On 26th November 2025, a photo-exhibition dedicated to Russia’s last Tsar and his family opened in the building of the Clergy House, located in the heart of the Volokolamsk Kremlin, situated 129 kilometers (80 mi) northwest of Moscow. The exhibition presents more than 100 photographs from the private albums of the Imperial Family.
The photo-exhibition Under the Shadow of the Tsar’s Crown is a joint project of the Volokolamsk Kremlin, the Moscow Sretensky Monastery and the Volokolamsk Deanery of the Odintsovo Diocese.
The exhibition is divided into three thematic parts: family life, service to the Fatherland and mercy. The family of Nicholas II, is an example of a true Christian family, which is very important today, when the whole world is experiencing a crisis of family values.
The first part of the exhibit is dedicated to family relationships. Here are photographs depicting private home life, the attention of Nicholas and Alexandra towards their children and the close relationships shared with each other.
The second part reflects service to the Fatherland. The photos show Nicholas II’s participation in military reviews and his visits to Russian troops at the Front, during the First World War.
The third, the largest part of the exposition, is dedicated to the mercy and charity of the Imperial Family. A special place is dedicated to photographs in which the Empress and her daughters are depicted working in hospitals, assisting doctors during operations and providing care to soldiers, who were recovering at the hospital in Tsarskoye Selo, where the Empress and her daughters worked as Red Cross nurses.
The curator of the exhibition, Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov), noted the importance of the photographs presented:
“Among all the photographs, I would single out the picture where the Emperor visits wounded soldiers in a hospital during the First World War. We obtained this original image from our archive when preparing the exhibition . It turned out that this photo had not been published anywhere before. We were one of the first to present it publicly.”
The photo-exhibition Under the Shadow of the Tsar’s Crown runs until the end of February 2026, in the building of the Clergy House, located in the heart of the Volokolamsk Kremlin. The exhibit is open to visitors every Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00 and on public holidays. Admission is FREE!
The exhibition Under the Shadow of the Tsar’s Crown has been held (although under different names) in various formats and in many Russian cities: Moscow, Voronezh, Kursk, Ryazan, Penza, Krasnodar, Belgorod, Velikiye Luki, Yalta, Livadia, Sevastopol, Novosibirsk, Lesosibirsk, Perm, Sayansk, Severomorsk, Pskov, Pavlovsk, Livadia, etc.
The photo project Under the Shadow of the Tsar’s Crown was created in 2016 by the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow. The travelling exhibition has already been presented in Serbia, Germany, Italy, Canada, Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the Czech Republic.
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*As I have noted in previous posts, I support any initiative – big or small – to help keep the memory of Nicholas II and his family alive in 21st century Russia – PG
Nicholas II 
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