St. Petersburg, August 20, 2020
mitropolia.spb.ru
The tombstone of the world-famous Russian author Feodor Dostoyevsky at the St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg has undergone a thorough restoration, in time for next year’s celebration of the 200th anniversary of his birth.
His grave is located in the Necropolis of the Masters of the Arts just outside the Lavra walls.
Work on the tombstone began in the spring of this year. In all, the cast-iron fence was restored, lost pieces of the tombstone were replaced, the foundation was strengthened, the granite part of the monument was cleaned and polished, and the bronze bust of Dostoyevsky was washed and treated with a protective compound, reports the St. Petersburg Metropolis.
The inscriptions were also updated with gold paint, including Dostoyevsky’s favorite Gospel verse: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit (Jn. 12:24).
The consecration of the newly-restored tomb is expected to take place in November this year on the great author’s birthday, and the 200th anniversary of his birth will be officially celebrated on a state-level next year.
