Monument to Antioch Kantemir in St. Petersburg

In connection with the CIS State Council's decision to proclaim 2003 the Year of St. Petersburg, the monument to the outstanding diplomat and scholar Antioch Kantemir, born in Moldova, will be established in the former capital of the Russian Empire, or the present-day Northern Capital.

The bust of Antioch Kantemir, set up on a granite pedestal, by sculptor Yuri Kanashin, should form a part of the park of sculptures, being created in the territory of the historical area by the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, said the press centre of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.

Antioch Kantemir, a son of Moldovan Prince and Peter I's faithful ally Dmitry Kantemir, lived in St. Petersburg.

Antioch Kantemir is known as an outstanding Russian diplomat, philosopher and enlightener. He is rightfully considered a founding father of Russian classicism and a master of literary satire.