The first reports of an unusual phenomenon associated with the Penza monument to soldiers who died in local conflicts appeared in early June. A resident of the Arbekovo microdistrict Evgeny Malyshev noticed that an oily liquid of unknown origin was accumulating under the elbow of the soldier's figure.
He also noted that when trying to photograph them, standing on the memorial, the pictures turned out to be black. Later, he noticed that the drips became stronger at night, and almost invisible in the morning and afternoon. There were suggestions that this phenomenon is similar in nature to the myrrh streaming of icons.
A monument to the Penza soldiers who died in local wars was erected at its current location in 2012. It is part of a memorial complex called At the Broken Star. The sculpture is made of fiberglass instead of the concrete figure of a soldier, which used to stand near the Palace of Culture of Zheleznodorozhniki.
The concrete from which the old sculpture was made, installed in 2005, was not strong enough. In 2010, the base of the monument cracked, and in 2011, after a strong hurricane, the figure lost its head. It was decided not to restore the old monument, but to create a new one from more durable material, transferring it to a new place.
The oily liquid appeared on the sculpture within a few days. A local resident, who often comes to this monument, said that the "myrrh streaming" began recently. The sculpture itself remains completely dry, but under the warrior's elbow, there are liquid streaks.
The head of the Penza branch of "Cosmopoisk" Vladimir Kukolnikov took several pictures of the monument. According to his observations, at first there was a stain on the sculpture, and a few days later a trickle of an unknown substance appeared. Some liquid was collected for analysis and transferred to Ufokom.
Liquid leaks on the sculpture.
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The information published in the media about the properties of the liquid is somewhat contradictory. Representatives of the TV crew of Channel 11, filming a report about the unusual phenomenon, report that it does not leave oily marks on the napkin, is transparent and has no pronounced odor. This is how it differs from the oil that appears when icons are streaming myrrh.
At the same time, the correspondents of the vPenze.ru portal describe its properties in a slightly different way: the liquid is not as thick as sunflower oil, but it is more difficult to wipe it off your fingers than ordinary water. In addition, according to their data, it emits a sweetish smell, reminiscent of the smell of oil. Vladimir Kukolnikov noted that “the liquid was a little sticky when rubbed between the fingers,” but there was no smell.
The rector of the Church of Peter and Paul, Pavel Matyushechkin, urged to treat the unusual phenomenon calmly. From the point of view of the Orthodox religion, only icons can stream myrrh, while a monument is not an Orthodox shrine. Priest Ioann Yavorsky even suggested that someone intentionally smears the monument with oil, imitating myrrh streaming, in order to attract attention. The sculptor Maxim Kulev, the author of this monument, is also sure that the phenomenon has nothing to do with myrrh streaming.
In his opinion, over time, liquid could accumulate in fiberglass, which is released from microcracks in the material, mixing with its components. The Penza branch of Kosmopoisk also suggested that the oily liquid could appear due to the fact that the paint that covered the monument was diluted with turpentine. However, the sculptor claims that turpentine was not used when painting the monument.
Messages about the myrrh streaming of monuments appeared several times in the media earlier, but in most cases they have nothing to do with the phenomenon of myrrh streaming: this term is used in them in an ironic sense or in connection with a certain political context. Nevertheless, the site "Pravoslavnaya Penza" notes that Father Kronid witnessed the case of the actual myrrh-streaming of the monument. This phenomenon took place on the sculpture of Durnovo located in the village of Treskino during the period when work was underway to restore the Nativity of Christ monastery.
Taking liquid for analysis
In the Penza-Kosmopoisk department, it was also decided to carry out an additional sampling of the substance, which continued to be generated on the surface of the statue and analyzed by local chemists. Additional samples were collected and submitted for analysis to the Penza Forensic Laboratory. The analysis was carried out by Alexander Arkadyevich Utkin, who himself became interested in this case, having read about it in the newspaper "Pro Gorod".
Various versions of the origin of the substance were tested and worked out: poor-quality paint coating of the statue, made of fiberglass, which, at high average daily temperatures, could release a binding base, like drying oil, as well as the possible formation of condensation. After carrying out a chemical analysis, as a result of which neither glycols nor petroleum products that make up paint and varnish solvents were found, it seems most likely that we are dealing with condensate, that is, ordinary water.
During the next visit to the monument, a small crack was noticed in the upper part of the warrior's elbow, and since the statue is hollow, small amounts of water could accumulate inside, especially in the cool morning hours, which dripped down onto the knee, creating a permanent wet spot … The crack turned out to be a technological seam, which is always present at the junction of forms when casting sculptures. The seams, of course, are putty and leveled so that they do not violate the integrity of the overall surface of the sculpture, but in this case the seam was sealed, apparently, poorly or the sculptor did not notice the flaw.
A vial with the substance from Penza was delivered to one of the criminalistic laboratories in Minsk.
There was a likely explanation for the oily properties of the liquid. Samples were taken in early June, the time of the most intense flowering of trees, especially linden, birch and willow, which grow in abundance near the monument. Probably the products of flowering, getting on the monument, gave the liquid the mentioned qualities.
And yet, in order to dot the i's, it was decided to reexamine the substance, including palynological analysis. At present, this work, initiated by Ufokom, is being carried out in one of the criminalistic laboratories in Minsk.
Author: Ilya Butov