VELIKY NOVGOROD, July 14 A monument to the poet, the first Minister of Justice of the Russian Empire Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin was unveiled in Veliky Novgorod, the ceremony was attended by the Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation Konstantin Chuichenko, a correspondent reports.
A teleconference between Veliky Novgorod and St. Petersburg was held: the midday volley of the cannon of the Peter and Paul Fortress was broadcast. The event is timed to coincide with the 280th anniversary of the birth of the statesman and public figure of Russia in the 18th century. The monument is located on a small square, recently named after Derzhavin. The installation was initiated by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.
“On behalf of the Ministry of Justice, I would like to thank everyone who took an active part in the celebration of the 280th anniversary of Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin. Many thanks to the Governor of the Novgorod Region Andrei Sergeevich Nikitin for supporting our initiative. For the erection of the monument, the Novgorod land provided, probably, one of of the best places in the city of Novgorod. I believe that this person, who played an outstanding role in the history of Russia, deserves such a place,» Chuichenko said.
“This man (Derzhavin — ed.) did a lot for our country. He started and built a lot for the first time. He created, as they say, the foundations … People remember Gavriil Romanovich. There is a school nearby, named after him. It seems to me , the monument is in its place,» Governor Nikitin said in turn.
Sculptor of the monument — Aleksey Stepanenko. His works can be found in Moscow, Vladivostok, Ussuriysk.
Gavril Romanovich Derzhavin (1743-1816) — the great Russian poet, statesman, senator, governor of the Olonets and Tambov provinces, the first Minister of Justice of the Russian Empire. He spent the last years of his life on his estate Zvanka in the Novgorod province, where he died. He was buried in the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Khutyn Monastery in Veliky Novgorod. It is depicted on the monument «Millennium of Russia», which is located in the Novgorod Kremlin.