A stone cross from the 17th - century was during excavation works in the district of Vitebsk, a city in northern Belarus, a historic centre iknown as a major cultursl centre with a rich artistic history, famously associated with artist Marc Chagall and the annual “Slavianski Bazaar” arts festival, highlighted by stunning churches like the Holy Assumption Cathedral, Annunciation Church, the 18th - century City Hall, and the scenic Dvina River.
The discovery was made by employees of Vitebskvodokanal, the primary utility provider responsible for water supply and sanitation services in Vitebsk, near a road, at the depth of 1.5 metres.
The object, in good state of preservation was later handed over to the regional museum of local history, according to BelTA, Belarus’ largest news agency, and will soon be incorporated into the museum exhibition along with other stone objects found in the Vitebsk region.
The piece is preserved in very good conditions, which make it possible to identify inscriptions on its surface. Thanks to them specialists determined that the cross marked the tomb of Gerasim Ignatovich Ushákovic - Korovchinsky, a member of the privileged “armoured gentry”, belonging to a lineage of armoured nobles whose names appear in written sources from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
From the spelling of the numbers, an expert from Minsk established that the cross dates from 1639 and will provide new data on the local nobility of that period.
According to the museum, in the 17th century the lands of the current Zadubrovie Rural Council belonged to the noble family Ushákovic – Korovchinsky.
The cementery where the cross have originally stood is located about 500 metres from the site of the discovery, so it believed that meltwater moved it to the road.
The piece measures 125.5 cenimetres high and 81 centimetres wide. Specialists point out that that this type of funerary monuments used to be placed in the tombs of nobles, and since both the material and the artisanal work required a considerable investment.
Key details of the find include :
• Location: Discovered 1.5 metres deep during excavation work near a road in Vitebsk District.
• Inscription: Features the name “Harasim Inhatavich” and a date in Cyrillic lettering, with a “titlo” (superscript) indicating the year.
• Significance: It was a grave marker for the armoured gentry” (Pancymyja Bajary), a specialized, armed and wealthy class of military service members.,
• Preservation: The cross is well – preserved enough to allow for the reading of engraved text.
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Thanks a lot to read and note.