PHOTO: Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan

On 19th May 2026, a scientific and practical conference Emperor Nicholas II and Dialogue with the Islamic World was held at the Diocesan Pilgrim Center in the Russian city of Kazan. The event was timed to the 158th anniversary of the birth of Russia’s last Tsar.

The conference was attended by historians and public figures of Tatarstan, clergymen of the Kazan diocese, representatives of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan, media representatives, students and those interested in the history of Russia. Admission was FREE.

The meeting was moderated by the head of the diocesan missionary department, Father Alexander Ermolin.

Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan addressed the audience with a welcoming speech:

Dear friends, brothers and sisters!

Today we celebrate the 158th anniversary of the birth of the Holy Tsar-Passion-Bearer Nicholas II. As is known, he visited Kazan on numerous occasions to meet with his spiritual mentor, Elder Gabriel of Sedmiezerny, and expressed his wish that a church be founded at the place where the miraculous image of the Queen of Heaven was found. In 1913, the church was built and consecrated in honour of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

During the reconstruction of the Kazan Cathedral, the Cave Church was also restored. It was consecrated by Vladyka Feofan of blessed memory and Metropolitan Mark of Berlin in February 2020.

It is gratifying that today’s conference is attended by professionals who have a deep knowledge of the topic to which this scientific forum is dedicated. We are pleased to welcome Pyotr Valentinovich Multatuli, Doctor of Historical Sciences and great-grandson of Ivan Mikhailovich Kharitonov, who was with the Tsar to the last and died with him in the basement of the Ipatiev House. We also warmly welcome Yuri Sergeevich Pyltsin, Candidate of Historical Sciences, one of the founders of the group of historical parks “Russia is My History”, employee of the Museum of the Tsar’s Family in Yekaterinburg.

It must be said that the historical figure of Emperor Nicholas II is one of the most slandered in our society and state. Unfortunately, many people cannot assess the scale of the sovereign’s personality, because for various reasons they do not have reliable knowledge of what was done for the benefit of the people during the 22 years of his rule.

Today, here in Kazan, we would like not only to tell about the Tsar and his life, about the achievements of the Russian Empire, to share new facts, but also to touch upon the important and interesting topic of the relationship between the Tsar-Passion-Bearer and the Islamic community.

PHOTO: Pyotr [Peter] Multatuli

Rishat Hazrat Khamidullin wgi, who serves as Deputy Mufti of the Republic of Tatarstan for Information Policy and General Director of the Huzur Publishing House, was also a guest speaker at the conference. In his talk, he stressed that the topic of Emperor Nicholas II’s relations with the Muslim world is key to understanding Russia as a multinational and multi-religious state. He recalled that at the beginning of the 20th century, more than 30 million Muslims lived in the Russian Empire. Rishat Hazrat noted that the era of the reign of Emperor Nicholas II can be called a time of active development of Muslim public life and education, as well as interreligious relations.

During the forum, papers were presented on a wide range of topics. Below is a full list of the topics discussed at the Emperor Nicholas II and Dialogue with the Islamic World conference on 19th May 2026:

– Dialogue between Emperor Nicholas II and the Muslims of the Russian Empire;

– the service of the modern Russian nobility;

– monarchist sentiments of the Cossaks of the Caucasus during the Civil War;

– the contribution of the Kazan province to the defense of Russia in the First World War;

– Traditions of mercy and acts of charity of the Imperial Family;

– Tatar noble families during the era of Nicholas II;

— the spiritual roots of the Russian Time of Troubles.

The Emperor Nicholas II and Dialogue with the Islamic World conference provided an opportunity for participants to comprehend the historical experience of interreligious dialogue and service to the Fatherland.

© Paul Gilbert. 20 May 2026