Preparations are underway for Tsar’s Days in Ekaterinburg. This year marks the 106th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Emperor Nicholas II, his family and their faithful retainers in the Ural capital on 17th July 1918. The schedule of events in this years Tsar’s Days was discussed today at a conference attended by members of the Ekaterinburg Diocese headed by Metropolitan Evgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye.

The archpastor noted the importance of the upcoming memorial events, which traditionally bring together thousands of faithful from across Russia and abroad.

The central event of Tsar’s Days is the Divine Liturgy held on the night of 16/17 July, followed by a 21-km [13 miles] Cross Procession, from the Church on the Blood in central Ekaterinburg to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama. for which “the whole of Russia gathers” in the Ural capital.

Tsar’s Days is part of the XXIII International Festival of Orthodox Culture, which will be held over a 10-day period from 11-21 July. Aside from divine services and religious processions, the festival will feature many events in honour of the Holy Royal Martyrs, including bell ringing, concerts and musical evenings, as well as exhibitions and conferences hosted by well-known historians, theologians and authors.

The veneration of Nicholas II

The veneration of Nicholas II and his family actually began just days after their murder in July 1918[1]. During the Soviet years, such activity would most certainly have been suppressed, forcing the faithful to honour the Holy Royal Martyrs in secret.

After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, everything changed, when in 2000, some 300 faithful gathered at the sight of the Ipatiev House. In 2002, the first Cross Procession in memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs was held in the Ural capitlal, attracting 3,000 faithful. The procession has been held every year since, the most important being in 2018, the year marking the 100th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of the Imperial Family.

NOTES:

[1] Gilbert, Paul. The Veneration of Nicholas II. Sovereign: The Life and Reign of Emperor Nicholas II, Summer 2024. pg. 63-70

© Paul Gilbert. 17 June 2024