On 3rd July 2025, a new exhibition August Master of Moscow, dedicated to the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, opened at the Museum of Moscow in the Russian capital. The exhibition is timed to the 120th anniversary of the assassination of the grand duke on 17th February (O.S. 4th February) 1905.

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (1857-1905) was a son of Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna, a younger brother of Emperor Alexander III, uncle of Emperor Nicholas II and husband of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. He is considered one of the most outstanding statesmen of the Russian Empire.

From 1891 to February 1905, he served as Governor-General of Moscow, and in 1896 he was appointed Commander of the Moscow Military District. It was during his years as Governor-General, that Moscow enjoyed one of the greatest periods of the city’s development, turning it from a dirty provincial city into a city that could rival any European capital.

As Governor General of Moscow, Grand Duke Sergei was in charge of overseeing the arrangements for the Holy Coronation of Emperor Nicholas II in May 1896. His reputation was initially tarnished, however, as he was partially blamed for the Khodynka Tragedy during the festivities following the coronation.

Yhe exhibition in three halls of the museum reveals all aspects of the Grand Duke’s activities. Not only his work as Governor-General of Moscow and Commander of the Moscow Military District, but also his piety and spiritual journey with his wife the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. Sergei was also a well-known philanthropist and patron of the arts.

The exposition features more than 500 items from 36 leading museums and archives of the Russian Federation, as well as from libraries and private collections. Among the exhibits are photographs, books from the library of the Grand Duke, personal items, awards of charitable institutions and societies, rare archival documents about his activities as Governor-General of Moscow and Commander of the Moscow Military District, correspondence with family members and statesmen, military uniforms, models of weapons and much more. 

One of the most interesting items on display is a miraculously preserved tablet from the tombstone of the Grand Duke. After the Bolsheviks destroyed the Chudov Monastery [where he was initially buried] in 1928, it was believed that the grave of Sergei Alexandrovich was lost. However, during excavations of the site in the 1990s, a number of historical artifacts were revealed, including the grand duke’s grave. Another item on display is the icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh, also found in the tomb of the Grand Duke in the Chudov Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin.

On display in the first hall, are letters from the earliest years of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich to 1888. And they reflect his marriage, his service, his first trip to the Holy Land, his appointment as commander of the Preobrazhensky Regiment and so on.

The exposition is complemented by a unique documentary newsreel, a film about Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and the history of the Chudov Monastery.

The exhibition was solemnly opened by the Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin [pictured above] and the Chairman of the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational Society Foundation (ESPO) Anna Gromova.

The grand opening of the exhibition was attended by the head of the Department of Culture of the city of Moscow Alexei Fursin, the Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society Sergey Stepashin, the director of the Museum of Moscow Anna Trapkova, the director of the State Historical Museum Alexei Levykin, the director of the State Archives of the Russian Federation Larisa Rogovaya and the scientific director of the Civil Archive of the Russian Federation Sergey Mironenko. Archpriest Dimitry Roshchin, Head of the Department for Work with Public Organizations of the Synodal Department for Church, Society and Mass Media Relations, representatives of the museums partner of the exhibition, historians, scientists and artists, and representatives of public organizations.

The exhibition August Master of Moscow runs until 21st September 2025 at the Museum of Moscow.

© Paul Gilbert. 4 July 2025