The monument was based on the image created in 1899 by Mikhail Nesterov in his painting “Dmitry, the Murdered Tsarevich”. This is one of the most poetic works of Nesterov, which reflected the artist’s interest in the problem of martyrdom and innocent suffering. In the summer of 1895, he visited Uglich to examine the places and relics associated with the stay of Tsarevich Dmitry, numerous icons with his image, and other places of interest that made a significant contribution to the formation of the finalized concept of the painting. It is obvious that what Nesterov was actually interested in was not the historical personality of the tsarevich, but the legend surrounding him.
Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich (October 19 [29], 1582, Moscow — May 15 [25], 1591, Uglich) was the Prince of Uglich, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible and Maria Feodorovna Nagaya, the tsar’s sixth or seventh wife. He lived for eight years only, yet the dynastic crisis, largely related to his mysterious death, lasted at least 22 years after his death. The circumstances of the tsarevich’s death still remain controversial and not fully clarified. According to one version, which appeared during the investigation held by Vasily Shuisky’s commission, the tsarevich was stabbed with a knife during a game of “tychka”. According to another, he was killed by Boris Godunov’s men. The Tsarevich was canonized in 1606 as the blessed Tsarevich Dimitri of Uglich, “the Wonderworker of Uglich and Moscow and All Russia”.
The idea of setting up the monument arose back in 2007 but was abandoned due to the lack of funding. Still, the city of Uglich was issued a federal grant from the Ministry of Culture, thanks to which it became possible to commemorate the tsarevich in a monument. The monument to Tsarevich Dmitry was unveiled on May 28, 2015, on the day of the memory of the Wonderworker of Uglich and Moscow. The inauguration ceremony was preceded by a church service held in the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Uglich Kremlin.
