It has been 200 years since Napoleon died in St. Helena.
February 13, French and Russian officials, descendants of the generals participating in the war and others held a religious ceremony to bury the remains of soldiers of the two countries killed in the Battle of Viazima in 1812.
According to France’s 24 News website on February 13, the ceremony was held in the small western Russian city of Viazima, where a fierce and bloody battle took place in Napoleon’s famous Russian campaign in 1812.
In the heavy snow and the low temperature of minus 15 degrees, the military band played the music of that year.
French military attachés in Moscow and other military representatives of both sides entered the church where the ceremony was held holding boxes.
These boxes contain the remains of more than 120 soldiers killed on both sides.
The descendants of the opposing generals were present to commemorate, including the descendants of the famous Russian Marshal Kutuzov and Napoleon’s Marshal Murat.
Many of them also deliberately wore military uniforms during the Napoleonic Wars.
“More than a dozen generations have passed, and death and years have reconciled everything,” said Julia Hittrovo, a descendant of Marshal Kutuzov.
The remains of more than 120 soldiers buried this time were found during the joint archaeological mission of France and Russia in 2019. The archaeological teams involved in both sides are in contact with the official agencies of the two countries.
This year, France will hold many activities to commemorate the bicentennial of Napoleon’s death.
In an atmosphere of continued tension between Europe and Russia, France and Russia also took this opportunity to make rare contacts.
