PHOTO: Bust-monuments to Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna
in the courtyard of the Museum of History and Local Lore in Gusev

On Saturday, 5th September 2026, a pair of bust-monuments to Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna were unveiled and consecrated in the courtyard of the Museum of History and Local Lore in the Russian city of Gusev, situated about 112 km (70 miles) from Kaliningrad.

The brass monuments were installed near the second building of the museum, where, after reconstruction, the Center for the Preservation of the Memory of the First World War was opened in 2025.

The event coincided with Tsar’s Days, which is currently taking place in Kaliningrad. This event honours the memory of Russia’s last Tsar and his family in cities across the Russian Federation.

PHOTO: Bust-monument to Emperor Nicholas II at Gusev

PHOTO: Bust-monument to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna at Gusev

The ceremony began with much pomp and pageantry, including a march of the Life Guards Regiment. Bishop Nikolai of Chernyakhov and Slavsk performed a Divine Liturgy and consecrated bust monuments to the Holy Passion-Bearers.

“Let those who will come here know, these were people who loved Russia, who served their country faithfully. And if we serve our Fatherland, our life has meaning,” His Eminence said.

According to the government of the Kaliningrad region, the monuments were created by sculptor Leonid Mikhailenko in St. Petersburg.

“The Holy Passion-Bearers Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna are the main saints who pray for Russia,” said the Director of the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational Society Foundation (ESPO) Anna Vitalievna Gromova.

“This event was made possible thanks to the joint efforts of the leadership of the region, scientific, museum, local history communities and philanthropists,” she added. “The events and reforms that took place during the reign of Emperor Alexander III and Emperor Nicholas II largely predetermined the fate of Russia, including the victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941-45).”

The ceremony ended with the laying of flowers at the monuments and a performance by a military band.

PHOTO: Bust-monuments to Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna
in the courtyard of the Museum of History and Local Lore in Gusev

© Paul Gilbert. 7 September 2026