Memorial of Military Glory “Grieving Mother”

In 1967, dedicated activists in Grigoriopol took the initiative to commemorate the Soviet Army soldiers who perished during the battles for the liberation of the city in April 1944. The resulting “Grieving Mother” monument was crafted in the Zhytomyr region from black labradorite by project author A. Charlin, and its grand opening took place on April 12, 1969, timed to honor the 25th anniversary of Grigoriopol’s liberation from Nazi invaders.

The memorial has grown over the decades into a comprehensive complex of commemorative elements, each contributing to the site’s profound historical significance:

The heart of the memorial is a common grave containing 337 Soviet soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War, buried here in 1944, with their names carved across 13 granite slabs. A 4-meter granite stele bearing a carved star, bay leaf and the years 1941-1945 rises above the site, accompanied by a granite stone bearing the carved image of the grieving mother for whom the memorial is named. A brass “Eternal Flame” star burns at the center as a symbol of perpetual remembrance.

A memorial sign installed in 2014 honors the 594 citizens of Grigoriopol who died during the Great Patriotic War, while three tributes added in 2010 honor specific heroes: busts of Heroes of the Soviet Union A. Tanaseichuk and S. Kolesnichenko, alongside a bust of G. Dariev, bearer of the Order of Glory in all three degrees.

The complex also acknowledges more recent sacrifice: memorial signs and tombstones installed in 1992 mark the burial places of Pridnestrovian defenders P. Gashok and S. Ursu, while a memorial sign added in 2005 records the names of all defenders of Pridnestrovie who died during the 1992 conflict — connecting the memory of World War II sacrifice directly to the more recent struggle for the republic’s independence.

Location: K. Marks str., Grigoriopol