On this day – 30th December [O.S. 17th] 1916 – Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was assassinated in Petrograd [St. Petersburg].

Love him or hate him, he is best known as the holy man, who befriended the family of Russia’s last tsar Nicholas II, and as a healer for the Tsar’s only son and heir Alexei Nikolaevich, who suffered from haemophilia.

Rasputin was born on 21st January [O.S. 9th January] 1869, to a family of peasants in the Siberian village of Pokrovskoye, situated 93 km [58 miles] east of Tyumen or 162 km [100 miles] southwest of Tobolsk.

He had a religious conversion experience after embarking on a pilgrimage to a monastery in 1897, and has been described as a strannik (wanderer or pilgrim), though he held no official position in the Russian Orthodox Church.

In February 1887, Grigori married a peasant girl named Praskovya Dubrovina. His wife remained in Pokrovskoye throughout Rasputin’s later travels and rise to prominence and remained devoted to him until his death. The couple had seven children, though only three survived to adulthood: Dmitry (b. 1895), Maria (b. 1898), and Varvara (b. 1900).

In November 1905, Rasputin met Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. It was Grand Duchess Anastasia and her sister Grand Duchess Militza (wife of Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevna), who introduced Rasputin to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Nicknamed jointly “The Black Peril”, in 1909, the sisters lost their influence with the Empress..

In the early morning of 30th December [O.S. 17th] 1916, Rasputin was assassinated by a group of conservative nobles led by Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and the right-wing politician Vladimir Purishkevich, all of whom opposed his influence over the Imperial couple.

His assailants threw the ’stranniks’ body into the Malaya Nevka River. Rasputin was buried on 2nd January [O.S. 21st December] at a small church that Anna Vyrubova had been building in the Alexander Park at Tsarskoye Selo. His body was exhumed and burned by a detachment of soldiers shortly after the Tsar abdicated the throne in March 1917.

PHOTO: Rasputin’s body, after being pulled from the icy waters of the Malaya Nevka River

Following Rasputin’s assassination, Anna Alexandrovna Taneyeva-Vyrubova (1884-1964), wrote:

“The horror and shock caused by this lynching, for it can be called by no other name, completely shattered the nerves of the family. The Emperor was affected less by the deed itself than by the fact that it was the work of members of his own family. “Before all Russia,” he exclaimed, “I am filled with shame that the hands of my relatives are stained with the blood of a simple peasant.” Before this he had often shown disgust at the excesses of the Grand Dukes and their followers, but now he expressed himself as being entirely through with them all.”

Later, a letter blazing with anger and impudence, signed by nearly all the members of the Imperial Family, was rushed to the Emperor, but his only comment was a single sentence written on the margin: “Nobody has a right to commit murder.”

It was this “single sentence comment” which prompted Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna to scold her son like a child. In a letter dates 17th February 1917, she wrote to Nicholas: “I am sure you are aware yourself how deeply you have offended all the family by your brusque reply . . . “

Some historians believe that Rasputin’s terrible reputation helped discredit the tsarist government, and thus helped precipitate the overthrow of the Romanov dynasty, which happened a few weeks after he was assassinated.

As Nicholas II said to his relatives with regard to Rasputin’s murder: “No one, has the right to kill!”

PHOTOS: the alleged first grave of Grigorii Rasputin
in the Alexander Park at Tsarskoye Selo

The alleged grave of Grigorii Rasputin at Tsarskoye Selo

In recent years, members and supporters of the Tsar’s Cross Movement gathered at the alleged first grave of Grigorii Rasputin. situated in the Alexander Park at Tsarskoye Selo.

Rasputin was buried here on 2nd January [O.S. 21st December] 1916, at a small church that Anna Vyrubova had been building. Shortly after the Tsar abdicated the throne in March 1917, Rasputin’s body was exhumed and burned by a detachment of soldiers.

The site has been repeatedly vandalized over the years, including September 2012, when vandals cut down the wooden cross, which was later found in the Alexander Park.

During my visits to Tsarskoye Selo over the years, the author of this article has made several attempts to locate the site, however, my efforts have been in vain.

PHOTO: Maria Rasputina in exile, posting with a picture of her father Grigorii Rasputin

Rasputin’s daughter defends her father in exile

Born on 26th March 1898, Matryona (Maria) Grigorievna Rasputina, was the daughter of Grigorii Rasputin (1869-1916) and his wife Praskovya Fyodorovna Dubrovina (1865-1936).

After Prince Felix Yusupov published his memoir Lost Splendour (in 1928) detailing the gruesome death of her father, Maria sued Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich in a Paris court for damages of $800,000. She condemned both men as murderers, however, Maria’s claim was dismissed. The French court ruled that it had no jurisdiction over a political killing that took place in Russia.

Maria wrote two memoirs about her father, dealing with Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, the attack by Khionia Guseva and her father’s murder on 30th December [O.S. 17th December] 1916. A third memoir, ‘The Man Behind the Myth,’ was published in 1977.

In her three memoirs, she painted an almost saintly picture of her father, insisting that most of the negative stories were based on slander and the misinterpretation of facts by his enemies.

During the last years of her life, Maria lived in Los Angeles, living on Social Security benefits. Her home was in Silver Lake, an area of northwest Los Angeles with a large Russian-American community.

Maria Rasputin died in Los Angeles, California, on 27th September 1977, aged 79. She was buried in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery.

PHOTO: the above image depicts one of numerous non-canonical icons depicting Grigorii Rasputin, however, the strannik is not recognized as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) nor the Moscow Patriarchate

Movement to canonize Grigorii Rasputin

In recent years there has been growing support within and outside the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) advocating for the canonization of Rasputin, viewing him as a genuine holy man and mystic, despite his scandalous reputation and association with the Romanov downfall, with some seeing him as a victim of slander and political intrigue, while the official Church remains hesitant due to his controversial life and negative historical perception. 

Proponents emphasize his spiritual influence on the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, his healing abilities especially for Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, and his deep piety, suggesting his perceived debauchery was exaggerated or fabricated by enemies.

The Russian Orthodox Church has largely resisted these calls, viewing his lifestyle and scandalous involvement in court politics as disqualifying for sainthood, making him a highly contentious figure even today.

FURTHER READING:

The Prophesies of Grigory Rasputin

In 1912, Grigory Efimovich Rasputin (1869-1916) published a book, in which he writes his prophecies, some of which soon came true, while others have yet to happen.

Putting aside one’s personal views of Rasputin or beliefs in prophecies, let us hope and pray that the unfulfilled predictions of Grigory Efimovich will remain so, otherwise humanity will face truly terrible trials and tribulations.

“Nicholas II should have listened to Rasputin” – Metropolitan Hilarion

The head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion, believes that Nicholas II should have followed the advice of Grigory Rasputin and not entered the First World War, and thus saved both the monarchy and Russia.

The Real Rasputin?: A Look at His Admirers’ Revisionist History

The editorship of Orthodox Life is troubled by recent signs, even among certain members and clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, of a revisionist history taking hold regarding the tumultuous and tragic events of the early 20th century — namely, the controversial and enigmatic figure of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin. We therefore offer this thorough and sober investigation by a respected scholar and historian of the Russian Church. May the question of “the real Rasputin” be finally put to rest, so that without discord and tumult in the Church, we may worthily honor the life and sufferings of the Holy Royal Martyrs and all the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, especially in the current and upcoming anniversary years.

© Paul Gilbert. 30 December 2021

PHOTO: Rasputin holding a framed photo of the Imperial Family. Artist unknown.

DISCLAIMER: for the record, I do not support any of the conspiracy theories related to the Imperial Family and those close to them. During the past week, the subject of this post was discussed in the Russian media, and I thought that it would be of interest to some readers. Upon reading the article, you are free to draw your own conclusions – PG

At the end of the 20th century, reports appeared in the Russian press that the will of Grigorii Rasputin, had been discovered in the archives of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB of the USSR in Moscow.

Rasputin’s alleged will contained mysterious prophecies about the future of Russia and the world. The eleven-page document was kept secret for 80 years, as were the personal documents of Russia’s last Imperial Family. Recall that it was Stalin who had these documents sealed, they were even forbidden to Soviet historians, with the exception of course, for propaganda purposes. The archives were only unsealed in the 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Grigorii Yefimovich Rasputin (1869-1916), was assassinated on 30th December [O.S. 17th] 1916, by a group of conservative nobles led by Prince Felix Yusupov (1887-1967), and whose death still attracts the attention of historians.

According to the memoirs of Aron Samuilovich Simanovich[1] (1872-1944), who became the strannik’s[2] personal secretary, Rasputin predicted his own demise and the future of Russia. Simanovich claims that shortly before his death, Rasputin summoned the lawyer Aronson to draw up a will, in which he described the fate awaiting the Imperial Family. Simanovich, finding himself in emigration, in 1921 published the text of the will, which according to him, was read by Nicholas II only after the death of Rasputin.

Rasputin predicted that he would meet a violent death before January 1917 and if he was killed by the nobles, then war would break out in Russia, and the Russian nobility would suffer greatly. This warning is especially relevant, because Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich (1891-1942), a cousin of Nicholas II, participated in the conspiracy.

In the 1990s, information appeared in the Western press that an American historian David Norwalk found the full text of the will in the KGB archives in Moscow. In his will, Rasputin further predicted not only the 1917 Revolution, but also the collapse of the Soviet system. Vasily Vedeneev, author of the book «100 великих тайн России ХХ века» (100 Great Secrets of Russia of the Twentieth Century), confirmed that the document had been sealed by Soviet authorities. The will spoke of the emergence of a “new empire” – the Soviet Union and its future collapse. Rasputin also predicted the war with Germany resulting in a victory for Russia.

Many believe question the authenticity of Norwalk’s claim, and with good reason. His discovery appeared in the dubious American tabloid Weekly World News, known for renowned for its outlandish cover stories and for spreading fake news. Some sources claimed that Rasputin’s will did not exist, lost or destroyed. In his notes, Grigorii Rasputin wrote more about his role in history and the fight against secular power, than about global catastrophes.

FURTHER READING:

The prophesies of Grigory Rasputin

NOTES:

[1] In emigration, Simanovich wrote the book «Распутин и евреи. Воспоминания личного секретаря Григория Распутина» (Rasputin and the Jews. Memoirs of Grigory Rasputin’s Personal Secretary), in which he writes about his relationship with Rasputin. It was first published in 1921 in Russian. Following the 1917 Revolution, Simanovich fled the Bolsheviks, first to the United States and then France. During the German occupation of France, he was interned in a camp for stateless persons, then deported to Auschwitz, where he died on 31st July 1944.

[2] Rasputin is often described as a monk, however, this is incorrect. He was a strannik (wanderer or pilgrim), though he held no official position in the Russian Orthodox Church. 

© Paul Gilbert. 27 February 2025

PHOTO: Grigory Efimovich Rasputin (1869-1916)

Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin (1869-1916) was a Russian strannik [wanderer or pilgrim], and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Emperor Nicholas II, and is believed by many historians to have gained considerable influence in late Imperial Russia.

Historians often suggest that Rasputin’s scandalous and sinister reputation helped discredit the tsarist government and thus helped precipitate the overthrow of the Romanov dynasty a few weeks after he was assassinated. Accounts of his life and influence were often based on hearsay and rumour.

In 1912, Grigory Efimovich Rasputin (1869-1916) published the book Благочестивые размышления [Pious Reflections]. In it, he publishes prophecies, some of which soon came true, while others have yet to happen.

Which prophecies came to pass:

1. The shooting of the Imperial Family

It is said that Rasputin foresaw the death of the Imperial Family long before the shooting in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg, on the night of 16/17 July 1918,

“Whenever, I embrace the Tsar and the Tsarina, the girls, and the Tsesarevich, I shudder with horror, as if I embrace the dead. And then I pray for these people. I pray for the Imperial Family, because the shadow of a long Eclipse falls on them.”

2. October revolution of 1917

Rasputin predicted the arrival of a new power in Russia and mountains of corpses, among which would be the bodies of the Grand Dukes, and the water in the Neva will be stained with their blood. He said,

“Darkness will descend on Petersburg. When it’s name is changed [Petrograd], then the Empire will end.”

3. His own death:

Rasputin also foresaw the circumstances of his own death. He wrote “if I am killed by simple robbers of the Russian peasants,” he said, “Tsar Nicholas should not fear for his fate, and the descendants of the Romanovs will reign a hundred years and more. However,” Rasputin further added, “If the murder is committed by nobles – relatives of the Tsar – then the future of Russia and the Imperial Family will be terrible. The nobles will flee the country, and the relatives of the Tsar will not be alive in two years. Brothers will rise up against brothers, and will kill each other.” Rasputin was murdered by a group of nobles on 30th [O.S. 17th] December 1916.

PHOTO: Благочестивые размышления [Pious Reflections] by G.E. Rasputin (1912)

What prophecies have yet to pass:

1. Global catastrophes

Rasputin predicted various troubles and catastrophes. As in the cases with other soothsayers, his prophecies are very vague, they do not contain any specific dates. But if you interpret them from the point of view of modern knowledge, then it becomes truly spine-chilling from the accuracy of his predictions.

Grigory Efimovich predicted more frequent earthquakes, rising sea levels.

“Earthquakes will become more frequent, lands and waters will open, and their damage will engulf people …”

“The seas, like thieves, will enter cities, into houses, and the lands will be drenched with salt …”

Sadly, Rasputin turns out to be right. Over the past 100 years, sea levels have risen by almost 20 centimeters.

Scientists at the Potsdam Climate Institute conducted computer simulations, according to which the current trend in climate change will lead to a rise in sea level by 3 meters or more over the next hundred of years. According to other studies, during the twenty-first century, the sea level will rise by 2 meters.

How could an illiterate peasant in 1912 even simply assume something like that?

2. Loss of moral values

“When times draw near to the abyss, man’s love for man will turn into a dry plant …”

All one has to do is to turn on the television on any news channel to see proof of this on a daily basis.

3. Development of genetic engineering

“Monsters will be born that will not be humans or animals….

“Irresponsible human alchemy, in the end, will turn ants into huge monsters that will destroy homes and entire countries …”

For example, let us recall the world’s most popular sheep – Dolly. On 5th July 1996, the first cloned mammal was “born”. The animal was produced from frozen genetic material from an already deceased donor. Dolly became a complete copy of her prototype and lived for almost 7 years. She gave birth to 6 lambs.

Nowadays, rumors about the cloning of a mammoth are already circulating. What is this if not the beginning of the implementation of the predictions of the “elder”?

4. The third global conflict

In his prophecies, Rasputin mentions three world wars. Two of them have already passed.

“Three hungry snakes will crawl along the roads of Europe, leaving behind ash and smoke … The time of peace will come, but the world will be written in blood. And when two fires go out, the third fire will burn the ashes. “

Putting aside one’s personal views of Rasputin or beliefs in propecies, let us hope and pray that the unfulfilled predictions of Grigory Efimovich will remain so, otherwise humanity will face truly terrible trials and tribulations.

© Paul Gilbert. 24 November 2021