"If Russia is always fighting battles for the faith of its ancestors and national honor, then eternal glory will belong to its followers, and grief to its scoundrel enemies as they make their attempt on holy Russia, guarded by God!"
Grand words. But then, the man who uttered them was fairly grand himself, being a friend to Tsar Alexander I and general field-marshal during the War of 1812.
The man was Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745-1813), one of the most influential of the tsar's wartime generals and focus of an exhibition currently on display at the Artillery Museum in honor of the 250th anniversary of his birthday.
Gen Kutuzov was one of the generals who led the Russians in their fight against Napoleon's French forces in the War of 1812. He fought at Borodino, the strategic turning point which led to the eventual French defeat.
Kutuzov was an unassuming, unimpressive man -- short, dumpy, bug-eyed and sat a horse like a sack of potatoes (judging from decidedly unflattering portraits of his day). However, he was a smart warrior, and a favorite of the tsar.
The exhibition begins with a bust of the general, scowling at the horizon as generals do, and a quote from V I Shtengel: "Your name and memory will ring out in posterity of Russians, thoughts of you will blend with the understanding of love for one's Fatherland and you, in death, will become the miracle of heroism."
Inside are four curtained-off areas containing curios, portraits, banners, uniforms, awards and decrees from Gen Kutuzov's time. Some of the most interesting displays include books containing plates of old artillery, cadet uniforms, imperial trumpets, and a portrait of Catherine II and one of her many lovers, General Grigory Potemkin.
Many of the paintings of course focus on the war, and one wall is devoted to the French side, complete with a portrait of a surly Napoleon. Also included are paintings of the burning of Moscow and the Battle of Borodino. The final section displays Gen Kutuzov's modern relations and the glory they brought the Soviet Union during World War II.
What: General Kutuzov Exhibition
Where: Museum of Artillery and Military Engineering, Kronverskaya Naberezhnaya, behind the Peter and Paul Fortress.
When: 11 am -- 6 pm, Wed-Sun, until March.
Nearest metro: Gorkovskaya
Cost: 4,000 roubles for Russians, 15,000 roubles for foreigners.