Monuments / Busts | Nicholas II

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

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

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.

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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.

A new bust-monument of Nicholas II installed in Krasnodar

Posted on September 22 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: cadets from the Krasnodar Presidential Cadet School form a guard of honour during the opening ceremonies of a new monument to Emperor Nicholas II in the “Cossack city”

On 21st September 2025, a new bust-monument of Emperor Nicholas II was installed and consecrated on the grounds of the Presidential Cadet School In the Russian city of *Krasnodar. The bust is a copy created by the famous Russian sculptor is Alexander Alekseevich Apollonov (1947-2017).

*Krasnodar is known as the “Cossack city”. Founded in 1793 as a fortress city by the Black Sea Cossacks, it has a rich history tied to the Cossack culture. The city was originally named Yekaterindar, meaning “Catherine’s Gift,” and later renamed Krasnodar, which translates to “Red Gift,” reflecting the city’s imperial past and the Cossack identity. Today, Krasnodar retains its connection to the Cossacks through various historic sites and cultural events.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Lieutenant General of the Foreign Intelligence Service
Leonid Reshetnikov, Vice-Governor of the Krasnodar Territory and Ataman of the Kuban Cossack Host Society Alexander Vlasov and Minister of Culture of the Krasnodar Territory Victoria Lapina.

Also in attendance were Chairman of the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational Society Foundation (ESPO) Anna Vitalievna, and representatives of the Heritage of the Empire movement, and the leadership of the Presidential Cadet School, city officials, among others.

PHOTO: a local Orthodox priest performs the act of consecration on the new monument to Emperor Nicholas II in Krasnodar

The bust was installed as part of the historical and cultural project Imperial Route, which the Krasnodar Territory joined in August 2025. The solemn event included the laying flowers at the monument and the school’s cadets taking part in a solemn march past the monument, along the parade ground.

The Imperial Route project now unites 32 regions of Russia and is aimed at popularizing the history of the House of Romanov. As part of the route, other memorial plaques and sites have also been unveiled in the Krasnodar Territory, including the recent commemoration of the visit of Emperor Nicholas I to Gelendzhik in 1837.

Alexander Vlasov noted the importance of the memory of Nicholas II, emphasizing his contribution to the development of the country and his connection with the Cossack troops. Representatives of the the Kuban Cossack Host Society and invited guests stressed the importance of preserving historical continuity and educating young people on national history.

“The opening of the bust of the last emperor is our tribute to the history of Russia, to the Imperial Family,” said Alexander Vlasov. – I will also remind you that, from 1904, the August Heir of Nicholas II, Tsesarevich Alexei, was the Ataman of all Cossack troops and the honorary chief of several Cossack regiments and schools.

The history of the Kuban and the Cossacks are closely associated with the Russian Imperial family . . .

“In 1888, Emperor Alexander III, along with the heir to the throne Nicholas Alexandrovich [future Emperor Nicholas II] and other members of the Imperial Family visited Yekaterindar. Today, a restored Triumphal Arch, located on the main street in Krasnodar, is a reminder of the historic visit.

PHOTO: cadets from the Krasnodar Presidential Cadet School form a guard of honour during the opening ceremonies of a new monument to Emperor Nicholas II in the “Cossack city”

Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, more than 100 monuments, sculptures, busts and memorial plaques to Nicholas II have been installed in cities and towns across the Russian Federation.

In July, busts of Nicholas II and Tsesarevich Alexei were temporarily placed in the city of Uryupinsk, Volgograd Region, during a commemorative event. Plaster sculptures were installed on the Alley of Heroes, where a monument to Joseph Stalin was located during the Soviet period. After the ceremony, the busts were dismantled.

Russia’s most famous monument to Nicholas II is the monument by Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Klykov (1938-2006) in the village of Taininskoye in the Mytishchi district of the Moscow region. The monument depicts the Emperor wearing his ermine trimmed Coronation robe with regalia and is located on the site of the former travelling palace, next to the ancient near the Church of the Annunciation (1675-1677. The monument has been blown up twice by extremists, each time restored.

Monument to Nicholas II and his family to be installed in Mogilev

Posted on August 5 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: artist’s concept of the proposed monument, to be installed in Mogilev

A monument to Emperor Nicholas II and his family is to be installed in Mogilev, Belarus. The sculptural composition – seen in the above photo – will be installed in Gorky Park [not to be confused with the famous Gorky Park in Moscow], situated next to the Square of Glory.

Nicholas II in Mogilev

Recall that from August 1915 to March 1917, Mogilev served as the military capital of the Russian Empire. It served as the headquarters of Emperor Nicholas II, who assumed the position of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, from 5th September (O.S. 23rd August) 1915. He settled in the Governor’s House, situated on Gubernatorskaya Square [now Square of Glory].

The headquarters were located in the buildings that stood in a semicircle on Gubernatorskaya Square. The Tsar occupied several rooms of the Governor’s House, and was often accompanied by his son and heir, Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich. The headquarters was located in the building of the Provincial Government, while the building of the district court, was placed at the disposal of the General on duty of the Headquarters.

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and her four daughters often came to Mogilev to visit Nicholas and Alexei. The Empress and the grand duchesses lived onboard the Imperial Train during their stays.

To this day, the old-timers of Podnikolye retell the stories of their grandfathers, of when they saw the Tsar and his family riding on a boat along the Dnieper, walking in Gubernskaya Square (now Glory Square) and stopping to chat with ordinary citizens.

PHOTO: the Emperor (third from left) with Chiefs of Allied
Military Missions on Gubernatorskaya Square, Mogilev. 1916

Both the Governor’s House, where Nicholas II lived with his son, and the building of the Provincial Government, were demolished in Soviet times. As a result, nothing has survived to the present day of the Tsar’s stay in Mogilev.

The building of the District Court, today houses the Mogilev Regional Museum of Local Lore. It was in this building, that Emperor Nicholas II said goodbye to the ranks of the headquarters and departments in March 1917. There is a display marking the farewell in one of the rooms located on the second floor of the museum.

Why Gorky Park?

In 1872, a city garden was laid in Mogilev, called Dembovetsky’s Garden. The initiative to lay the foundation belonged to the famous Mogilev governor Alexander Dembovetsky (1840-1920). During the reign of Russia’s last Tsar, it was renamed the Nikolaevsky Garden-Park.

Nicholas often walked here with Alexei and members of his retinue. The paths, which were lined with trees, converged in the central square, dominated with a beautiful fountain. The garden-park featured three observation gazebos, a wooden theater, elegant benches and round flower beds.

PHOTO: a marble plaque is today, the only reminder that this was where the headquarters of Emperor Nicholas II, stood from August 1915 to March 1917

Many years later, in 2014, the Church of the Holy Royal Martyrs was erected in Gorky Park in memory of the Imperial Family.

The monument to Emperor Nicholas II and his family will be installed near the church, although no time frame has yet been established for the completion of the project.

FURTHER READING

New museum dedicated to Nicholas II to be built in Mogilev + PHOTOS

Nicholas II’s motorcars and the Imperial Garage in Mogilev, 1915-17 + PHOTOS

Bust of Nicholas II (temporarily) installed in Uryupinsk

Posted on July 24 by Paul Gilbert

On 17th July 2025, busts of Emperor Nicholas II and Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich (sorry, no photo available) were temporarily installed in the Russian town of Uryupinsk (Volgograd region), during a commemorative event marking the 107th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Russia’s last Tsar and his family.

Plaster busts on pedestals were installed on the Square of the Fallen Heroes by members of the Union of Cossacks of Russia. Representatives of several Cossack organizations and the clergy of the local diocese held a prayer service and laid flowers.

After the ceremony, the busts were dismantled. According to the ataman of the local Cossack society in Uryupinsk, Dmitry Popolitov, a search is currently underway for a permanent place to install bronze busts of Nicholas II and Alexei Nikolaevich.

The event was organized by the Union of Cossacks of Russia, members of the 4th Don Cossack Regiment named after Count Platov, with the support of the Khoper Cossack District and the Uryupinsk Diocese.

It is interesting to note, that the plaster busts and pedestals were placed on the exact spot, where a monument to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin stood during the Soviet period.

Recall that the monument to Joseph Stalin was erected in the Uryupinsk square of the Komsomol in 1948. Later, the square was renamed after Stalin. With the coming to power of Nikita Khrushchev in 1953, the monument to Stalin disappeared without a trace and was considered lost.

In 2000, a local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told the authorities where the monument was buried. The monument of Joseph Stalin was found covered with earth on the territory of the former Khoper district prison. It was excavated and placed in the Uryupinsk Museum of Local Lore in an exposition dedicated to the defeat of Nazi troops near Stalingrad.

According to the Union of Cossacks of Russia, events such as this are important for preserving historical memory and preventing the recurrence of tragic events of the past.

Nicholas II monument planned for Lugansk

Posted on June 13 by Paul Gilbert

A new monument to Emperor Nicholas II, will be installed in Lugansk, a city with a population of nearly 400,000 people, situated in the Donbass region.

A local Lugansk sculptor, the author of many works, is currently preparing a model of the life-sized sculpture in his studio. The completed monument will stand more than 2 meters [more than 6 ft., including the base] in height.

The monument to the Holy Passion-Bearer Nicholas II is the sole initiative of Lugansk believers. Of the required 2 million rubles [$25,000 USD], they have already collected 330 thousand [more than $4,000 USD].

According to Russian social media, a meeting was recently held with the sculptor, to discuss the correct recreation of the uniform and awards. A decision on the exact location of the monument is expected to be announced shortly, although it is believed that it will be installed on the grounds of a local Orthodox Church in Lugansk.

The Lugansk monument will now make a total of three new monuments to Nicholas II – which are known to this author – that will be installed in various Russian cities within the next year, the others include, one in the Ural city of Verkhneuralsk, the other in St. Petersburg.

New monument to Nicholas II to be installed in the Urals

Posted on May 7 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Verkhneuralsk

A new equestrian monument to Emperor Nicholas II will be installed and consecrated later this year, in the Ural city of Verkhneuralsk. The city is located on the left bank of the Ural River, 230 km south of Chelyabinsk and 450 km south of Ekaterinburg.

The monument will be installed in front of the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker – the only Orthodox church in Verkhneuralsk which survived the years of Soviet power. The grounds around the church are currently being developed. The monument will be installed and consecrated here upon completion of the landscaping and gardens.

PHOTO: a plaque marks the visit of Tsesarevich and Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich [future Emperor Nicholas II] to the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Verkhneuralsk, on 4th August (O.S. 23rd July) 1891.

The monument is in memory of Nicholas II’s visit to Verkhneuralsk on 4th August (O.S. 23rd July) 1891, during a trip across the Russian Empire following his Eastern Journey. The Eastern Journey (1890-1891) of Tsesearvich Nicholas Alexandrovich took him to Egypt, India, Ceylon, Siam, China, and Japan – where an assassination attempt was made on his life. The total length of the journey exceeded 51,000 kilometres, including 15,000 km of railway and 22,000 km of sea routes.

The Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was built in the Russian-Byzantine Style in 1870, and consecrated on 5th May 1875. The money for it’s construction was allocated by a local merchant Nikolai Petrovich Rytov (1818-1879), cost 6100 rubles. The church was erected according to the project of the famous Russian architect Konstantin Ton (1794-1881), who challenged classicism and established the Russian Style, which included outstanding palace and church architecture.

PHOTO: the grounds around the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are currently being developed. The monument to Nicholas II, will be installed and consecrated here upon completion of the landscaping and gardens.

The northern altar of this cathedral – in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos – was built on benevolent donations in memory of the salvation of Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich, following an assassination attempt on his life in Otsu, Japan. The altar was consecrated on 18th November 1897.

In the 1930s, the church was closed and used as a grain warehouse, reopened in 1942. In the early 20th century, there were 7 Orthodox churches in Verkhneuralsk, however the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, is the only one to have survived the years of Soviet power, the rest were destroyed.

It is interesting to note that in 1904, Emperor Nicholas II visited a number of Ural cities including Verkhneuralsk. He was accompanied by his brother Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.

Obituary: Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli (1934-2025)

Posted on April 22 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Zurab Tsereteli standing in front of his sculptoral composition ‘Night at the Ipatiev House’, depicting Nicholas II and his family, at the Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery in Moscow – see photo at the end of this post for a full view

On Tuesday, 22nd April 2025, the famous Russian-Georgian sculptor and President of the Russian Academy of Arts Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli died in Moscow, after a lengthy illness, at the age of 91. The cause of death was cardiac arrest.

Tsereteli was born in Tbilisi (Georgia) on 4th January 1934. He studied at Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, graduating in 1958. The same year, he married Inessa Alexandrovna Andronikashvili (1937-1998), a princess from a noble Georgian family that claimed patrilineal descent from Byzantine Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos (1118-1185).

The sculptor has been the president of the Russian Academy of Arts since 1997. Tsereteli is known for his works not only within Russia, but in many countries around the world. Among them are monuments to Nikolai Gogol (Rome, 2002), St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Bari, Italy, 2003), Pope John Paul II (Ploermel, France, 2006), “The Three Musketeers” (Condom, France, 2010), monument to Marina Tsvetaeva (Saint-Gilles Croix de Vi, France, 2012), the Apostle Paul (Veria, Greece, 2013), a monument to Nicholas II (Republika Srpska, 2014), “The Birth of the New World” (Arecibo, Puerto Rico, 2016) and others. In 2018, Tsereteli donated a monument to the poet Alexander Griboyedov to the Russian Drama Theater named after A.S. Griboyedov in Tbilisi.

PHOTO: the ‘Alley of Rulers’ in Moscow, features bust-monuments of Russia’s political leaders and emperors, including Nicholas II

In Russia, some of Zurab Tsereteli’s most famous works are “Night at the Ipatiev House” (Moscow, 2007), Princess Olga (Pskov, 2003), “Wives of the Decembrists, The Gates of Destiny” (Moscow, 2008), among many others. On 31st May 2024, a magnificent equestrian monument to Emperor Alexander III was unveiled and consecrated in the city of Kemerovo, the capital of Kuzbass, situated in Western Siberia.

In 1997, by order of the Moscow government, a 98-meter monument to Peter the Great was opened at the western confluence of the Moskva River and the Vodootvodny Canal in central Moscow. The then mayor Yuri Luzhkov (1936-2019) criticized the monument for it’s “gigantism and bad taste”. There were protests demanding the dismantling of the sculpture. In 2008, the monument was included in the list of the ugliest man-made structures in the world.

On 1st October 2024, the ‘Alley of the Rulers of Russia’ opened at Boldino, the former estate of the outstanding statesman and historian Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev (1686-1750), near Moscow. This sculptural composition by Zurab Tsereteli consists of 43 busts of historical figures who have led Russia over its more than 1,000 year history – from Prince Rurik to the Romanovs to the first President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin.

PHOTO: Zurab Tsereteli at the unveiling of his bust-monument to Nicholas II, in Banja Luka, the capital of the Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina), on 21st June 2014

Tsereteli was the Founder of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art (1995), the Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery (2000) and the Museum of Modern Art in Tbilisi (Georgia, 2012). He is the author of more than 5 thousand works of painting, graphics, sculpture, frescoes and mosaics, however, he gained the greatest fame as a sculptor-monumentalist. In 1995–2000, he participated in the reconstruction of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.

According to the sculptor’s grandson Vasily Tsereteli, a farewell to Tsereteli, will be held on 23rd April, in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. Tsereteli will be buried on Sunday, 27th April, in the Mtatsminda Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures in Tbilisi, Georgia where his wife rests.

PHOTO: Zurab Tsereteli’s ‘Night at the Ipatiev House’ (2007), depicting Emperor Nicholas II and his family, at the Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery in Moscow

In a statement issued by Maria Zakharova, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry: Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli will be remembered as a world-renowned artist and sculptor, a public figure who knew “neither borders nor obstacles in strengthening peace and supporting creativity.

“He will live on, not only in our hearts, but also through his works: in stained glass windows and enamels decorating foreign missions, and in monuments and sculptures installed in different parts of the world,” she added.

Memory Eternal! Вечная Память!

A joint monument to Nicholas II, Lenin and Yeltsin to be erected in Russia

Posted on March 20 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Emperor Nicholas II, Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin
and Russian president Boris Yeltsin

This year – 2025 – marks the 155th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Lenin, the 35th anniversary of the election of Boris Yeltsin as Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR and the 25th anniversary of the glorification of Tsar Nicholas II as a saint. In recognition of these three historical figures a joint monument entitled “The Great Three” will be erected in St. Petersburg.

The sculptors will create a bronze monument depicting the life-size figures of Nicholas II, Lenin and Yeltsin, which will be installed on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, opposite the flags of the Russian Empire, the USSR and the Russian Federation. They will be depicted holding each other by the shoulders and proudly looking towards the state symbols of the three eras.

The installation of the monument is supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Yeltsin Center in Ekaterinburg. It is their hope that the monument will contribute to reconciliation in society and will become a symbol of the continuity of Russia’s national history.

Reconciliation is a noble ideal but Lenin’s hand on the last Tsar’s shoulder is somewhat disturbing. One simply cannot “reconcile” with the man who ordered the murder of Nicholas II and his family. The very idea of a monument depicting the Bolshevik leader standing next to the Tsar, with his hand on the Tsar’s shoulder is simply wrong!

The date and location of the installation of “The Great Three” monument has yet to be announced.

New monument and museum dedicated to the Imperial Family opened in Dno

Posted on December 27 by Paul Gilbert

Click HERE to watch a VIDEO of the unveiling and consecration of the monument, followed by a tour of the new museum dedicated to Nicholas II and his family, located in the Church of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers in Dno. Duration: 2 minutes, 30 seconds

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On 26th December 2024, a new monument to Emperor Nicholas II and his family was installed and consecrated on the grounds of the Church of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers in the Russian city of Dno, situated 114 km from Pskov. In addition, a museum dedicated to the Imperial Family was officially opened and consecrated.

A Divine Liturgy was conducted in the new Church of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers (constructed in 2023) by Metropolitan Matthew of Pskov and Porkhov.

The sculptural composition was made by Moscow sculptor Vladimir Gennadievich Ivanov [b. 1983], and took one year to complete. According to him, the bronze monument weighs three and a half tons, and stands almost four and a half meters [almost 15 feet] in height. Each of the seven members of the Imperial Family is depicted holding a cross.

Following the liturgy, a new monument of Emperor Nicholas II and his family was unveiled and consecrated on the grounds of the church. In addition, a museum dedicated to the history of the life of the Imperial Family [see photo below] was officially opened and consecrated. The museum is located in the basement of the church – which can be seen in the video at the top of this post. Admission is FREE to all.

Recall that the Dno railway station became the penultimate point of the Imperial Train, which was transporting the Tsar to Petrograd on 14th (O.S. 1st) March 1917. From here, Nicholas II was forced to Pskov, where the following day, he signed his abdication from the throne. As Bishop Matthew noted during the opening of the museum in the basement of the church, “these events became a turning point in the history of the country”.

Recall that earlier this month a mural of the pre-war railway station at Dno was recreated on the building of the museum and exhibition center in Dno. The mural was created In memory of Emperor Nicholas II’s historic stop at Dno in March 1917, the day before he abdicated the throne.

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