PHOTOS: bust-monuments of Emperor Nicholas II and his son and heir Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, installed on the grounds of the Church of the Holy Passion-Bearer Tsesarevich Alexei in the town of Gorodovikovsk

On 18th October 2026, a pair of bust-monuments to Emperor Nicholas II and his son Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaoevich – were unveiled on the grounds of the Church of the Holy Passion-Bearer Tsesarevich Alexei in the town of Gorodovikovsk, Republic of Kalmykia. Kalmykia is located north of the North Caucasus, in the southern Volga region of Russia).

A memorial plaque was instaled on the wall of the facade of the church with the text of a telegram sent by Emperor Nicholas II to the residents of Bashanta – the town was renamed Gorodovikovsk in 1971. It should be noted that Gorodovikovsk has a deep and unique connection to cossack history.

The monuments were donated to the Elista and Kalmyk Diocese by Pavel Astakhov, a Russian statesman, writer and TV presenter, and their installation, “is an effort to preserve the memory of the historical ties of the Kalmyk land with the Russian Imperial House and the service of the Kalmyk Cossacks to the Fatherland.”

The opening ceremony was held under the auspices of the Interreligious Council of Kalmykia and the Kalmyk Cossack District.

PHOTOS: bust-monuments of Emperor Nicholas II and his son and heir Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, installed on the grounds of the Church of the Holy Passion-Bearer Tsesarevich Alexei in the town of Gorodovikovsk

The opening ceremony of the monuments was attended by the Head of the Administration of the Republic of Kalmykia Kirill Popov, Archbishop of Elista and Kalmykia Justinian, members of the Orthodox clergy, Cossacks, public organizations and residents of the city.

During the unveiling ceremony, Pavel Astakhov spoke about the importance of preserving the memory of the Holy Passion-Bearer Tsar Nicholas II and his Family and donated a banner from the NVO zone with the emblems of units bearing the names of Orthodox saints to the Cossack Cadet Corps of Gorodovikovsk.

For his contribution to educational activities aimed at preserving the traditions of veneration of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers in Kalmykia, Pavel Astakhov was awarded the diocesan medal “For Labors for the Good of the Elista Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church”.

PHOTOS: close-up of the bust-monuments of Emperor Nicholas II and his son and heir Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, installed on the grounds of the Church of the Holy Passion-Bearer Tsesarevich Alexei in the town of Gorodovikovsk

To the sounds of “Glory”, the cadets of the Cossack Cadet Corps named after Oka Ivanovich Gorodovikov removed the white covers from the monuments, and the guests of honor laid baskets of flowers at the base of each of the two pedestals.

Kirill Popov, Archbishop Justinian, representatives of the city’s religious communities, and Cossack leaders also delivered greetings.

The ceremony ended with a solemn walk-past by Cossacks and cadets. Parishioners’ and residents of the town were then invited to lay flowers at the bust-monuments.

It should be noted that the place for the installation of these monuments was not chosen by chance. Before the 1917 Revolution, Gorodovikovsk, formerly called Bashanta, maintained special reverence for the Imperial Family. Following the birth of the heir to the throne in 1904, a church was built here in gratitude to God for the birth of Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich.

PHOTO: the facade of the church bears the image of the Holy St. Tsesarevich Alexei

The church was consecrated in honor of the heavenly patron of the Tsesarevich. The current church was laid in 2007 and consecrated in 2018 in honour of the Tsarevich-Passion-Bearer Alexi Nikolaevich.

Another historical episode is associated with a telegram from Nicholas II, sent in 1909 to the Kalmyks of the Bolshederbetovsky ulus [local tribal administration] with gratitude for their loyalty. In memory of the Emperor’s gratitude, the ulus assembly decided to install a silver plaque with the text of the telegram.

The installation of the monument in Gorodovikovsk, is the 18th monument of Russia’s last Tsar to be installed in Russia this year. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, between 125 to 150 monuments, busts and memorial plaques have been installed in more than 50 regions of the Russian Federation.

Paul Gilbert. 20 October 2026