Kosciusko versus Suvorov
Thaddeus (Andrej) Bonaventura Kosciusko was born in the town of Meracouscyna, currently in the Ivacevicy district, Brest region. After studies at the University of Cracow in Poland and a military school, he continued education in France.
Kosciusko was on the North American continent to fight for the independence of the United States. For his contribution to the American independence, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier and became a national hero of the United States. After coming back to his home land, he started a liberation uprising.
He was imprisoned by Russia in 1794 and kept in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg. When Russia’s czar Pavel I gained power, Kosciusko was released from jail and went to Switzerland where he died in 1817.
The European Radio for Belarus asked Aleh Lukasevic to tell you more about his series of documentary films on Belarus’s historical figures.
“This is a documentary project, which we produce at the Belarus Television. The project narrates about our famous compatriots, who were born on the territory of the present Belarus and contributed to the development of the world’s culture and science.
We have already finished films about Efrasinja of Polack, Marc Shagal and Stanislaw August Poniatowski. We made a series of programs about the sons of Belarus who honored our nation. Thaddeus Kosciusko is among them. He is a son of the Belarusian land and we must be proud of his personality,” said Aleh Lukasevic.
The director had to travel to five countries to film the scenes associated with Kosciusko. His documentary narrates not only about the national uprising on the territory of Belarus, but also about Kosciusko’s part in the American war for independence. The documentary portrays him as a genius commander and an innovative engineer.
Viewers will be even able to see his last-will document, in which he wishes to free his peasants from serfdom in the then Belarus. This document is kept in the town of Solothurn, Switzerland and will be exposed to the Belarusian public for the first time.
Meanwhile in the town of Kobryn in western Belarus, the Russian Orthodox Church started constructing a church in honor of the Russian field marshal Suvorov, who was sent by the Russian rulers to suppress Kosciusko’s uprising.
The project has received criticism in the Belarusian society, with some civil society groups calling to halt the construction in Suvorov’s honor. The leaders of the Belarusian Language Society, Belarus International Diaspora and the Union of Belarusian Writers sent an open letter to the Belarusian Orthodox Church, objecting to Suvorov being honored in Belarus.
Renowned artist Ales Marackin, who also endorsed the letter, believes that building a memorial church in honor of the Russian commander would be a bright symbol of fratricidal Slavic war. Moreover, the historical justice will not be met.
“We have received no response from the Belarusian Orthodox Church. We wrote to Filaret [the leader of the Belarusian Orthodox Church and to the government. Signatures are being collected at the office of the Belarusian Language Society. As far as I know, people are still signing up.
There is also a plan to stage a protest action. It is not yet clear how the protest will look like, but it will be titled “Belarus without Suvorov!”
In my view, it is not normal to build a church named after Suvorov, because he is an unofficial saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is not normal to honor him in Belarus where he drowned the Belarusian gentry in blood,” Marackin said.
The European Radio for Belarus decided to find out whether the leadership of the Belarusian Orthodox Church received the letter.
“The letter is being reviewed by the Metropolitan. He is not in Belarus right now and will be back next week only,” the Belarusian Orthodox Church’s office told our correspondent.
The construction of the church in Kobrun has already been in progress, with the Russian Orthodox Church rendering limited support in the form of general approval statements. The Belarusians continue collecting signatures against the church in honor of Suvorov.
But good news is that the national TV has produced and is screening a documentary film about the Belarus’s national hero. We asked director Aleh Lukasevic what his stance is on the construction of a church in Kobryn.
“I object to having Suvorov represented in a greater way than Kosciusko. In my view, the personality of the leader of the 1794 uprising should be glorified more, because he fought for independence of this country,” Lukasevic said.
Photo: A Monument to Suvorov in Kobryn by photo.bymedia.net
