Алень святога Губерта. Фота: grodnonews
A sculpture dedicated to St. Hubert, the patron saint of Hrodna, has been unveiled in the city. The saint’s symbol is a deer with a cross between its antlers.
The bronze sculpture of St. Hubert’s deer, standing more than two metres tall, was unveiled on the opening day of the Festival of National Cultures at the intersection of Telman and Urytski streets.
Hrodna is celebrating its 898th anniversary this year, and the city will mark its 900th anniversary in two years. New art installations will be created for the jubilee to attract the attention of residents and tourists.
Chairman of the Hrodna City Council of Deputies Aleh Bialinski promised that several more similar sculptures would appear in the city in the future, reports Hrodzienskaya Prauda.
Hrodna already has a sculpture of St. Hubert. It was installed in 2020 and was created by Hrodna sculptor Uladzimir Pantsiialeyeu.
St. Hubert’s deer with a golden cross between its antlers is the symbol of Hrodna and appears on the city’s coat of arms. According to historians, the coat of arms featuring St. Hubert’s deer may have been granted to Hrodna as early as 1540 by Bona Sforza, Queen of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Grand Duchess of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Residents of Hrodna revered St. Hubert as the patron saint of hunters and regarded him as a model of moral self-improvement.
The coat of arms was abolished during the Russian Empire and was restored on June 15, 1988.