On November 22, 2024, as part of the commemorative events on the occasion of the 104th anniversary of the exodus from Crimea of the soldiers of the Russian army of General P.N. Wrangel, Priest Georgy Sergeyev, responsible for the care of the faithful of the Moscow Patriarchate in Turkey, celebrated the Divine Liturgy and memorial service on the territory of the memorial to the Russian soldiers in Gallipoli (now Gelibolu).
The service was attended by Russian diplomats from the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Istanbul, President of the Russian-Turkish Friendship Association E. Ugurlu, representatives of the Mayor's Office and Gelibolu prefecture, as well as heads and representatives of associations of Russian compatriots from Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya.
The participants of the memorial ceremony laid flowers at the monument to the Russian soldiers. At the end of the memorial service, the participants of the event met with Helibolu Deputy Mayor E. Erdogan and Helibolu District Prefect B. Abaji.
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In 1920-1921, the Gallipoli Peninsula hosted units of the Russian army of General P.N. Wrangel, evacuated from the Crimea. On November 22, 1921 the Society of Gallipolians — one of the active public organizations of the Russian Abroad was established.
A total of 342 people died of wounds, cold, hunger and disease during their stay in Gallipoli. Monument to the Russians The memorial to the soldiers was solemnly consecrated and opened on July 16, 1921. Left in the care of the local authorities, the memorial stood until 1949, when it was severely damaged by an earthquake. For a long time the monument remained in a half-destroyed state, and then it was finally dismantled.
On May 17, 2008, after the restoration, the inauguration of the memorial complex took place. The co-chairmen of the program of restoration of the memorial are the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Center of National Glory V.I. Yakunin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation S.V. Lavrov, the former Minister of Culture and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation A.S. Sokolov.
EVCS Communication Service/Patriarchy.ru
