and everyday problems, was the driving force in the creation and popularization of commemorative signs. For example, representatives of the Tyumen regional branch of the Tsargrad Society popularized the monument to the imperial family through the reconstruction of the fence in order to organize open access to the commemorative sign from the river side [8]. The representatives have initiated creation and installation of commemorative signs. According to researcher A.A. Barannikova, the initiative is preferable in the process of memorialization [2, p. 174]. In addition, it should be taken into account that the Russian Orthodox Church initially has a centuries-old tradition of preserving the memory of historical events and persons [40, p. 40]. At the same time, the installation of objects dedicated to members of the imperial family in the territories occupied by the organization further contributes to the association of their names in the Orthodox faith. It is confirmed by the researcher I.Y. Solomina that the surroundings attach great importance to the meaning of the monument [37, p. 66].

“... The opinion of citizens, mainly or permanently residing in the city of Tyumen, is taken into account” [31] when making an official decision on the installation of monumental art objects in Tyumen. In this regard, A.A. Barannikova emphasizes that the official criteria governing the installation of commemorative signs “... serve as a filter that turns a lot of people into a tool for assessing and analyzing the urban environment” [2, p. 170]. Thus, according to regulatory documents, the installation of these objects in Tyumen is impossible in the presence of opponents of perpetuating the memory of mentioned persons. However, the initiators of the creation of commemorative signs dedicated to the family of the former Emperor Nicholas II did not propose to install objects to the city authorities.

It was seen that prospects for sign preservation in the future are ambiguous due to prospective changing owners of these territories. An example may be the partnership termination “Tsarskaya Pristan” after the death of the chairman of its board V.P. Savchenko in 2022 [9]. It is worth emphasizing that the issue raised is not relevant to the objects included in the Register. According to the Decision, “the branch (functional) body of the Tyumen City Administration in preservation of cultural heritage objects stores and protects monumental objects” [31]. For example, the author gave the official request to the Administration of Tyumen, indicating the need for renovation of the monumental object specified in the Register [21] and a feedback on the work carried out on its repair [23]. In addition, it is important that the signs are not easily reachable for visiting, with the exception of the monument, which is now open to the public.

Conclusion. As a result, the perpetuating the memory of family members of the former Emperor Nicholas II was brought to life through the installation of commemorative signs on the private or closed for viewing territory of Tyumen. At the same time, the duration of the memorialization process was reduced due to the lack of the necessary documentary support. However, a significant drawback is the lack of open access to the installed objects, and, as a consequence, it is seen a problem of its popularization, and the problem of preserving commemorative signs in the future.

The paper is dedicated to the memory of Viktor Pavlovich Savchenko (1949-2022), a local historian, initiator of the creation of a private exhibition and chapel dedicated to the memory of the imperial family, Chairman of the Board of NP "ICC "Tsarskaya Pristan".

The author expresses their sincere gratitude to Tamara Demyanovna Savchenko for the information provided for writing the paper.

Об авторах

Елена Олеговна Макарова

Автор, ответственный за переписку.
Email: elenamakarovauj@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4482-1447
Россия, Тюмень

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