NOTE: All of the articles pertaining to Nicholas II and his family which were originally published in my Royal Russia News blog, have been moved to this Nicholas II blog. This article was originally posted on 2 August 2018 in my Royal Russia News blog – PG

On 17th July 17 2018, on the day marking the 100th anniversary of the murder of the Imperial Family, a bust of Emperor Nicholas II was was established on the grounds of the Church of the Assumption of the Most-Holy Mother of God in the Russian village of Archedinskaya, situated in the Volgorad region. The bronze bust is a copy of an original work by the famous Russian sculptor Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Klykov (1939-2006).

A capsule containing earth from the mines at Ganina Yama and Alapaevsk – where the Bolsheviks attempted to dispose of the bodies of the murdered members of the Imperial family – was placed inside the bust of the Emperor. The bottle of Holy water for consecration was brought from the Church on the Blood of Ekaterinburg. A honourary guard made up of members of the Don Cossacks participated in the event.

After the Divine Liturgy, the consecration of the monument was performed by the Bishop of Uryupinsk and Novoanninsky Elisha.

The bust of the Emperor was made according to a project of the Russian sculptor Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Klykov, who died in 2006. Copies of his sculptures of Nicholas II have been are installed in Mytishchi, Vladivostok, Simferopol, Russia, and Melbourne, Australia.

© Paul Gilbert. 7 December 2019

NOTE: All of the articles pertaining to Nicholas II and his family which were originally published in my Royal Russia News blog, have been moved to this Nicholas II blog. This article was originally posted on 27 August 2018 in my Royal Russia News blog – PG

On 17th July 2018 a memorial plaque in honour of Tsesarevich and Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich (future Emperor Nicholas II) was unveiled on the northern facade of the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin in the Far-eastern Russian city of Nikolsk-Ussuriysk.

The memorial plaque was established in honour of the August visit of Nicholas Alexandrovich on 3-4 June 1891, as part of his Eastern Journey, and the construction of the Ussuri section of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The memorial also marks the 120th anniversary of the granting of the status of the city with the name Nikolsk-Ussuriysk on 16th April 1898, by the will of the Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II to Nikolsky, and, subsequently – the city coat of arms.

The work on the preparation of the memorial plaque was initiated by a group of historians, parishioners and residents of the city. The project was agreed and approved, with the blessing of Metropolitan Veniamin of Vladivostok and Primorye.

Associate Professor of the Far Eastern Federal University Yaroslav Popov, who headed the group, said that exactly at this place, in the wooden St. Nicholas Church (Nikolsk-Suifunsky), the Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich prayed during his visit in 1891. After the Liturgy, the Tsesarevich addressed the soldiers of the Nikolsk fortress, Russian residents and settlers, representatives of local peoples, Chinese and Korean diasporas, thanking everyone for their warm welcome.

The Divine Liturgy held on 17th July 2018 was attended by the mayor of Ussuriysk, Evgeny Evgenevich Korzh and the head of the Ussuriisk urban district Nikolai Nikolayevich Rud. After the consecration of the memorial sign, the choir of the parishioners of the church performed the hymn of the Russian Empire “God Save the Tsar”.

This was followed by the reading of the poems of the famous Russian poet Sergei Sergeivich Bekhteev (1879-1954), who escaped Russia after the Revolution. Bekhteev’s poems are full of love for the Motherland, the monarchy and the Holy Royal Martyrs. Countess Anastasia Hendrikova managed to pass five of Bekhteev’s poems to the Tsar’s family during their house arrest in Tobolsk. Emperor Nicholas II, was so moved by Bekhteev’s poem “God Save the Tsar”, that he shed a tear and asked to convey his gratitude to the poet for sharing his loyal feelings.

© Paul Gilbert. 5 November 2019

NOTE: All of the articles pertaining to Nicholas II and his family which were originally published in my Royal Russia News blog, have been moved to this Nicholas II blog. This article was originally posted on 3 September 2018 in my Royal Russia News blog – PG

On 2nd September 2018, a new monument to Emperor Nicholas II, was unveiled in the village of Efimovsky, situated in the Boksitogorsky district of the Leningrad region. The opening of the monument is timed to the 100th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Imperial Family.

The monument was established on the grounds of the church in the name of the Holy Prophet Elijah. The church was constructed in 1908, for which half of the necessary sum for its construction was paid by Nicholas II from his personal funds.

A large area was arranged for the monument. It is situated at the end of a wide avenue, lined with flower beds. The monument is situated between an old pine tree, which symbolizes the glorious past of the House of Romanov, and a very young birch tree, which symbolizes hope for the future restoration of the tsar’s throne in Russia. The bust of the Sovereign is turned to face the church, which he helped build.

The bust is mounted on a high granite pedestal, standing on a pile of collapsed Golgotha ​​stone. The inscription on the monument reads: “Holy Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. In gratitude for the building of the church of the holy prophet Elijah of God. In memory of the 100th anniversary of the martyr’s death.”

The opening of the monument was attended by the head of the local administration Sergei Ivanovich Pokrovkin, which gave the event a state status. The consecration of the monument was performed by the priest of the church, Fr Mikhail Lomakin and Archpriest Father Gennady Belovolov. After the consecration, a prayer was offered to the Holy Royal Martyrs at the monument. The ceremony ended with the singing of the former national anthem “God, Save the Tsar”, to the accompaniment of the accordion.

Father Mikhail thanked the head of the Alley of Russian Glory Foundation Mikhail Leonidovich Serdyukov for the charity donation of the bust. Serdyukov made busts of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsesarevich Alexei specially for the 100th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Tsar’s Family, and is willing to donate them to those who wish to establish them in significant places in Russia.

This event is important not only for the village of Efimovsky, but also for the whole of Russia. The fact is that in this year of this tragic year marking the 100th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Russia’s last emperor and tsar, virtually no events were held at the state level, a program for the memorialization of the memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs was not realized, and very few monuments were established to the Tsar-Martyr.

Such monuments are very necessary for Russia, since the monuments are considered by some as a “public canonization” to the memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs. Although the Moscow Patriarchate canonized the Imperial family 18 years ago, there still remains great disagreement among many Russians with regard to the reign of the last Russian Tsar, a lack of understanding of his deed and service, condemnation and denigration of his image.

Thanks to such monuments, we return the name of Nicholas II to our public consciousness, we affirm the tsar’s idea among the people, we conclude the tragic century, which lived without a tsar on the Russian throne.

© Paul Gilbert. 5 November 2019

NOTE: All of the articles pertaining to Nicholas II and his family which were originally published in my Royal Russia News blog, have been moved to this Nicholas II blog. This article was originally published on 19 September 2018 in my Royal Russia News blog – PG

On 19th September 2018, the World Russian People’s Council met in the Ural city of Zlatoust. The event was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chelyabinsk Diocese, as well as the year marking the 100th anniversary of the death of the Imperial family, and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Nicholas II.

A monument to Emperor Nicholas II was installed in the courtyard of the Cathedral of St. Seraphim in Zlatoust. The monument by the sculptor Alexander Sadovsky, was consecrated, followed by prayers and hymns sung by the church choir. In addition, the relics of St. Andrew the First-Called were brought to Zlatoust.

© Paul Gilbert. 2 December 2019

On 8th September 2019, a new monument to Tsar Nicholas II was installed in the Kuybyshevsky district of Donetsk.

The bronze bust was established on the grounds of the Church of the Holy Royal Martyrs in the village of Gornyak. The opening ceremony of the monument was attended by clergy, soldiers of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and residents of the village.

The newly built Church of the Holy Royal Martyrs is currently being constructed in honour of Nicholas II and members of his family, who were all murdered in July 1918 in Ekaterinburg.

© Paul Gilbert. 9 September 2019

On 19th May, a memorial plaque to Emperor Nicholas II was solemnly unveiled on the facade of the Cathedral in Honour of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin and the Virgin Mary in the Siberian city of Omsk. The plaque was established to commemorate the laying in 1891, by the then still Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich (future Emperor Nicholas II), of the foundation stone for the cathedral.

The heir to the throne was traveling across Russia in 1891, and stopped in Omsk. Nicholas Alexandrovich laid the foundation stone for the new cathedral during a ceremony held at 10:00 in the morning on 16th July 1891.

A memorial plaque was installed inside the Omsk Assumption Cathedral on 6th May 1914 – the date marking Nicholas II’s birthday in the Julian Calendar. The plaque was not preserved, as was the cathedral itself – both demolished in 1935. In 2007, the Assumption Cathedral was reconstructed in the same place. The new plaque is the latest addition.

Cathedral in Honour of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin and the Virgin Mary, Omsk

The idea and financing of the memorial plaque is thanks to the members of the Omsk branch of the All-Russian Society for the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Monuments, the Double-Headed Eagle Society, and the organizing committee for the Tsar’s Days in the Omsk District.

Celebrations began at Cathedral Square in the morning, which was decorated with Imperial flags. A Divine Liturgy was held, followed by a literary and musical composition on the theme of the life of the Imperial family performed by actors of one of Omsk amateur theaters. 

Lyubinskaya Station

The Siberian city of Omsk is forever tied to the last days of Nicholas II and his family. On 28th April 1918, the Emperor, his wife, and their daughter Maria were taken by train from Tyumen to Ekaterinburg. Their route was changed, and the train pulled into Lyubinskaya station, not far from Omsk. It was here that more drama unfolded, as negotiations between Vasily Yakovlev and Moscow took place. The train was eventually turned around, bound for Ekaterinburg, where the last Russian emperor and his family were subsequently shot in the early morning hours of 17th July 1918.

Six months later, anti-Bolshevik White forces seized control of Omsk. The Provisional All-Russian Government was established here in 1918, headed by Admiral Kolchak. Omsk was proclaimed the capital of Russia, and its central bank was tasked with safekeeping the former empire’s gold reserves. Bolshevik forces entered the city in 1919.

It was also in Omsk, that Nicholas Sokolov, a legal investigator of the Omsk Regional Court, interviewed several members of the Romanov entourage in February 1919, notably Pierre Gilliard, Alexandra Tegleva and Sydney Gibbes.

© Paul Gilbert. 27 May 2019