Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. History and legend

The Moscow Kremlin Museums and the Historical Museum jointly present relics associated with the name of the national hero.

The Time of Troubles is one of the most tragic and heroic periods in Russian history. The time when the very existence of Russian statehood was under threat, which was defended at the cost of colossal efforts and sacrifices. Among the significant political and military figures of the era of the Russian hard times, the image of Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky occupies a special place. A descendant of Rurik, a valiant voivode and leader of the Second Militia, which liberated Moscow from the invaders, Prince Dmitry Pozharsky will forever remain in the people’s memory as a true hero and savior of the Fatherland, a true example of selflessness and patriotism.

“In the 19th century, Russia experienced a particular growth of public interest in the history of the country. At this time, there was an active search and acquisition of objects - witnesses of different eras, which, as a result, entered the collection of the Armory Chamber. At that time, the museum received many monuments directly connected with the name of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and with oral legends about him, ”says Elena Gagarina, General Director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums.

The central exhibit of the exhibition is the banner of Dmitry Pozharsky, which before entering the museum was kept in the Transfiguration Church in the village of Purekh, Nizhny Novgorod province, one of the prince’s estates. The banner with the image of the Almighty Savior on the one hand and the Archangel Michael and Joshua on the other, entered the Armory by order of Emperor Nicholas I in 1826.

In 1861, from the collection of antiquities of Prince Pyotr Saltykov, at the highest command, a silver water-blessed bowl with the image of the Epiphany on a target and an inscription about its contribution to the princes Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky with sons Peter, Fyodor and Ivan was brought into the Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery in 7137 (1628/29) year. Also, the Moscow Kremlin Museums will present at the exhibition princely saddle with slotted stirrups and a saber with a damask blade, which entered the Armory in 1830.

“Until our time, very few genuine monuments have been preserved associated with the events of the Time of Troubles. For the first time, museums that store the most valuable relics of Russian history - the State Historical Museum and the Moscow Kremlin Museums - jointly present a set of things that belonged to Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, ”notes Alexei Levykin, Director of the Historical Museum.

The Historical Museum shows the Gospel in a silver frame and a saber of Prince Pozharsky within the framework of the joint exposition. The saber, striking with the splendor of the decoration, was presented to the prince by grateful Muscovites after the invaders were expelled from the Kremlin.