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English. Large format 8-1/2″ x 11-1/2″. 132 pages. 124 Black & White photos
The No. 16 Winter 2026 issue of SOVEREIGN features 28 articles about Russia’s last Tsar, his family, the Romanov dynasty and the history of Imperial Russia. These articles have been researched and written by independent historian and author Paul Gilbert. His works are based on new research from Russian archival and media sources.
Please note, that this issue features 3 articles researched and written by Russian historians (see list below). These articles have been translated and published and published in English for the first time.
In an effort to preserve his 30+ years of research, the author has reproduced a selection of the more than 950 articles he has written for his blog. They are made available in a printed format for the first time. The author has updated many of the articles in this issue with additional information and photos. In addition, this issue features one new First English translation.
The No. 15 issue features the following 28 articles:
[1] Nicholas II’s visits to the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent in Moscow – 1912, 1913 and 1914
[2] 25th anniversary of the canonization of Nicholas II by the Moscow Patriarchate
[3] Empress Alexandra Feodorovna’s photo album sells at St. Petersburg auction
[4] Lord Mountbatten’s letter regarding Anna Anderson
[5] Monument to Nicholas II and his family to be installed in Mogilev
[6] New monument to Nicholas II installed in Krasnodar
[7] The fate of the kokshniks presented to OTMA in Kostroma (1913)
[8] Divine Liturgy for the Imperial Family performed in the Winter Palace
[9] Thousands of items at Pavlovsk, have not been return to the Alexander Palace
[10] Faithful to the End: Prince Vasily Alexandrovich Dolgorukov
[11] The Great Imperial Crown Of the Russian Empire
[12] The Imperial Legacy of Carl Fabergé (1846-1920)
[13] In 2007, General Wrangel’s grandson decrid Bolshevism, Lenin and Stalin
[14] Nicholas II wanted reforms, Lenin wanted recolutions: who was right?
[15] Obituary: Maria Dmitrievna Ivanova-Tatishcheva (1930-2025)
[16] Tsar’s Days in Ekaterinburg 16/17 July 2025
[17] Chinese Theater at Tsarskoye Selo to be restored
[18] State Halls in the Alexander Palace reopened after restoration
[19] The marriage that shocked The Russian Empire
[20] The fate of four faithful retainers of the Imperial Family
[21] Nicholas II visits the Iverskaya Chapel in Moscow
[22] “They did not betray their oath” —The fate of the generals who reamained loyal to Nicholas II
[23] Nicholas II’s menu: culinary preferences of Russia’s last Tsar
[24] Carpet from Governor’s House in Tobolsk preserved in United States ,museum
[25] Russia honours the Romanovs
SPECIAL TO THIS ISSUE OF SOVEREIGN
[26] Confession of a regicide Pyotr Ermakov’s deathbed confession 1952
[27] Trotsky’s version of the murder of the Imperial Family
[28] Attempts at Church Reform bythe Holy Emperor Nicholas IIAL TO THIS ISSUE OF
PHOTO: Metropolitan Seraphim of Penza and Nizhnelomovsk, the icon of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearer Nicholas II, Spassky Cathedral, Penza
On the evening of 29th November 2025, Metropolitan Seraphim of Penza and Nizhnelomovsk, performed the rite of consecration of the icon of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearer Nicholas II, at the Spassky Cathedral, located in the city of Penza.
PHOTO: Metropolitan Seraphim of Penza and Nizhnelomovsk performs the rite of consecration
After the consecration of the icon, Metropolitan Seraphim told the parishioners the story of how the memorial plaque ended up in its place:
“On 19th June 2022, a memorial plaque that was installed at the beginning of the twentieth century on one of the columns of the Spassky Cathedral in memory of Emperor Nicholas II’s visit to Penza in 1904, was donated to the Penza Diocese. During his visit, the Tsar reviewed the troops going to the Russo-Japanese War, and attended the Divine Liturgy in the Penza Spassky Cathedral.
PHOTOS icon of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearer Nicholas II (above), and the memorial plaque (below)
This memorial plaque, installed by the Penza City Duma, became the first memorial plaque in the Penza region. The inscription on it reads: “His Imperial Majesty Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich and His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich deigned to visit the Penza Cathedral and prayed at this place in 1904, on June 28 at 11 o’clock in the afternoon.”
The text on the memorial plaque turned out to be prophetic: the Tsar prayed “in this place.” The cathedral, which the emperor visited, was destroyed by the Soviets in 1934, but the First church to be recreated in the city in 2011-16″.
PHOTO: Orthodox Believers venerate the icon of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearer Nicholas II
For a long time it was believed that the memorial plaque was lost. The residents of Penza remembered that in February 1918 armed men (Bolsheviks) who came to the cathedral smashed the plaque with their rifle butts. But, as it it turned out, the plaque miraculously survived, only a corner broke off. The parishioners hid it from the Bolsheviks, burying it in the ground near the church.
About twenty years ago, information began to circulate, that the memorial plaque was intact. Local historians conducted a lengthy search, as a result of which the relic ended up in the hands of the famous Penza collector Igor Sergeevich Shishkin, who returned it to the Spassky Cathedral.
The transfer of the memorial plaque took place before the great consecration of the Spassky Cathedral, which was performed on 19th June 2022, by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia during his primatial visit to the Penza Metropolia.”
PHOTO: ‘Nicholas II in Penza 1904’ by the contemporary Russian artist Denis Santalov.
In his painting, Santalov has captured the arrival of the Russian emperor who visited Penza on 28th June 1904. He is depicted in the Spassky Cathedral (blown up in 1934), where he is blessed by the Bishop of Penza and Saransk Hieromartyr Tikhon (Nikanorov). On that memorable day, the sovereign visited conducted a review of his troops, who were on their way to the Russo-Japanese War. From the collection of the Penza Regional Art Gallery
Whether you are a believer or not, the following is just one of many miracles reported since the regicide in Ekaterinburg in July 1918 . . .
Last week, a case of myrrh streaming[1] from the icon of the Tsar-Passion-Bearer Nicholas II was recorded in the Church of the Nine Martyrs of Kizichesky in Moscow. The Orthodox community is now discussing the event which many believers and clergy interpret as an alarming omen.
Archpriest Anthony Serov commented on the event, “fragrant oil, myrrh, appeared on the surface of the icon, which is in a special, hermetically sealed case.” According to him, the design of the kiot[2] completely excludes any possibility of external influence or forgery. The myrrh-streaming of the icon has been confirmed by Life.ru[3].
“The icon is placed in a protected case, which excludes any outside interference,” Archpriest Anthony Serov emphasized. “Nevertheless, we have witnessed myrrh streaming from the icon. This, in my opinion, is of great spiritual importance.”
In the Orthodox tradition, the streaming of myrrh from icons is considered a miracle and a special sign of grace. However, myrhh streaming from the face of the saint [Nicholas II] which is enclosed in a protective case, is another matter.
Archpriest Serov regards the incident as a warning addressed not only to Orthodox believers, but to Russian society as a whole. He drew parallels with historical events when such phenomena preceded significant changes and upheavals, such as the 1917 Revolution and the First World War.
“The history of our country [Russia] has experienced examples of the streaming of myrrh from icons became a harbinger of revolutionary events, military conflicts and other difficult trials and tribulations,” the rector of the church explained. “It is necessary to comprehend what happened and learn from them.”
Over the centuries, such cases have been repeatedly recorded in Orthodox monasteries and churches in Russia. As a rule, believers see this as a call to repentance and prayer, especially when the images of the Royal Passion-Bearers “weep”.
Earlier, journalists turned to religious scholar Konstantin Mikhailov for comment of the recent myrrh-streaming incident near Moscow. The confessor said that such events are not uncommon and in most cases have a natural explanation. According to the expert, scientists have always found logical reasons for the appearance of moisture on icons.
In the meantime, parishioners and believers from all over Moscow are coming to the Church of the Nine Martyrs of Kizichesky to personally see the myrrh-streaming icon and pray.
NOTES:
[1] In the Orthodox tradition, myrrh-streaming is one of the most mysterious and controversial phenomena. On the one hand, the Church recognizes the fact of the outflow of fragrant myrrh from icons, relics and crosses as one of the manifestations of God’s grace. On the other hand, each such case is carefully checked by church commissions in order to exclude any possibility of forgery or natural causes.
[2] A kiot is a decorated case or frame used in Orthodox Christianity to protect and display religious icons. It serves to safeguard the icon from environmental factors such as temperature fluctuations, dust, and humidity, ensuring the icon’s preservation over time.
[3] A prominent Russian information portal and news agency.
NOTE: the above photo will be replaced, when the chapel opens in two weeks – PG
On 20th November 2025, the new domestic terminal at Murmansk Airport welcomed its first flight. The walls of the terminal building are decorated with paintings of landscapes of the Kola Arctic.
In addition, work is being carried on the decoration of the interior of a chapel dedicated to Emperor Nicholas II. The small chapel will be located in the second hall of the terminal, immediately after the check-in counters.
According to Archpriest Vladimir Semenov of the Murmansk Diocese: “The chapel is expected to be completed in two weeks. The date of the it’s consecration has yet to be announced.”
Recall that on 31st May 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree naming Murmansk Airport after the founder of the city, Nicholas II.
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.
Prior to that, residents of the Russian Arctic city had voted in favour of naming the airport in honour of Russia’s last Tsar, who received 68,260 votes (48%).
More than 5.5 million people took part in the ‘Great Names of Russia’, a national competition in which the Russian people could cast votes to rename 42 of the country’s major airports.
***
Since 2019, great efforts have been made to draw attention to Murmansk residents and visitors of Nicholas II’s connection to the Arctic city . . .
Exhibition dedicated to Nicholas II opens at Murmansk Airport
There have been proposals for the square in front of the airport terminal, however, whether these plans come to fruition remains to be seen . . .
New monument of the Imperial Family to be installed at Murmansk Airport
On 26th January 2023, a St Petersburg architecture and landscaping firm, published an artist’s concept of the new square in front of the Nicholas II-Murmansk Airport, the highlight of which will be a major sculptural composition depicting the last Russian Imperial Family.
PHOTO: Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, Tobolsk. 1910
During their eight month stay in Tobolsk [August 1917-April 1918], Nicholas II and his family were held under house arrest in the former Governor’s Mansion [renamed the “House of Freedom” by the Bolsheviks]. Their movements were restricted, as they had been at Tsarskoye Selo from March 1917 to the end of July 1917. Several weeks after their arrival in Tobolsk, they were permitted to worship in the nearby Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin up until January 1918, after which services were restricted to the confines of the “House of Freedom”.
The brick church was built between 1735-1758. A two-story quadrangle, completed with an octagon, on which five decorative domes were placed, with a two-aisled refectory and a three-tiered bell tower. The refectory included the chapels of Procopius and Ioann of Ustyug and the Great Martyr Catherine.
For more than three centuries, the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin served as a spiritual center of life for hundreds of parishioners. The church featured a library, an almshouse, and a parochial school.
Pierre Gilliard recalls: “Finally, on September 21st, the festival of the Nativity of the Virgin, the prisoners were allowed for the first time to go to the church. This pleased them greatly, but the consolation was only to be repeated very rarely. On these occasions we rose very early and, when everyone had collected in the yard, went out through a little gate leading on to the public garden; which we crossed between two lines of soldiers. We always attended the first Mass of the morning, and were almost alone in the church, which was dimly lighted by a few candles; the public was rigorously excluded. While going and returning I have often seen people cross themselves or fall on their knees as Their Majesties passed. On the whole, the inhabitants of Tobolsk were still very attached to the Imperial family, and our guards had repeatedly to intervene to prevent them standing under the windows or removing their hats and crossing themselves as they passed the house.”
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna wrote in her diary: “During the services, officers, the commandant and the commissar stand beside us so that we do not dare to speak”.
PHOTO: drawings of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, Tobolsk
On 8th September 1917, the Empress wrote in her diary: “We went to the service in the Cathedral of the Annunciation on foot, I was in my [wheel]chair, through the city garden, the soldiers were stationed all the way, the crowd stood where we had to cross the street. It is very unpleasant, but, nevertheless, I am grateful for being in a real church for [for the first time] in 6 months ”.
Commissar Vasily Pankratov described this event as follows: “Nicholas Alexandrovich was informed that tomorrow a Liturgy would be performed in the church, and that it was necessary to be ready by 8 o’clock in the morning. The prisoners were so pleased with this news that they got up very early and were ready by 7 o’clock. When I arrived at 7:30, they were already waiting. About 20 minutes later, the duty officer informed me that everything was ready. It turned out that Alexandra Feodorovna decided not to walk, but to ride in a chair, as her legs hurt. Her personal valet quickly wheeled the chair out to the porch. The whole family went out, accompanied by their retinue and servants, and we proceeded to the church. Nicholas II and his children, walking in the garden, looked around in all directions and talked in French about the weather, about the garden, as if they had never seen it. In fact, this garden was located just opposite their balcony, from where they could observe it every day. But it is one thing to see an object from a distance and, as it were, from behind a lattice, and another to walk through it freely. Every tree, every twig, bush, bench acquires charm … From the expressions on their faces, from their movements, one could assume that they were experiencing some special euphoria. As she was walking through the garden and not watching where she was going, Anastasia even fell. Her sisters laughed, even Nicholas himself was amused with this awkwardness of his daughter. Alexandra Feodorovna’s face remained motionless. She sat majestically in her chair and was silent. On leaving the garden, she got up from the chair, from where we crossed the street to enter the church. Outside stood a double line of soldiers, [a chain of riflemen was also placed in the garden along the entire route] and behind them stood curious onlookers. Upon entering the church, Nicholas and his family took their place on the right, their retinue closer to the middle. Alexandra Feodorovna knelt down, Nicholas and the four grand duchesses followed her example. After the service, the whole family received a prosphora [a small loaf of leavened bread used in Orthodox liturgies], which for some reason they always passed to their servants”.
The prisoners were allowed to visit the church again – on 14th September, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. On 18th September, Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna wrote to her aunt Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna: “We were twice in church. You can imagine what a joy it was for us after 6 months, because do you remember how uncomfortable our camp church in Tsarskoye Selo was? The church here is good. One large summer room in the middle, where they serve for the parish, and two winter ones on the sides [referring to the side-chapels]. The right side-chapel is reserved for us”.
PHOTO: View of Tobolsk and the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin
The family managed to visit the church for a third time on 1st October – on the feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Then again on 22nd October, the day marking the anniversary of the accession of Nicholas II to the throne and the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The entire family received communion on this day of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. “What a spiritual consolation in the time we are going through!” – the Emperor wrote in his diary that day. In addition, the Imperial family were allowed to attend church on 26th November, 3rd and 10th December, and 19th January.
Pierre Gilliard again writes: “The next day, Christmas Day, we went to church. By the orders of the priest the deacon [Fr Vasiliev] intoned the Mnogoletie [the prayer for the long life of the Imperial family] This was an imprudence which was bound to bring reprisals. The soldiers, with threats of death, demanded that the prayer should be revoked. This incident marred the pleasant memories which this day should have left in our minds. It also brought us fresh annoyances and the supervision became still stricter.”
Following the incident involving Fr Vasiliev, the Imperial family were no longer permitted to attend church. Instead, an improvised chapel was set up in the ballroom of the mansion, which consisted of a folding iconostasis and an altar, decorated with the Empress’s bed-spread, which served as an altar cloth. The local priest was invited to perform services for the Imperial family and their retinue up until April 1918, when they were transferred to the Ipatiev House [renamed the “House of Special Purpose”] in Ekaterinburg, where they were subsequently murdered by members of the Ural Soviet on 17th July.
The Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin was closed by the Soviets in 1930, the building demolished in 1956 – the same year that the author of this article was born.
On 8th November [Siberia Day] 2025, a 1.4 m [4 ft. 6 in.] bronze 3D model of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, was installed in its historical place – at the intersection of Ulitsas Mira and Ershov.
More information about the history of the church can be found on the audio guide using the QR code found on the information plate of the model.
The outdoor 3D model is part of the ‘Lost Churches of Tobolsk’ project, designed to remind residents and visitors to Tobolsk of the city’s rich spiritual history. It is a shame, that the church was not reconstructed.
NOTES:
[1] Siberia Day was established by Emperor Alexander III, on 8th November 1881, marking the 300th anniversary of the annexation of Siberia to the Russian State. Siberia Day honours the history and cultural significance. The holiday was abolished during the Soviet period, and revived in the 1990s.
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.
In April 2016, I launched a Facebook page dedicated to the life and reign of Emperor Nicholas II, which do not appear on this blog. In addition are posts about his family, the Romanov Dynasty and the history of Imperial Russia.
Each day, I create up to a dozen new posts, featuring news – translated into English from Russian archival and media sources – plus, contemporary and vintage photos – to date, there are more than 5,000 colour and black & white photos on my Nicholas II Facebook page!
In addition are videos and newsreels, as well as new book announcements, new monuments, portraits, and exhibitions in Russia, which are not covered in English social media and news outlets.
I currently have 5,000 Facebook friends – the maximum that FB will allow – plus, an additional 4,500+ followers, from all over the world. Friends are allowed to comment on posts and engage in discussions with others. My FB page has become a perfect “watering hole” for those of us who share an interest in Russia’s last Tsar, his family, the Romanov dynasty, and the history of Imperial Russia.
Please note, that as I have already reached the maximum number of friends that Facebook will allow me, you can still become a “FOLLOWER” of my FB page.
Simply CLICK on the LINK above, which will redirect you to my FB page, whereupon you CLICK on the FOLLOW button. This will ensure that you receive instant updates on all new posts, however, you will not be able to comment on them. You always have the option to send a FRIEND REQUEST at a later date.
Please join me today, in celecrating the life, reign and era of Russia’s last Emperor and Tsar! remains concise
NOTE: click on the above image to enlarge and see in greater detail
On 22nd October 2025, the photo-exhibition ‘The Tsar’s Family. Love and Mercy‘, opened in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Vyselki, Krasnodar Territory.
The exhibition is showcased in the central alley of the Church, where large photographs of Emperor Nicholas II and his family are displayed on the walls. The exhibition is FREE to all.
The exhibit tells the story of the Nicholas II’s family, who unselfishly served others during the First World War and the traditions of nursing in Russia at the turn of the 19th – early 20th centuries.
Recall that when World War I broke out, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and her two eldest daughters Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana became Red Cross nurses. Together, from 1914 to 1917, they cared for wounded soldiers in a private hospital on the grounds of Tsarskoye Selo, until the family were placed under house arrest, following the Tsar’s abdication 15th March (O.S. 2nd March) 1917.
PHOTO: 3rd grade students of school No. 2 in Vyselki together with their teacher visit the photo-exhibition ‘The Tsar’s Family. Love and Mercy’
The exhibition has already been visited by 3rd grade students of school No. 2 in Vyselki together with their teacher Irina Fostenko.
The children listened with interest to the story told by Father Alexander about the service of the Imperial Family to the Fatherland, and about Nicholas II’s family, helping soldiers, the poor and the sick during the war years.
The photo project The Tsar’s Family: Love and Mercy was created in 2016 by the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow. The travelling exhibition has already been presented in Serbia, Germany, Italy, Canada, Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the Czech Republic.
***
*As I have noted in previous posts, I support any initiative – big or small – to help keep the memory of Nicholas II and his family alive in 21st century Russia – PG
PHOTO: a pin – depicting the image of Nicholas II – worn by conductors on the vintage train from Ekaterinburg.
In December 2022, a vintage train journey was initiated from Ekaterinburg, which tells passengers, the story of the last days of Nicholas II and his family in the Urals. The train runs from Ekaterinburg to the Shuvakish station and back, on Friday evenings, and also on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
The locomotive (see photo below) is not from the Imperial times, but a 1963 steam engine, made in Czechoslovakia. The interiors, however, have been remodeled to resemble that of an early 20th century Russian train.
Passengers travelling on the vintage train are greeted on the platform by hospitable conductors wearing uniforms of early 20th century Imperial Russia-style, and white gloves (see photo below).
The train has four wagons: First Class, Economy Class, a dining car (see photo below) and a sightseeing car, which operates during the summer months. One compartment is decorated with framed photographs of the Imperial Family.
During the 3-hour train journey, passengers can sit back, relax and enjoy the view, while listening to an audio-guide, which tells the story of the last days of Russia’s last Tsar, his family and their four faithful retainers.
The audio begins with the Imperial Family’s train journey from Tsarskoye Selo to Tyumen, then by boat to Tobolsk, where they were held under house arrest in the former Governor’s House, from August 1917 to March 1918.
The story continues, with the transfer of the Imperial Family to Ekaterinburg, where they were held under house arrest in the Ipatiev House, from March to July 1918. The audio-guide further tells of their fate, their burial at what is today known as Ganina Yama, and the discovery of their remains, almost 100 years later on the Old Koptyaki Road.
Tea is served to passengers from a traditional samovar. Conductors bring the tea in beautiful faceted glasses in iron cup holders, on which the Double-Headed Eagle of the Russian Empire is depicted.
The train stops at Shuvakish Station (Zheleznodorozhny district), where passengers are free to disembark the train to a wooden platform, decorated with benches, a bell and a manual semaphore signal. The stop lasts a little more than an hour.
Inside the wooden pavilion, passengers can enjoy music, which includes a variety of waltzes and melodies from the repertoire of Alexander Serov.
Passengers can also try on the uniforms of the White Guards, take photos, and enjoy a cup of hot tea, bagels and local berries.
PHOTO: tea is served at Shuvakish Station
***
*As I have noted in previous posts, I support any initiative – big or small – to help keep the memory of Nicholas II and his family alive in 21st century Russia – PG
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.
***
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.
Nicholas II 
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