Nicholas II

Nicholas II Vintage Newsreels No. 16-20

This is the 4th installment of a new monthly feature to my blog: Nicholas II. Emperor. Tsar. Saint., which showcases the vast collection of vintage newsreels which are now available to watch on YouTube and other online media sources. I have taken the liberty of selecting another 5 interesting newsreels which depict Emperor Nicholas II and his family attending events in various cities throughout the Russian Empire.

Many of these newsreels include background music, with tunes of the Russian Empire or Orthodox music. Others are narrated in Russian, however, that should not deter the viewer from watching. You can turn on the English (or other language) subtitles by clicking on Google translate and then turn on the closed captioning [CC] button, found at the bottom of the newsreel. ENJOY!

No. 16 – Nicholas II’s visit to Helsinki

This newsreel is a short 1-minute video of Emperor Nicholas II’s visit to Helsingfors (Helsinki) in 1915. It is interesting to note, that this was his only visit to the Finnish capital during his 22+ year reign.

The video is an excerpt from a more than 10-minute silent film recorded by Oscar Lindelöf and later dubbed. The newsreel concludes with a view of the Imperial Family, standing on a hill overlooking Smolensk.

Duration: 1 minute, 15 seconds, in Finnish.

No. 17 – Nicholas II at meeting with officers and troops during the Great War

In this collection of newsreels from the Russian State Archive of Film and Photo Documents (RGAKFD), Nicholas II is present at military parades and reviews, talks with Russian generals during the First World War and other military events.

Highlights of this video included . . . At :51 the Tsar is reviewing troops in front of the Armoury in the Moscow Kremlin; At 2:52 the Tsar walks straight towards the camera, so we get a good close up look of his face and features. It is then repeated in slow motion; At 3:12 Nicholas is seen walking up the steps of the Catherine Palace to join the Empress and their children.

Duration: 3 minutes, 25 seconds with musical background

No. 18 – Piety of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II

A wonderful collection of vintage newsreels from the Russian State Documentary Film & Photo Archive at Krasnogorsk (RGAKFD). This is the second newsreel dedicated to Nicholas II’s piety (see No. 1, 5th February 2026.

This newsreel has preserved for posterity those moments when Emperor Nicholas II together with his Family attend the divine services, kisses reverently the cross and the icons, blesses his troops, makes the sign of the cross, participates in the sacred processions and converses with the religious leaders.

Soundtrack: 1) Song «Tsar Nicholas» (written and composed by Gennady Ponomarev; sung by the famous Russian singer Zhanna Bichevskaya in 1999); 2) Fragment of the national anthem of the Russian Empire «God Save the Tsar» (another name: «The Prayer of Russians»; written by Vasily Zhukovsky in 1814, sung by Zhanna Bichevskaya).

Duration: 11 minutes, 24 seconds with musical background

No. 19 – Russian Imperial Family At Various Events (1910-1917)

A wonderful collection of newsreel clips, which depict Nicholas II and his family attending various events held in Russia between 1910-1917.

Duration: 2 minutes, 37 seconds. No audio.

No. 20 – Emperor Nicholas II amd the Imperial Russian Navy

The above video presents a collection of vintage newsreels from the Russian State Documentary Film & Photo Archive at Krasnogorsk (RGAKFD), which show Emperor Nicholas II with the Imperial Russian Navy as he reviews the squadrons, talks to the Russian sailors, officers and admirals, and participates in the other naval events.

Duration: 11 minutes, 57 seconds. No audio.

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Previous Post Featuring MORE Vintage Newsreels of Nicholas II

Nos. 11 – 15

Nos. 6 – 10

Nos. 1 – 5

New monument to Nicholas II installed in Rostov Veliky

Posted on 2 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: a woman places a flower at the new bust-monument
of Emperor Nicholas II in Rostov Veliky

On 30th April 2026, a new bust-monument of Emperor Nicholas II was unveiled and consecrated near the Kremlin in the Russian city of Rostov Veliky [Rostov the Great].

The bust is one of four installed on the “Alley of the Russian Emperors”, leading directly to the entrance to the Kremlin in Rostov Veliky. The busts include four Russian Tsars Alexander l, Nicholas l, Alexander ll and Nicholas ll, all of whom visited the Rostov Kremlin during the 19th century and prayed at the relics of St. Dmitry of Rostov in the Spaso-Yakovlev Monastery.

The “Alley of Russian Emperors” stand on Sovetskaya Square, the historical pre-revolutionary name of which is Rozhdestvenskaya.

PHOTO: a priest the rite of consecration of the monument of Emperor Nicholas II

PHOTO: cadets march past the new bust-monument
of Emperor Nicholas II in Rostov Veliky

The installation of the monuments is a joint project of the Legacy of the Empire Foundation and the Rostov Veliky city administration, who are dedicated to the great educational importance of restoring the link of times

It should be noted that the Legacy of the Empire Foundation has installed about 40 monuments, busts and memorial plaques in cities and towns throughout the Russian Federation. In addition, More than a dozen have been installed in Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria.

PHOTO: the the new bust-monument of Nicholas II is one of four Russian
emperors of the 19th century, leading to the Kremlin in Rostov Veliky

‘History Returned’ exhibition opens in Moscow

Posted on 2 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

On 28th April 2026, a new exhibition History Returned opened in the Exhibition Hall of the State Archives of the Russian Federation (GARF) in Moscow. The exhibition is dedicated to the Russian diaspora during the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution and the Russian Civil War.

After the Great Patriotic War (1941-45), the Prague archive of the Russian Foreign Historical Archive (RZIA) was transferred to the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, and in 1946 it became part of the funds of the Central State Archive of the October Revolution, now the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF).

This is the largest of the archives of the Russian emigration in Europe of the interwar period, from 1923 to 1945. During the Nazi occupation of Bohemia and Moravia, employees of the RZIA, did not abandon their noble cause in those difficult years, by safeguarding the archives for the history of Russia.

PHOTO: The premises of the Russian Foreign Historical Archives. Prague. 1924

The State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF) stores a unique collection of documents on the Russian diaspora which followed the Bolshevik Revolution in October 1917 and Russian Civil War (1917-1922).

In addition are documents of political, public organizations and institutions of the Russian emigration, printed publications, drawings, photographs, leaflets, posters, maps, banknotes. The archive is further complemented by documents from the personal archives of prominent Russian state, political and military figures and well-known representatives of science and culture of the Russian emigration.

PHOTO: Registration form No. 3169 of Marina
Ivanovna Efron-Tsvetaeva, Prague, August 23, 1922

The first section of the exhibition displays documents that tell about the decades of work by the Prague Archive staff, who carried out “the collection, storage, systematization and scientific processing of materials on the history of Russia and its peoples.

Among the valuable exhibits: documents of the poetess Marina Tsvetaeva (1892-1941) and drawings of the artist Yuri Artsybushev (1877-1952), as well as documents of the First Russian Cadet Corps, the Union of Russian Military Invalide.

Of particular note are exhibits dedicated to the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church [today known as the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), which united Russian emigrants in foreign lands. These document’s became part of the RZIA in 1934, and include the note-testament of Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow and All Russia (1865-1925) of 23rd November 1923, a medal and badges made in honour of the 950th anniversary of the baptism of Russia, which was celebrated by the Russian Orthodox diaspora in 1938, are presented. .

PHOTO: Poster for the grand ball organized by Grand Duchess Kira
Kirillovna to benefit Russian military invalids in France. May 7, 1937.

The exhibition is further complemented by documents, letters, diaries and photographs, gifted to GARF by the descendants of prominent members of the Russian diaspora.

On display are documents and personal items that belonged to General Anton Denikin (1872-1947), transferred in 1992-2000 by his daughter Marina Denikina-Gray (1919-2005), as well as materials from the family collection of Admiral Alexander Kolchak (1874-1920), which were preserved for many years Paris by his widow Sophia, and subsequently acquired for the Civil Aviation of the Russian Federation by a wealthy Russian entrepreneur Leonid Mikhelson. In the same section are documents of Anna Kniper-Timiryova (1893-1975), preserved in the family of her nephew I.K. Safonov and subsequently transferred to the Civil Aviation of the Russian Federation by his son V.I. Safonov and widow L.N. Zubareva.

Exhibition documents reveal the fate of representatives of the Imperial House of Romanov, who were forced to leave Russia after 1917: photographs and other items from the archives of Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich (1879-1956) and collection of the Yusupov-Romanovs.

Among the key exhibits, vistors can see diaries and photographs taken onboard the British battleship HMS Marlborough, when some of the most prominent members of the Russian Imperial Family left Russia from the Crimea. Among them were Nicholas II’s mother the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (see photo below) and her daughter Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna.

PHOTO: General Anton Ivanovich (1872-1947) Denikin
in his office at Stavka [Headquarters]. Mogilev, 1917.

The exhibition History Returned runs until 21st June 2026, in the Exhibition Hall of the State Archives of the Russian Federation (GARF) in Moscow.

PHOTO: Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna leaves Russia
onboard the battleship HMS Marlborough. 1919

Former Fabergé dacha to be auctioned in St. Petersburg

Posted on 4 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

PHOTOS: the former dacha of Agathon Karlovich Fabergé in the
suburbs of St. Petersburg is currently in a terrible state of disrepair

A former dacha of one of the members of the Fabergé family is the latest architectural monument from the era of Russia’s last Tsar, to go under the hammer next month, the starting bid is ₽46.9 million rubles [$625,600 USD].

Recall that on 20th March 2026, the former multi-level studio-apartment of Ernst Karlovich Liphart (1847-1932) – the famous court artist of Nicholas II, sold at an auction in St. Petersburg for 80 million rubles [$1,058,400 US dollars].

The Fabergé dacha, which is located in the village of Pargolovo in the Vyborg district of St. Petersburg, was once the summer home of Agathon Karlovich Fabergé (1876-1951) is the second son of Peter Carl Fabergé (1846-1920).

The Fabergé dacha is today designated a cultural heritage site. The lot consists of a manor house [the dacha],outbuildings and the plot of land it sits on. The total size of the dacha including outbuildings is 3,000 square meters [33,000 square ft.], and a plot of almost 8 hectares is 19.8 acres].

The new owner must agree to restore the building as well as comply with the requirements for the preservation, maintenance and use of the building, the Institute of Housing Development reported. The auction will be held on 19th June 2026.

The deadline for fulfilling the conditions of the competition is seven years, and the work on the preservation of the OCH should be completed by February 2029. The property is proposed to be used for commercial purposes, such as a spa-hotel.

NOTE: the photos below, depict the current states of the interiors of the Fabergé dacha

For the restoration of the object, the new owner will be eligible to receive preferential financing at a rate of 9% per annum or6% – for restoration, if the building is used as a hotel, with a minimum of a “three stars” rating. The loan will be provided by the DOM Russian Federation Bank.

The Fabergé Dacha was constructed in 1901-02, by the Russian architect Karl Emil Michael Schmidt (1866-1945). Initially, the manor house looked like an English cottage.

As Agathon’s family grew – by 1907 he already had four children. – he ordered an extension built on the house, which was carried out in 1908-10. The job was entrusted to the architect Ivan Andreevich Galnbek (1855-1934), who introducted elements of Art Nouveau to the dacha.

On the ground floor there were ceremonial rooms: living rooms, a ballroom, a large dining room, a greenhouse and a utility block with a kitchen, and storerooms. On the second floor there were living quarters – bedrooms, toilets, and baths.

Agathon Fabergé was a great collector or art objects, of which his country dacha earned the nickname the “Small Hermitage”. His vast collection consisted of antique statues, tapestries, paintings, Chinese and Japanese porcelain, a collection of 300 Buddha figurines, and a collection of Japanese combat swords and netsuke [small carved ornaments].

PHOTO: Agathon Karlovich Fabergé standing at the entrance of his dacha in the village of Pargolovo in the Vyborg district of St. Petersburg. 1914

After the 1917 revolution, the dacha was nationalized. The building was plundered and looted by revolutionary thugs. What was not stolen, was transferred to various museums in Petrograd.

During the First World War, like many patriotic Russians, Agathon set up a “sanatorium” for wounded Russian soldiers in the dacha under the patronage of the hostess [Agathon’s wife], Lydia Alexandrovna Fabergé (1874-1944).

During the Soviet years, the Fabergé dacha served as a sanatorium, a rest house for workers and a children’s camp. The building’s new Soviet caretakers made a number of changes to the building, which resulted in significant damage to the original interiors.

Since 1920, the dacha has been under the jurisdiction of various, mainly medical and health-improving organizations. In the 1980s, a fire broke out in the dacha, which caused damage mainly to the roof of the main house.

.Since the beginning of the 2000s, city officials and conservationists have made several attempts to address the dire condition of the dacha. In 2007, the dacha was given to Gorny University, the new owner undertook to restore the dacha, with the intent to open a museum. Sadly, no work was carried out, due to a lack of funding.

PHOTO: artist concept of what the Fabergé dacha in
Pargolovo, would look like after restoration

For more than a decade, the former dacha of Agathon Fabergé has fallen into a terrible state of neglect and disrepair. Let us hope that a buyer comes forward and gives new life to this architectural monument of the era of Nicholas II – a symbol of both the Fabergé family and the former Russian Empire.

New monument to Nicholas II installed in Tver

Posted on 5 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

On 1st May 2026, a new bust-monument to Emperor Nicholas II was installed and consecrated on the grounds of the Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, in the Russian city of Tver.

The event was attended by Metropolitan Ambrose of Tver and Kashin and members of the clergy, the General Director and General Producer of the Orthodox TV channel “Spas” Boris Korchevnikov, trustees of the “Alley of Russian Glory” project, deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, among others.

Recall that Nicholas II visited Tver on 21st April 1915. He was presented with donations from the city council and clergy, for the needs of the Russian army fighting in the First World War. It was on this day, that the Tsar visited the Transfiguration Cathedral (built in 1689-1696).

PHOTOS: Metropolitan Ambrose of Tver and Kashin performed the rite of
consecration of the monument to the Holy Passion-Bearer Emperor Nicholas II

Metropolitan Ambrose of Tver and Kashin first took part in the unveiling ceremony, and then performed the rite of consecration of the monument to the Holy Passion-Bearer Emperor Nicholas II. Before the consecration ceremony, Metropolitan Ambrose addressed the audience:

“Today in the city of Tver an event of deep spiritual meaning is taking place. We are unveiling and consecrating a monument to the Holy Passion-Bearer, the last sovereign of the Russian Empire, Nicholas II. The place for the installation of this monument was not chosen by chance. This Vladimir Church was built in the very years when Russia was under the sovereign scepter of Nicholas II. For his part, the emperor donated 40 thousand gold rubles for the construction of the church,” Metropolitan Ambrose noted in his speech. “For all of us, he (the Holy Passion-Bearer Nicholas – Ed.) showed a truly Christian attitude to the trials that befell him and in everything he strove to fulfill the will of God.”

The Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was built by order of Emperor Nicholas II as one of the standard military churches for the lower ranks of the Russian Imperial Army. As previously noted, Emperor Nicholas II donated 40 thousand gold rubles for the construction of the church. The Great Consecration of the Church was held on 8th September 1904, it was attended by the representative of the Emperor – the Moscow Governor-General, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (1857-1905) with his wife, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna (1864-1918)

Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, more than 100 monuments, sculptures, busts and memorial plaques to Nicholas II have been installed in cities and towns across the Russian Federation.

‘The Tragic Omen’ exhibition opens in St. Petersburg

Posted on 6 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

On 1st May 2026, the exhibition “Tragic Omen“ opened at the Museum of Political History in St. Petersburg. The exhibition is timed to the 130th anniversary of the Holy Coronation of Emperor Nicholas II on 27 May (O.S. 14 May) 1896 and the tragic events on the Khodynka Field on 31st (O.S. 18th) May 1896.

The art nouveau mansion which today houses the museum itself was originally built for Mathilde Kshesinskaya (1872-1971), the famous prima ballerina at the Mariinskiy before the Revolution, and Nicholas II’s mistress before he became Emperor. Designed by Alexander von Gogen and completed in 1906, the residence combines an enfilade of reception rooms with a winter garden and rotunda.

In 1917, the building was seized by the Bolsheviks and turned into their headquarters in the city. It became the centre of their revolutionary activities, and Lenin made a historic speech from one of the balconies after his arrival in the city. It was later passed through a number of organizations, before eventually becoming the Museum of the Revolution in 1957. At the beginning of the 1990’s, the museum was renamed the Museum of Political History

PHOTO: view of the Museum of Political History, which is housed in the former mansion of the Russian prima ballerina Mathilde Kshesinskaya in St. Petersburg

The exhibition features a little-known portrait of Emperor Nicholas II, painted in 1896 for the coronation celebrations by one of the nuns of the Novo-Tikhvin Convent in Ekaterinburg and hung in one of the rooms of the Winter Palace until October 1917. When revolutionary Red Guards and sailors stormed the imperial residence, they attacked the portrait with bayonets.

The exhibition presents a collection of very interesting items from the Holy Coronation of Emperor Nicholas II. Amon them are menus of the gala lunches and dinners served to the newly crowned Tsar and his guests on the days of the coronation. Each is colorfully decorated by eminent artists Viktor Vasnetsov (1848-1926), Alexander Benois (1870-1960) and Ernst Liphart (1847-1932).

In addition are uniforms, coronation mugs, a scarf, photographs, invitations to the ceremony, foreign magazines and la copy of the two-volume Coronation Album – published in 1899.

PHOTO: late 19th century lithograph depicts Emperor Nicholas II’s official entry to Moscow, on 9th May 1896. The event marked the beginning of his Holy Coronation – the ceremonies and festivities lasted three weeks

Books published underground (illegally) and abroad, satirical postcards brought from Europe to Russia show the origin and cultivation of the myth of “Bloody Nicholas”.

Visitors can also acquaint themselves with the testimonies of eyewitnesses of the Khodynka tragedy and hear the assessments of people of different social backgrounds and political beliefs. The “voices” of eyewitnesses reflect the polyphony of opinions: who is to blame for the tragedy – the police and the Moscow authorities, who failed to ensure the security of the event, or the excitement of the uncontrollable crowd, greedy for Tsarist gifts?

The project will tell how after the Khodynka tragedy, the liberal and revolutionary intelligentsia began to systematically undermine the authority of Nicholas II and the entire Russian monarchy. This happened despite the fact that the Emperor personally took responsibility for what happened.

This section of the exhibition is complemented by “At the Vagankovo Cemetery. Funeral of the Victims of Khodynka” by the Russian artist Viktor Makovsky (1846-1920) and sketches for “Khodynka”, conveying the emotional perception of the tragedy – depicted in detail the tragic events that he witnessed.

PHOTO: At the Vagankovo Cemetery. Funeral of the Victims of Khodynka (1901) by Vladimir Makovsky. From the Collection of the Museum of Political History, St. Petersburg

In May 1896, Makovsky was invited by the government to illustrate the coronation exhibition, but unexpectedly encountered the gloomy side of the festivitiies. Going to Moscow from St. Petersburg, he intended to record the festive atmosphere, folk festivities and fireworks that accompanied the coronation celebrations.

A huge crowd of people came for the promised gifts, and the situation quickly got out of control. Crowds amounting to tens of thousands of confused people pushed, fell and screamed, turning the grandiose spectacle into a nightmarish scene of suffering, pain and death.

Returning to St. Petersburg, Makovsky spent the next five years creating a painting depicting the events of the Khodynka Field. The work showed the reality of the incident, in which 1,389 people were trampled to death, and an additional 1300 injured. The painting turned out to be so emotionally rich and realistic that the artist was forced to hide it from the public at the request of official bodies – the censors.

Vladimir Makovsky’s painting “At the Vagankovo Cemetery. Funeral of the Victims of Khodynka” as an exampled of unspeakable tragedy and the wrath of censorship.

When the painting was finally exhibited in 1901 at the Peredvizhniki Exhibition, it caused an instant reaction from the authorities. The canvas was immediately seized by order of the censorship department, and the Moscow governor Grand Duke Sergei A;exandrovich (1857-1905) sent a laconic review to the artist: “The painting is not yet timed, it is salt sprinkled on a fresh wound.” It was not possible to show the painting to the Russian audience, but the audience in London saw the canvas in 1910, and out of reach pf the Russian censors. Makovsky himself did not seek active agitation or participation in the revolutionary movement of the time. He memrey attempted to honestly depict what he saw, but it turned out that honesty and objectivity in art can be much more dangerous than any propaganda slogan.

In total, the exhibition presents more than 100 exhibits from the Collection of the Museum of Political History in St. Petersburg. This collection will be presented for the first time, offereing visitors a modern historical interpretation.

My efforts to clear the name of Russia’s much slandered Tsar – Paul Gilbert

Posted on 6 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

During the month of May, we celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Emperor Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace on 19th May (O.S. 6th May) 1868, and this year (2026), we mark the 130th anniversary of the Holy Coronation of Nicholas II in Moscow on 27 May (O.S. 14 May) 1896. During the past 30+ years, I have written and reported extensively on both.

I have been researching and writing about the Romanov dynasty since the early 1990s, but it was not until October 2018 – during the Nicholas II Conference – which I organized and hosted on 27th October 2018 – that I announced I would be concentrating all my future efforts on the life and reign of Emperor Nicholas II (1868-1918).

I am now able to this through this blog – which now features more than 1,000 full-length articles and news stories, researched from Russian media and archival sources: the publication of more than 50 books and my periodical SOVEREIGN – published twice a year: my bi-weekly e-mail updates (see below); and through Facebook – the social media outlet, of which I now have more than 11,000 followers.

Subscribe to my bi-weekly Nicholas II news updates . . . it’s FREE!

There are many web sites, blogs and social media pages dedicated to the Romanovs. However, despite the fact that I am now retired, I continue to work very hard searching Russian archival and media sources to bring something new to the table on a daily basis. This includes First English translations of articles researched by a new generation of Russian historians; news on the Romanovs, their palaces, exhibitions, etc; + photos, videos and more.

If you enjoy all the articles, news, photos, and videos which I personally research, write and share, please continue to follow me on this blog, on social media or through the purchase of my books and periodical SOVEREIGN – see below.

Thank you for your interest and support of my work, and my
efforts to clear the name of Russia’s much slandered Tsar

One way that you can assist me with my research, is by supporting my publishing projects, such as my semi-annual periodical SOVEREIGN. This important publishing project features articles on the life and reign of Nicholas II, his family and the history of Imperial Russia. The articles featured in each issue are based on new research from Russian media and archival sources. As of 1st May 2026, a total of 16 issues have been published. *Please note that the No. 17 Summer 2026 issue will be available in June 2026!

CLICK HERE for more details about the latest issues of SOVEREIGN

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I am committed to clearing the name of Russia’s much slandered Tsar. In exchange for this NEW UPDATED 22-page booklet, please consider making a small $5 or $10 donation in aid of my research. These donations are of great assistance in helping me offset the cost of obtaining and translating documents from Russian archival and media sources, which are often paid for out of my own pocket. It is these documents which help present new facts and information on the life and reign of Nicholas II. In addition, my research continues to debunking many of the myths and lies which exist more than a century after his death and martyrdom.

Please note, that there is NO obligation, the booklet is FREE to every one! ENJOY!

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION

On this day – Nicholas II and members of his family were handed over to the Ural Soviet

Posted on 7 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: “Transfer of the Romanov family to the Ural Soviet” (1927)
Artist: Vladimir Nikolayevich Pchelin (1869-1941)

On this day – 30th April (O.S. 17th April) 1918, Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Grand Duchess Maria were handed over to the Ural Soviet in Ekaterinburg. It was at this point, that their fate was sealed.

Recall that on 26th (O.S. 13th) April 1918, Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, their daughter Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna were brought from Tobolsk to Ekaterinburg. They arrived in Ekaterinburg on 30th April 1918, whereupon they were handed over the Ural Soviet.

They were accompanied by five faithful retainers: Dr. Eugene Botkin Botkin, Prince Vasily Dolgorukov, maid Anna Demidova, valet Terenty Chemodurov, sailor Ivan Sednev, all of whom voluntarily accompanied the Imperial Family. The only one who survived the regicide was Chemodurov.

Nicholas II wrote the following in his diary:

“At 8.40 we arrived in Ekaterinburg. We stood for three hours in one station. There was a heated dispute between the local commissars and our own. In the end, the first prevailed and the train was moved to another goods terminal. After standing there for an hour and a half, we got off the train. Yakovlev handed us over to the local regional commissar, with whom we drove by motor through empty streets to the accommodation which has been prepared for us—the Ipatiev house. Slowly our people and our things began to arrive, but they would not let Valia through.

“The home is pleasant and clean. We have been given four large rooms. We were not able to unpack our things for a long time, as the commissar, the commandant and the guards captain had not had time to inspect our trunks. Then the inspection was like a customs search, just as strict, right down to the last capsule in Alix’s travelling medicine kit. This annoyed me so much that I expressed my opinion sharply to the commissar. By 9 o’clock we had at last settled in.

“This is how we installed ourselves: Alix, Maria and I together in the bedroom, sharing the dressing room, Demidova in the dining room, Botkin, Chemodurov and Sednev in the hall. The duty officer’s room is by the entrance. In order to go to the bathroom of W.C., it was necessary to go past the sentry at the door of the duty office. There is a very high wooden pallisade built all around the house, about two sajens from the windows, all along there was a line of sentries, in the little garden also.”

Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Anastasia and Tsesarevich Alexei joined their parents the following month. They were accompanied by more retainers, including valet Aloysius Trupp, the cook Ivan Kharitonov, Ivan Sednev’s nephew Leonid Sednev and Klimenty Nagorny, among others.

To mark this solemn anniversary, the Ekaterinburg Diocese prayerfully celebrates the memory of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers. Orthodox Christians will fill churches today, offering prayers to the Tsar and his family Many Ekaterinburg residents will also honour the memory of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers, by taking part in a Cross Procession along the so-called “Path of Sorrow”, which passes through the places associated with the final days of Russia’s last Tsar and his family in the Ural capital.

The Path of Sorrows begin with the place where Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna and their five faithful retainers disembarked from the train on 30th April 1918. Here, near the Shartash-Yekaterinburg-II Railway Station, a Memorial Cross and a foundation stone were installed. There are plans to build a church in honour of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God on this site – one of the three miraculous icons that appeared during the reign of Nicholas II.

Then the Path of Sorrow follows Vostochnaya Street, where the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Port Arthur” was built at the intersection with Shevchenko Street. In 2008, during the Cross Procession, a memorial stone was laid at this place, and in 2017, the construction of the church was completed. Here, according to historical records, on 23rd May (new style), 1918, Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, abd the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana and Anastasia Nikolaevna arrived by train. They too, were subsequently placed under arrest, and then taken to the Ipatiev House.

PHOTO: the Church on Blood in Honour of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land

Not far from the railway station, in Nevyansky Lane, there is an Orthodox church in honour of the Reigning Icon of the Mother of God. It was consecrated in 2011 by Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye. In 1918, the Yekaterinburg-I Railway Station was located here, where on 30th April (new style), 1918, the train carrying Nicholas II, his family members and their five retainers stood for several hours, before proceeding to the the Shartash-Yekaterinburg-II Railway Station, where they disembarked.

The last point of the Path of Sorrow is the Church on Blood in Honour of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land on Tsarskaya Street. It was here on this site, that Emperor Nicholas II, his family and four faithful retainers met their death and martyrdom. The church was erected on the site of the Ipatiev House, where the regicide took place on the night of 16/17 July 1918.

In the Lower Church sanctified in honour of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers, there is the “Imperial Room” – a side-chapel of which the altar allegedly rests on the site of the murder room in the basement of the Ipatiev House. The decoration of the room received the blessing of the Metropolitan of Ekaterinburg and Verkhoturye Kirill. It was timed to coincide with the events marking the 100th anniversary of the death and martyrdom in July 2018, in which more than 100,000 attended.

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The following NEW title was compiled and edited by independent researchers and Romanov historian Paul Gilbert was published in August 2024.

This fascinating new study features 14 chapters on this tragic event, which include the memoirs of a British intelligence officer and journalist, and two First-English translations. In addition, 11 chapters were written by Paul Gilbert, based on new documents sourced from Russian archival and media sources over the past decade.

Please refer to the link provided for further details about the content of this new title . . .

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS TITLE

NEW BOOK – ‘The Romanovs. The Path of Holiness and Golgotha’

Posted on 10 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

Large hard cover. 208 pages. Richly illustrated throughout. Russian edition only

The long-awaited edition of Романовы. Путь святости и Голгофы (The Romanovs. The Path of Holiness and Golgotha), has been published by the AST Publishing House. The Russian-language book is the result of many years of research by Dmitry and Ekaterina Ostroumov, dedicated to the Romanov dynasty and the spiritual path of the Holy Royal Martyrs Nicholas II and his family.

The publication is based on the exhibition dedicated to Russia’s last Tsar and his family, which opened in January 2025, in the Museum to the Royal Passion-Bearers. The permanent exhibition takes up the entire ground floor of the Church of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers in the Russian city of Dno, situated 114 km from Pskov.

The exposition project, which went from a temporary exhibition to a permanent memorial museum. It was here that on 14th (O.S. 1st) March 1917, the Imperial Train carrying the Tsar stopped. The following day, Nicholas II abdicated the throne. The event marked the beginning of his Way of the Cross.

Today, the museum preserves unique archival materials that reveal not only the historical, but also the spiritual aspects of the life of the last Russian Emperor and his family. The museum is a tribute of the deepest respect to their sacrificial feat. The scale of the project attracted the attention of the AST Publishing House, which proposed to transfer the exhibition concept to a book forma.

The large hard cover pictorial is based on authentic documents, diary entries, letters and rare photographs. The album recreates the history of the Romanov dynasty, covering the path from the calling of Mikhail Romanov in 1613 to the glorification of the Imperial Family as passion-bearers by the Moscow Patriarchate in 2000.

The main topic of the book, however, is the last Tsar and his family – from the upbringing of the heir Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich [future Emperor Nicholas II] to a martyr’s death in 1918. Particular importance is attached to the inner world of the Holy Royal Martyrs, their family way of life, their piety and sincere service to the Fatherland.

“Understanding the person of the Tsar in the Russian state today is important not only in its political and administrative significance, but also in its sacred function,” says Dmitry Ostroumov, co-author of the book. “This album, through immersion in the history of the Imperial Family, allows us to take a deeper look at this key role of the bearer of the Tsar’s life and reign.”

Through the fate of each family member, the reader comes closer to understanding the sacred depth of the monarch’s service, where earthly government and heavenly calling are inseparable, and a look into the past helps to see what often remains hidden behind the vanity of time.

The album Романовы. Путь святости и Голгофы (The Romanovs. The Path of Holiness and Golgotha) is currently available for purchase in Russian book shops, online stores, and the official website of the AST Publishing House.

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PLEASE NOTE: This post is for information purposes only. This book is ONLY available in Russia, there is NO English edition available, nor is there one planned. I regret that I do not know any booksellers who offer this book.

The current sanctions imposed by the West on Russia forbid financial transactions, therefore it is not possible to order this title from a Russian bookseller online – they will not accept Western credit cards, nor can you use PayPal, Western Union, etc. Although there are numerous Russian bookshops in the West, please note that some countries such as the United States now impose a 40% tariff on books being imported from Russia.

It is very unlikely that we shall ever see an English edition of this book. Having said that, if and when the sanctions are lifted, and English-speaking tourists return to Russia in the numbers prior to 2022, the Russian publisher may just issue an English language edition of what looks like something many of us would like to add to our personal libraries – myself included!

Studio-apartment of former Court artist to Nicholas II sells for 80 million rubles

Posted on 10 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Ernst Karlovich Liphart in his St. Petersburg studio. Artist unknown.

On 20th March 2026, I reported that Ernst Liphart’s former apartment-studio in St. Petersburg would be sold at auction. The multi-level studio-apartment was listed at 110 million rubles [$1.3 million USD]. The auction was held at the Litfond Auction House in St. Petersburg, on 18th April 2026, and sold for 80 million rubles [$1,058,400 US dollars].

What made the sale of this property so interesting, was the history behind it. The studio-apartment was built and designed in 1906 by the the Russian architect Vasily Vasilyevich Schaub (1861-1934), for Ernst Karlovich Liphart (1847-1932) – the famous court artist of Emperor Nicholas II and the chief curator of the Hermitage.

Situated on the 6th floor of No. 16 Kamennoostrovsky Prospekt, the artists’ apartment-studio consisted of four levels with a total area of 150 sq. meters[1,614 sq. ft.].

PHOTOS: views of the Studio Hall of Liphart’s former
apartment-stidio, as it looked during the Soviet years

PHOTO: view of the Studio Hall of Liphart’s
former apartment-stidio, as it looks today

The original layout has been preserved in the studio, but the space looks completely different than under Liphart. Only a small number of elements remain from it’s original neoclassical style of the early 20th century, and many interior details are reminiscent of the modernism of the 1960s.

Despite the changes made during the Soviet years, the studio hall has retained the mezzanine and columns (seen in the photos above), but also the multi-meter windows, which offer a commanding view of the historic area. The windows of the apartment overlook Avstriyskaya Ploshchad (Austrian Square) and Kamennoostrovsky Prospekt, as well as the neighboring Gorbov apartment building, and the architectural dominants of the historic Petrograd district.

Other details of the apartment-studio which have been preserved include a belvedere, an oval study, a spiral staircase leads to the mezzanine and then to a small secluded tower where you can enjoy the silence while admiring the city from round windows.

PHOTO: view of one of the rooms in Liphart’s apartment-studio

PHOTO: view of the studio of Vladimir Sokolov during the Soviet years

The first owner of the studio-apartment, Ernest von Liphart, became famous not only for his portraits of the Tsar and members of the Imperial Family, but also for his scientific work. It was he who determined that the famous painting “Madonna with a Flower” belongs to the brush of Leonardo da Vinci, and helped the Hermitage Museum to buy it. After the 1917 Revolution, Liphart remained in Russia and continued to work in the museum.

In the second half of the 20th century, the Soviet artist Vladimir Sokolov (1923-1997) lived and worked in the same studio. He is known as the artist of “blockade” posters and postcards, as well as portraits of world leaders such as Che Guevara and Pablo Neruda. Today, the works of both famous owners of the apartment-studio on Kamennoostrovsky Prospekt are stored in the collections of Russian museums and libraries.

PHOTO: Liphart’s apartment-studio is located at No. 16 Kamennoostrovsky Prospekt

PHOTO: view of Avstriyskaya Ploshchad from the studio of Ernst Liphart