Icons | Nicholas II

Icon belonging to Nicholas II discovered in the funds of State Hermitage Museum

PHOTO: icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker by the iconographer Grigory Nikolayevich Zhuravlev (1860–1916). The icon was painted in 1884, specially for the future Emperor Nicholas II

In 1885, the heir to the Russian throne Tsesarevich and Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich [the future Emperor Nicholas II], was presented with an unusual icon of his heavenly patron St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It was unusual not in its execution, but in the way it was written [painted].

This icon was painted by Grigory Nikolayevich Zhuravlev (1860–1916), who used his teeth to paint the image of St. Nicholas. Zhuravlev was a bilateral amputee [a person who was missing both arms and both legs] a peasant from the village of Utyovka, Samara Province.

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PHOTO: Grigory Nikolayevich Zhuravlev (1860–1916)

Grigory was born with arms up to his elbows and legs up to his knees. However, he was gifted with the ability to draw, which is revealed in his early youth in the painting of icons. Having learned the basics of icon painting from a Samara iconographer, Grigory began to create icons.

He did not receive any special education, he was self-taught. He painted icons for his fellow villagers. He received orders from prominent Samara residents, and was in regular correspondence with the Samara governor Alexander Sverbeev, who became the iconographer’s patron.

In 1884, Zhuravlev met with Sverbeev, and made a request to present Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich with an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker – the future Tsar’s namesake. The governor heartily approved his request.

PHOTO: the Trinity Church in Zhuravlev’s native village of Utevka (near Samara)

Grigory Zhuravlev enclosed a letter with the icon:

“Your Imperial Highness! I most humbly ask you to allow this icon to come to Your Highest Name, because I have no hands and feet. And I painted this icon at the instruction of Almighty God, Who allowed me into the Light of God. And he gave me a gift. Using the movement of my mouth God I direct my skill to create this icon.”

The Tsesarevich graciously accepted the icon painted by the peasant Zhuravlev and deigned to grant him a one-time allowance of one hundred rubles from His Imperial Majesty’s own sum, a very generous sum.

Interestingly, the artist without arms and legs was invited to paint icons in the Trinity Church in his native village of Utevka (near Samara). The iconographer was tied to a cradle and lifted to the appropriate height, where he painted holy images, holding the brush in his teeth.

PHOTO: in 2020, an article by Anna Ivannikova, about the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, was published in an issue of the Russian magazine Дилетант [Diletant]

When Nicholas Alexandrovich returned to St. Petersburg, he kept the icon in his private rooms in the Anitchkov Palace. After the distribution of possessions of the Romanov’s in 1935, the icon ended up in the the State Russian Museum in Leningrad, and in 1941 it was transferred to the State Hermitage Museum, where it was placed into storage, as museum staff believed it had no historic significance.

Several years ago, a unique icon was discovered in the funds of the Staraya Derevnya Restoration and Storage Center of the State Hermitage Museum. Researchers knew nothing of the icon’s provenance. That is, until Alexander Malinovskiy, a local historian, writer and Doctor of Technical Sciences, a researcher of the life and work of Grigory Zhuravlev, provided the Hermitage with information which solved the mystery of the icon and it’s famous iconographer.

PHOTO: Alexander Malinovskiy

Malinovsky cited two letters, which provided evidence. In one of them, Zhuravlev writes that he and his father are sending an icon commissioned by the governor. In the same archive, he found another letter from Zhuravlev to Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich dated 1884 with a request to accept an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, specially painted for him.

On the back of the icon there is an inscription: “From the archive of the Tsesarevich”.

Zhuraviev’s icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, gifted to the future Emperor Nicholas II, has been preserved to this day, in the Collection of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

Unique icons belonging to the imperial family on display in Moscow for the first time

Posted on December 28 by Paul Gilbert

On 21st December 2023, a unique exhibit featuring four folding icons presented to members of the Family of Emperor Nicholas II, went on display at the Andrei Rublev Museum in Moscow.

According to Zhanna Belik, curator of the exhibition, “the icons, all of which are now in private collections, are being shown for the first time at the exhibition”.

“Each of the four folding icons is unique in its own way. They were personal gifts to members of the Imperial Family from organizations and donors from different walks of life. Gifts were given to the Imperial Family on special occasions throughout the year. For instance, on the occasion of the birth of children, their coming of age, the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov, birthdays and namedays, etc.. To do this, it was necessary to submit a petition in advance, which was considered personally by the person to whom the gift was addressed,” Belik said.

CLICK on each IMAGE below to enlarge

According to Belik, the birth of Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich in 1904 is associated with the folding icon gifted to Emperor Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Fedorovna, by the abbot and brethren of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra [in the town of Sergiyev Posad, near Moscow]. The artists and jewelers who created it were outstanding craftsmen of their time.

“The exhibition also presents a folding icon with images of saints St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Prince Alexander Nevsky and Mary Magdalene. The icon was presented to Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich [future Emperor Nicholas II] on his 18th birthday, by the guard of the Moscow Philistine Society. The folding icon was made in the workshop of Ivan Khlebnikov, a Supplier to the Imperial Court,” the curator said.

CLICK on each IMAGE below to enlarge

The curator noted that each of the four folding icons have the icon writer’s name on the back of each icon, the frames were made by jewelers – Suppliers of the Imperial Court. “At this time, jewelry art reached its apogee in Russian art, the work of jewelers of the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century are world-class works,” Belik said.

The exhibition also features a sewn icon from the collection of the Andrei Rublev Museum, also created on the occasion of the birth of the long-awaited heir, and presented to Nicholas and Alexandra.

The exhibition runs from 21st December 2023 to 11th February 2024.

Icon depicting St. Nicholas and Tsar Nicholas II unveiled in Australia

Posted on June 7 by Paul Gilbert

On Sunday, 28th May 2023, the first Russian Orthodox church in Australia celebrated its 100th anniversary with a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and concert. Following the Divine Liturgy, a unique bas-relief icon depicting St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II was installed and consecrated in the courtyard of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brisbane.

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kangaroo Point – a suburb of Brisbane – Queensland was founded in 1923 by Protopresbyter Alexander Shabashev (1881-1956). It was here that he purchased a plot with a house, and with the support of local Anglican clergymen, established a parish dedicated to St Nicholas of Myra, making it he first Russian Orthodox church in Australia.

In 1933, parishioners began raising funds for the construction of a new, larger church building. In 1935, the construction of the cathedral began on the site of the former church, which was completed in 1936. The old building was moved and later housed a library and a school. Divine services in the cathedral are performed in Church Slavonic and English.

At the time of the founding of the church, the parishioners wanted to build a memorial church in the name of the murdered Tsar Nicholas II, but at that time he had not yet been canonized. The church was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker – the patron saint of the Tsar. When the last Russian Tsar was glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) in 1981, the parish considered how to emphasize his connection with Australia’s Russian Orthodox community.

In 2016, St. Petersburg iconographers – at the request of parishioners – commissioned the Moscow medal artist Gennady Provotorov, to create a bronze bas-relief icon depicting St. Nicholas of Myra and Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II, holding the St. Nicholas Cathedral in their hands.

Artists assemble mosaic icon of the Holy Royal Martyrs for the Alexander Nevsky Lavra

Posted on May 7, 2023 by Paul Gilbert

Photo © Igor Akimov

A three-meter mosaic icon depicting the Holy Royal Martyrs Tsar Nicholas II and his family is being assembled by a team of artists for the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. According to one of the artists: “each of the coloured smalt[1] mosaic tiles is so tiny, that the assembly is similar to creating a jigsaw puzzle.”

Alexandra Serditova, executive director of the Kedr Charitable Foundation added: “as the icon is so large, we divided it into two parts. The top half has already been completed – the lower part is almost finished. The most difficult thing has been the faces.”

Photo © Igor Akimov

The beautiful icon depicts the seven faces of the Holy Royal Martyrs: Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, and their five children: Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich and Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Nikolaevna.

It is the work of a small group of artists and experts from the Monastyrskaya Sloboda Center, who have alreadly completed other mosaic icons of saints: Alexander Nevsky and his older brother Theodore of Novgorod, Ksenia of Petersburg, John of Kronstadt, and Seraphim of Vyritsky. These four icons now adorn the Alexander Nevsky Lavra[2] in St. Petersburg. The mosaic depicting the Emperor and his family became their most ambitious project, one which utilized all the reserves of the workshop.

“It’s a great team effort! We hope that we will not experience any special challenges in its completion. But there is a possibility that the process may be delayed, so we are not even talking about deadlines at this stage, as we do not want to rush ourselves,” says Alexandra Serditova.

Photo © Igor Akimov

What is so unique about the mosaic icons is that they have been created by artists with disabilities. These include people with hearing impairments, others suffering from mental and cardiovascular diseases, and those confined to wheelchair. These dedicated souls have been making icons since 2019, for them it is not just a hobby, but a job – each of them receiving a monthly monetary reward for their gifted talent.

NOTES:

[1] a deep blue pigment consisting of a powdered glass that contains oxide of cobalt

[2] Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra or Saint Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded by Peter I of Russia in 1710 at the eastern end of the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg.

Odessa city council orders removal of icon of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Paul Gilbert

On Monday 3rd April, Ukrainian nationalists hung a large black banner denouncing the Moscow Patriarchate [photo above], across the facade of the Chapel in Honour of the Miraculous Image of the Lord Jesus Christ in Odessa. In addition, two icons depicting Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov (1745-1817) [1] and the Holy Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II were dismantled.

Up until recently a sculpture of the famous Russian general Alexander Suvorov (1730-1800) stood in front of the chapel. The sculpture is a copy of the historical original made in 1911. The current monument was opened in 2012.

Behind the monument is a semicircular wall depicting six mosaic icons of Orthodox saints.

On 30th November 2022, deputies of the Odessa City Council ordered that the monument to the “Founders of the City”, better known as the “Monument to Catherine II”[2], as well as the monument to Suvorov be dismantled. As a result, in December 2022, the monument to Catherine II was dismantled, and the monument to Suvorov was removed and transferred to the art museum in Odessa.

PHOTO: mosaic icon of the Holy Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II has been dismantled from the façade of the chapel – it’s whereabouts unknown

In addition, the deputies ordered the dismantling of the icons of Ushakov and Nicholas II, the latter of whom they referred to as “Nicholas the Bloody”.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian authorities have been going to great lengths to destroy their Imperial Russian past. In July 2022, vandals destroyed a monument to Emperor Alexander III in the village of Pershotravneve, located in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. The bust of the “Tsar-Peacemaker” was knocked to the ground, while the plaque, which included Putin’s name was also removed from the front of the pedestal. The bust-monument was erected in 2013 on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty and the 125th anniversary of the Borki Train Disaster[3] in October 1888.

Heaven forbid that Crimea should ever fall into the hands of Ukraine again, where numerous monuments to Emperors Nicholas II and Alexander III would surely suffer the same fate, not to mention that of Livadia Palace.

PHOTO: the places where the icons of Ushakov (left) and Tsar-Martyr (right) originally hung are now empty

NOTES:

[1] Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov (1745-1817) served as commander of the Black Sea Fleet. On 7th August 2001 the Russian Orthodox Church glorified him as a Saint and declared him the patron of the Russian Navy. His relics are enshrined in Sanaksar Monastery, Temnikov, Russia.

[2] The original monument was installed in Odessa in 1900, dismantled by the Bolsheviks in 1920, and restored in 2007.

[3] On 29th October 1888, the Imperial Train carrying Tsar Alexander III and his family from Crimea to St Petersburg derailed at high speed at Borki.

Unique icon of the Holy Royal Martyrs consecrated in the Urals

Posted on January 21, 2023 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: the new icon of the Holy Royal Martyrs in the Holy Trinity Cathedral on 6th January 2023

On 6th January 2023, Metropolitan Daniel of Kurgan and Belozersky visited the Holy Trinity Cathedral[1] in the Ural city of Kurgan[2], where he performed a Divine Liturgy followed by the rite of consecration of a new icon of the Holy Royal Martyrs.

What is unique about this particular icon is that it features a small antique icon of Our Saviour mounted into the larger icon. This icon belonged to Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, and accompanied Emperor Nicholas II and his family when they were sent into exile in August 1917. The icon was discovered among the items not pilfered or destroyed by the Bolsheviks in the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg after the family’s murders in July 1918.

PHOTO: Tsesarevich Alexei’s small icon of Our Saviour (above) has now been mounted into Alexei’s hands in the larger icon of the Holy Royal Martyrs (below)

Metropolitan Daniel thanked the family of Russian Senator, member of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Sergei Nikolaevich Muratov, through whose efforts and generosity that the Holy Trinity Cathedral was rebuilt in Kurgan[1], and this new icon of the Holy Royal Martyrs was presented to the cathedral.

“I am sure that the faithful will come from near and far to venerate this small icon of Our Savior, mounted in the larger icon of the Holy Royal Martyrs. They will come to pray to receive help, because each member of the Imperial Family held the icon in their hands and prayed in front of it,” Vladyka Daniel said at the end of the ceremony.

Russian Senator Sergey Muratov told the story of how he managed to acquire this miraculously preserved icon, how he showed the image to the former Head of the Kurgan Metropolis, Metropolitan Joseph: “It was five years ago that Vladyka Joseph wisely proposed that the icon not be sold to a private collector or museum, but to be made public so that Orthodox Christians could come to the church and pray before it. He noted that this icon with such a significant provenance should be venerated according to the traditions of Russian icon painting. He suggested that the icon of the Holy Royal Martyrs should depict Tsesarevich Alexei holding the icon of Our Savior in his hands. “

PHOTO: full view of the icon of the Holy Royal Martyrs shows an empty box giving the impression that Tsesarevich Alexei is holding the icon of Our Saviour in his hands

Metropolitan Joseph’s wishes were honoured. As time passed, and already with the blessing of Metropolitan Daniel, the large icon of the Holy Royal Martyrs was created, in which Tsesarevich Alexei’s icon of Our Saviour was mounted into it. As planned, the work was completed by the feast of the Nativity of Christ, which is observed on 19th (O.S. 6th) January.

NOTES:

[1] The original Holy Trinity Cathedral was built on Trinity Square in Kurgan. Construction began on 16th (O.S. 5th) June 1763, the central altar was consecrated in 1805. On the night of 17/18 (O.S. 5/6) 1837, the heir to the throne Tsesarevich and Grand Duke Alexander Nikolaevich – the future Emperor Alexander II – attended a Divine Liturgy in the new cathedral.

During the Soviet years, the cathedral was closed on 25th May 1937. Some twenty years later on 25th May 1957, the cathedral was blown up.

On 26th August 2017, construction began on a new Holy Trinity Cathedral just south of the original cathedral, on the bank of the Tobol River. The patron of the construction of the new cathedral was Russian Senator Sergey Nikolaevich Muratov. On 27th November 2021, Metropolitan Daniel performed the rite of consecration of the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

[2] Kurgan is situated 370 km [229 miles] southeast of Ekaterinburg

Icon made on the occasion of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna’s wedding sold at auction

Posted on November 12, 2021 by Paul Gilbert

On 11th November, the icon “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Martyr Tsarina Alexandra”, sold at an auction held at Literary Fund Auction House in Moscow for 4.3 million rubles [$60 thousand USD].

The icon was made by the Moscow jewellery company I.P. Khlebnikov, Sons and Co. The firm was founded in 1871 and in 1879 was awarded the title of Supplier to the Court of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Alexander II.

The icon was made on the occasion of the wedding of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, held on 27th November [O.S. 14th November] 1894 at the Grand Church – the home church of the Imperial Family – in the Winter Palace, St. Petersburg.

The wood icon made by A.A. Artsibashev, is 30.6 x 25.6 x 2.1 cm. Setting: silver, enamel, filigree, filigree enamel, chasing, gilding, mount; 30.7 x 25 x 3 cm. Good condition. The icon has a museum, artistic, historical and cultural significance.

Icon belonging to the Imperial Family now in the Church on the Blood, Ekaterinburg

Posted on July 11, 2021 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Three-handed” in the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg

Today – 11th July – the feast of the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Three-handed” – a miraculous icon revered in the Orthodox Church – is being celebrated in the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg.

During their house arrest in the Ipatiev House from April to July 1918, the Imperial Family had an Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Three-handed”, before which they prayed daily, until their death and martyrdom on 17th July 1918.

The Imperial Family’s icon was discovered following the regicide in the Ipatiev House by a Guards officer who personally knew Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna (1882-1960) and her husband Nikolai Kuikovsky (1881-1958). Later, the icon traveled with Admiral Alexander Kolchak’s (1874-1920) army and Russian emigrants, through China to the United States and Canada. In the early 1920s, through the efforts of officers devoted to Emperor Nicholas II, it was taken to Denmark and presented to the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (1847-1928). Passing from generation to generation, the icon remained in the Romanov family until 2003: upon the Dowager Empress’s death in 1928, the icon passed to her youngest daughter Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna , then passing to her eldest son Tikhon in 1960.

In the year marking the 85th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of the Imperial Family, Olga Nikolaevna Kulikovskaya-Romanova (1926-2020) took part in the consecration of the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg, erected on the site of the Ipatiev House, demolished in 1977. In addition and according to the last will and testament of her husband and nephew of Nicholas II Tikhon Nikolaevich Kulikovsky, Olga Nikolaevna brought from Canada the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Three-handed”.

By the Providence of God, on the night of 10th July 2003, Olga Nikolaevna Kulikovskaya-Romanova, solemnly handed over the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Three-handed” to the Church on Blood in Ekaterinburg, built on the site of the demolished Ipatiev House, where the Holy Royal Martyrs met their deaths and martyrdom. Thus, the dying wish of Tikhon Nikolaevich Kulikovsky – the last owner of the family icon – had been fulfilled.

PHOTO: Olga Nikolaevna Kulikovskaya-Romanova (right), solemnly handed over the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Three-handed” to the Church on Blood in Ekaterinburg on 10th July 2003

In her solemn speech to the pilgrims Olga Nikolaevna said: “I am happy that the Lord deigned me to fulfill the will of my husband Tikhon Nikolaevich Kulikovsky-Romanov … This icon in the Ipatiev House was a spiritual witness to the sufferings of the Holy Royal Martyrs. Everything has come full circle. After many years of wanderings, the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Three-handed” has returned to its proper place in Ekaterinburg. “

According to tradition, the feast of the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Three-handed”, marks the beginning of Tsar’s Days within the Ekaterinburg archdiocese. In July 2019, during the Divine Liturgy in the Church on the Blood, Metropolitan Kirill, now – the head of the Tatarstan archdiocese, said “from this day, begins Passion Week, dedicated to the memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs. Starting from today, and every day of Passion Week, the earthly life and the last moments of the Holy Royal Martyrs will be honoured.”

A Divine Liturgy will be held on the night of 16/17 July in the Church on the Blood. Earlier this week, the Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region cancelled the annual Cross Procession from the Church to the Holy Royal Monastery at Ganina Yama. Despite this, Metropolitan Evgeny of Ekaterinburg and Verkhotursky insists that he will still take part in the sacred procession.

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Icon of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II from Serbia arrives in St. Petersburg

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: the miraculous icon of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II, painted in Serbia

Earlier this week, a large miraculous icon of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II, painted in Serbia, was brought to the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. The icon will remain in the Lavra until 15th June.

The icon was written in 2018, however, the icon painter wished to remain anonymous. The icon of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II was consecrated in the ancient Church of the Holy Prophet Jeremiah in the eastern Serbian town of Vrbovec on 24th February 2019.

The icon was blessed by Father Dushan Popovich, co-served by four priests. There were many believers in the church, and they all knelt down in prayer. This was considered the first miracle from the icon.

For two years, the icon was used in many religious processions blessed by His Holiness Patriarch Irenaeus (1930-2020), in Serbia, Montenegro, Republika Srpska, Kosovo and Metohija. Many people prayed before the icon of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II, and bowed to his holy image. In monasteries and churches where the icon was located, the faithful often queued for hours in order to venerate the icon. Many miracles have since been attributed through prayers to the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II since.

A nun from the Vasily Ostrozhsky Monastery on Mount Rozhay was seriously ill with leukemia. Five years before arriving at the monastery of the Tsar’s Icon, she received a vision. The image of the Tsar was in the monastery church for three weeks. Every day following the liturgy, the nuns read the Akathist to the Holy Tsar. Then the icon was taken away to visit the holy places of Central Serbia. Two weeks later, the nun felt better and visited the doctor. Her analyzes turned out to be as if she had never been sick! The doctor was amazed. And now, thank God, she is healthy.

Nearly thirty churches and monasteries in Serbia have received the icon of the Sovereign, and with it two more royal icons, those of the Holy Tsar Lazar of Serbia and Tsar Ioann the Strong.

The icons where brought to the monastery of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos on Mount Rudnik for three months, where the faithful came to venerate them, including priests and monks from Central Serbia. Here and in other places, between divine services, the Akathist was incessantly read to Saint Tsar Nicholas II.

PHOTO: Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg

There were also icons of the Tsars in Belgrade, in the churches of St. Paraskeva and St. Nicholas. They were undertaken for the sake of strengthening the faith and saving the Serbian and Russian peoples. Many times a fragrance emanated from the icons.

The blessing for bringing icons to Russia was given by the confessors revered in Serbia – Elders John (Ielenko) and Seraphim (Milkovich). This mission was carried out by Mrs. Bilyana Rakovich, the spiritual daughter of Father Seraphim, who dearly loved Russia and the Russian people.

By the grace of God, another miracle took place at the airport in Belgrade. A male employee, who at first coldly declared himself an nonbeliever, was in charge of moving the crates containing the icons to the gangway. The icons were packed in very large cases, which created problems. As the man touched and moved the cases he completely changed, literally transformed. As the crates were being loaded onto the aircraft, the man carefully placing the icons on the conveyor belt with other employees, he stood at attention giving the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II and the other Tsar a military honour! Those who helped him did the same. His eyes were shining, his fellow airport employees cried, while one knelt down.

The icons arrived in Russia at the beginning of Holy Week this year. The image of Holy Tsar Lazar of Serbia is now in the Rostov region. The faithful come to receive help from above through him.

For a week, with the blessing of the rector Archpriest Konstantin Korolev and the honorary abbot Schema-Archimandrite Barsonofy (Kuzmin), the icon of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II was first taken to the Church of All Saints Who Shone in St. Petersburg. Then, with the blessing of Archimandrite Nektariy (Golovkin), the icon was transferred to the Saints Peter and Fevronia Church in Peterhof for more than a week. Here the icon also emitted a fragrance within the church.

Them earlier this week, the Serbian icon of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II arrived at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra – the main monastery of St. Petersburg, where it will remain until 15th June. The icon arrived at the Lavra on the eve of the 800th anniversary of the birth of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky. The icon has also arrived just a few days before the birthday of the most Holy Tsar Nicholas Alexandrovich on 19th [O.S. 6th] May, and on the eve of the 300th anniversary of the proclamation of the State of the Russian Empire, which took place on the day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

PHOTO: the miraculous icon of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II, painted in Serbia

The Ural Mining Institute of Emperor Nicholas II in Ekaterinburg

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: This magnificent icon of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II, greets both students and visitors as they enter the main building of the Ural State Mining University in Ekaterinburg

Founded on 16 [O.S. 3] July 1914, the Mining Institute in the Ural city of Ekaterinburg was the last educational institution in Russia, to be created by the decree of Emperor Nicholas II.

The solemn act which took place on board the Imperial Yacht Standart, where Nicholas II signed the law on the establishment of the Mining Institute. It was considered an event of great historical significance in the cultural life of not only the Urals, but also the Russian Empire.

Following the consecration held on 30 [O.S. 17] July 1916, the foundation stone was laid. A special copper plate was made on which the date was engraved. On the same day, a telegram was sent to Nicholas II, who was at that time at the Stavka in Mogilev, the headquarters of the Russian Imperial Army, where he was serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces:

“To His Imperial Majesty. Gathered for the solemn laying of the building of the Ekaterinburg Mining Institute, after the liturgy performed by His Grace Seraphim, ardent prayers to the Lord God for the precious health of Your Imperial Majesty and the granting of complete victory over the enemy were given. We lay at your feet, All-Merciful Sovereign, loyal for the monarch’s mercy granted to the Urals by the fulfillment of the long-standing aspirations of the Ekaterinburg city public administration and the Perm zemstvo. The Mining School, approved by Your Imperial Majesty at the time of the nationwide struggle against German oppression, gives new strength to the flourishing of the young Russian industry for the glory of Yours, Beloved Sovereign, and our dear Motherland.”

PHOTO: A close-up view of the Icon of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II reveals its rich detail, made of Ural precious stones: rubies, garnets, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts and other precious gems

The following day the Tsar sent his reply: “I instruct you to convey to His Grace Seraphim and all those who gathered for the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the building of the Ekaterinburg Mining Institute my heartfelt gratitude for the prayers and the feelings that brought them to life. I hope that this new institute for the study of mining will provide the Motherland with useful workers in this important branch of industry.” Nicholas II.

It was difficult for the institute to take its first steps; it needed reliable help and support. The first director of the institute Pyotr Petrovich von Weymarn (1879-1935), believed that it was best to enlist support from the first person in the state, the Tsar himself. Weymarn believed that it was quite enough if the institute should bear the name of the Sovereign. And so they did. On 6th November 1916, the Construction Commission wrote to Nicholas II with a request to accept the institute under “His Imperial Majesty’s Patronage and to grant it the name “Ural Mining Institute of Emperor Nicholas II”.

The document read: “Your Imperial Majesty! For many years, the vast Urals lacked an institute of higher learning for the study of mining. Only during the reign of Your Imperial Majesty … The Urals are now enriched by two higher leaning schools: the University in Perm and, which is especially important for the mining progress of the Urals, and the Mining Institute in the city of Ekaterinburg. Thus, the higher learning education in the Ural region is now forever historically associated with your Sovereign name. With deep conviction, the Construction Commission … took the courage to loyally ask you, Sovereign, to accept the Mining Institute, which is being built in the city of Ekaterinburg, under its highest patronage and most mercifully command to deign to name it henceforth the Ural Mining Institute of Emperor Nicholas II.”

The Tsar replied on 5th January 1917, granting the institute the right to be named after him.

PHOTO: Olga Nikolaevna Kulikovsky-Romanov (1926-2020) admires the icon of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II, situated in the lobby of the main building of the Ural State Mining University. Her proximity to the icon provides us with an idea of just how large this magnificent icon actually is.

Sadly, events in the country forced the Urals from taking advantage of the monarch’s favour. As a result of the February 1917 Revolution, Nicholas II, abdicated on 15 [O.S. 2] March. But the story did not end there. Fate wanted Nicholas II to visit the city, the institute of which he bestowed his name on. On that “warm, wonderful day” of 17th April 1918, the Emperor was brought from Tobolsk to Ekaterinburg where he was held under house arrest. It was here that he and his family spent the last three months of their life until the tragic end.

Following the death of Nicholas II, the institute underwent a number of name changes: Ural Mining Institute (1918); Sverdlovsk Mining Institute (1934); Sverdlovsk Mining Institute named after V.V. Vakhrushev (1947); Ural State Mining and Geological Academy (1993); and the Ural State Mining University (2004) today, a leading university in the Urals, with about 9000 students.

The original building of the Ural State Mining University has survived to the present day, and its administration has not forgotten the historic connection between it and Russia’s last emperor and tsar.

PHOTO: The main building of the Ural State Mining University

Celebrations were held at the Ural State Mining University on 19th May 2008, the day marking the 140th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Nicholas II. A magnificent memorial icon dedicated to Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II was opened in the lobby of the main building of the Ural Mining University.

The Holy Royal Icon was painted by the sisters of the Novo-Tikhvin Monastery in Ekaterinburg. According to the new project, all the plastic elements of the decoration of the original icon were replaced with a mosaic of Ural precious stones: rubies, garnets, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts and other precious gems. Local miners timed its reconstruction to coincide with the date marking Nicholas II’s birth.

The royal crown is made of chased patterned silver with gilding, figured silver lace adorns the icon frame. For the icon case, white and red Pashtun marble was used, the design of which looks as if blood is oozing from the stone, recalling the martyrdom of the Imperial Family.