May 20, 2019: descendants of Pavel Fyodorovitch Yordanov from Lebanon and France concluded their visit to Taganrog. The agenda of their stay was very eventful. It included
a meeting at Taganrog City Hall with both city manager and city executive, the first acquaintance with their historical homeland, visiting
Anton Chekhov sites and museums, churches and the old cemetery,
Taganrog Theater, public meetings, and the grand opening of the
exhibition "Dear Valued Pavel Fyodorovich..." at Taganrog Museum of City Planning and Household.
The guests from Beirut and Paris attended several events of
"Defense of Taganrog in 1855" festival. The interest of Yordanov family members for the 4th edition of this historical reenactment was not accidental, as in 1854 Taganrog merchant Fyodor Yordanov - Alexander Yurievich Yordanov's great-grandfather - made his own contribution into war preparations by providing his sailing vessels free of charge to transport fortress guns from Taganrog to Kertch and donated money for barraging the Kerch Straits.
Within the framework of the festival, Yordanov family members participated in the conference "Historic and patriotic heritage of Russia in the modern theater", awarded diplomas and certificates to the winners of an art contest and essay competition dedicated to the Crimean War in the Sea of Azov.
Alexander Y. Yordanov plans to revisit Taganrog again sometime in 2020 to mark the centennial death anniversary of Pavel Yordanov, former
Taganrog City Council's president (1905-1909) and to give the museum his grandfather's bust.
Quick fact:
Pavel Yordanov, who was born in the city of Taganrog in 1858 and was linked by ties of kinship to many other Taganrog families, such as Laquiere,
Alferaky,
Sinodi-Popov, Sarandinaki, Komneno-Varvakis, etc. He was also
Anton Chekhov's schoolmate - for two years they attended together the same class of the Taganrog Boys' School (now - "Chekhov Gymnasium" Museum), and both earned a degree in medicine. After his graduation from Moscow State University, Pavel Fyodorovich Yordanov returned to his home city of Taganrog to work as a public health doctor, and later was elected alderman at the
local city council (duma). In 1905-1909 he served as the president of Taganrog City Council. Russian senator in 1917. After the Russian Civil War ended, Pavel Yordanov left the country and worked as a doctor in one of the military hospitals on Prices' Islands, where he died in 1920.