Kazan cat Alabrys: Why is he remembered in the Hermitage, and monuments are erected in Kazan as a national hero

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

It is with such a magnificent title that our ancestors endowed this hero of popular prints. Beginning in the 17th century, the story of "How they buried a cat with mice" has become one of the most beloved among the people. Researchers find him today many interpretations - from simple to complex political. However, few people know that the breed of Kazan cats really existed, and one of these legendary animals has even been immortalized in the history of Kazan.

Historical legends say that in ancient times a special breed of cats really existed in Kazan. Judging by the description, these were real fighters: large and strong animals had a round head, a wide muzzle, a bulging forehead, a strong wide neck, a developed shoulder girdle and a short tail. They were excellent mouse-catchers and were particularly smart. There is a Mari legend about the siege of the Kazan Kremlin in 1552 by the troops of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. According to her, the beloved cat of the Kazan Khan became his savior, as he began to worry and warned about the tunnel, which began to be dug under the Kremlin wall. Thanks to this, the khan and his family managed to leave the besieged city. However, this did not save Kazan from Ivan the Terrible.

Kazan cats were so popular that in the middle of the 18th century they learned about them even at the court in St. Petersburg. The fact is that mice and rats at that time were the real scourge of the unfinished Winter Palace. By the highest decree of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna dated October 13 (24), 1745, in Kazan, it was ordered to find the thirty best cats of the local breed, and send them to the capital. The governor of Kazan himself was in charge of this important operation.

As a result of such exceptional measures, the cats were indeed delivered to St. Petersburg, took root in the huge basements of the new palace, and did an excellent job with their mission. The glorious brethren of the Hermitage cats, who still perform the same function - save museum treasures from rodents, trace their history from these first Kazan settlers. True, since the animals from Kazan were taken, according to the decree, only (i.e. sterilized), unfortunately, the genus of these amazing animals did not survive in St. Petersburg, and the local Kazan robbers for hundreds of years mixed genes with ordinary cats so that today the breed of Kazan cats is considered lost.

However, long before the 18th century, the Kazan Cat became the hero of folk jokes, jokes and nursery rhymes. As such a humorous character, he appeared in the popular print art and was a favorite in it until the beginning of the 20th century. The most famous story about the funeral of this very cat was usually printed on two or three pictures, which were then put together - after all, the story was very extensive. It was attended by the main character himself, who usually lay tied up on the logs, and mice, of which up to 66 pieces gathered around him! Usually the picture also contained comic captions that explained what each of the mice was doing. This kind of comic strip amused our ancestors very much, although, according to some researchers, this plot can be attributed more to black humor.

Today Russian popular print is the subject of numerous studies. It turned out that simple pictures can tell a lot about the history and life of our people. At the same time, "The Funeral of the Cat" is often interpreted as a political satire. In different works, the protagonist is credited with analogies with various historical figures, unloved at that time in the mass consciousness. It is possible that the first versions of popular prints are a satire on Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the later ones are caricatures of the schismatics on Peter the Great, which became. There is an opinion that this is a collective image of a Tatar, because it is not for nothing that the khanates conquered by that time are listed in the signature.

It is interesting that this folk humor found its continuation at the beginning of the 20th century in the form of political cartoons. The famous plot with a cat was played up, for example, in such an unusual way:

The cartoon appeared after the Second Congress of the RSDLP, where the party members split into Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. After that, they talked about Lenin's "political funeral". On the miniature, triumphant mice are dancing around the hanged cat - Martov, Trotsky, Dan and other Mensheviks, as well as the "wise rat Onufry" - Plekhanov. However, this is only the first picture of three. The following talk about how the suddenly revived cat-Lenin easily and with great imagination deals with the Menshevik mice.

A hundred years after these dramatic events in their historical homeland, they decided to perpetuate the memory of the Cat of Kazansky - the faithful savior from mice and the hero of folk legends. Several monuments have been erected to him in Kazan today. The most beloved one, which has become one of the main tourist attractions, was created by the Honored Art Worker of Tatarstan Igor Bashmakov. The sculpture depicts the Cat reclining under a beautiful canopy and, judging by the volume, quite happy with life. The three-meter composition is crowned with a mouse, which, probably, does not allow the well-fed hero to forget about his glorious past.

Many characters of Russian mythology are forgotten today or are perceived by us differently than before, read on about what the mysterious miracle birds Alkonost, Sirin, Gamayun and others promise people …