Video: How the Duke de Richelieu overcame the plague epidemic, or Why there is a monument to Duke in Odessa
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
At the beginning of August 1812 a terrible plague epidemic began in Odessa: every fifth city dweller fell ill, and every eighth died. The first mayor of Odessa, Duke (translated from French - "duke") de Richelieu, was able not only to save the city from extinction, but also to bring it to the level of a commercial port of international importance. Today the monument to Duke is a visiting card of Odessa and a testimony of popular love and gratitude for her salvation.
Armand Emmanuel Sophia-Septimani de Vignero du Plessis, Comte de Chinon, Duke de Richelieu, known in Russia as Emmanuel Osipovich de Richelieu, was the great-grandson of the famous cardinal of France, about whom A. Dumas wrote. After the Great French Revolution, he was forced to leave France. As part of the Russian troops, he took part in hostilities, including against the French Republic. In 1803, Alexander I offered him the post of mayor of Odessa.
Duke de Richelieu was not the founder of Odessa - the city existed before him. It had about 9 thousand inhabitants, and it could not be called prosperous. To revive trade in the port, de Richelieu reduced the duty, with him salt mines, banking, the stock exchange, and the export of wheat began to generate income. From Italy, he ordered acacias and planted them in the city. During the 11 years of his reign, the population of Odessa increased to 30 thousand people, city revenues increased 25 times, customs receipts - 90. Odessa has become a thriving European port.
However, the city, to which de Richelieu lured merchants from all over Europe, in 1812-1813. suddenly found himself on the verge of collapse: an outbreak of plague suddenly broke out, claiming about 3,000 lives. At the beginning of August 1812, 30 people suddenly died, the symptoms of the disease were similar. As soon as the Duke de Richelieu found out about this, he divided the city into 5 districts, and in each of them he appointed an inspector and a doctor responsible for monitoring the situation. Detachments of armed Cossacks controlled the isolation of the contaminated areas.
By the middle of autumn, the situation worsened: 4 best doctors and 1,720 townspeople died from the plague. Then de Richelieu went to an extreme measure - a general quarantine. All the dugouts, in which the patients were previously, were burned. A cordon sanitaire was established 100 versts around the city. Food was brought along only one road. No resident had the right to leave his home without special permission. Twice a day, groceries were delivered to their homes. All public, shopping and cultural and entertainment establishments were closed, even churches. The strict quarantine lasted 46 days. To disinfect the air, bonfires were kindled in the streets. Before use, the coins were washed in vinegar (in those days it was considered a good disinfectant). All arrivals awaited a two-week quarantine: they were settled in buildings near the sea, the entrance to which was guarded by a sentry.
A carriage with a red flag signaled the approach of those who came into contact with the sick, a carriage with a black flag warned that the bodies of those who died from the plague were being transported on it. The Duke de Richelieu experienced the epidemic as a personal tragedy. Every day, he raided the streets of the city, went to houses and hospitals, helped the poor with food and clothing, and when the undertakers refused to bury the plague corpses, he himself took a shovel and dug graves. In total for 1812-1813.out of 3331 infected, only 675 townspeople managed to survive, but within a year the plague epidemic was still stopped.
After Napoleon abdicated the throne, the Duke de Richelieu returned to France, where he took over as prime minister. And the grateful inhabitants of Odessa in 1828 erected a monument to the mayor, which today is the hallmark of Odessa and the decoration of the city.
The plague epidemic overtook Odessa several more times: in 1821, 1829, 1831, 1837 and 1910, however, there were no such large-scale losses as during 8 most massive deadly epidemics in human history
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