Nicholas II | Nicholas II

Large-scale Nicholas II exhibition to open in Kazan

On 22nd October 2026, a large-scale exhibition dedicated to Russia’s last Tsar will open at the Kazan-Hermitage Exhibition Centre – a branch of the State Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg).

The exhibition “Nicholas II: Family and Throne” will feature some 350 + items: jewellery and decorative art, portraits and photographs, uniforms, gowns, dresses and other personal items which tell the story about Nicholas II and his family.

An illustrated Russian-language catalogue has been prepared for the exhibition. Unfortunately, due to the current economic sanctions imposed by the West, it will not be possible to order a copy from Russia.

The exhibition “Nicholas II: Family and Throne” runs from 22nd October 2026 to 30th August 2027 at at the Kazan-Hermitage Exhibition Centre – pictured above.

I will be writing a full report + PHOTOS of the exhibition, after the opening . . . STAY TUNED!

Bust-monuments to Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna unveiled in Gusev

Posted on 4 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Bust-monuments to Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna
in the courtyard of the Museum of History and Local Lore in Gusev

On Saturday, 5th September 2026, a pair of bust-monuments to Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna were unveiled and consecrated in the courtyard of the Museum of History and Local Lore in the Russian city of Gusev, situated about 112 km (70 miles) from Kaliningrad.

The brass monuments were installed near the second building of the museum, where, after reconstruction, the Center for the Preservation of the Memory of the First World War was opened in 2025.

The event coincided with Tsar’s Days, which is currently taking place in Kaliningrad. This event honours the memory of Russia’s last Tsar and his family in cities across the Russian Federation.

PHOTO: Bust-monument to Emperor Nicholas II at Gusev

PHOTO: Bust-monument to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna at Gusev

The ceremony began with much pomp and pageantry, including a march of the Life Guards Regiment. Bishop Nikolai of Chernyakhov and Slavsk performed a Divine Liturgy and consecrated bust monuments to the Holy Passion-Bearers.

“Let those who will come here know, these were people who loved Russia, who served their country faithfully. And if we serve our Fatherland, our life has meaning,” His Eminence said.

According to the government of the Kaliningrad region, the monuments were created by sculptor Leonid Mikhailenko in St. Petersburg.

“The Holy Passion-Bearers Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna are the main saints who pray for Russia,” said the Director of the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational Society Foundation (ESPO) Anna Vitalievna Gromova.

“This event was made possible thanks to the joint efforts of the leadership of the region, scientific, museum, local history communities and philanthropists,” she added. “The events and reforms that took place during the reign of Emperor Alexander III and Emperor Nicholas II largely predetermined the fate of Russia, including the victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941-45).”

The ceremony ended with the laying of flowers at the monuments and a performance by a military band.

PHOTO: Bust-monuments to Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna
in the courtyard of the Museum of History and Local Lore in Gusev

NEW BOOK – Tsar Nicholas II by Alexei G. Elchaninov

Posted on 8 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

REVISED and UPDATED 2026 EDITION

*You can order this title from most AMAZON outlets, including
the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia,
France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Sweden,
Brazil, Mexico and Japan
*Note: prices are quoted in local currencies

CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE HARD COVER EDITION @ $25.00 USD

CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE PAPERBACK EDITION @ $20.00 USD

English. 8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ format. 216 pages with 30 photos

This authorized account of Emperor Nicholas II by Major-General Andrei Georgievich Elchaninov (1868-1918), is an unprecedented biography of a living tsar. It was originally published in 1913, to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. The author served as a professor of military art in the General Staff Academy in St. Petersburg, he later served in the suite of Tsar Nicholas II.

Nicholas II reviewed and corrected the proofs himself in January 1913. He made changes to the text, and requested the removal of sentences describing the Tsesarevich Alexei’s illness.

Elchaninov gathered considerable material for the twelve chapters about Nicholas II’s personal life based on observations and impressions. The first chapters describe Russia’s last Tsar as a caring, devoted and loving husband and father. The remaining chapters focus on his relationship with his government, the church, the army, the Russian people, and the policies which he pursued during the first 18 years of his reign.

Written before the First World War and the 1917 Revolution. Elchaninov writes in glowing patriotic language portraying Nicholas II as an indefatigable “Imperial worker” in the service of Russia’s best interests and the “Sovereign father” of the Russian people.

The cover of the book features a handsome portrait of Emperor Nicholas II. 1903. Artist: Friedrich August von Kaulbach (1850-1920)

In addition to Elchaninov’s biography on the Tsar, this NEW 2026 edition includes an expanded introduction and a short biography of Andrei Elchaninov + 5 appendixes: Chronology of Events in the Life and Reign of Nicholas II; 100 Facts and Statistics During the Reign of Nicholas II (1894-1917); Bibliography of 100+ English-language Titles on Nicholas II; Nicholas II’s Diaries and Nicholas II’s Personal Libraries + 30 black and white photos!

This book is an excellent resource tool for any one interested
in the life and reign of Russia’s much slandered last Tsar!

***

Andrei Georgievich Elchaninov (1868-1918)

Very little is known about the life of Andrei Georgievich Elchaninov (1868-1918), the man who held the title of Emperor Nicholas II’s official biographer. Born just one month apart in 1868, the Tsar and Elchaninov were the same age – 50, when they both fell victims to the Bolsheviks in 1918.

Subscribe to my bi-weekly Nicholas II news updates . . . it’s FREE!

Posted on 8 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

NOTE: my next news update will be e-mailed on 15th September 2026

New monument to Nicholas II unveiled in Mariinsk

Posted on 14 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

On 27th August 2026, a new bust-monument to Emperor Nicholas II was unveiled and consecrated on the grounds of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the Russian city of Mariinsk, Kemerovo Region, located in the south of Western Siberia.

The unveiling ceremony was led by Metropolitan Aristarkh of Kemerovo and Prokopyevsk, head of the Kuzbass Metropolia. Before the consecration of the monument, Metropolitan Aristarchus addressed those present with an archpastoral sermon, in which he noted the contribution of Nicholas II to the history of the Fatherland.

Following the of the bust-monument to the Holy Passion-Bearer Nicholas II, Metropolitan Aristarkh then performed the rite of consecration in the presence of members of the clergy and local diocese, parishioners and local residents.

The event was attended by Russian statesman, lawyer, TV presenter and writer Pavel Astakhov, Evgeny Sergeevich Ivanov, Chairman of the Committee for Cooperation with Religious Organizations of the Administration of the Government of Kuzbass, as well as Alexei Sergeevich Yakovlev, Deputy Head of the City of Kemerovo and Head of the Territorial Administration of the Leninsky District. The bishop opened the sculpture.nstalled in Mariinsk.

The bust of Russia’s last Tsar was installed as part of the “Alley of Russian Glory Project”. The project is aimed at perpetuating the memory of famous Russians who glorified the Fatherland, as well as reviving the patriotic spirit of the country’s citizens and educating the younger generation on glorious heroic traditions. In 2026, similar monuments appeared in Tomsk, Zarechny and Tver with the support of the SPAS television network.

The installation of the monment in Mariinsk is the 13th monument of Russia’s last Tsar, to be installed in Russia this year. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, more than 125 monuments, busts and memorial plaques have been installed in nearly 50 regions of the Russian Federation.

Sakhalin Communists want monument to Nicholas II replaced with monument to Joseph Stalin

Posted on 15 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Emperor Nicholas II and Joseph Stalin

The Sakhalin regional branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation have demanded the removal of a monument to Emperor Nicholas II, which was recently installed in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and replacing it with a monument to Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

Recall that a bust-monument to the Holy Passion-Bearer Nicholas II was unveiled and consecrated on 23rd August 2026, on the grounds of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, situated on Victory Square inYuzhno-Sakhalinsk (from 1882 to 1905 – Vladimirovka, from 1905-1946 – Toyohara (from Japanese), situated on Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East.

The Communists consider it inappropriate to place a monument to Russia’s last Tsar, since it was during the reign of Nicholas II that Russia was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and handed over the southern part of Sakhalin to Japan.

The Sakhalin regional branch of the Communist Party also recalled that shortly before the opening of the monument, Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi again announced territorial claims against Russia. Therefore, the installation of the monument to Nicholas II can be perceived as a political signal and used by Japanese propaganda, party members believe.

PHOTO: local communists want to replace this
monument to Nicholas II with one of Joseph Stalin

As an alternative to the monument to the emperor, the Communists put forward a proposal to erect a monument to Joseph Stalin on the same square, thanks to whom South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands returned to the USSR in 1945. The proposal was sent to Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko, regional prosecutor Vladimir Shaibekov, deputies of the regional Duma, Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The communists proposal caused a wide public outcry. Many citizens support the proposal, believing that the memory of Stalin should be immortalized in historically significant places. Others, however, expressed their concerns about the need to erect a monument to persons associated with political repressions and terror, which affected tens of millions of people during the Bolshevik and later Soviet years.

One has to wonder if the Sakhalin Communists asked themselves – “why” would an Orthodox Church, want a monument to Stalin, the Soviet leader who declared war on the Church, ordering the demolition and closure of thousands of Orthodox churches, cathedrals and monasteries and the execution and imprisonment of thousands of priests, monks and nuns?

New monument to Nicholas II unveiled in the Tuva region

Posted on 16 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

On 25th August 2026, a new bust-monument to Emperor Nicholas II was unveiled and consecrated on the grounds of the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in the Russian city of Kyzyl [formerly Belotsarsk] , the capital of the Republic of Tuva, which lies at the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia.

The installation of the monument is timed to coincide with two important dates: the 15th anniversary of the formation of the Kyzyl diocese and the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia.

The bust was donated to the residents of the Republic of Tuva by the he public federal Orthodox TV channel “SPAS”.

“The monument to the Holy Passion-Bearer Nicholas II, has become a new heavenly patron for Tuva, a historical intercessor close in time, glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church,” said Hieromonk of the Kyzyl Diocese Ambrose (Gromov).

Among the guests of honour, the event was attended by the head of the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan Yuri Ananin, the director of the Agency for Nationalities of the Republic of Tatarstan Svetlana Oshchepkova and Boris Korchevnikov, general director of the SPAS TV channel.

The installation of this monument is an important reminder of Emperor Nicholas II, by whose decree Tuva came under the protectorate of the Russian Empire in 1914.

The event attracted many local parishioners and pilgrims. At the end of the consecration ceremony, everyone was invited to visit the photo exhibition “The Romanovs – Tsar’s Service” which officially opened in the lower level of the cathedral.

The above photo depicts the bust of Emperor Nicholas II, before it was installed atop the granite pedestal, it provides us with a close-up view of the detail of the Emperor’s face, his uniform and numerous orders and medals.

The installation of the monment in Kyzyl is the 12th monument of Russia’s last Tsar, to be installed in Russia this year. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, more than 125 monuments, busts and memorial plaques have been installed in nearly 50 regions of the Russian Federation.

New monument to Nicholas II unveiled on Sakhalin Island

Posted on 18 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

On 23rd August 2026, a new bust-monument of Emperor Nicholas II was unveiled and consecrated on the grounds of of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ on the island of Sakhalin in the Russian Far East.

The rite of consecration was performed by Archbishop Nikanor of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and the Kuril Islands.

The service was attended by Senator of the Russian Federation, representative in the Federation Council from the Sakhalin Regional Duma Andrei Khapochkin, members of the diocese, parishoners and local residents.

In his speech, the archpastor stressed that this event is unique, since this monument became the first monument in the history of Sakhalin to the Russian emperor – the only tsar from the Romanov dynasty who was canonized.

His Eminence also thanked Boris Korchevnikov, General Director of the Spas TV channel, and Pavel Astakhov, a Russian statesman and writer, who made it possible to implement this project in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

The installation of the monment in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is the 11th monument of Russia’s last Tsar, to be installed in Russia this year. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, more than 125 monuments, busts and memorial plaques have been installed in nearly 50 regions of the Russian Federation.

New monument to Nicholas II and his family unveiled in the Surgut district

Posted on 23 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

On 19th August 2026, a new monument to Emperor Nicholas II and his family was unveiled and consecrated on the grounds of the Church of of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, situated in the village of Bely Yar, Surgut district.

The opening of the monument is timed to the 135 years ago, the heir to the throne visited Ugra.during a trip across the Russian Empire following his Eastern Journey (1890-91).

Historical documents in the district archives note: “On 21st (O.S. 8th) July, 1891, at 5 o’clock in the evening, the heir to the throne, Tsesarevich and Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich [future Emperor Nicholas II], arrived at the Beloyarsk wharf, which is seven versts from Surgut, on the steamer “Nikolai“.

The 3-meter bronze sculptural composition was created by a group of Moscow sculptors. The consecration of the monument of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers was performed by Metropolitan Pavel of Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut.

The opening and consecration ceremony was attended by the Governor of Ugra Ruslan Kukharuk, co-founder of the Sibpromstroy group of companies Nikolai Storozhuk, as well as local politicians of the Surgut district.

“The opening and consecration of the monument is one of the most important moments in the construction of the temple complex,” the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Surgut reported. “The monument is designed to remind us of love for the Motherland and the desire for a pious life. The Royal Passion-Bearers – Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna and their children – became a symbol of family fidelity and spiritual fortitude. Their canonization [on 20th August 2000] tells us about the importance of mercy, humility and trust in God even in the most difficult trials.”

Construction of the Church of of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God began in the 2010s. The domes and crosses on the building were installed at the end of 2018, work on the interiors and landscaping are currently near completion.

Monument to Russian Glory in Belgrade was the world’s first monument to Nicholas II

Posted on August 8 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: on 3rd August, members of the National Council of the Russian National Minority gather at the Monument to Russian Glory to honour Tsar Nicholas II and soldiers of the Russian Imperial Army, who died during the Great War (1914-18)

Many readers may be surprised to learn that the world’s first monument to honour Emperor Nicholas II was NOT installed in Russia, but in Serbia. The Monument to Russian Glory was completed and consecrated in January 1936, in the Russian Necropolis of the New Cemetery in Belgrade. The monument also honours soldiers of the Russian Imperial Army who died during the First World War.

It is interesting to note, that Russia’s last Tsarwas canonized as a saint by the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1938 – 43 years BEFORE the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) in 1981 and 62 years BEFORE the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000.

Russia’s first monument to Nicholas II was installed on 17th July 1993, on the grounds of the Feodorovsky Sovereign Cathedral at Tsarskoye Selo. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, more than 125 monuments, busts and memorial plaques have been installed in 46 regions of the Russian Federatuon. The Serbian capital Belgrade, features no less than 3 monuments to Nicholas II.

PHOTO: the Monument to Russian Glory in Belgrade, Serbia.
The Iverskaya [Iberian] Chapel can be seen on the left.

The Monument to Russian Glory, was created on the initiative of the Association of the Former Imperial Officers and other Military Conscripts, with the support of members of the White Russian émigré community in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now Serbia) in the interwar period.

The monument is located at the edge of the Russian Necropolis of the New Cemetery. Situated near the monument is the Iverskaya [Iberian] Chapel, designed by Valery Vladimirovich Stashevsky. The design for the chapel is a replica of the original chapel in Moscow which the Bolsheviks demolished that same year, and reconstructed in 1994-95.

The monument itself, was built according to the project of the prominent Russian architect Roman Nikolaevich Verkhovskoy (1881-1968). The foundation stone was laid on 19th July 1934.

King Aleksandar I Karadjordjevic (1888-1934) donated 5,000 dinars for the monument’s construction. The completed monument above the Ossuary with the statue of the Archangel Michel, as well as the Iverskaya [Iberian] was officially unveiled on 24th May 1935. It was consecrated on 12th January 1936.

VIDEO: on 3rd August 2026, members of the National Council of the Russian National Minority gather at the Monument to Russian Glory to honour Tsar Nicholas II and soldiers of the Russian Imperial Army, who died during the Great War (1914-18). Duration: 17 minutes, 23 seconds

On 3rd August 2026, on the the day marking the 112th anniversary of the Russian Empire’s entry into the First World War to defend Serbia and the 110th anniversary of the formation of the First Serbian Volunteer Division, a memorial service and tribute to Tsar Nicholas II and the Russian soldiers who died for the Serbs.

The event was organized by members of the National Council of the Russian National Minority. May this important date of 1st August and the magnificent gathering in Belgrade in 2026 be remembered.

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FURTHER READING

Nicholas II through Serbian Eyes + PHOTOS

1st August 1914 – the beginning of the end of the great European monarchical Empires