Monument to the Sophia regiment

On the Royal Bastion of Smolensk, near the stadium "Spartak", stands a monument to the Sophia regiment. The monument was created by artist Boris Tsapenko, a native of Smolensk. The opening of the monument was timed to the 100th anniversary of the defense of the city and took place in August 1912. It is said that a few weeks later Emperor Nicholas II visited Smolensk, but did not approach the monument, showing his dissatisfaction with the discipline in the regiment marked by him during one of the reviews of the troops.

The history of the regiment is closely connected with the Patriotic War with the Napoleonic army - the Second Infantry of the Emperor Alexander III Sophia Regiment was formed on the eve of historical events. On August 4-5, 1812, during the defense of Smolensk, the regiment received baptism of fire. In that battle, the regiment lost 400 dead and missing. The fallen were buried at the Royal Bastion, which is why it was decided to install a monument in this place.

The monument is a four-sided obelisk on a pedestal. At the top of the obelisk is the figure of an eagle spreading its wings. The lower part of the pedestal consists of six small semi-columns with rectangular niches. Initially, these niches were supposed to be bronze boards with inscriptions about the history of the Sophia regiment, but in 1941-1943 they were destroyed and restored today, as well as the monogram of the Russian emperors.