Around the same time, exactly 100 years ago, significant events took place in Russia. it all started with February Revolution, and ended October coup. And the terminology is not so important here, the main general action, and the easiest way to call this entire period in one capacious word is distemper. Photos will help us to see how everything went.
Bread riots, anti-war rallies, demonstrations, strikes at industrial enterprises of the city were superimposed on discontent and ferment among the many thousands of the capital's garrison, which joined the revolutionary masses that took to the streets. On February 27 (March 12), 1917, the general strike turned into an armed uprising; the troops that went over to the side of the rebels occupied the most important points of the city, government buildings. In the current situation, the tsarist government showed an inability to take quick and decisive action. The scattered and few forces that remained loyal to him were unable to independently cope with the anarchy that engulfed the capital, and several units withdrawn from the front to suppress the uprising could not break through to the city.
Demonstration in St. Petersburg in the first days of the coup
Vladimir Mayakovsky
Petrograd
Drunken soldiers mixed with the police fired at the people.
Arrest and escort of disguised policemen at the Technological Institute on Zabalkansky Prospekt
Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich
Gatchina
Unrest in Petrograd intensified, on Suvorovsky Prospekt and Znamenskaya about 200 people were killed.
Alexander Balk
Petrograd
The day began, as usual, with a detour. On the streets near the advertisements of General Khabalov, pasted in in large numbers, crowded heaps. The faces are serious. The carelessly cheerful mood, as in the early days, is no longer there. The weather, unfortunately, continues to be beautiful. At about ten o'clock, reports came from the outskirts of the city that troops had begun firing at the crowds.
The company of the Pavlovsky regiment refused to go to pacify the unrest, fired at the police mounted patrol (a policeman was wounded and two horses were killed). The battalion commander, Colonel Exten, was seriously wounded in the head.
Burning of coats of arms in the days of the revolution
Olga Paley
Tsarskoye Selo, Pashkovsky per., 2
The first red banner appeared, that vile rag.
Barricades on Liteiny Prospekt
Sergei Prokofiev
Liteiny Bridge, Petrograd
I went to the general rehearsal of the student performance at the Conservatory. It was "Eugene Onegin". My Georgian Elli Kornelievna called me. I went willingly because I have always loved our lively dress rehearsals. In the library, the watchman told me that a real battle was going on at Liteiny near the Arsenal, with terrible shooting, as there were soldiers who had gone over to the side of the workers. There are also shootings on many main streets of the city. But at the Conservatory they were busy with their rehearsal, and they soon forgot about the city.
Barricades at the arsenal
Mikhail Rodzianko to Emperor Nicholas II
Mogilev, Headquarters of the Supreme Commander
I most humbly inform YOUR MAJESTY that the popular unrest that began in Petrograd is assuming a spontaneous character and menacing proportions. Their foundations are the lack of baked bread and the weak supply of flour, which inspires panic, but mainly, complete distrust of the authorities, unable to lead the country out of a difficult situation. On this basis, events will undoubtedly develop, which can be temporarily contained at the cost of shedding the blood of civilians, but which, if repeated, will be impossible to contain.
The movement may shift to railways and the life of the country will freeze in the most difficult moment. Defense factories in Petrograd are shut down for lack of fuel and raw materials, workers are left without work, and the hungry, unemployed crowd embarks on the path of anarchy, spontaneous and unstoppable. Railway communication throughout Russia is in complete disarray. In the south, out of 63 blast furnaces, only 28 operate, due to the lack of fuel and the necessary raw materials. In the Urals, out of 92 blast furnaces, 44 stopped, and the production of pig iron, decreasing from day to day, threatens a major reduction in the production of shells. The population, fearing the inept orders of the authorities, does not carry grain products to the market, thus stopping the mills, and the threat of a lack of flour rises to its full height before the army and the population. Government power is in complete paralysis and is completely powerless to restore the disturbed order. Sovereign, save Russia, she is threatened with humiliation and disgrace. The war under such conditions cannot be victoriously ended, since the ferment has already spread to the army and threatens to develop unless a decisive end is put to the anarchy and disorder of power. Sovereign, immediately summon a person in whom the whole country can trust, and instruct him to form a government in which the whole population will trust. All of Russia will follow such a government, inspired again by faith in itself and in its leaders. In this terrible hour, unprecedented in its horrific consequences, there is no other way out and it is impossible to delay.
Police archive destroyed
Troops on Liteiny Prospekt
Troops at the State Duma
The sleigh car of the former Tsar Nicholas II
Provisional Executive Committee of the State Duma
Manifestation of female soldiers
Funeral procession during the funeral of the victims of the February Revolution on one of the streets of the city
Funeral service for those who died during the funeral of the victims of the February Revolution
Funeral of the victims of the February Revolution on the Field of Mars
Members of the Provisional Government at the mass grave on the Field of Mars
“Soon, with God’s help, the bright dawn of rebirth will shine over our Russia (...) then they will remember you, the valiant martyr of the policeman (...) and your grateful compatriots who know how to appreciate the true greatness of the spirit and true services to the Motherland will build a monument over your modest grave ”wrote in exile Colonel of the Imperial Guard, Master of the Horse of the Highest Court F.V. Vinberg.
The words of the Russian officer turned out to be prophetic. On May 27, 2008, on the Field of Mars, in the presence of the highest officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, St. Petersburg passed the Day of Remembrance of the Petrograd policemen who martyred in the February days of 1917. A memorial service was served, mournful speeches were delivered ...
The leadership of the St. Petersburg security forces on the Field of Mars in May 2008
According to the city authorities, 170 policemen were buried on the Field of Mars, who found a cruel death at the hands of Petersburgers during the February Revolution of 1917. Today, the names of 78 neighborhood heroes have been established.
Is the Field of Mars really the largest police necropolis in Russia? It should be noted that this question occupied Petersburgers at the beginning of the 20th century. There were three reasons for talking about the burial of policemen and gendarmes on the Champ de Mars.
Firstly, the very name “cemetery of the victims of the revolution” suggested that only loyalists who fell at the hands of revolutionaries could be “victims of the revolution”. Secondly, initially, the press published unified lists of victims of revolutionary events. So the newspaper "Birzhevye Vedomosti" dated March 23, 1917 placed a list of 266 names who died during the revolutionary days. Of these, 87 were soldiers, 49 workers, 33 employees, etc. The list also included 19 police officers and 14 officers - possible defenders of the Sovereign. Finally, thirdly, 42 of the dead remained unidentified, which gave rise to rumors that they could be policemen or gendarmes.
It must be said that the authorities and public authorities of Petrograd made great efforts to ensure that among those buried on Palace Square there were no policemen, gendarmes or officers. As the mouthpiece of the St. Petersburg business Birzhevye Vedomosti wrote, “... They will be interred in a mass grave ... 180 fighters for people's freedom, accurately identified and known as those who died in the fight against the old regime. In view of the fact that there are many still unidentified corpses in the mortuary hospitals ... an energetic investigation is carried out and the exact categories of victims of the revolution are established, and the true fighters for freedom are carefully separated from the adherents of the old regime. The documents of the executive committee of the Petrograd Soviet also contain a statement by the committee of the Volynsky regiment that the opponents of the uprising, “head captain I.S. Lashevich and ensigns of the same regiment I.K. Zelenin and M. Danilov are on the list of fallen heroes. ... the regimental committee petitions for the calculation of those from the lists of fallen heroes. On the back of the application there is a resolution - “We undertake not to bury these persons. Member of the funeral committee A. Malyshev.
The funeral of the victims of the revolution. Postcard 1917
Ultimately, 184 bodies were selected for the first burial on the Field of Mars (according to other sources, 178 or 181). The names of most of the buried were known. Thus, the bodies of Afanasy Ivanov and Fyodor Kozlov, a worker of the Baltic Plant, were the first to be lowered into the grave. Several unidentified victims of the revolutionary events were also buried. The authorities considered it unlikely that those killed were police officers, since the bodies of the latter were identified by relatives living in St. Petersburg. Most likely it was about non-residents and visitors.
Therefore, currently available historical science facts make it unlikely that at least one policeman was buried on the Field of Mars. However, it is possible that the city authorities and the leadership of the St. Petersburg police have new, hitherto unknown archival materials that completely refute the traditional historiography dedicated to the necropolis on the Field of Mars.
I will cite here excerpts from the diary of A. N. Benois about how this idea of burying the victims of the February Revolution on the Field of Mars came about. Once these passages were posted on my Fragments, but it’s not a sin to re-lay out, especially about this.
Monday, March 6/19<...>And again, anxiety, because, according to rumors, they are going to bury the "victims of the revolution" on the area of the Winter Palace, where in time it is planned to build a grandiose monument. In view of this monument, gentlemen architects have been busy. Here, too, there is a danger that the crowd of one hundred thousand, attracted by the funeral procession, under the influence of some naughty demagogues, would rush to the palace itself and at the same time to the Hermitage! Gorky, summoned urgently by me, agreed to go himself to the Soviet of Workers' Deputies to reason with the "comrades." He will offer them the square of the Kazan Cathedral, which has been marked by so many<раз>revolutionary uprisings and among which once there was a monument in the form of an obelisk. Something similar could be done now...<...>
<...>And this time, having appeared among us, he was broadcasting, but he was definitely saying things that were not relevant to the case. So, for example, indignant at the fact that the "victims" were going to be buried "in the middle of the city", he found that this was "unclean"! We asked him to go to S.R.D. (on the promised car Grzhebin) and again try to persuade the "grave diggers" (as Yaremich calls them) to look for another place than the foot of the Alexander Column. However, an hour later he returned from there with nothing and very embarrassed: he did not even manage to "get his word" at all! In general, it is believed that it will be difficult to achieve a re-decision on a question on which there was a unanimous vote (oh nightmare of collective decisions!) one thousand four hundred votes!<...>
<...>Evening meeting - secondary entrée<выступление (фр.)>"architectural clowns": Zhenya Schreter, Rudnitsky and their associates - all because of the ill-fated idea with the burial of "victims". They clung to these dead people like hungry in bags of flour, and are ready to gnaw the throat of those who would take their prey from them. On our part, Kolya Lansere was especially excited. Schroeter finally lost all self-control and flew out of the meeting, threatening that he would completely refuse to work (on the monument) and thereby set all the workers already contracted to dig graves against us! After they left, Fomin came up with another "brilliant" plan on how to avert trouble, but for now he keeps it a secret.<...>
<...>I found our commission in high spirits, caused by the victory that Fomina managed to win in the meeting of R. and S. Deputies (held at the Mikhailovsky Theater). In cooperation with Rudnev, who has come over to our side, our architectural fa presto<скорый на руку человек; букв.: делай быстро (ит.)>made huge paintings - projects of fantastic monuments to the "victims", however, not on the Winter Palace Square, but on the Field of Mars, and this made such an impression that at last the "comrades" gave up and decided that the burial would take place there. Thus, the stratage, which Fomin secretly prepared, was a complete success! And just then Chagall appeared, alarmed by the assignment entrusted to him to paint the banners that should appear in the funeral procession. I urged him (and others) not to get involved in this matter, because there is not enough time (the funeral is scheduled for the 16th), and in general such a task is beyond the power of "room" artists. However, Dobuzh<инский>and Narbut immediately dreamed of some kind of "sea of red flags"<...>
“Today was the funeral of those who died for the revolution. What an amazing performance!” recalled the sociologist and culturologist Pitirim Sorokin. “Hundreds of thousands of people carried thousands of red and black flags with the inscription: “Glory to those who gave their lives for freedom.” The funeral march was accompanied by singing. an endless procession walked for hours through the streets, exemplary order and discipline were observed everywhere. The faces of the people were solemn and sad. The sight of this crowd, human grief shook me to the core "1. The funeral of the victims of the revolution took place on March 23, 1917 in Petrograd, becoming a "model" celebration for other Russian cities. They also influenced the subsequent development of universal forms of the Soviet mass procession 2 .
AT Russian Empire each new reign began with a solemn funeral of the previous ruler. In the 19th century this ceremony emphasized the continuity of power. The first triumph of free Russia, oddly enough, was also the funeral. Only they had to perform the exact opposite function: to consolidate the correctness and inevitability of the overthrow of the autocracy; show that the sacrifices made were not in vain. Nevertheless, the order of the event, as before, was regulated by the "ceremonial". Its publication in the press was preceded by a heated discussion organizational issues.
Location selection
The issue of arranging the funeral of the victims of the revolution was raised at meetings of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies in early March 1917. The city and district commissions were also involved in the organization. Initially, the burials were going to be held by districts, but then the concept of a centralized celebration prevailed. Pole of Mars, Palace Square, Kazan Cathedral, Tauride Garden, Znamenskaya Square and Summer Garden 3 were proposed as possible sites for a mass grave and installation of a memorial sign.
The first two locations seemed to be the most suitable. The soldiers stood for the Field of Mars, while the workers for the Palace Square, and this option prevailed for a while. The square in front of the Winter Palace was associated with the events of January 9, 1905, known as Bloody Sunday. It would be very symbolic to erect a monument to "freedom fighters" in front of the former imperial residence. Also considered was the possibility that winter palace meetings of the Constituent Assembly will be held.
The adopted resolution read: “To designate the day of the holiday of the great liberation of the people on March 10. The funeral should be nationwide, civil without a church rite, which will be performed by relatives of those killed in their opinion. must be committed by the entire population with the participation of all units of the Petrograd garrison, in in full force with banners and music. Establish the celebration of this day in calendar order" 4. The news about the time and place of the event hit the newspapers, provoking further controversy.
Representatives of the Commission for the Arts, among whom were the artists A.N. Benois, M.V. Dobuzhinsky, K.S. Petrov-Vodkin, architects I.A. Fomin, N.E. Lansere and others, made a proposal to change the decision on the place of burial of the victims of the revolution. They stated that Palace Square "from an artistic point of view is a completely complete architectural whole, not allowing clutter with new monuments", and named as a possible alternative Kazan Square, "which was the site of numerous speeches in favor of liberation", or the Field of Mars, where "there were the first shots that heralded the beginning of the great revolution." At that time it was also assumed that next to the graves of the victims of the revolution on the Field of Mars "a building for the Russian parliament" would be erected in accordance with all the rules of science, technology and art, which would become "the center of Russia's control" 5 .
M. Gorky, who took an active part in the organization of "people's celebrations", spoke with special perseverance for the Champ de Mars variant. "Not a single revolution went along with art," he declared. "You are the first to show it. This is a big task." The association with the Champ de Mars in the capital of the French Revolution, Paris, where patriotic holidays were regularly held, could also play a role in choosing the burial place.
As a result, in terms of significance, size, location, and even the state of the soil, the Field of Mars was better than other sites in Petrograd for organizing a burial ceremony. However, the difficulties were not limited to the choice of location.
Shadow of Khodynka
The original date of the funeral was repeatedly postponed: March 10, March 12, March 16, and finally March 23. There were several reasons: the need to deal with the corpses - "they are fighters or opponents"; solve technical issues for burial; ensure safety on the streets of the city. The military commission expressed well-founded concern about possible unrest. "The beginning of our administration cannot begin with Khodynka," some said. "We must use this day for a wide-ranging agitation," others echoed them.
The problem of ensuring security when arranging celebrations with the participation of a mass audience became one of the key ones after the infamous Khodynka disaster, which occurred in the midst of the celebration of the coronation of Nicholas II in May 1896. Then 1389 people died in the stampede and 1301 were crippled. Since then, various measures have been taken to prevent a recurrence of such a tragedy: the dispersal of the public, checking the venues of the celebrations, increasing police surveillance, etc. But the number of participants kept growing. At the beginning of the XX century. there has been a trend towards decentralization of venues for celebrations. That is why the organizers of the funeral of the victims of the revolution of 1917 initially intended to organize burials by districts. However, the task then became more difficult. Processions with coffins from different districts of Petrograd were supposed to gather in one place - on the Field of Mars.
In "Notes on the Revolution" N.N. Sukhanov recalled on this occasion: "The best military authorities" categorically stated that it was absolutely impossible to let a millionth mass pass through the same point during the day. "The whole of Petrograd really had to gather, and there was a danger of provocations, panic, mass crush, execution of demonstrators "Both the risk and the difficulties were, therefore, enormous. It was up to the people themselves to ensure order in the full sense, and they had to rely on their conscience and self-discipline. The young militia and the bulky, swollen, completely inexperienced garrison in these matters could not do anything by themselves. On the other hand, if everything had gone well, it would have been a brilliant examination and a huge new victory for Petersburg democracy.
At a meeting of the Provisional Government on March 15, 1917, it was decided "to form a joint commission of representatives of the Provisional Government, the Executive Committee of the State Duma and the Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies to establish the procedure for burying the victims of the revolution" 9 . The commission also included the Petrograd mayor, representatives of the Military Ministry and the Ministry of Public Education. Grief, albeit for a short time, was able to rally people, and triumph - to create the appearance of unity.
"There were no bills collected..."
“Yesterday, about 180 people who died in the struggle for the revolution were buried in Petrograd on the Field of Mars. Eternal memory to them!” N.P. Okunev, a contemporary of the events, wrote in his diary, closely following the news from newspaper publications. (169 killed and 1274 wounded), the funeral was, of course, civil. Ministers, members of the State Duma, soldiers and people took part in the ceremony. Everything was grandiose and harmonious. There were no counts of the gathered crowds, but it is believed that nevertheless 2/3 of the population of Petrograd. Over time, a majestic monument will be erected on the graves of freedom fighters" 10 .
The presence at the ceremony of representatives of the Provisional Government, members of the State Duma and deputies of the Petrograd Soviet "emphasized the special, national character of what was happening" 11 . The same task was performed by numerous photographs taken during the celebration, and specially issued postcards. From the footage of the newsreel, the film "National Funeral of the Heroes and Victims of the Great Russian Revolution on the Field of Mars in Petrograd, 1917" was prepared. 12 .
According to the "Ceremonial of the funeral of the victims of the revolution", the columns of the procession participants were formed from the Vasileostrovsky district, the Petrograd and Vyborg sides, the Narva, Nevsky and Moscow regions, and then along pre-planned routes, each at one time followed to the Field of Mars 13. The processions were divided, but at the same time they had a single crossing point at which they did not linger. Upon reaching the burial place, the main part of those accompanying them returned to their areas, and those who directly carried the coffins remained to lower them into the prepared grave. Thus, the sad triumph was united by rhythm and almost non-stop movement. This approach differed from the imperial funeral processions, which had a common vector of movement, but at the same time, it was somewhat reminiscent of the movements of religious processions. Probably, in order to avoid such undesirable analogies, the funeral had the status of a civil ceremony.
The first column arrived at the burial place by 10 am, the last participants left the Field of Mars late in the evening. According to various sources, the total number of people gathered that day for the celebration ranged from 800 thousand to 1.5 million people. According to N.N. Sukhanov, "it was not a funeral, but a great, unclouded folk celebration, about which for a long time there was some kind of grateful memory among all the participants" 14 .
So, from the "Amusing Field" ("Tsaritsyna Meadows"), where military parades were held tsarist army, Champ de Mars has become one of the key locations for 15 memorial events and nationwide celebrations Russian republic, and then Soviet Russia. Similar "red funerals" or "freedom holidays" were held in the spring of 1917 throughout the country.
* The article was prepared with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project No. 18-39-00080 mol_a.
1. Sorokin P.A. Long way. Autobiographical novel. Syktyvkar, 1991, p. 92.
2. Mass festivities. Leningrad, 1926. S. 55-56.
3. Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies in 1917. Minutes, transcripts and reports, resolutions, resolutions of general meetings, meetings of sections, meetings of the Executive Committee and factions February 27-October 25, 1917. In 5 vols. L., 1991. T. 1. S. 144.
4. Ibid. S. 146.
5. Ibid. pp. 151-153, 242-243, 257.
6. Ibid. pp. 180-181, 193-194, 196.
7. Ibid. pp. 182, 196, 230.
8. Sukhanov N.N. Notes on the Revolution: in 3 vols. M., 1991. T. 1. Book. 1-2. S. 241.
9. GA RF. F. 1779. Op. 2. D. 180. L. 4-7.
10. Okunev N.P. Diary of a Muscovite, 1917-1924. M., 1997. Book. 1. S. 29.
11. For more details, see: Kolonitsky B.I. Symbols of power and the struggle for power: to the study of the political culture of the Russian revolution of 1917. SPb., 2012. S. 36-57.
12. Chertilina M.A. The funeral of the victims of the February Revolution in Petrograd on March 23, 1917 in the film and photo documents of the RGAKFD // Otechestvennye archives. 2011. N 1. S. 45-51.
13. True. 1917. N 15. S. 2.
14. Sukhanov N.N. Notes on the Revolution. S. 313.
15. Smirnov N.I. Mars field. L.-M., 1947; Ivanov I.A. Mars field. L., 1958; Khomutetsky N.F. Field of Mars - a monument to the fallen fighters of the revolution // Construction and architecture of Leningrad. 1966. N 1. S. 12-15; Matveev B.M. Victims. Wrestlers. Heroes. Metamorphoses of the monument on the Field of Mars // Monuments of history and culture of St. Petersburg. SPb., 2002. Issue. 6. S. 260-276.
On March 5, the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies decided to appoint a funeral for March 10. This day was declared "the day of remembrance of the victims of the Revolution and the national holiday of the Great Russian Revolution for all time." It was ordered to organize a funeral as "national and civil" without a church rite. A church memorial service could be performed by the relatives of the dead "according to their conviction."
Priests of military temples on this day were supposed to perform funeral services in temples.
Funeral service for those who died during the funeral of the victims of the February Revolution
The entire population of the capital, as well as the entire population of the Petrograd garrison, was called upon to participate in the funeral of the victims of the revolution. However, on March 10, the funeral did not take place and the ceremony was postponed more than once, until, finally, the final date was set - March 23, 1917.
Discussions flared up over the choice of burial site. Initially, the majority of delegates spoke in favor of Palace Square, but objections arose. The organizers were concerned about the soil water under the Palace Square, they feared that the mass graves would violate the integrity of the famous architectural ensemble of the square. They were called Kazan Cathedral, Znamenskaya Square.
The Petrograd Soviet decided to bury the victims of the revolution on the Field of Mars. The crypt was planned to be placed under a huge column, next to erect “according to all the rules of science, technology and art” a building for the Russian parliament, which was to become the center of government for all of Russia. The grandiose entrance to the parliament building, facing the Neva, was supposed to be decorated with statues of prominent figures of the revolution.
Funeral procession during the funeral of the victims of the February Revolution on one of the streets of the city.
A special commission created by the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies acted as the organizer of the funeral. Parts of the garrison were ordered to participate in the ceremony, the allocation of special units with orchestras. On the day of the funeral in the city, it was planned to stop the work of industrial and commercial enterprises, and tram traffic was stopped.
The path and time of the funeral processions from each district of Petrograd to the Field of Mars was determined. The column organization scheme is certified by the signature of the commander-in-chief of the troops, Lieutenant General L.G. Kornilov.
Funeral procession on Nevsky Prospekt during the funeral of the victims of the February Revolution.
The Petrogradsky Listok newspaper wrote about this event: “... processions with the coffins of the victims, with waving flags, with an innumerable crowd of people, are moving slowly from all parts of the city. Slowly, solemnly resounds in the air consonant singing thousands of voices: "You fell a victim in the fatal struggle ...".
The procession, which began at 9 a.m. 30 min. ended well after midnight. At least 800 thousand people passed by the mass graves on the Field of Mars. The presence of members of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma, the Provisional Government, and deputies of the Petrograd Soviet emphasized the special, national character of the event. Military and Naval Minister A.I. Guchkov, accompanied by the commander of the Petrograd Military District, General L.G. Kornilov, arrived at the Field of Mars at 10 o'clock. The minister knelt before the graves and crossed himself.
Reportage filming of the funeral of the victims of the revolution covers all stages of the mourning ceremony: the procession of columns from different districts of Petrograd with the coffins of the dead, the situation on the streets of the city, the rally on the Field of Mars, the burial of the victims, etc. Among them: 10 photo documents taken by the famous photographer Petr Otsupa: procession on Nevsky Prospekt”, “Funeral procession in the Vyborg region”, “Lowering the coffin into the grave during the funeral of the victims of the February Revolution on March 23, 1917”, “Church memorial service on the Field of Mars”, “Police from student representatives”, “Funeral columns on Field of Mars.
Examining the information of photographic documents, one can see great amount different people social groups who took part in the funeral ceremony. These are soldiers and officers, workers, intellectuals, students.
The event was planned in advance and was well prepared. The photographs show a large number of flags and banners with slogans that are written correctly without spelling and stylistic errors, in even letters. Columns of funeral processions with flags and banners are moving towards the Champ de Mars in perfect order.
Funeral of the victims of the February Revolution on the Field of Mars
In one of the pictures you can see: at the head of the columns there are standard-bearers or those who carry a banner with slogans. Next march the military units of the Petrograd garrison with an orchestra. Endless columns of demonstrators move through the streets of Petrograd, soldiers carry coffins with bodies fallen heroes, as evidenced by the footage.
On the Field of Mars
Among the representatives of the mourning ceremony, photographic documents depicted delegations of students from the Academy of Arts, Shlisselburg residents, workers of the 1st Russian X-ray tube plant, soldiers of an auto division. Order on the streets of the city is monitored by the military on horseback. On both sides of the street, the civilian population, including women. Pushing back the crowd, holding hands, the soldiers stand in a cordon, ensuring the immediate advancement of the funeral procession. In one of the photographs - the police from the representatives of the students. Mourning columns accompany the coffins with the dead to the Field of Mars, where a large mass grave was dug. Photographers recorded how soldiers dig frozen ground on the eve of the mourning event - March 22.
Photographic documents capture a picture of events taking place directly on the Field of Mars: a huge crowd of people during a rally, general form Field of Mars during the ceremony, a large number of flags and banners with slogans: "Immortal memory of the fallen freedom fighters", " Everlasting memory freedom fighters”, “The living - the fallen” and others. The photographs show that despite mass gathering people, there is no crowd on the Field of Mars, nothing interferes with the following of the mourning columns.
In written sources, it is recorded that, according to the decision of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, funerals should take place without religious rites. However, the photographs show the performance of a religious rite on the Champ de Mars: three clergy perform a funeral service over the coffin of the deceased.
Next to the coffin is a large cross with a crucifix, banners. Soldiers, officers, men and women take part in this ceremony. Men without hats, with bowed heads. Perhaps this memorial service was held at the initiative of the relatives of the victims. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find out how many people were buried, only one coffin is visible on photographic documents. It is noteworthy that the majority of those participating in the memorial service - simple people, which we can judge by clothes. So, if we compare the clothes of women during a memorial service with the clothes of women participating in an official burial, we will see that the former are dressed in scarves and shapeless coats, the latter are more elegant, they wear hats and coats with fur collars.
On several photographic documents depicting the burial, there are a large number of voluminous wooden barrels in the frame. It was not possible to find out what they were for, what was in them. Perhaps they contained cement for pouring graves, or water for mortar. In some photographs, we see wooden flooring and special holes into which coffins are lowered. It can be assumed that the flooring was made for the convenience of lowering the coffin into the grave. Six people (three on each side) on ropes lower the coffin into the grave through a hole in the wooden flooring on ropes.
Below, several people receive the coffins and stack them in two rows. Some of the coffins are decorated with bouquets of flowers, each with a note with the name of the deceased. After the funeral, the mass grave was poured with cement, which is also reflected in the documents.
Photo documents confirm the fact that members of the Provisional Government attended the funeral of the victims of the revolution. In the pictures: Minister of War and Marine A.I. Guchkov, Chairman of the State Duma M.V. Rodzianko, Minister of Foreign Affairs P.N. Milyukov, member of the Provisional Committee, Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod V.N. Lvov and others.
When studying film documents dedicated to the funeral of the victims of the February Revolution in Petrograd 1917, 12 items were identified. hr., containing filming of such operators as F.K. Verigo-Dorovsky, M.I. Bystritsky (March 22), Bulla, who was a photojournalist in his main specialty, as well as photographs made by employees of the Skobelev Committee and the Pate Brothers firm.
Filming of preparations for the funeral ceremony has been preserved: “On the eve of the funeral. Preparation of graves on the Champ de Mars on March 22, 1917. M.I. Bystritsky Petrograd. Groups of people can be observed on the screen - soldiers, civilians belonging to different strata of society, which can be determined by clothing. They block the passage to the Champ de Mars, where the frozen earth is exploding and graves are being dug. In their hands they have a large poster with the inscription "The passage is closed, they are blowing up the earth for graves." It is captured how the soldiers dig graves, the walls are strengthened with boards. On top of the grave, a wooden flooring is made in the form of a bridge. Large barrels lie in a row, the purpose of which could not be clarified. An interesting plot: “The chapel of the Obukhov hospital. Sealing coffins”: there are two coffins, soldering devices for sealing coffins are heated. The quality of this scene is poor as it was shot in the dark.
The study made it possible to eliminate some disagreements between scientists regarding the construction of graves on the Field of Mars. B. Kolonitsky, for example, believed that four large graves had been dug. However, audiovisual documents confirm the opinion of those who believed that one large mass grave was dug in the form of the letter "L".
Members of the Provisional Government at the mass grave on the Field of Mars
In the film document of the Skobelev Committee "National Funeral of the Heroes and Victims of the Great Russian Revolution on the Field of Mars in Petrograd 1917" (director of filming G.M. Boltyansky, cameramen A. Dorn, I. Kobozev, P. Novitsky) the inscription at the beginning of the film says that "up to one and a half million people participated in the procession." In written sources, there are different numbers of those who took part in the mourning ceremony, the most common figure is 800 thousand people, some sources talk about a million participants in the demonstration.
