S.A.K.A

Taras Grigorovich Shevchenko (1814-1861) was born a Ukrainian serf in the village of Moryntsi, but was destined to become a poet, artist, humanist and national hero. His literary heritage is regarded to be the foundation of modern Ukrainian literature and, to a large extent, the modern Ukrainian language. On his death in March 1861, he was first buried in the Smolensk Cemetery of St. Petersburg. His friends arranged to transfer his remains by train to Moscow, then by horse-drawn wagon to Kaniv. On May 8th of the same year he was reburied on Chernecha Hora (“Monk’s Hill” - where monks once lived in caves - now Tarasova Hora “Taras’ Hill”). This was to comply with the interpreted wish in his epic poem “My Testament” (see home page). A bronze memorial by sculptor Kaleniya Tereshchenko (replacing the iron cross erected in 1884, which had previously replaced the original cross of oak) was erected over the grave in 1923, but this in turn was replaced in 1939 by a tall, dominant memorial in bronze and granite by sculptor Matvey Manizer and architect Evgeny Levinson. The memorial is the focal point of the Kaniv Museum Preserve on Tarasova Hora. From the memorial the view across the River Dnieper is excellent. The website of the Taras Shevchenko Museum in Canada details the life and works of this revered man.