The Russian Academy Of Arts

On June 1, in Moscow was unveiled a memorial to victims of the school hostage siege in the North Ossetian-Alanian town of Beslan on September 1-3, 2004. The monument designed by the People’s Artist of Russia, President of the Russian Academy of Arts Zurab Tsereteli stands in the downtown of Moscow in front of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin at Kulishki – Alanian town church of the Moscow Ossetian community, 5/2 Solyanka street.

The inauguration has been timed to the International Children’s Day celebrated worldwide on June 1 since 1950. The International Children’s Day is not only one of the festive holidays for children, but it also reminds adults of the necessity to be responsible for them. This is a day to mobilize the world public opinion for protecting children from threats of war and terrorism, for providing conditions for their good health and education on a democratic basis.

“In the world there are many possibilities to fight for human values and one of the most significant of them is our struggle against Evil through art understandable to all the people of our planet. Artists must make their contribution to make the life on Earth better, more safe, happy, harmonious and beautiful” – said Zurab Tsereteli. “Time has passed, but we continue to keep in our memory the horrendous terrorist act in the North Ossetia. The tragedy in the town of Beslan has reverberated in the hearts of people not only in Russia, but also worldwide. Hundreds of children became a target for the terror. I have tried to express my feelings, sympathy and pain in my sculptural composition which is devoted not only to the children and their parents who were killed, but also to those who lost their lives for their saving”.

The 5m tall bronze monument mounted on a granite base is a complicated composition symbolizing pain and hope, death and desire for life. The form of the sculpture resembles a trail, a comet turning to the sky. Like steps arising from the base are flying upwards the bronze slabs, children’s figures of generalized shape are losing their outlines and bodies thus making a peak of the whirlwind crowned by birds symbolizing the immortality of a human soul. On the base of the monument there are children’s toys, as if the children who played with them have just gone and will be back soon.

People who are not indifferent to other people’s grief will come to the monument to commemorate the victims of the school hostage siege in Beslan.

Historical background

At 9.15 am on September 1, 2004 a group of terrorists seized as hostages 1127 people in school N1 in the town of Beslan. As a result of the terrorist attack 334 hostages were killed for the most part children, 728 residents of Beslan and 55 security officers were wounded, 12 officers of anti-terrorist units lost their lives.

Each year on the first days of September memorial services are carried out in the Alanian town church in Moscow, people bring flowers to the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania in Moscow in memory of the victims in Beslan. On September 3, representatives of the above Permanent Delegation and the Moscow Ossetian community visit tombs of officers of anti-terrorist units who lost their lives in Beslan.

The idea of the memorial in Moscow was initiated by the head of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania and supported by the Moscow Government.

The President of the Russian Academy of Arts Zurab Tsereteli became a winner of an open competition for the best memorial to victims of Beslan organized by the Moscow Committee for Architecture and City Planning in partnership with the Moscow Department of Culture, Russian Academy of Arts, Moscow Union of Artists, Moscow Union of Architects and the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania in Moscow.

The monument has been placed in front of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin at Kulishki that in 1996 was transferred to the possession of the Moscow Ossetian community with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexi II.

Memorials to victims of Beslan have been erected in St. Petersburg (Russia), North Ossetia (Russia), San Marino, Italy.

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