Ekaterinburg | Nicholas II

Vintage train from Ekaterinburg, tells the story of Nicholas II’s last days

PHOTO: a pin – depicting the image of Nicholas II
– worn by conductors on the vintage train from Ekaterinburg.

In December 2022, a vintage train journey was initiated from Ekaterinburg, which tells passengers, the story of the last days of Nicholas II and his family in the Urals. The train runs from Ekaterinburg to the Shuvakish station and back, on Friday evenings, and also on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The locomotive (see photo below) is not from the Imperial times, but a 1963 steam engine, made in Czechoslovakia. The interiors, however, have been remodeled to resemble that of an early 20th century Russian train.

Passengers travelling on the vintage train are greeted on the platform by hospitable conductors wearing uniforms of early 20th century Imperial Russia-style, and white gloves (see photo below).

The train has four wagons: First Class, Economy Class, a dining car (see photo below) and a sightseeing car, which operates during the summer months. One compartment is decorated with framed photographs of the Imperial Family.

During the 3-hour train journey, passengers can sit back, relax and enjoy the view, while listening to an audio-guide, which tells the story of the last days of Russia’s last Tsar, his family and their four faithful retainers.

The audio begins with the Imperial Family’s train journey from Tsarskoye Selo to Tyumen, then by boat to Tobolsk, where they were held under house arrest in the former Governor’s House, from August 1917 to March 1918.

The story continues, with the transfer of the Imperial Family to Ekaterinburg, where they were held under house arrest in the Ipatiev House, from March to July 1918. The audio-guide further tells of their fate, their burial at what is today known as Ganina Yama, and the discovery of their remains, almost 100 years later on the Old Koptyaki Road.

Tea is served to passengers from a traditional samovar. Conductors bring the tea in beautiful faceted glasses in iron cup holders, on which the Double-Headed Eagle of the Russian Empire is depicted.

The train stops at Shuvakish Station (Zheleznodorozhny district), where passengers are free to disembark the train to a wooden platform, decorated with benches, a bell and a manual semaphore signal. The stop lasts a little more than an hour.

Inside the wooden pavilion, passengers can enjoy music, which includes a variety of waltzes and melodies from the repertoire of Alexander Serov.

Passengers can also try on the uniforms of the White Guards, take photos, and enjoy a cup of hot tea, bagels and local berries.

PHOTO: tea is served at Shuvakish Station

***

*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 monuments in and around Ekaterinburg

Posted on October 13 by Paul Gilbert

Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, more than 100 monuments, busts and memorials have been installed in cities and towns across in Russia – six of which have been installed in Ekaterinburg. Recall that it was here, in the Ural capital, where the last Tsar and his family were held under house arrest and subsequently murdered.

Once a bastion of Bolshevism, Ekaterinburg has slowly shed its status as the “capital of atheism”. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Urals has experienced a revival of faith, with Ekaterinburg as the center of Orthodox Russia in the region.

It is important to add, that Ekaterinburg has done more to honour Russia’s last Tsar and his family than any other city in Russia. It is home to the Church on the Blood [built on the site of the Ipatiev House, where the Imperial Family were murdered]; the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama; the Romanov Memorial at Porosenkov Log; three museums and no less than six monuments, dedicated to the Imperial Family.

Church on the Blood, Ekaterinburg

The Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg, was built in 2000-2003m on the site of the Ipatiev House, where the Imperial family and their faithful retainers were all brutally murdered by members of the Ural Soviet on 17th July 1918.

The monument to Emperor Nicholas II and his family, created by the sculptor Konstantin Vasilievich Grunberg was installed in 2003 on the grounds of the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg. The Tsar is depicted carrying the invalid Tsesarevich Alexei in his arms.

The staircase on the left represents the 23 steps the Imperial Family and their four faithful retainers descended to their death and martyrdom in the Ipatiev House in the early morning hours of 17th July 1918.

The door seen in the lower right is the entrance to the Lower Church, sanctified in honour of the Holy Royal Martyrs in the Church, where the Imperial Room – built on the site of the murder room.

PHOTOS: two views (above and below) of the bust-monument to Emperor Nicholas II, in the Patriarchal Compound of the Church on the Blood

Several years back, a bronze bust on a marble pedestal of Emperor Nicholas II was installed at the top of the staircase leading to the Museum of the Holy Royal Family in the Tsarsky Cultural and Educational Center, situated in the Patriarchal Compound of the Church on the Blood.

In July 2023, the bust was replaced with a similar bust of the Tsar’s son and heir Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich. The bust of the Emperor was temporarily moved to the new permanent exhibition The Romanovs in the Urals, located at the Poklevsky-Kozell House Museum of the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore in Ekaterinburg.

PHOTO: the bust-monument to Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, in the Patriarchal Compound of the Church on the Blood

Ekaterinburg museums

PHOTO: Bust of Emperor Nicholas II on display at the Hermitage-Ural Museum in Ekaterinburg – a branch of the State Hermitage (St. Petersburg)

PHOTO: a copy of the “The Night at the Ipatiev House” sculptural composition by Russian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli (1934-2025), greets visitors to the permanent exhibition ‘The Romanovs in the Urals‘ located in the Poklevsky-Kozell House Museum in Ekaterinburg.

***

Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs, Ganina Yama

Ganina Yama is the site of the Four Brothers mine situated near the village of Koptyaki, 15 km north from Ekaterinburg. It was here that in the early morning hours of 17th July 1918 the bodies of Tsar Nicholas II, his family and four servants were secretly transported to Ganina Yama and thrown into a 9′ deep pit. The murderers returned the following day, exhumed the remains and reburied them in two unmarked graves at Porosenkov Log, which is situated 3.8 km away.

In 2001, the Russian Orthodox Church constructed the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at the site in 2001. Between 2008-2011, three monuments to the Holy Royal Martyrs were installed on the grounds of the monastery:

The bronze bust (above) of Emperor Nicholas II was installed and consecrated on 19th (O.S. 6th) May 2008, the day marking the sovereign’s 90th birthday. A bas-relief (below) depicting Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and her five children, is located on the lower section of the monument to Emperor Nicholas II

The bronze monument (above) to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was installed and consecrated in 2011.

The bronze monument (above) of Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Tsesarevich Alexei, was installed and consecrated on the grounds of the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama in 2011.

Sredneuralsk, Sverdlovsk Oblast

The Sredneuralsky Convent in Honour of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Conqueror of Bread”, is an Orthodox convent located on the outskirts of the city of Sredneuralsk, 15 km northwest of Ekaterinburg.

In 2014, the Trinity Church was consecrated in the monastery, which was built based on the ancient Russian architecture of the era of the formation of the Moscow kingdom. It is dedicated to the family of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II. The basement of the Ipatiev House – where the Imperial Family were shot – was recreated in the lower part of the church. A large Poklonny cross dedicated to the Imperial Family, and a bust of Tsar Nicholas II were installed on the grounds of the monastery.

Pakistani delegation honour the memory of Nicholas II and his family

Posted on August 1 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Pakistani Ambassador Muhammad Khalid Jamali and members of his delegation, in the Patriarchal Compound of the Church on the Blood. Note the bust of Nicholas II on a pedestal at the top of the stairs

On 31st July 2025, a delegation headed by the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Russian Federation Muhammad Khalid Jamali visited the Church on the Blood and the Museum of the Holy Royal Family in Ekaterinburg.

Representatives of the delegation were given a tour of the museum, which is situated in the Patriarchal Compound of the Church on the Blood. While being shown exhibits, they were told about the life and work of Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich and the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia.

“Particular attention was paid to the last period of their lives, during which the Imperial Family were being held under house arrest in Tsarskoye Selo, Tobolsk and Ekaterinburg, where they subsequently met their death and martyrdom in the Ipatiev House, on 17th July 1918.” said the head of the Museum of the Holy Royal Family, Victoria Mikhailovna Kalmykova.

PHOTO: the icon of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers. A capsule on the Heir’s chest contains a baby tooth of Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, preserved by his Swiss tutor Pierre Gilliard

According to the head of the museum, the members of the delegation reacted with great respect to the shrines of the Church-on-the-Blood – the icon of the Mother of God “Three-handed”, which belonged to the Imperial Family and was with them in the Ipatiev House, the icon of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers containing a tooth of Tsesarevich Alexei, to the reliquary containing the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, glorified during the reign of His Majesty Emperor Nicholas II, were previously kept.

The members of the delegation were very interested in the personal items belonging to members of the Imperial Family: a fragment of a children’s blanket made by the Grand Duchesses for the birth of Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich in 1904; a children’s summer openwork glove that belonged to the Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna; a dinner napkin of Emperor Nicholas II, among other items belonging to His Majesty of that time.

At the end of the visit, the members of the delegation expressed gratitude for getting acquainted with the shrines of the Church on the Blood, and for the memorable and interesting tour of the museum.

Myrrh streams from icon of Nicholas II in Ekaterinburg

Posted on July 23 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Alexander Feodorovich Chernavsky holding the
myrrh-streaming icon of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II

On 13th July 2025, the myrrh-streaming icon of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II arrived at the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg. The icon was brought from Moscow, by the head of the Orthodox Military Mission, Alexander Feodorovich Chernavsky.

According to Chernavsky, the icon has been streaming myrrh since 1998, and again, during this year’s Tsar’s Days in the Ural capital, drops of myrrh appeared in the shape of “diamonds” on the icon itself and on the frame.

“It smells fragrant, it streams myrrh and inspires faithful Orthodox Christians with the fact that the Tsar is alive, he sees all our labours, hears our prayers, reacts to the impulses of our hearts, to our feelings, he believes in the future of Russia. The Imperial Family and other New Martyrs pray for us.”

Chernavsky brings the icon to the Ural city every year for events marking Tsar’s Days, namely the Divine Liturgy held on the night of 16/17 July, followed by a Cross Procession to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs in Ganina Yama.

PHOTO: detail of the banner depicting the image of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II

On 16th July 2025, Chernavsky presented Metropolitan Evgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye with a banner depicting the image of Tsar Nicholas II. Such banners bearing the face of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers are sent to Russian soldiers to inspire them by the feat of the Emperor, to embrace the Orthodox faith and become churchgoers.

In the early morning hours of 17th July, Chernavsky – carrying the icon of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II – joined tens of thousands of pilgrims, clergy and believers in the annual Cross Procession from the Church on the Blood to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama – a journey of 21-km (13 mile) on foot.

Chernavsky noted that during this year’s Cross Procession, he noticed many young people with banners and flags, which he believes “speaks of the affirmation of the Orthodox faith and the unity of the Russian people.”

PHOTO: Metropolitan Evgeny of Ekaterinburg and Verkhotursky (left) with Alexander Chernavsky holding the myrrh-streaming icon of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II, in the Patriarchal Compound of the Church on the Blood. At the top of the stairs behind, you can see a bust-monument to Nicholas II

Recall that the icon of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II was painted in the United States even before the glorification of the Tsar by the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church on 20th August 2000, after the Russian émigré Iya Dmitrievna Schmit[1], had a dream in which she saw an icon depicting the Tsar Martyr Nicholas II in 17th century grand ducal attire. She asked the iconographer Pavel Nikolaevich Tikhomirov, who lives in California, to paint the icon she had dreamt about.

At the end of 1997, colour lithographs of this icon were brought to Russia. In the St. Nicholas almshouse in the city of Ryazan, where the Church of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II is being built, a colour copy was made and placed in an icon case under glass.

On 7th November 1998, the icon began to stream myrrh. Since then, the icon has been traveling around Russia and around the world. But most importantly, the icons streams myrrh on the anniversary of the Tsar’s death and martyrdom, among other days associated with the memory of Russia’s much slandered Tsar.

NOTES:

[1] In 2000, Ija Schmit (1936-2018) gifted a copy of this icon to the author of this article.

Tsar’s Days in Ekaterinburg – 16/17 July 2025

Posted on July 20, 2025 by Paul Gilbert

On the night of 16/17 July 2025, tens of thousands of pilgrims, clergy and believers from across the Russian Federation and abroad, took part in the Divine Liturgy on the square in front of the Church on the Blood in Honour of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land in Ekaterinburg.

This year marks the 107th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Emperor Nicholas II, his wife, their five children, and four faithful retainers, who were all brutally murdered in the Ipatiev House in the early morning hours of 17th July 1918.

According to the press service of the Ekaterinburg Diocese, this year’s Tsar’s Days was attended by residents of Ekaterinburg and the Sverdlovsk region, but also residents of different regions of Russia. In addition, were pilgrims from the Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, Serbia, Italy and other countries.

This year’s Divine Liturgy was led by 12 bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, headed by Metropolitan Evgeny of Ekaterinburg and Verkhotursky. Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ was performed from 100 Chalices. The service was broadcast live by the First Orthodox TV channel “Soyuz” on YouTube, and Rutube-channels.

This was followed by a 21-km (13 mile) Cross Procession from the Church on the Blood to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama, in which 40,000 people took part. The procession, which began in the early morning hours of 17th July, took about 4 hours to complete on foot.

“There is no such religious procession, peaceful Christian movement in either Russia, or any where else in the world,” proclaimed Doctor of Historical Sciences Pyotr Multatuli, a noted historian and author, who is considered Russia’s foremost authority on the life and reign of Nicholas II.

The Cross Procession concluded with a moleben [a liturgical service of supplication or thanksgiving] to the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers at Mine No. 7, which is now sacred ground of the Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-bearers at Ganina Yama.

Tsar’s Days are traditionally held with the support of the Sverdlovsk regional government, the Ekaterinburg city administration and the St. Catherine’s Foundation, which helps in organizing the celebration and supporting pilgrims with water, food, and transport.

Divine Liturgy – Church on the Blood, Ekaterinburg

21-km (13 mile) Cross Procession to Ganina Yama

Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers, Ganina Yama

Tsar’s Days

Recall that the first Cross Procession in memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs, headed by Metropolitan of Ekaterinburg and Verkhoturye Kirill, took place in 2002, in which more than 2 thousand pilgrims and about 100 clerics participated. It has been held annually in the Ural capital ever since.

In 2018, the year marking the 100th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of the Imperial Family, more than 100, 000 people from across Russia and around the world attended the historic event, including the author of this article, who travelled from Canada to take part.

Unique icons associated with the Romanovs to be exhibited in Ekaterinburg

Posted on July 11, 2025 by Paul Gilbert

Emperor Nicholas II is well known for his piety and devotion to the Russian Orthodox Church. As part of the Tsar’s Days-2025, a collection of rare icons of the 17th to early 20th centuries, which are stored in church and private collections, will be brought to Ekaterinburg. The exhibition presents icons of the patron saints of the Romanov dynasty, which were commissioned by the Russian emperors.

The icons will be on display at the exhibition “Heavenly Patrons of the House of Romanov” which opens on 15th July 2025, to the Museum of the Holy Tsar’s Family, situated on the second floor of the Patriarchal Compound of the Church on the Blood.

This event was organized by the Altai Diocese together with the Ekaterinburg and Altai branches of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society and the Russian Academy of Arts. This is the first time that the Ural capital has hosted such an exhibition.

The organizers of the exhibition shared the history of the exposition:

For more than three hundred years, Russia was under the rule of the Romanov dynasty. The Romanovs’ coming to power is associated with a prayer at the Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God “Feodorovskaya” and was marked by the overcoming of the Time of Troubles. Under the Romanovs, the country acquired the status of an Empire, profound political transformations were carried out, feudalism was replaced by capitalist relations, the peasantry gained freedom, economic and social reforms were implemented, and the population increased. The reign of the Romanovs ended with another time of troubles, in 1917. On 15th (O.S. 2nd) March 1917, the day of the abdication of Nicholas II , the Reigning Icon of the Mother of God was revealed to a peasant woman in Kolomenskoye. Many believe the reappearance of the icon was an indication that the Virgin Mary was displeased with Russia for dethroning Tsar Nicholas II during the February 1917 Revolution.

PHOTO: The original Reigning Icon of the Mother of God in the
Church of Our Lady of Kazan, Kolomenskoye (near Moscow)

According to Byzantine origins, the life of the Imperial Family in Russia was largely determined by Orthodox traditions. The Russian monarchs, following the Byzantine ones, were called God’s anointed. There was a corresponding rite of enthronement, which was performed in the main Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Solemn events, anniversaries and other holidays of the Emperor’s family were interwoven into the church rites. In churches, Diving Liturgies, public prayers and bell ringing were performed. For these occasions, special icons were ordered, on which the patron saints of representatives of the Imperial Family were painted. Such icons were made for the birth of grand dukes, for the wedding of heirs to the throne, enthronement and anniversaries. If an assassination attempt or accident occurred, and the respective member(s) of the Imperial Family were spared, then praise was given to God throughout the country, thanksgiving prayers were served, chapels and churches were built, or appropriate icons with selected saints were ordered. Moreover, for most people, the tsar was God’s anointed, and therefore, there was a prayer for the well-being of the tsar and his family members. And what is prayer without an icon? This is how new images were born.

After 1917, the Church and the monarchy became the main enemies of the new Bolshevik and later Soviet governments. The heritage of Russia was destroyed with special zeal, and it is not surprising that today such icons have become a rarity, which makes the exhibition a unique event for the spiritual life of the Sverdlovsk region – once a bastion of Bolshevism – and for Russia. The exhibition encourages a new look at the pages of the history of the ruling House of Romanov, which has so significantly influenced the history and modernity of Russia.

In addition, visitors will see the icons of the Most Holy Trinity of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, selected saints, the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, the image of Prince Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles of 1888, the version of which was painted specifically for the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus. Particular attention should be paid to the long-suffering Job – he could have been a personal icon of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II.

The exhibition “Heavenly Patrons of the Imperial House of Romanov” runs from 15th July to 31st August 2025, at the the Tsarsky Cultural and Educational Center, situated in the Patriarchal Compound of the Church on the Blood.

Ekaterinburg prepares for Tsar’s Days 2025

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Paul Gilbert

The Ekaterinburg Metropolis are currently preparing for Tsar’s Days – 2025, which will be held in the Ural capital and in Alapaevsk from 11th to 21st July. This year marks the 107th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Emperor Nicholas II, his family and their four faithful retainers on 17th July 1918. It also marks the 107th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Grand Duchess Eliabeth Feodorovna and other Romanov family members in Alapaevsk on 18th July 1918.

Metropolitan Evgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye noted the importance of the upcoming memorial events, which traditionally bring together tens of thousands of faithful from across Russia and abroad.

The central event of Tsar’s Days is the Divine Liturgy held on the night of 16/17 July, followed by a 21-km [13 miles] Cross Procession, from the Church on the Blood in central Ekaterinburg to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers at Ganina Yama. for which “the whole of Russia gathers” in the Ural capital.

This years’ Tsar’s Days is part of the 24th International Festival of Orthodox Culture, which will be held over a 10-day period from 11-21 July. Aside from divine services and religious processions, the festival will feature many events in honour of the Holy Royal Martyrs, including bell ringing, concerts and musical evenings, as well as exhibitions and conferences hosted by well-known historians, theologians and authors.

Preparations for the Tsar’s Days are being carried out by the Ekaterinburg Metropolia with the support of the regional and city authorities.

Once again, Porosenkov Log will not included in this year’s Cross Procession. Porosenkov Log is where the remains of the Imperial Family were exhumed in two separate graves in 1991 and 2007 respectively. Due to the fact that the Moscow Patriachate does not yet recognize the Ekaterinburg Remains as those of the Imperial Family. Their official recognition rests with the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The veneration of Nicholas II

The veneration of Nicholas II and his family actually began just days after their murder in July 1918. During the Soviet years, such activity would most certainly have been suppressed, forcing the faithful to honour the Holy Royal Passion-Beaers in secret.

After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, everything changed, when in 2000, some 300 faithful gathered at the sight of the Ipatiev House in Sverdlovsk [Ekaterinburg]. In 2002, the first Cross Procession in memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs was held in the Ural capitlal, attracting 3,000 faithful. The procession has been held every year since, the most important being in 2018, the year marking the 100th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of the Imperial Family.

FURTHER READING:

What is Tsar’s Days? + PHOTOS and VIDEO

Russian court rules on the fate of Tsar’s family grave near Ekaterinburg

Posted on June 15, 2025 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: the entrance to the Romanov Memorial at Porosenkov Log

On Monday, 2nd June 2025, the Sverdlovsk Regional Court ruled on the fate of Porosenkov Log, situated on the old Koptyaki Road near Ekaterinburg. The Court’s ruling ensures that the place where the remains of Russia’s last Tsar, his family and their four faithful retainers were found is protected from developers.

Recall that in 2014, the Department of State Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites of the Sverdlovsk Region (UGOOKN) included the Romanov Memorial at Porosenkov Log on the list of protected monuments. However, 10 years later, in September 2024, the state security department removed the memorial’s protective status.

After the decree was issued, workers came to the memorial in Porosenkov Log and removed the information steles. In addition, workers began to remove part of the soil layer around the main grave, without even carrying out any digs to ensure that there were no remaining fragments of the bodies of members of the Imperial Family that have not yet been found. At the same time, no one coordinated the work with the Romanov Memorial Charitable Foundation and it’s founder Ilya Korovin, who has preserved the memorial since July 1999.

To avoid any further destruction of the Romanov Memorial, Korovin was forced to file a lawsuit in the Regional Court. In the lawsuit, Korovin noted that the removal of the protected status jeopardizes the damage or destruction of religious objects. He requested that the Court cancel the order.

The judge of the Sverdlovsk Regional Court, Maxim Rudakov, sided with the charitable foundation and declared the disputed order invalid. The department has a month to appeal. Despite the Court’s ruling, however, Ilya Korovin believes that it is too early to celebrate, since the department can appeal the court’s decision.

Since 2021, the Romanov Memorial Foundation has been fighting against development which threaten Porosenkov Log. Korovin claims that the Russian Orthodox Church wants to build a monastery in Porosenkov Log similar to that in Ganina Yama – the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs.

Obituary: Maria Dmitrievna Ivanova-Tatishcheva (1930-2025)

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Paul Gilbert

Maria Dmitrievna Ivanova-Tatishcheva (1930-2025)

On 27th May 2025, Maria Dmitrievna Ivanova [born Countess Tatishcheva], died in Paris, at the age of 96.

Born in Nice on 26th February 1930, Maria is a direct descendant of the founder of Ekaterinburg, the sixth generation great-granddaughter of Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev (1686-1750), and niece of Adjutant General Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev (1859-1918), a devoted and loyal subject of Emperor Nicholas II.

Maria recalled in her memories: “My father, Count Dmitry Sergeevich Tatishchev (1898-1972), graduated from the Corps of Pages, whereupon he was promoted as an ensign in the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment, in which almost all the Tatishchevs served. He was 18 years old, and after a month of training in St. Petersburg, he was sent to the Front, where he was awarded the Order of St. Anna’s 4th Class for Bravery. But after 4 months the commander of the Preobrazhensky, General Kutepov, disbanded the regiment. . . . Following the Tsar’s abdication and the October Revolution, he joined the North-Western Army of General Yudenich, which fought against the Bolsheviks.”

In 1920, Maria’s father fled Bolshevik Russia. From 1921 he lived in Marseille, then in Nice, before finally setting in Paris. In exile, he dedicated his life to perpetuating the memory of the last Russian emperor. Dmitry Tatishchev served as vice-chairman of the Union of Adherents for the Memory of Emperor Nicholas II [ Союз ревнителей памяти Императора Николая II] an independent, voluntary educational and charitable association of White Russian emigrants and their descendants, who venerated the memory of Emperor Nicholas II and his Family. Dmitry also worked on a Russian-language documentary about Nicholas II.

In 1929, Tatishchev married Countess Emilia Alekseevna Kapnist (1908-1996), the couple had one child, Maria Dmitrievna Tatishcheva.

PHOTO: Maria Dmitrievna Ivanova [Born Countess Tatishcheva], at her home in Paris

Maria Dmitrievna Tatishcheva lived in Paris, where she devoted her entire life helping Russians who fled Bolshevik Russia after the Revolution, and emigrated to France. In 1948, she began working at the Help Center for Russian Emigrants. The center helped émigrés to find employment, housing, obtain documents and organized children’s shelters.

In 1949, Maria married Yuri Alexandrovich Ivanov (1923-1987). The couple had one son Sergei Yuryevich.

From 1964, Maria headed the Russian parish school at the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky Church in Paris, for children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Russian emigrants living in France.

From 1987 to 2000, she was in charge of the Tolstoy Foundation, which helped Russian refugees who emigrated from the USSR.

Maria first went to Russia in 2003, visiting Ekaterinburg, when the city celebrated its 280th anniversary, as a descendant of the founder of the city. It was during this visit to the Ural capital that the head of the Yekaterinburg Metropolia informed Maria that the diocesan Commission for the Canonization of Saints was currently preparing documents for the canonization of her uncle Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev (1859-1918).

Maria Dmitrievna Ivanova-Tatishcheva died in Paris on 27th May 2025. A memorial service was held on Friday, 30th May in the Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky in Paris. She was buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois Russian Cemetery, situated 25 km south from Paris.

Memory Eternal! Вечная Память!

***

PHOTO: Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev (left) and Ilya Leonidovich Tatishchev (right)

At the invitation of Nicholas II, the devoted Adjutant General Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev followed the Tsar’s family into exile to Tobolsk, where, he played an important role, caring for the august family and offering spiritual support. When Nicholas II and the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and her daughter Maria left Tobolsk for Ekaterinburg, Tatishchev remained with the Tsar’s children. On 23rd May 1918, upon arrival in Ekaterinburg with Tsesarevich Alexi and the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatyana, Anastasia, the Adjutant General was separated from the Tsar’s family and imprisoned in Ekaterinburg.

On 10th June 1918 Ilya Leonidovich Tatishchev was shot by the Bolsheviks. According to church historians, he was buried in the cemetery of the Novo-Tikhvin Convent. [Note: Tatishchev’s grace was lost during the Soviet years – PG]

The head of the Ekaterinburg Metropolis informed Maria Dmitrievna that the diocesan commission for the canonization of saints is currently preparing documents for the canonization of her uncle. [Note: Ilya Leonidovich Tatishchev was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) in 1981 – PG]

“It is known that not only did he know the gospel by heart, but lived the life a devout Orthodox Christian.

“I do not shake the hands of murderers” – General Zhukov to Yermakov

Posted on May 13, 2025 by Paul Gilbert

On 9th May 2025, Russia marked the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. In recognition of this solemn day, I would like to draw attention to one of Russia’s most celebrated war heroes: Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov (1896-1974).

Zhukov is among the many famous Soviet marshals and generals who impressed the world with their victories and heroism during the Great Patriotic War (1941-45). What many do not realize, is that they were once officers of the Russian Imperial Army – which from August 1915 to March 1917, was under the command of Emperor Nicholas II. Zhukov was awarded the St. George Cross twice for military merit, and promoted to the rank of non-commissioned officer for his bravery in battle. Following the war, Zhukov commanded the Ural Military District [the district headquarters was located in Sverdlovsk (Ekaterinburg].

According to his friends living in the Ural capital, Zhukov was fascinated by the history of Sverdlovsk [Ekaterinburg]. In particular, he took a great interest in the final days and subsequent execution of Russia’s last Tsar and his family. Zhukov’s friends claim that he was sympathetic to Nicholas II, and believed that the lives of the monarch and his family should have been spared.

Zhukov’s position was quite simple: he considered the regicide as “nothing short of a disgrace”. He was disgusted by the fact that local men had become executioners. After all, the Tsar posed no threat to the Bolsheviks, nor did he resist. As for the Ipatiev House, where the murders took place, Marshal Zhukov “despised it”.

According to Zhukov’s daughter, Margarita Georgievna Zhukova (1929-2010):

“Being the commander of the Ural Military District in Sverdlovsk, my father visited the “Ipatiev House”.

“This is how my elder sister Ella (1937-2009) recalls it . . . I remember the notorious Ipatiev House, where we were taken with special permission. The topic of the execution of the Imperial Family was forbidden in those years, and it was only during this visit that I learned about this tragedy for the first time. In the house at the entrance there was a small exposition with copies of some documents, red slogans and portraits of leaders hung on the walls. It was disgusting for my father to be there, surrounded by posters of Soviet propaganda whitewashing the murderers. Below, was the dreaded basement, where I did not want to go down. The atmosphere in the house was oppressive… I did not talk to my father about this.”

Source: M. G. Zhukova, “Маршал Жуков – мой отец / Marshal Zhukov – My Father“, Sretensky Monastery, 1999

PHOTO: in the 1920s, the murderer Pyotr Yermakov returned to Porosenkov Log.
On the reverse of this photo, he wrote: “I am standing on the grave of the Tsar”.

“SHAME ON THE REGICIDE!”

It was also during Zhukov’s years as Commander of the Ural Military District, that he would come face to face with one of the regicides: Pyotr Zakharovich Yermakov (1884-1952).

Zhukov had heard about Yermakov from the newspapers, and he looked at all these honours with disgust. He did not understand how a murderer could be so exalted. But at that time, Yermakov seemed to many to be a hero, a liberator. He regularly met with groups of workers and bragged about how he had taken part in the murders, and how he pulled the trigger of the gun, which killed the Tsar.

According to Zhukov’s daughter, Margarita Georgievna Zhukova (1929-2010), the meeting took place on 1st May 1951, when the May Day parade was being held in Sverdlovsk [Ekaterinburg].

“What was really going on in my father’s soul can be understood from an episode that occurred later. I was told about it during my trip to the Urals by old-timers. It was at a solemn reception, where the entire local party elite had gathered. Yermakov, as before, spoke about his “heroic feats”, and decided to approach my father to shake hands as equals. Introducing himself, he announced that he was the same Yermakov who participated in the execution of the Imperial Family, and stretched out his hand. He expected surprise, questions, delight, but Yermakov was surprised by my father’s response, who disgusted and gritting his teeth, said firmly: “I do not shake the hands with the murderers!”.

Source: M. G. Zhukova, “Маршал Жуков – мой отец / Marshal Zhukov – My Father“, Sretensky Monastery, 1999

Yermakov shrugged his shoulders and walked away. That was the end of the conversation. Zhukov was sure that he had said everything he wanted. Moreover, he wanted to believe that Yermakov had at least learned something from this meeting.

Yermakov died in Sverdlovsk on 22nd May 1952 from cancer at the age of 67, he was buried in Ivanovo Cemetery in Ekaterinburg. In the 1960s, a street was named after Yermakov in Sverdlovsk [Ekaterinburg], however, during the 1990s, the street was renamed Ulitsa Klyuchevskaya.

Every year, since the 1990s, Yermakov’s grave has been vandalized by local monarchists, who douse his gravestone with red paint, symbolizing the blood which this evil man spilled, and his involvement in the murder of the Holy Tsar Nicholas II and his family in 1918.