But these are only the considered spiritual losses of Moscow and Russia. And how many were unknown, unmarked, dead, not found monuments of our past!
A special role in the appearance of an innumerable number of Moscow treasures in 1812 belongs to Russian robbers and looters. They knew Moscow streets and houses, churches and warehouses better than the French soldiers. They knew better where, how to profit and where to hide the loot.
They were forced to hide for several reasons. Firstly, it was impossible to keep valuables with oneself or in the house due to the fact that the French constantly searched houses and people. Secondly, it was impossible then to drink the stolen goods, to take a walk. Thirdly, it was also impossible to take goods out of Moscow, since the outskirts of the city were guarded by Napoleonic troops, and partisan detachments were operating in the vicinity. Both those and others destroyed the marauders.
Sometimes it was possible only to exchange a gold ring in hungry Moscow – for a piece of biscuit, an icon in a silver setting – for a few grams of salt.
This is how thousands of treasures appeared in the Moscow land of 1812.
In one old entry, it was noted that only one gang of Lame Nikisha took out about 2 thousand kilograms of silver from noble houses. Lame Nikisha himself and several of his friends died in a drunken fight with the French.
In that year, many Muscovites died in fires, starvation, disease, or were shot by the French. So most of the treasures remained unclaimed.
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