On 1st November 2024 – a monument to Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (1857-1905) and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna (1864–1918) was unveiled and consecrated on the square near the Tretyakovskaya metro station in Moscow.
The installation of the monument is timed to the 160th anniversary of the birth of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, born Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine.
The sculptural composition was designed by the artist Georgy Frangulyan. The grand ducal couple are represented on the day of their wedding on 16th (O.S. 3rd) June 1884.
Behind the two bronze figures are four granite steles, one of which features a bas-relief depicting Emperor Nicholas II – seen in the photo above.
On 4th November 2024, the Church of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers was consecrated, in the Petropavlovsky (Peter and Paul) Convent – located 60 km from the city of Khabarovsk.
The new Russian Orthodox church is dedicated to the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers[1] – Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, their five children and the family’s four faithful retainers, all of whom died a martyr’s death following their brutal murder by the Bolsheviks in Ekaterinburg, on the night of 16/17 July 1918.
The church was consecrated by Metropolitan Artemy of Khabarovsk and the Amur Region. The church is a metochion[2] of the Petropavlovsky (Peter and Paul) Convent.
A two-tiered iconostasis was installed, made by Moscow craftsmen, in which a lot of gold leaf was used. The icons were painted by the sisters of the convent, as was the painting for the altar. The main icon in the iconostasis is a unique mosaic icon of the Imperial Family, also handmade by the nuns. Their work was highly praised by specialists of the All-Russian Art and Research Conservation Center, which is considered to be Russia’s foremost authority in the field of the restoration of historical and art monuments.
Construction of the six-domed Church of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers began in 2018, and was financed thanks to donations of parishioners and local patrons.
PHOTO: the iconostasis features a mosaic icon of the Holy Royal Martyrs (sedond from right)
“From this day on, its doors will be open to everyone who asks for mutual love and respect in the family, raising children in faith and piety, overcoming life’s adversities with firm hope in God,” said Nikolai Shevtsov, Chairman of the Legislative Duma of the Khabarovsk Region. “Let the Church of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers become such a place for Khabarovsk residents and guests of the capital,” he added.
In this church, many new and original elements have been created, which are not found in the Far East regions of the Russian Federation, in particular, bronze doors ordered from central Russia. The floor in the church is decorated with original mosaics of the Byzantine style. This monastic metochion is the first in the Khabarovsk Region. The abbess of the church is nun Antonia.
A monument of Nicholas II and his family was installed on the grounds of the church. It was made by the Moscow sculptor Vladimir Lepeshov, a member of the Union of Artists of Moscow and Russia, combining seven busts of members of the family of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II.
PHOTO: monument to Nicholas II and his family, installed on the grounds of the church
NOTES:
[1] On 1st November 1981, the Imperial Family were canonized as new martyrs by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).
On 20th August 2000, the the Imperial Family were canonized as passion-bearers by the Moscow Patriarchate.
Passion-bearers are people who face death with resignation, in a Christ-like manner, as distinguished from martyrs, the latter historically killed for their faith. Proponents cited the piety of the Tsar and his family and reports that the Tsarina and her eldest daughter Olga prayed and attempted to make the sign of the cross immediately before they died.
Despite their official designation as “passion-bearers” by the Moscow Patriarchate, they are nevertheless spoken of as “saints” in Orthodox publications, icons, and in popular veneration by the people.
[2] A metochion is an ecclesiastical embassy church within Eastern Orthodox tradition.
PHOTO: this bust is considered the most faithful to the likeness of Emperor Nicholas II
NOTE:this article was originally published on 7 December 2019, it was revised and updated on 4th October 2024 – PG
On 17th July 2018, the feast day of the Holy Royal Passion-bearers, a bust of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II, was installed and consecrated in the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign in New York City. The bronze bust is considered to be the most faithful to the likeness of Emperor Nicholas II.
The bust was donated to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) by the head of the Foundation “Under the Protection of the Mother of God” Eugene (Evgeny) Korolev, with the organizational participation of the head of the Military Orthodox Mission, Igor Smykov.
Attending the divine services were parishioners and faithful of various parishes, representatives of the Romanov family, and Cossack delegates.ners and faithful of various parishes, representatives of the Romanov family, and Cossack delegates.
Upon completion of the service, Fr. Tikhon read aloud Metropolitan Hilarion’s Epistle on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the martyrdom of the holy and right-believing Royal Passion-bearers: Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Tsesarevich Alexei, and Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatian, Maria and Anastasia.
His Eminence and the clergy served a short moleben [service of intercession] before icons of the Royal Passion-bearers and other holy relics housed at the Synodal cathedral: a reliquary with the right hand of the Holy Nun-Martyrs Elizabeth and Barbara.
Metropolitan Hilarion then thanked all those who prayerfully honored this day with their presence, and gave the floor to the general director of the Russian National Creative Workshop “Art-Project,” LLC, and the International Foundation for Mutual Development & Strengthening of Spiritual Unity and the Religious & Historical Values of Russian Orthodoxy in the Homeland & Abroad “Under the Protection of the Theotokos,” Eugene (Evgeny) Korolev. It was these organizations that presented the cathedral a gift: a bust of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II.
CLICK on the above image to watch a VIDEO of the consecration of the bust. DURATION: 3 minutes, 30 seconds. LANGUAGE: Russian
“This image was first made before the revolution, out of stone. During Perestroika in the Soviet Union, vandals desecrated it,” Korolev explained. “After the fall of the USSR, in 1993, the bust was brought from Crimea to Moscow, to the workshop of Russian national artist Vyacheslav Klykov. They created a mold of the bust and poured it in bronze. Unfortunately, we do not know the identity of the original artist who created this marvelous work. But we do know that this monument is considered the most faithful to the likeness of Emperor Nicholas II. I would like to offer my respect to Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Klykov (1938-2006) for granting new life to this work of art.
“In Russia they are currently celebrating the ‘Tsar’s Days,’ and I think the most important thing for us is to learn lessons from this tragedy and never repeat them.”
Korolev congratulated everyone on the occasion of the feast, and presented Metropolitan Hilarion with a dove prepared in the workshop, as well as pouches with soil from the holy sites of Yekaterinburg, where Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra, and their children were held captive, and where they were all murdered.
Flanked by clergy, the First Hierarch proceeded to the entrance to the cathedral, where the bust of the Tsar-Passionbearer Nicholas II had been installed, and blessed it.The festivities concluded with a banquet in the cathedral hall.
PHOTO: Metropolitan Hilarion (1948-2022) of Eastern America and New York, talks with members of the media in the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City.
PHOTO: close up view of the bronze busts of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in the courtyard of St. Michael’s Archangel Kharlampievsky Church, Irkutsk
On 15th September 2024, a pair of bust-monuments of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna were installed in the Siberian city of Irkutsk.
The monuments were installed in the courtyard of St. Michael’s Archangel Kharlampievsky Church, one of the oldest churches in the city. It was here in 1904, that the future Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (1874-1920) married Sofia Omirova (1876-1956).
The organizer of the installation of the busts is Irkutsk resident Mikhail Vladimirovich Arsentyev. The bust of Nicholas II, is based on the original – or what was left of it – which was found in the Crimea. It was restored by the famous Russian sculptor Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Klykov (1938-2006), who restored the parts which had been broken off by Bolshevik vandals following the October 1917 Revolution. It is believed that the original bust was made from life, around 1905.
he sculptor of the current busts of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna is the modern master Pavel Zhuravlev. Both busts are made of bronze, each weighing 100 kg, they were cast in a workshop in Moscow, where Vyacheslav Klykov worked during his lifetime.
PHOTO: Metropolitan Maximilian of Irkutsk and Angarsk performed the act of consecration of the bust-monuments in the courtyard of St. Michael’s Archangel Kharlampievsky Church, Irkutsk
Before the unveiling of the monuments, a Divine Liturgy was performed in the church, by three bishops (in the photo above from left to right): Bishop Alexy of Sitka and Alaska, Metropolitan Maximilian of Irkutsk and Angarsk and Bishop Konstantin of Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk. Divine services were conducted in four languages: Church Slavonic, Greek, English and Aleut, which emphasized the atmosphere of unity of peoples.
The act of consecration of the busts was performed in the courtyard of the church by Metropolitan Maximilian of Irkutsk and Angarsk. It must be noted that there are few monuments to holy people in Irkutsk, and these bust-monuments of the Holy Royal Martyrs is one of the ways to teach residents and guests of the city about the last Russian tsar and his family.
PHOTO: view of the bronze bust-monuments of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in the courtyard of St. Michael’s Archangel Kharlampievsky Church, Irkutsk
PHOTO: Biscuit Porcelain Busts of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. by the famous Russian sculptor Leopold Adolfovich Bernstam (1859-1939). From the Collection of the State Russian Museum in St. Petesburg.
Leopold Adolfovich Bernstam was born to a Jewish family in Riga, on 20th April 1859. At the age of 13, he studied under the famous Danish-Russian sculptor David Ivanovich Jensen (1816-1902). The following year, at the age of 14, Bernstam entered the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, where he earned several awards.
From 1885 he lived in Paris where he worked as a sculptor at the Grévin Museum. He is credited with being the author of some 300 sculptures in his lifetime, including at least 5 monuments to Emperor Peter I of Russia.
In the early 1880s he temporarily moved to Russia, where he made about 30 busts of celebrated Russians, including authors, playwright and composers. In 1885 he settled in Paris, often returning to St. Petersburg.
PHOTO: Leopold Adolfovich Bernstam (1859-1939)
In 1895 Léopold Bernstam received a commission to create portrait busts of members of the Imperial Family. Among them was the new Tsar and Tsarina, who were crowned in Moscow in May 1896.
In his diary, dated 20th September and 21st, 1895, Nicholas II wrote: “… after breakfast spent more than an hour sitting for Bernstam…” and on 21st September: “sat for the sculptor again”.
At the beginning of 1896, Bernstrom was invited to Tsarskoye Selo, where he completed busts of several members of the Tsar’s family in less than three weeks. Among them were a pair of marble busts depicting the August Couple, which served as excellent models for mass-produced copies, which were installed in the lobbies or foyers of all government buildings, as well as educational charitable institutes, hospitals, etc.
Bernstam’s last work in St Petersburg was a bust of Emperor Alexander III, which was installed in 1914, in the garden of the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III [renamed State Russian Museum]. It was removed in 1918.
Leopold Adolfovich Bernstam died at the age of 79, on 22nd January 1939, in Menton (France), a town located on the Mediterranean Sea at the Franco-Italian border.
On 18th May, the eve of the 156th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Nicholas II, a new bust-monument to Russia’s last Tsar, was installed and consecrated on the grounds of the Orthodox Cultural Center in the village of Zaplavnoye, Leninsky district, Volgograd region.
The solemn ceremony was attended by the founder and head of the Volga-Rast group of companies Igor Vitalievich Kapitanov, philanthropist Andrey Yurievich Morozkin, First Vice President of Gazprombank JSC, as well as guests from Moscow, Saratov, Voronezh and Lubansk.
The opening ceremony began with a solemn parade, led by cadets dressed in ceremonial uniforms. Pupils of the Cadet Corps, along with local high school students and toddlers of the Orthodox Kindergarten, followed behind the cadets through the square, which was decorated with Russian flags.
The bust-monument was consecrated by the rector of the St. Nicholas Church in the village of Zaplavnoye, Hieromonk Nikita (Sergeev).
The installation of the bust-monument to Emperor Nicholas II was made possible by the All-Russian Alley of Russian Glory Project, the purpose of which is to perpetuate the memory of notable Russians who glorified the Fatherland and the Orthodox faith.
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NOTE: since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, more than 100 monuments, busts and memorial plaques to Emperor Nicholas II have been installed in cities, towns and villages across the Russian Federation. In addition, are a number of churches dedicated to him.
On 19th May 2024 – the day marking the 156th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Nicholas II – a new bust-monument of him was installed on the grounds of the Military Institute of Physical Culture (VIFK), in St. Petersburg.
The event was part of the celebrations marking the 115th anniversary of the Military Institute of Physical Culture (VIFK). The event was attended by St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov and State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Nikolai Pankov, both of whom took part in the unveiling and dedication of the bust-monument of Emperor Nicholas II.
On 17th (O.S. 4th) May 1909, Emperor Nicholas II formally granted the provisional regulations for military sports education, which were the basis for the formation of the current institute. The school opened its doors on 14th (O.S. 1st) October 1909 in St Petersburg as the Main Gymnastics and Fencing School, which reported to the Commander of the Imperial Guard/Commanding General, of the St. Petersburg Military District and whose first cadets were military personnel of the Guards units and personnel of the district.
The Military Institute of Physical Culture is the only and one of the oldest military educational institutions in Russia, which provides training and retraining of specialists in the field of physical culture and sports for ministries and departments of the Russian Federation.
In his dedication speech, Governor Alexander Beglov noted: “Nicholas II was the most athletic emperor in Russia’s history. He was a passionate tennis player, he enjoyed all forms of phsical activity, such as cycling, hiking, swimming and rowing, he was excellent at shooting, skiing. He supported sports in Russia. By his example, he brought sports and physical activity to the masses. In addition, it was Nicholas II who brought the rules of *ice hockey to Russia. Now it is a national sport and a favorite game of millions of Russians. * Nicholas II enjoyed playing hockey.
“As our President has repeatedly emphasized, continuity is also important in sports. We must not forget our worthy ancestors. The Institute embodies this wish of the President,” said Alexander Beglov.
Governor Alexander Beglov further added that the bust of Nicholas II will remind contemporaries of the Tsar’s econtribution to the development of sports and sporting societies in Russia, and to the creation of a system of physical training for officers of the Russian army.
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NOTE: since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, more than 100 monuments, busts and memorial plaques to Emperor Nicholas II have been installed in cities, towns and villages across the Russian Federation. In addition, are a number of churches dedicated to him.
On 22nd December 2023, the Day of the Murmansk Region was held at VDNH in Moscow, during which a proposal was made to the Governor of Murmansk Region Andrei Vladimirovich Chibis, for the installation of a monument to Emperor Nicholas II in the center of Murmansk.
Historical memory must be observed, and in accordance with the initiatives of the residents and the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, a decision was made to build a cathedral [Preobrazhensky St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral] in Murmansk. The cathedral will be dedicated to the heroes of the First and Second World Wars. In addition, the installation of a monument to Emperor Nicholas II on the grounds of the cathedral is already being considered, however, the proposal must be approved by the residents of Murmansk,” the governor said.
The decision to build a cathedral in Murmansk was proposed 106 years ago, by Russia’s last Tsar, who approved the project. According to project manager Archpriest Vladimir Semenov, the completion of the cathedral “will fulfill the last will of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, who is the founder of our city and the governing synod until February 1917”. Construction on the cathedral began earlier this year and is expected to be completed in 2028.
PHOTO: artist concept of Preobrazhensky St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral in Murmansk, to be completed in 2028
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Recall that Murmansk was the last city founded in the Russian Empire. Russia’s first ice free port was founded here in 1916 by Nicholas II and named Romanov-on-Murman. It was officially named Murmansk during the Soviet years.
In recent years, Emperor Nicholas II has been commemorated in a number of projects in Murmansk and the surrounding region:
In June 2019, Murmansk Airport was reamed Nicholas II-Murmansk Airport
In July 2019, plans were announced for a bust-monument to Nicholas II, to be installed in front of the main terminal at Nicholas II-Murmansk Airport
In January 2023, plans were announced for the installment of sculptural composition of the last Russian Imperial Family, in front of Nicholas II-Murmansk Airport
PHOTO: artist concept of new monument to the Imperial Family at the Nicholas II-Murmansk Airport (above); and the monument of Emperor Nicholas II and his family by the Russian sculptor Semyon Platonov (below)
In June 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the airport in the Russian arctic city of Murmansk would be renamed in honour of Emperor Nicholas II. Murmansk, Russia’s first ice free port was founded in 1916 by Nicholas II and named Romanov-on-Murman.
In the autumn of 2018 a nationwide online poll was held in which the Russian people could cast votes to rename 42 major airports across Russia. More than 5.5 million people took part in the ‘Great Names of Russia’ poll. More than 140,000 people in the Murmansk region took part in the poll on the renaming of Murmansk Airport. The names of Ivan Papanin and Boris Safonov were among the candidates, however. Russia’s last Tsar received 68,260 votes or 48% of the total votes tallied.
In December 2019, the head of the Kola District Administration announced plans to expand and modernize the Nicholas II-Murmansk Airport, which includes construction of a second terminal for flights within Russia began in 2021. The name of Nicholas II will be placed on the facades of each of the two terminals.
In addition is the reconstruction of the square in front of the main air terminal, of which several projects were considered. Initially, a bust-monument of Nicholas II was proposed, however, this idea has now been shelved.
In November 2020, a permanent photo exhibition dedicated to Emperor Nicholas II has opened in the terminal building of Murmansk Airport.
PHOTO: artist concept of the square in memory of Emperor Nicholas II at Murmansk Airport (above); and view of the of new monument to the Imperial Family to be installed in the center of the square (below)
On 26th January 2023, the architecture and landscaping firm Хмель in St Petersburg, published an artist’s concept by architect Marina Khmel of the new square in front of the Nicholas II-Murmansk Airport, the highlight of which will be a major sculptural composition of the last Russian Imperial Family.
The square in memory of Emperor Nicholas II will feature landscaped gardens with flowerbeds and trees, as well a place for holding events, information stands and temporary outdoor exhibitions. The square will also include a quiet space for travelers to rest, and a platform for boarding and disembarking from buses and cars.
In the center of the park will be a monument of Emperor Nicholas II and his family by the Russian sculptor Semyon Platonov. The sculptural composition is based on a famous photograph from 1913, which depicts Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna surrounded by their five children – Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexei.
On 4th January 2023, a new monument to the Holy Royal Martyrs was installed and consecrated on the grounds of the Monastery of St. Petka in Bijeljina in Republika Srpska [one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina].
The monument was made in bronze in the Russian style, by the Serbian sculptor from Belgrade, Milos Komad, and financed by the retired Bishop of Zvornik-Tuzla Vasilije.
The marble pedestal, and placement is the work of academician Drago Mirković, an artist, a great humanist and church benefactor. Mirkovic chose the inscriptions which appear on all four sides of the pedestal quotes by Sergei Bektayev, the Russian national poet, the texts of St. Peter of Cetinsky, Dostoevsky, Pushkin and Emperor Nicholas II’s words of support to the Serbs.
The combined height of the bronze monument and marble pedestal is almost 5 meters [16 ft.] high.
PHOTO: view of the bronze monument before it being mounted on the marble pedestal
PHOTO: full front and rear view of the Holy Royal Martyrs monument
Nicholas II 
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