Konstiantyn Ostrozki (1460 — 1530) was a military and statesman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the family of Ostrozki, Grand Hetman of Lithuania (1497—1500, 1507—1530). One of the most outstanding commanders of the 16th century. Contemporaries compared him with the strategists of antiquity — he fought 65 battles, of which he lost 3, participated in successful campaigns against the Tatars and the Muscovite state. One of the battles took place on September 8, 1514 near Orsha (modern Belarus) between the 15,000-strong combined Ukrainian, Polish, Lithuanian and Belarusian troops of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania under the command of Prince Konstiantyn Ostrozsky and the Moscow army led by Voivode Ivan Chelyadnin. A much smaller army routed 80,000 Muscovite soldiers, capturing their camp and commander. Prince Konstiantyn was one of the most prominent patrons and landowners of that time (his possessions included 100 cities, 40 castles, and 1,300 villages). Foreigners called his domain the "Country of Prince Ostrozky". Konstiantyn Ostrozky is a unique personality who is respected by four peoples - Ukrainians, Belarusians, Poles and Lithuanians.
A bronze memorial plaque to Prince Konstiantyn Ostrozky is installed on the southern facade of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Its opening and consecration took place on September 8, 2023. The event was dedicated to the 509th anniversary of the Battle near Orsha. Ambassadors of Lithuania Valdemaras Sarapinas and Ambassadors of Poland Bartos Cihotskyi took part in the opening ceremony.
The memorial plaque to Ostrozky is a bas-relief with a portrait of the prince and a plaque with signatures about the years of his life and activities. This is a gift from the sculptors Borys Krylov, Oles Sydoruk and the founder of the foundry workshop Ihor Davydov. According to the authors, it took only about two months to make the bas-relief, since the model was already ready: there are two similar boards in Lublin and Vilnius.
The place for the memorial was not chosen by chance. The thing is that the prince was buried in the Assumption Cathedral. His burial and tombstone were destroyed as a result of the bombing of the cathedral by Soviet partisans on November 3, 1941. The tombstone, as one of the most significant monuments decorating the cathedral, was recreated in 2014.
Authors: sculptors Borys Krylov and Oles Sydoruk.
Address: Lavrska Street, 15.
