The chapel was opened on 28 November 1888 at the 10-th anniversary of the liberation of Pleven. The monument was consecrated by the Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Ioannikiy. The initiative of the installation of this monument belonged to the Russian Archaeological Society. The funds for the memorial were collected by the officers and soldiers of the Grenadier Corps (about 50 thousands rubles).
The authors of the project were - the architect V. Sherwood and the colonel A. Lyashkin.
Description of the monument:
On the stone pedestal was installed the cast-iron octagonal marquee-chapel, on top of which was built the Orthodox cross. The molded iron parts were adjusted with ideal accuracy – on the surface is not visible any seam.
The side faces of the monument adorned with four high relief: a peasant blesses his son on the deed; a janissary with a dagger, which is pulling out the child from hands of a Bulgarian mother; a grenadier, taking into captivity Turkish soldier and a wounded Russian soldier which breaks the chain from the woman symbolizing of Bulgaria.
Before the monument was installed cast-iron tables with the words "In favor of the crippled grenadiers and their families," and they were krýzhki (cups) for donations.
In the chapel were located the picturesque images of Alexander Nevsky, St. Ioanna the Warrior, Nikolay Chudotvortza, Kirilla and Mefodiay, and the bronze plates with the names of the dead Grenadiers - 18 officers and 542 soldiers.
During the Soviet period, the Chapel was abandoned, much of the interior decoration, ornaments and the bronze plates with the names of the dead Grenadiers were lost.
In 1990 it was resumed the tradition of celebrating November 3-rd (the Day of liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule) by the Memorial Service at the walls of the chapel.
In December 1992 the Chapel-monument "To the Grenadiers – the Heroes of Plevna" Russian Orthodox Church was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.
March 1, 1998 on Forgiveness Sunday, the blessing and opening of the chapel restored in the presence of Patriarch Alexseay II.
It has become a good tradition to regularly perform memorial service in this holy place.
For a number of years in the Chapel at solemn atmosphere the memorial services are performed in honor of the Russian soldiers-grenadiers who died in the battles under Plevna for the liberation of the fraternal Balkan peoples from the yoke of the Ottoman Empire.
