Monument to Governor-General Nikiforaki

There are people – stars, whose life in the memory of descendants leave so bright light that legends begin to make up about them. One of these people was Governor-General Nikolai Egorovich Nikiforaki. Almost two decades at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries he headed the Stavropol province.

In memory of his services to the Stavropol region, the Greek diaspora in honor of the 225th anniversary of Stavropol erected a monument to this outstanding man. Monument to the Governor was erected on the square near the railway station of the city. Now guests of Stavropol meet the Governor of Nikiforaki at the very station, which he conceived when in the Stavropol region just began to build railway tracks.

N. Nikiforaki was born in January 1838 in Ekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk in Ukraine) in the Russified Greek family of a state official with noble roots.

In March 1887 Nikiforaki was appointed Governor of Stavropol. Accepting cases from his predecessor, Karl Zisserman. Under the leadership of Nikiforaki, the Stavropol province developed rapidly, by the beginning of the XX century, the area of sown crops almost doubled, animal husbandry flourished, raw materials processing enterprises were created, and electricity was born.

Nikolai Egorovich was not only a talented businessman-organizer, but also a highly educated person. He spoke six languages, was fond of literature, music, theater, understood the importance of educating the younger generation. Under him, the construction of a diocesan women's school was completed, the Olga Women's Gymnasium, the Belinsky School, the teachers' seminary, and the first Sunday schools were opened. Nikiforaki transferred more than a thousand copies of books from his personal library to parish schools and schools.

He was also at the origins of the reform of Stavropol health care: 12 medical precincts were established, the post of a doctor for business trips was introduced, 10 paramedics were formed to serve patients in remote villages.

N. Nikiforaki died, according to an entry in the metric book of the Kazan Cathedral of Stavropol, February 15, 1904 from kidney inflammation.