''Mourning Angel'' is a public monument in the Russian city of
Tolyatti. It is a memorial to victims of political repression.
Niyaz Azizovich Yalymov, head of the Tolyatti organization Victims of Political Repression proposed in 1999 that such a memorial be constructed. In 2000 a design competition was held. Of five finalists, the entry of Igor Burmistenko was accepted.
The statue was installed on the Veteran's Mall of Tolyatti Central Park and was opened on October 30 (the
), 2005.
[ The bronze figure was not yet ready, so a temporary plaster version was installed for the opening, then removed.][ The bronze statue was installed in April 2006.
Total cost for creation of the monument was 8 million rubles, shared by the regional and city governments.][
The sculptor, Igor Burmistenko, a member of the Union of Artists of the Russian Federation (and before that of the ]USSR Union of Artists
The Artists' Union of the USSR (russian: Союз художников СССР, translit=Soyuz khudozhnikov SSSR) was a creative union of the Soviet artists and art critics embracing the Republics of the Soviet Union.
The Union was founded sta ...
) died five years into the project, and the statue was finished by the project architect I. N. Prokopenko and cast in bronze by V. A. Fomin.
The memorial complex is a square with granite panels around the perimeter. At one side is the bronze figure of the sitting angel, tall, on a granite pedestal, head slightly bowed. In the hands of the angel are an open book inscribed with words from Ecclesiastes 3:5, "A Time to Gather Stones".[
On the wall behind the angel are two granite slabs. On one are excerpts from the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the ]Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal De ...
of the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
. The other lists the name of 171 residents of the area who were sentenced to death for political reasons and later rehabilitated.[
In January 2007, the memorial complex was attacked by teenaged hooligans who smashed lights and damaged lamposts.][ The damage was not soon repaired, and maintenance of the monument lagged in general.][ The monument is also used by miscreants as a venue for skateboarding stunts.
The sculpture acquired a new symbolism after the Tolyatti bus bombing of 2007 (eight killed, 56 injured), which occurred on October 31, the morning after the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions. The actual site of the bombing was closed for forensic investigation, so grieving citizens gathered at the Mourning Angel (near the site of the bombing) and lit candles.
]
References
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[{{cite web , url=http://www.sakharov-center.ru/asfcd/pam/?t=pam&id=1038&pic=&print=yes , title="Скорбящий ангел" - памятник жертвам политических репрессий, жителям Ставрополя-на-Волге (прежн. наимен. Тольятти), Тольятти и Ставропольского р-на , trans-title="Mourning Angel" - a monument to victims of political repression, the residents of Stavropol-on-Volga (now Tolyatti), Tolyatti and Stavropol district , author=N. P. Kutyreva (photographer) , publisher=Sakharov Center , accessdate=March 12, 2015 {{in lang, ru]
[TLT News, cited at {{cite web , url=http://u-volga.ru/readnews/1353 , title=Тольятти. Скорбящий ангел вернулся на свое место , trans-title=Togliatti. Mourning angel returned to his seat , work=United Volga , accessdate=March 12, 2015 {{in lang, ru]
[{{cite web , url=http://www.polit-nn.ru/?pt=news&view=single&id=81585 , title=В Тольятти осквернен памятник жертвам политических репрессий , trans-title=Monument to Victims of Political Repression in Tolyatti is Desecrated , date=January 26, 2007 , work=Polit-NN , accessdate=March 12, 2015 {{in lang, ru]
[{{cite web , url=http://www.vdmst.ru/16-06-2007/6536 , title=О чем грустит Скорбящий ангел? , trans-title=Why is the Mourning Angel Sad? , author=Victoria Loboda , date=June 16, 2007 , work=City News (Tolyatti) , accessdate=March 12, 2015 , url-status=dead , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402132543/http://www.vdmst.ru/16-06-2007/6536 , archivedate=April 2, 2015 {{in lang, ru]
Monuments and memorials in Tolyatti
Memorials to victims of communism
Bronze sculptures in Russia
Outdoor sculptures in Russia
Sculptures of angels
2006 sculptures