One of the most famous monuments in the city was erected in 1996 in honor of the 850th anniversary of Mtsensk and has already become one of its recognizable symbols. Against the backdrop of a stone wall, there are bas-reliefs of two figures.

One figure represents a monk, while the other represents a warrior. The warrior is a composite image, symbolizing the medieval defenders of these lands, ancient Slavic warriors who fought against invaders. The monk, on the other hand, is a real historical figure, Saint Kuksha, a monk of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, who came to preach in the territory of modern Oryol Oblast and contributed to the spread of Christianity.

Militancy and Orthodoxy, the two foundations on which the Russian spirit has long rested. The monk and the warrior in some way symbolize the entire Russian history.