Millionnaya St. The Transfiguration Cathedral, the Modern School. The construction of the chapel. View from the South-East

Unknown photographer. 1900s. The Collection of TSUM.

Photo which imprinted the main buildings of Sobornaya Sq. and the Modern School was taken in the beginning of 1910s. The problem of its date can be solved easy enough since a constructing of a memorial chapel on the place of death of Tver Governor P. A Sleptsov is shown there. The chapel was settled in a park between the Modern School and the cathedral bell-tower, 10-15 m from Millionnaya St. P. A Sleptsov became the Governor of Tver in hard times for the country. The official entry into duties took place on June, 27,1905, and on October, 17 the government of Sleptsov was darkened by the Black Hundred massacre of the Zemstvo Office in Pochtovaya Sq. Many of the members of the elective council were beaten, the building of the Office suffered seriously. The Zemstvo demanded to bring the Governor, who hadn't taken strict measures against the Black Hundred members on a previous day, to the court. An investigation started in the Senate. In the middle of March, 1906, P. A Sleptsov was warned about an attempt which had been preparing upon his life, but police failed to prevent it. On March, 25, while turning from Millionnaya St. to the "Palace, an Eser Kozhevnikov threw a bomb under the carriage of the Governor, who was coming back from the extraordinary meeting of the province's Zemstvo. Because of the explosion the Governor died. In January, 1907 the murderer was executed, and in 1911 a project of the chapel appeared, then evidently in 1911-1912 the chapel was built in Sobornaya Sq. The nearest architectural surroundings of the chapel are imprinted in the photo. They are the Cathedral of the Transfiguration (1689-1696), the cathedral bell-tower (1730s - beginning of 1760s) and the building of the Modern School. The school was opened in 1875 for children from all the estates. Most of the pupils were of merchants, petty bourgeois and peasants. The term of education was 6-7 years. In 1888 after the school had become a general educational one and the number of special subjects was reduced, the graduates received a right to enter Physics and Mathematics, Medical departments of universities. Since 1918, after the school was closed, in its walls the United Labour School of the 2nd level Ne 2, the Pedagogical College, the Soviet and Party's School, the Regional Department of Agriculture were successively situated and now it is occupied by the Tver State United Museum,