Author: Paul Gilbert

The fate of the kokoshniks presented to OTMA in Kostroma (1913)

Posted on by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: each kokoshnik is crowned with an embroidered double-headed eagle (top); the kokoshniks of Grand Duchesses Tatiana, Olga and Anastasia Nikolaevna (bottom)

In 1913, the Romanov Dynasty celebrated it’s 300th anniversary. In February of that year, Emperor Nicholas II presided over the celebrations marking the Romanov Dynasty tercentenary. On 6th March (O.S. 21st February), a ‘Te Deum’[1] was performed in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan in St. Petersburg, followed by a state reception at the Winter Palace.

Between 15th to 28th May 1913, the Emperor and his family made a pilgrimage across the Russian Empire, retracing the route down the Volga River that was made by the teenage Michael Romanov from the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma to Moscow in 1613 when he finally agreed to become Tsar.

The Imperial Family travelled on the Mezhen from Nizhny Novgorod to Kostroma to take part in the events marking the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty that year.

The Governor of Kostroma Gennady Nikolaevich Botnikov greeted Emperor Nicholas II at the pier, with the traditional bread and salt[2] during the Imperial Family’s visit to the historic Russian town.

On the occasion of the celebrations marking the Tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty, Emperor Nicholas II ordered four kokoshniks, one for each of his four daughters. It was during their visit to Kostroma, that the grand duchesses were presented with the kokoshniks, made by the nuns of the Nikolaevsky Starotorzhsky Monastery[3].

The kokoshniks were made of velvet in a colour scheme typical of the Art Nouveau era: the kokoshnik of Grand Duchess Olga was a peach colour, Grand Duchess Tatiana’s is lilac, Grand Duchess Anastasia is in shades of rose. The colour of Maria’s kokoshnik is not known.

The kokoshniks were embroidered with gold threads and mother-of-pearl beads with stylized images of a double-headed eagle, mythical birds and floral ornaments. The kokoshniks looked elegant and delicate, emphasizing the youth of the grand duchesses. Each kokoshnik came in a case with a metal plaque on which dedicatory inscriptions were engraved. They were kept in the children’s rooms, located on the second floor of the Eastern Wing of the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo.

What happened to the kokoshniks after the 1917 Revolition? The Kokoshniks of Grand Duchesses Olga and Maria, were sold abroad in the 1930s. The kokoshniks of Grand Duchesses Tatiana and Anastasia, were evacuated during the Great Patriotic War (1941-45). All four kokoshniks have miraculously survived to the present day.

The kokoshniks of Grand Duchesses Tatiana and Anastasia are today in the collection of the Pavlovsk State Museum; the kokoshnik of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna is in the collection of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum; and the kokosnkik of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna is today in a private collection in the United States. Many years back, the author of this article saw a photo of Maria’s kokoshnik, but it has since been lost.

PHOTO: the kokoshniks of Grand Duchesses Tatiana and Anastasia Nikolaevna

The first time the author of this article saw the kokoshniks of Grand Duchesses Tatiana and Anastasia was in the Costume Museum, which is located in one of the wings of Pavlovsk Palace. The museum showcases elegant evening gowns, dresses, fans, shoes and other personal items of members of the Russian Imperial Family, from the 18th to early 20th centuries.

It was here, that the kokoshniks were displayed, surrounded by glass display cases containing a number of elegant gowns and dresses from the wardrobes of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. I thought it odd that they were among the collection of Pavlovsk Museum, especially given that neither the Dowager Empress, nor her son Nicholas II and his family, ever lived at Pavlovsk. As it turns out, they are all part of the collection of the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo.

PHOTO: the kokoshnik of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna

In 2014, the kokoshnik belonging to Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna came up for auction in New York. It was purchased by the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum for $15,000 USD. The Sotheby’s auction house acted as an intermediary in this deal between the private collector and the museum.

Like the others, the headdress is made in a traditional Russian style in the shape of a crown, covered with peach-coloured velvet, embroidered with silk and silver threads and decorated with precious stones: rubies, emeralds, moonstone and mother-of-pearl. In the center of the crown there is an embroidered double-headed eagle. On the inside, the kokoshnik is covered with peach-coloured silk fabric, with long satin ribbons along the edges.

The packaging of the headdress with the Cyrillic inscription has also been preserved: “To the Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, Nikolaevsky Starotorzhsky Convent, the city of Galich, Kostroma province. 1913».

“The acquisition of this relic is of particular importance for our museum, since the collection of memorial items of members of the last Tsar and his family is a priority for us. This kokoshnik will be displayed in the exposition of the Alexander Palace,” says Ekaterina Potselueva, curator of the women’s costume collection of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum.

It is hoped that the kokoshnik of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna will one day be returned to Russia, and that the two kokoshniks in the collection of Pavlovsk Palace will also be returned to the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, from where they were all originally kept before the Revolution and the Great Patriotic War.

NOTES:

[1] The Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered as “Thee, O God, we praise”. In the Orthodox Church, it is sung as part of the moleben of thanksgiving.

[2] When important, respected, or admired guests arrive, they are presented with a loaf of bread (usually a korovai) placed on a rushnyk (embroidered ritual cloth). A salt holder or a salt cellar is placed on top of the bread loaf or secured in a hole on the top of the loaf.

[3] The Nikolaevsky Starotorzhsky Monastery has not survived to the present day. In 1936, the monastery was closed by the Soviet authorities. In the 1950s, the monastery buildings were transferred to the Galich Pedagogical School. In 1994 work began on the restoration of the monastery’s Trinity Cathedral, based on archival drawing, documents and photographs. Sadly, work was suspended due to lack of funding.

© Paul Gilbert. 10 November 2025

***

While my research is dedicated to clearing the name of Russia’s much slandered Tsar, I am also actively looking for articles and news stories on the Romanovs, from Russian archival and media sources, which may be of interest to my readers.

In exchange for this 18-page booklet, please consider making a small $5 or $10 donation in aid of my research. These donations are of great assistance in helping me offset the cost of obtaining and translating documents from Russian archival sources, which are often paid for out of my own pocket. It is these documents which help present new facts and information on the life and reign of Nicholas II. In addition, my research continues to debunking many of the myths and lies which exist more than a century after his death and martyrdom.

Please note, that there is NO obligation, thank you for your consideration!

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION

The church where Nicholas II and his family worshiped in Tobolsk

Posted on by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, Tobolsk. 1910

During their eight month stay in Tobolsk [August 1917-April 1918], Nicholas II and his family were held under house arrest in the former Governor’s Mansion [renamed the “House of Freedom” by the Bolsheviks]. Their movements were restricted, as they had been at Tsarskoye Selo from March 1917 to the end of July 1917. Several weeks after their arrival in Tobolsk, they were permitted to worship in the nearby Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin up until January 1918, after which services were restricted to the confines of the “House of Freedom”.

The brick church was built between 1735-1758. A two-story quadrangle, completed with an octagon, on which five decorative domes were placed, with a two-aisled refectory and a three-tiered bell tower. The refectory included the chapels of Procopius and Ioann of Ustyug and the Great Martyr Catherine.

For more than three centuries, the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin served as a spiritual center of life for hundreds of parishioners. The church featured a library, an almshouse, and a parochial school.

Pierre Gilliard recalls: “Finally, on September 21st, the festival of the Nativity of the Virgin, the prisoners were allowed for the first time to go to the church. This pleased them greatly, but the consolation was only to be repeated very rarely. On these occasions we rose very early and, when everyone had collected in the yard, went out through a little gate leading on to the public garden; which we crossed between two lines of soldiers. We always attended the first Mass of the morning, and were almost alone in the church, which was dimly lighted by a few candles; the public was rigorously excluded. While going and returning I have often seen people cross themselves or fall on their knees as Their Majesties passed. On the whole, the inhabitants of Tobolsk were still very attached to the Imperial family, and our guards had repeatedly to intervene to prevent them standing under the windows or removing their hats and crossing themselves as they passed the house.”

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna wrote in her diary: “During the services, officers, the commandant and the commissar stand beside us so that we do not dare to speak”.

PHOTO: drawings of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, Tobolsk

On 8th September 1917, the Empress wrote in her diary: “We went to the service in the Cathedral of the Annunciation on foot, I was in my [wheel]chair, through the city garden, the soldiers were stationed all the way, the crowd stood where we had to cross the street. It is very unpleasant, but, nevertheless, I am grateful for being in a real church for [for the first time] in 6 months ”.

Commissar Vasily Pankratov described this event as follows: “Nicholas Alexandrovich was informed that tomorrow a Liturgy would be performed in the church, and that it was necessary to be ready by 8 o’clock in the morning. The prisoners were so pleased with this news that they got up very early and were ready by 7 o’clock. When I arrived at 7:30, they were already waiting. About 20 minutes later, the duty officer informed me that everything was ready. It turned out that Alexandra Feodorovna decided not to walk, but to ride in a chair, as her legs hurt. Her personal valet quickly wheeled the chair out to the porch. The whole family went out, accompanied by their retinue and servants, and we proceeded to the church. Nicholas II and his children, walking in the garden, looked around in all directions and talked in French about the weather, about the garden, as if they had never seen it. In fact, this garden was located just opposite their balcony, from where they could observe it every day. But it is one thing to see an object from a distance and, as it were, from behind a lattice, and another to walk through it freely. Every tree, every twig, bush, bench acquires charm … From the expressions on their faces, from their movements, one could assume that they were experiencing some special euphoria. As she was walking through the garden and not watching where she was going, Anastasia even fell. Her sisters laughed, even Nicholas himself was amused with this awkwardness of his daughter. Alexandra Feodorovna’s face remained motionless. She sat majestically in her chair and was silent. On leaving the garden, she got up from the chair, from where we crossed the street to enter the church. Outside stood a double line of soldiers, [a chain of riflemen was also placed in the garden along the entire route] and behind them stood curious onlookers. Upon entering the church, Nicholas and his family took their place on the right, their retinue closer to the middle. Alexandra Feodorovna knelt down, Nicholas and the four grand duchesses followed her example. After the service, the whole family received a prosphora [a small loaf of leavened bread used in Orthodox liturgies], which for some reason they always passed to their servants”.

The prisoners were allowed to visit the church again – on 14th September, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. On 18th September, Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna wrote to her aunt Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna: “We were twice in church. You can imagine what a joy it was for us after 6 months, because do you remember how uncomfortable our camp church in Tsarskoye Selo was? The church here is good. One large summer room in the middle, where they serve for the parish, and two winter ones on the sides [referring to the side-chapels]. The right side-chapel is reserved for us”.

PHOTO: View of Tobolsk and the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin

The family managed to visit the church for a third time on 1st October – on the feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Then again on 22nd October, the day marking the anniversary of the accession of Nicholas II to the throne and the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The entire family received communion on this day of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. “What a spiritual consolation in the time we are going through!” – the Emperor wrote in his diary that day. In addition, the Imperial family were allowed to attend church on 26th November, 3rd and 10th December, and 19th January.

Pierre Gilliard again writes: “The next day, Christmas Day, we went to church. By the orders of the priest the deacon [Fr Vasiliev] intoned the Mnogoletie [the prayer for the long life of the Imperial family] This was an imprudence which was bound to bring reprisals. The soldiers, with threats of death, demanded that the prayer should be revoked. This incident marred the pleasant memories which this day should have left in our minds. It also brought us fresh annoyances and the supervision became still stricter.”

Following the incident involving Fr Vasiliev, the Imperial family were no longer permitted to attend church. Instead, an improvised chapel was set up in the ballroom of the mansion, which consisted of a folding iconostasis and an altar, decorated with the Empress’s bed-spread, which served as an altar cloth. The local priest was invited to perform services for the Imperial family and their retinue up until April 1918, when they were transferred to the Ipatiev House [renamed the “House of Special Purpose”] in  Ekaterinburg, where they were subsequently murdered by members of the Ural Soviet on 17th July.

The Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin was closed by the Soviets in 1930, the building demolished in 1956 – the same year that the author of this article was born.

On 8th November [Siberia Day] 2025, a 1.4 m [4 ft. 6 in.] bronze 3D model of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, was installed in its historical place – at the intersection of Ulitsas Mira and Ershov.

More information about the history of the church can be found on the audio guide using the QR code found on the information plate of the model.

The outdoor 3D model is part of the ‘Lost Churches of Tobolsk’ project, designed to remind residents and visitors to Tobolsk of the city’s rich spiritual history. It is a shame, that the church was not reconstructed.

NOTES:

[1] Siberia Day was established by Emperor Alexander III, on 8th November 1881, marking the 300th anniversary of the annexation of Siberia to the Russian State. Siberia Day honours the history and cultural significance. The holiday was abolished during the Soviet period, and revived in the 1990s.

© Paul Gilbert. 8 January 2021 – UPDATED on 9 November 2025

Russia’s ambassador to Britain laid flowers at the monument to Nicholas II on the Isle of Wight

Posted on by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Russia’s Ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin
at the monument to Nicholas II on the Isle of Wight

On 4th November 2025 – on the occasion of National Unity Day – Russia’s Ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin laid flowers at the monument to Nicholas II and his family on the Isle of Wight.

The granite monument with bronze relief portraits of the Imperial Family, was unveiled on 7th July 2018, by the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Romanov Society. The monumetn stands in Jubilee Green in East Cowes, close to Queen Victoria’s residence, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, which is situated just off the southern coast of England.

The monument marking the 100th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Emperor Nicholas II and his family was created by the renowned Moscow sculptor Elena Bezborodova. At its base there is a capsule with soil from the site, where the Imperial Family’s remains were found near Ekaterinburg.

“The Isle of Wight has a special connection with Russian history: Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and her sister Elizabeth Feodorovna spent time here as children with their grandmother, Queen Victoria. Nicholas II first visited the island in 1884 and visited it again in 1909, staying at the Barton estate,” said the Russian ambassador.

National Unity Day has been celebrated in Russia annually, on 4th November since 2005. The holiday commemorates the popular uprising which ended the Polish-Lithuanian occupation of Moscow in November 1612, and more generally the end of the Time of Troubles and turning point of the Polish intervention in Russia.

FURTHER READING:

Britain’s first memorial to the Russian Imperial Family + PHOTOS

© Paul Gilbert. 5 November 2025

Restoration of interiors of the Imperial Railway Pavilion at Tsarskoye Selo

Posted on by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: the Imperial Railway Pavilion is currently covered with a false building cover

The Imperial Railway Pavilion at Tsarskoye Selo is currently covered with a temporary false building cover, but inside, great progress is being made on the restoration of the building’s interiors to their historic original.

Recall that in the summer of 2023, work began on the restoration of the Imperial Railway Pavilion to it’s historic original, under the direction of  the Tsarskoye Selo Station Foundation.

Earlier this year the Contractor, Heritage-Project Restoration Workshop LLC, received permission from the Committee on State Use and Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments of St. Petersburg to carry out work at the Imperial Train Pavilion’s interiors.

The richly decorated interiors were originally stylized as chambers with heavy stone vaults. The decoration of the facades and interiors corresponded to the grand presentation of the station, being an example of a synthesis of architecture, monumental painting and decorative art, which successfully combined the forms of ancient Russian architecture of the 17th century. The imperial chambers of the pavilion were painted by the artist M. I. Kurilko, reflecting the chambers of the beloved suburban palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

According to restorers, many of the building’s original details have surprisingly been well preserved. The historical painting of the dome of the main entrance to the Tsar’s Station has been miraculously preserved – a photograph shows an area which had been cleaned, revealing the colourful painting underneath. Early 20th century watercolours, drawings and photographs of the interiors – which have been preserved in archives – will be of great assistance to artists in their efforts to restore the once beautiful interiors to their historic original.

Once the restoration is completed, the building were serve as a mutli-purpose museum. There are plans to use the Imperial Pavilion for other purposes, including a Wedding Palace. In addition, the façade of the building, it’s rich interiors and painted vaults will be offered as an ideal place for celebrations and photo shoots.

As you can see from the photos below, great orogress is being made on the restoration of the interiors, the goal being to restore them to their historic appearance.

PHOTOS © Tsarskoye Selo Station Foundation

PHOTOS © Tsarskoye Selo Station Foundation

PHOTOS © Tsarskoye Selo Station Foundation

FURTHER READING:

This author has been closely following the progress of this project since August 2023. Below are my articles which provide details on the restoration of this historic building, the Imperial Train of the last Russian Emperor, among others . . . .

Reconstruction of the Imperial Pavilion in Tsarskoye Selo – features 9 photos

Imperial Railway Pavilion in Tsarskoye Selo is being restored – features 13 photos of the initial restoration work

Update on the restoration of the Imperial Railway Pavilion at Tsarskoye Selo

Artist concept of Imperial Railway Pavilion restoration project at Tsarskoye Selo – features VIDEO

The sad state of the Imperial Railway Pavilion at Tsarskoye Selo – features 20 photos!

Imperial Railway Pavilions during the reign of Nicholas II

The fate of Nicholas II’s Imperial Train – features 8 historic photos

© Paul Gilbert. 5 November 2025

Carpet from Governor’s Mansion in Tobolsk preserved in the United States

Posted on by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: view of the Drawing Room in the Governor’s Mansion in Tobolsk, where the carpet can be seen in the lower left-hand corner of the photo. 1917-18

The Museum of Russian Culture in San Francisco, has a valuable historic relic related to the Tobolsk exile of Nicholas II and his family, from August 1917 to April 1918.

In October 1973, doctor Anatoly Pavlovich Timofievich (1886-1975), who was living at the Novo-Diveevo Monastery in New York at the time, wrote to the Museum that, with the blessing of Archbishop Andrei (Rymarenko), he would like to donate for preservation a large carpet from the Governor’s Mansion in Tobolsk.

The carpet was in the Drawing Room, where a chapel was recreated, consisting of of a folding iconostasis and an altar. It was in this room, that the Imperial Family prayed during their house arrest in Tobolsk. The carpet was given to Timofievich by the sister of Nicholas II – Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna (1875-1960), but how the carpet came into Xenia’s possession remains a mystery.

Timofievich sent a photograph of the Drawing Room in the Governor’s House, in which part of this carpet is visible. The photo was taken in 1917-18 by Pierre Gilliard, French tutor of the heir to Tsesarevich Alexei, and published in his memoirs Thirteen Years at the Russian Court in 1921.

PHOTO: carpet from Tobolsk on display Museum of Russian Culture in San Francisco

Another photo of the carpet in Tobolsk was a great stroke of luck – from a book by Charles Sydney Gibbes, the August children’s English tutor. This photo shows the Christmas service in the house chapel in the Drawing Room of the Governor’s Mansion. In the lower left, part of the carpet can be seen – see photo above. It is known that the service was conducted by the rector of the Church of the Annunciation in Tobolsk, Archpriest Alexei Pavlovich Vasiliev (1865-1929), Christmas, December 1917.

On 8th November 1973, the carpet was sent to Nikolai Aleksandrovich Slobodchikov (1911-1991), chairman of the Museum of Russian Culture in San Francisco.

It was not until 2015, that the carpet was discovered in the museum’s vast archive. The carpet was identified, restored and put on display in the Museum of Russian Culture in San Francisco.

In 2018 – the year marking the 100th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Russia’s last Tsar and his family – the Museum of the Family of Emperor Nicholas II opened in the former Governor’s Mansion in Tobolsk.

In July of the same year, employees of the Museum of Russian Culture in San Francisco and employees of the Museum of the Royal Family took place in Tobolsk.

NOTE: if you have any additional facts or information about this relic, please contact me by e-mail: royalrussia@yahoo.com

© Paul Gilbert. 4 November 2025

Buy / Sell paintings by Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna

Posted on by Paul Gilbert

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna (1882-1960) is famous for her lovely still life and landscapes in water-colours. During her lifetime, she produced over 2,000 paintings. The sale of these paintings provided a source of income for her and her family during their years in exile, in Denmark and later Canada.

Her works are now in the private collections of HM Queen Elizabeth II, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, HM King Harald of Norway, the Ballerup Museum, Denmark, as well as private collections in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Today, her paintings are highly sought after by private collectors, each one fetching a handsome sum at auction – averaging any where from $3,000 to $5,000 USD and more.

PHOTOS: These are just two examples of Grand Duchess Olga’s
paintings, which I have found buyers in recent years

Over the years, I have been approached on numerous occasions by people, who owned one of Olga’s paintings – each one with an interesting provenance – that they were interested in selling. I was able to find these sellers a buyer, through the thousands of people who have followed and supported my research all these many years.

I currently have buyers who are actively seeking Grand Duchess Olga’s paintings. All sales are private, all seller/buyer information is confidential + there are no outrageous commissions paid out to dealers – some of whom charge 20 to 35% or more!

Please note that if you have a painting to sell, I do charge a finders fee, paid by the seller. Payment for the painting is processed between the buyer and seller. The seller is responsible for packing and shipping the painting on each painting. The buyer is responsible for shipping charges, insurance, as well as any taxes, customs duties, and tariffs.

If you own a painting by Grand Duchess Olga, and are seeking a buyer, please contact me at the following e-mail address with details and photos of the painting:

PAUL GILBERT – royalrussia@yahoo.com

© Paul Gilbert. 2 November 2025

Emperor Nicholas II on Facebook

Posted on by Paul Gilbert

CLICK HERE to be redirected to my Nicholas II Facebook page

In April 2016, I launched a Facebook page dedicated to the life and reign of Emperor Nicholas II, which do not appear on this blog. In addition are posts about his family, the Romanov Dynasty and the history of Imperial Russia.

Each day, I create up to a dozen new posts, featuring news – translated into English from Russian archival and media sources – plus, contemporary and vintage photos – to date, there are more than 5,000 colour and black & white photos on my Nicholas II Facebook page!

In addition are videos and newsreels, as well as new book announcements, new monuments, portraits, and exhibitions in Russia, which are not covered in English social media and news outlets.

I currently have 5,000 Facebook friends – the maximum that FB will allow – plus, an additional 4,500+ followers, from all over the world. Friends are allowed to comment on posts and engage in discussions with others. My FB page has become a perfect “watering hole” for those of us who share an interest in Russia’s last Tsar, his family, the Romanov dynasty, and the history of Imperial Russia.

Please note, that as I have already reached the maximum number of friends that Facebook will allow me, you can still become a “FOLLOWER” of my FB page.

Simply CLICK on the LINK above, which will redirect you to my FB page, whereupon you CLICK on the FOLLOW button. This will ensure that you receive instant updates on all new posts, however, you will not be able to comment on them. You always have the option to send a FRIEND REQUEST at a later date.

Please join me today, in celecrating the life, reign and
era of Russia’s last Emperor and Tsar! remains concise

CLICK HERE to be redirected to my Nicholas II Facebook page

© Paul Gilbert. 1 November 2025

Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich – the Perm Period (1918)

Posted on by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: poster for the exhibition Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. The Perm Period

After years of planning, a permanent historical and archival exhibition dedicated to the fate of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, his faithful secretary Nicholas Johnson[1] and the tragic events of June 1918[2], has opened in the building of the former Korolev Rooms Hotel in Perm.

The first of the Romanovs to fall at the hands of the Bolsheviks was Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, the younger brother of Emperor Nicholas II. His fate is inextricably linked with Perm, where he spent the last months of his life – from March to June 1918 – and subsequently murdered[2].

The historical and archival exhibition Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich: The Perm Period is designed to shed light on this episode in early 20th century Russian history. This exhibition is not just a collection of documents and photographs, but instead, takes a hard look into the drama of a man who finds himself in the epicenter of a historical hurricane.

The exhibition is unique in its reliance on authentic archival documents, many of which are exhibited for the first time. It debunks myths and restores a chronology of events based on documented facts. Visitors have the opportunity to learn, not only about the fate of the Grand Duke, but also to understand the atmosphere of that time, the motives of the characters and the fatal chain of events that led to his murder. For Perm, this exhibition is of particular importance, as it reveals one of the darkest and most significant pages in the history of the city.

The choice of the place for the exhibition was selected not accidental – the venue is situatedd in the building of the former Korolev Rooms Hotel[3], where the Grand Duke passed the last few weeks of his life.

PHOTO: view of one of the halls showcasing the exhibition Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. The Perm Period

The creation of the permanent exhibition is the first step towards a museum dedicated to Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. The project is a monumental effort which has united historians, archivists, local historians, museum workers, members of the Russian Orthodox Church, public figures and supported by local and regional government authorities.

For the first time, visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to gain access to the former Korolev Rooms Hotel, where they can view a large number of unique documents and photographs, and see a replica of the military uniform worn by the Grand Duke during his service as Commander in the Caucasian Native Cavalry Division.

Visitors can also watch a unique archival newsreel depicting Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, see 3D models of the signs of charitable societies of which he was a trustee, as well as hear audio recordings of the memories of participants and eyewitnesses of the events of June 1918.

The exhibition is a joint project of the Foundation for the Revival of the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational Society Foundation (ESPO), the Perm State Archive of Social and Political History, the Perm Museum of Local Lore, and the Central Exhibition Hall of Perm.

PHOTO: entrance to the exhibition in the former Korolev Rooms Hotel, where from May 1918, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich and his faithful secretary Nicholas Johnson, were held under house arrest.

The historical and archival exhibition Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich: Perm Period is much more than a collection of old papers and photographs. This is a powerful and poignant reminder of the human tragedy that unfolded against the backdrop of global historical cataclysms. It allows visitors to not only learn the facts about the final days of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, but to feel and to breathe the era, its cruelty and uncertainty.

NOTES:

[1] Despite his British-sounding first and last names, Nicholas Nikolaevich Johnson (1878-1918) was actually Russian, he was born in St. Petersburg and baptized in the Russian Orthodox faith. He served as Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich’s private secretary from December 1912.

[2] On the night of 12/13 June 1918, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, together with his secretary Nikolai Johnson, were taken to a forest outside Perm, and murdered by the leader of the local secret police, Gavril Myasnikov, with the connivance of other local Bolsheviks. Their remains have never been found. In 1981, Grand Duke Michael and Nicholas Johnson were canonized as New-Martyrs of Russia by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).

[3] In 1998, a memorial plaque to Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich was installed on the façade of the former Korolev Rooms Hotel in Perm.

FURTHER READING:

Search for Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich’s remains resumes near Perm + PHOTOS

The myth that Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich was Russia’s last Tsar

© Paul Gilbert. 31 October 2025

***

MISHA: GRAND DUKE MICHAEL ALEXANDROVICH
Compiled and Edited by Paul Gilbert

Paperback edition. 136 pages + 50 black & white photographs

CLICK HERE TO ORDER PAPERBACK EDITION

Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich (1878-1918) was the youngest son of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna, and the younger brother of Russia’s last emperor Nicholas II.

This book explores the milestones in the life of Grand Duke Michael in a series of essays by four distinct authors, and complemented with 50 black and white photographs.

Among them are the memories of Princess Olga Pavlovna Putyatina, who in February 1917, offered refuge to the grand duke at her flat on Millionnaya Street in Petrograd.

Independent researcher Paul Gilbert offers two fascinating essays: the first reviews an album of some 200 photographs taken by Grand Duke Michael, during his stay at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire. England, 1913-1914 . The album sold at auction for more than 2 million rubles ($34,000 USD).

The final essay examines the myth that Michael was the last Tsar of Russia, he was not. Nicholas II remained Emperor and Tsar of Russia until the day of his death and martyrdom on 17th July 1918.

Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich and his Secretary Nikolai Nikolaevich Johnson, were both murdered by the Bolsheviks near Perm on 13 June 1918. Their remains have never been found.

Imperial Family photo-exhibition opens in Vyselki

Posted on by Paul Gilbert

NOTE: click on the above image to enlarge and see in greater detail

On 22nd October 2025, the photo-exhibition ‘The Tsar’s Family. Love and Mercy‘, opened in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Vyselki, Krasnodar Territory.

The exhibition is showcased in the central alley of the Church, where large photographs of Emperor Nicholas II and his family are displayed on the walls. The exhibition is FREE to all.

The exhibit tells the story of the Nicholas II’s family, who unselfishly served others during the First World War and the traditions of nursing in Russia at the turn of the 19th – early 20th centuries.

Recall that when World War I broke out, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and her two eldest daughters Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana became Red Cross nurses. Together, from 1914 to 1917, they cared for wounded soldiers in a private hospital on the grounds of Tsarskoye Selo, until the family were placed under house arrest, following the Tsar’s abdication 15th March (O.S. 2nd March) 1917.

PHOTO: 3rd grade students of school No. 2 in Vyselki together with their teacher visit the photo-exhibition ‘The Tsar’s Family. Love and Mercy’

The exhibition has already been visited by 3rd grade students of school No. 2 in Vyselki together with their teacher Irina Fostenko.

The children listened with interest to the story told by Father Alexander about the service of the Imperial Family to the Fatherland, and about Nicholas II’s family, helping soldiers, the poor and the sick during the war years.

The photo project The Tsar’s Family: Love and Mercy 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

© Paul Gilbert. 30 October 2025

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna’s photo album sells for 13 million rubles at auction

Posted on by Paul Gilbert

On 15th October 2025, I reported that a rare photo album belonging to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (1872-1918) was being auctioned on 23rd October 2025, at the Literary Fund Auction House (Litfond) in St. Petersburg.

The opening bid for the album was 10 million rubles [$125,600 USD], but collectors bidding against one another, managed to drive the price even higher. The photo album sold for 13 million rubles [$163,000 USD], to an unknown Russian bidder.

The lilac-coloured album includes 12 pages with 26 photographs of the Imperial Family taken by the Empress herself, using her Kodak Brownie Box camera. The photos were taken in 1913-1914 in the Crimea and Tsarskoye Selo.  The size of the album is 24.5×20 cm, the photographs are from 8.5×5.3 to 11.8×9.3 cm. All the photos were personally pasted into the album by Alexandra Feodorovna and Emperor Nicholas II.

This album is one of only two of the Imperial Family’s photo albums, known to the author of this article, that was not included in the state archival funds. The other photo album belonging to Emperor Nicholas II in the Museum of Local Lore in Zlatoust, which is situated 270 kilometers (168 mi) south of Ekaterinburg. 

On a personal note, I am happy that the photo album was purchased by a Russian buyer, rather than sold abroad to a foreign collector. Let us hope, that the album will be gifted to a museum – preferably the Alexander Palace, from where it was taken in August 1917, when the Imperial Family were sent into exile.

FURTHER READING:

Photo album belonging to Russia’s last Empress to be auctioned in St. Petersburg + PHOTOS

© Paul Gilbert. 29 October 2025