PHOTO: Alexander Feodorovich Chernavsky holding the myrrh-streaming icon of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II
On 13th July 2025, the myrrh-streaming icon of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II arrived at the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg. The icon was brought from Moscow, by the head of the Orthodox Military Mission, Alexander Feodorovich Chernavsky.
According to Chernavsky, the icon has been streaming myrrh since 1998, and again, during this year’s Tsar’s Days in the Ural capital, drops of myrrh appeared in the shape of “diamonds” on the icon itself and on the frame.
“It smells fragrant, it streams myrrh and inspires faithful Orthodox Christians with the fact that the Tsar is alive, he sees all our labours, hears our prayers, reacts to the impulses of our hearts, to our feelings, he believes in the future of Russia. The Imperial Family and other New Martyrs pray for us.”
Chernavsky brings the icon to the Ural city every year for events marking Tsar’s Days, namely the Divine Liturgy held on the night of 16/17 July, followed by a Cross Procession to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs in Ganina Yama.
PHOTO: detail of the banner depicting the image of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II
On 16th July 2025, Chernavsky presented Metropolitan Evgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye with a banner depicting the image of Tsar Nicholas II. Such banners bearing the face of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers are sent to Russian soldiers to inspire them by the feat of the Emperor, to embrace the Orthodox faith and become churchgoers.
In the early morning hours of 17th July, Chernavsky – carrying the icon of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II – joined tens of thousands of pilgrims, clergy and believers in the annual Cross Procession from the Church on the Blood to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama – a journey of 21-km (13 mile) on foot.
Chernavsky noted that during this year’s Cross Procession, he noticed many young people with banners and flags, which he believes “speaks of the affirmation of the Orthodox faith and the unity of the Russian people.”
PHOTO: Metropolitan Evgeny of Ekaterinburg and Verkhotursky (left) with Alexander Chernavsky holding the myrrh-streaming icon of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II, in the Patriarchal Compound of the Church on the Blood. At the top of the stairs behind, you can see a bust-monument to Nicholas II
At the end of 1997, colour lithographs of this icon were brought to Russia. In the St. Nicholas almshouse in the city of Ryazan, where the Church of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II is being built, a colour copy was made and placed in an icon case under glass.
On 7th November 1998, the icon began to stream myrrh. Since then, the icon has been traveling around Russia and around the world. But most importantly, the icons streams myrrh on the anniversary of the Tsar’s death and martyrdom, among other days associated with the memory of Russia’s much slandered Tsar.
On the night of 16/17 July 2025, tens of thousands of pilgrims, clergy and believers from across the Russian Federation and abroad, took part in the Divine Liturgy on the square in front of the Church on the Blood in Honour of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land in Ekaterinburg.
This year marks the 107th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Emperor Nicholas II, his wife, their five children, and four faithful retainers, who were all brutally murdered in the Ipatiev House in the early morning hours of 17th July 1918.
According to the press service of the Ekaterinburg Diocese, this year’s Tsar’s Days was attended by residents of Ekaterinburg and the Sverdlovsk region, but also residents of different regions of Russia. In addition, were pilgrims from the Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, Serbia, Italy and other countries.
This year’s Divine Liturgy was led by 12 bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, headed by Metropolitan Evgeny of Ekaterinburg and Verkhotursky. Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ was performed from 100 Chalices. The service was broadcast live by the First Orthodox TV channel “Soyuz” on YouTube, and Rutube-channels.
This was followed by a 21-km (13 mile) Cross Procession from the Church on the Blood to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama, in which 40,000 people took part. The procession, which began in the early morning hours of 17th July, took about 4 hours to complete on foot.
“There is no such religious procession, peaceful Christian movement in either Russia, or any where else in the world,” proclaimed Doctor of Historical Sciences Pyotr Multatuli, a noted historian and author, who is considered Russia’s foremost authority on the life and reign of Nicholas II.
The Cross Procession concluded with a moleben [a liturgical service of supplication or thanksgiving] to the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers at Mine No. 7, which is now sacred ground of the Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-bearers at Ganina Yama.
Tsar’s Days are traditionally held with the support of the Sverdlovsk regional government, the Ekaterinburg city administration and the St. Catherine’s Foundation, which helps in organizing the celebration and supporting pilgrims with water, food, and transport.
Divine Liturgy – Church on the Blood, Ekaterinburg
21-km (13 mile) Cross Procession to Ganina Yama
Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers, Ganina Yama
Tsar’s Days
Recall that the first Cross Procession in memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs, headed by Metropolitan of Ekaterinburg and Verkhoturye Kirill, took place in 2002, in which more than 2 thousand pilgrims and about 100 clerics participated. It has been held annually in the Ural capital ever since.
The Emperor Nicholas II Foundation in Moscow has prepared a program of events marking Tsar’s Days, 17th and 18th July 2025.
On 17th July – the day marking the death and martyrdom of the Imperial Family – at 08:00, a Divine Liturgy will be performed in the Church of the Ascension of the Lord on the Gorokhovoye Field, built in 1788-1793.
At 19:15 – a screening of the 2023 documentary film by historian and director K.G. Kapkov Великое паломничество императора Николая II 15-28 мая 1913 г / The Great Pilgrimage of Emperor Nicholas II.
On 18th July – the day marking the death and martyrdom of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna – at 08:00, a Divine Liturgy will be performed in the Church of the Ascension of the Lord on Gorokhovoye Field, built in 1788-1793.
At 19:30 – a screening of the 2016 documentary film directed by Elena Belova Белый ангел / White Angel – about the life and death of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna.
The Ekaterinburg Metropolis are currently preparing for Tsar’s Days – 2025, which will be held in the Ural capital and in Alapaevsk from 11th to 21st July. This year marks the 107th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Emperor Nicholas II, his family and their four faithful retainers on 17th July 1918. It also marks the 107th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Grand Duchess Eliabeth Feodorovna and other Romanov family members in Alapaevsk on 18th July 1918.
Metropolitan Evgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye noted the importance of the upcoming memorial events, which traditionally bring together tens of thousands of faithful from across Russia and abroad.
The central event of Tsar’s Days is the Divine Liturgy held on the night of 16/17 July, followed by a 21-km [13 miles] Cross Procession, from the Church on the Blood in central Ekaterinburg to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers at Ganina Yama. for which “the whole of Russia gathers” in the Ural capital.
This years’ Tsar’s Days is part of the 24th International Festival of Orthodox Culture, which will be held over a 10-day period from 11-21 July. Aside from divine services and religious processions, the festival will feature many events in honour of the Holy Royal Martyrs, including bell ringing, concerts and musical evenings, as well as exhibitions and conferences hosted by well-known historians, theologians and authors.
Preparations for the Tsar’s Days are being carried out by the Ekaterinburg Metropolia with the support of the regional and city authorities.
Once again, Porosenkov Log will not included in this year’s Cross Procession. Porosenkov Log is where the remains of the Imperial Family were exhumed in two separate graves in 1991 and 2007 respectively. Due to the fact that the Moscow Patriachate does not yet recognize the Ekaterinburg Remains as those of the Imperial Family. Their official recognition rests with the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The veneration of Nicholas II
The veneration of Nicholas II and his family actually began just days after their murder in July 1918. During the Soviet years, such activity would most certainly have been suppressed, forcing the faithful to honour the Holy Royal Passion-Beaers in secret.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, everything changed, when in 2000, some 300 faithful gathered at the sight of the Ipatiev House in Sverdlovsk [Ekaterinburg]. In 2002, the first Cross Procession in memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs was held in the Ural capitlal, attracting 3,000 faithful. The procession has been held every year since, the most important being in 2018, the year marking the 100th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of the Imperial Family.
On the night of 16/17 July 2024, on the eve of the Feast Day of the Holy Royal Martyrs[1], the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg. This year marks the 106th anniversary of the murder of Emperor Nicholas II, his wife, their five children, and four faithful retainers.
Divine services were held in the Imperial Room[2], were led by the bishops who had arrived in the Ural capitol for Tsar’s Days: Bishop Roman of Rubtsovsk and Aleysk, and Bishop Leonty of Syzran and Shigon.
Concelebrating with the bishops were Archpriest Nikolai Tarantin, head of the protocol service of the Ekaterinburg Diocese, Archpriest Maxim Minyailo, chairman of the diocesan department for Church relations with society and the media, senior priest of the Church on the Blood, and Priest Daniel Ryabinin, head of the diocesan missionary department; Priest Pavel Starkov, head of the Youth Department, spiritual father of St. Simeon’s Orthodox Gymnasium (School); Rector of the Ekaterinburg Theological Seminary, Hieromonk Korniliy Zaitsev, Chief of Staff of the Synodal Diocese of the Ekaterinburg Diocese, Hieromonk Simeon (Seregin), and other clergymen of the Ekaterinburg Diocese.
Traditionally, the Divine Liturgy on the night of 16th July is celebrated with a large crowd of faithful – hundreds of believers prayed in the church.
The hymns of the service were sung by the choir of the Ekaterinburg Theological Seminary under the direction of Anastasia Mukhlynina, a graduate of the seminary’s choir director’s department.
Archpriest Sergiy Alexeev, a cleric of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Ekaterinburg, addressed the faithful present with a sermon on the pre-communion verse.
Communion on this day was performed from five chalices – many pilgrims arrived in Ekaterinburg to pray at the main services of the Tsar’s Days and honour the memory of the Holy Royal Family.
At the end of the service, Metropolitan Evgeny of Ekaterinburg and Verkhoturye greeted the bishops, clergy and pilgrims who had arrived from across Russia and other countries for the Tsar’s Days.
Metropolitan Evgeny asked everyone to preserve the memory of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers and to imitate wisdom and strength in the love they showed. At 3:00 p.m., Little Vespers with an akathist to the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers was served in the Church-on-the-Blood, then at 4:30 p.m., the All-Night Vigil began on the square in front of the church, which was led by the Eminent Archpastors. The main service of the Tsar’s Days – the Divine Liturgy – began at midnight, followed by the Royal Cross Procession.
Procession of the Cross to Ganina Yama
In the early morning hours of 17th July 2024, the traditional Royal Cross Procession was held from the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers at Ganina Yama – a 21 km. [13 miles] journey on foot[3]. The Cross Procession was preceded by a Divine Liturgy on the square in front of the church, which was headed by 13 bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church.
An estimated 45,000 faithful took part in this year’s Cross Procession, together with the head of the Ekaterinburg Metropolia, was led by Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, head of the Central Asian Metropolitan District, and other archpastors.
Under the repentant Jesus Prayer: “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us!” – the multi-thousand column of believers, clergy and laity from across Russia – covered the distance in about four to five hours. Those who took part in the procession came from every corner of the Russian Federation – from Stavropol to Novosibirsk, from Astrakhan to Arkhangelsk, as well as abroad.
The procession was accompanied by 10 mobile aid groups of the Orthodox Mercy Service and volunteers of the Tsar’s Days.
In the Cross Procession, two Reliquaries were carried, the first Reliquary containing a part of the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was donated to the Ekaterinburg Diocese, the second Reliquary containing the relics of 14 saints of the Ekaterinburg Metropolia: the Venerable Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, the Venerable Martyr nun Varvara (Barbara) Yakovleva, the Venerable Basilisk of Siberia, the Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, the Blessed Cosmas of Verkhoturye, the Venerable Elijah Chebotarev, the Hieromartyr Alexander Malinovsky, the Hieromartyr Arkady Gariaev, Hieromartyr Konstantin Bogoyavlensky, Hieromartyr Lev Ershov, Venerable Arefa Katargin, Hieromartyr Alexis Budrin, Venerable Confessor John (Chevroletin) and Hieromartyr Alexander Adrianov.
The Royal Cross Procession concluded with a moleben to the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers at the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama.
The Most Reverend Archpastors, Bishop Evgeny and Bishop Vikenty, thanked the thousands of faithuful who took part in the Royal Cross Procession for their spiritual feat.
Divine Liturgies were celebrated in the seven churches of the monastery, the churches are dedicated to each of the seven members of the Imperial Family. As the day progresssed, more and more pilgrims arrived at the monastery for prayer and reflection.
Holy Royal Passion-Bearers, pray to God for us! Святые Царственные страстотерпцы, молите Бога о нас!
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] The Imperial Room is situated in the lower church sanctified in honor of the Holy Royal Martyrs. It was established on the site of the room located in the basement of the Ipatiev House, where Emperor Nicholas II, his family, and four retainers were all brutally murdered on the night of 16/17 July 1918.
[3] Once again, Porosenkov Log was not included in this year’s Cross Procession. Porosenkov Log is where the remains of the Imperial Family were exhumed in two separate graves in 1991 and 2007 respectively. Due to the fact that the Moscow Patriachate does not yet recognize the Ekaterinburg Remains as those of the Imperial Family. Their official recognition rests with the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Preparations are underway for Tsar’s Days in Ekaterinburg. This year marks the 106th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Emperor Nicholas II, his family and their faithful retainers in the Ural capital on 17th July 1918. The schedule of events in this years Tsar’s Days was discussed today at a conference attended by members of the Ekaterinburg Diocese headed by Metropolitan Evgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye.
The archpastor noted the importance of the upcoming memorial events, which traditionally bring together thousands of faithful from across Russia and abroad.
The central event of Tsar’s Days is the Divine Liturgy held on the night of 16/17 July, followed by a 21-km [13 miles] Cross Procession, from the Church on the Blood in central Ekaterinburg to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama. for which “the whole of Russia gathers” in the Ural capital.
Tsar’s Days is part of the XXIII International Festival of Orthodox Culture, which will be held over a 10-day period from 11-21 July. Aside from divine services and religious processions, the festival will feature many events in honour of the Holy Royal Martyrs, including bell ringing, concerts and musical evenings, as well as exhibitions and conferences hosted by well-known historians, theologians and authors.
The veneration of Nicholas II
The veneration of Nicholas II and his family actually began just days after their murder in July 1918[1]. During the Soviet years, such activity would most certainly have been suppressed, forcing the faithful to honour the Holy Royal Martyrs in secret.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, everything changed, when in 2000, some 300 faithful gathered at the sight of the Ipatiev House. In 2002, the first Cross Procession in memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs was held in the Ural capitlal, attracting 3,000 faithful. The procession has been held every year since, the most important being in 2018, the year marking the 100th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of the Imperial Family.
Ekaterinburg was founded on 18th November 1723, by decree of Emperor Peter I (1672-1725), but its ‘City Day is officially celebrated on the third Saturday of August (19th August in 2023). The name of the city was given in honor of Empress Catherine I (1684-1727), the second wife of Peter the Great.
In 1924 Ekaterinburg was renamed Sverdlovsk and lived with the Bolshevik name for 67 years, until 1991, when after the fall of the Soviet Union, the city returned to its historical name.
This historic anniversary will be marked throughout the year by a series of events and celebrations, plus the implementation of a number of significant construction projects dedicated to the founding of the Ural city, the center of the Sverdlovsk region and the Urals Federal District, the unofficial “capital of the Urals” and the fourth-largest city in Russia.
Preparations for the celebration began in 2017. It is estimated that the total amount of public and private funding for the celebrations and projects is 244 billion rubles [$4.4 billion USD].
Among the hundreds of events planned are the following Romanov themed events:
On 14th July 2023 a new permanent exhibition The Romanovs in the Urals opened at the Poklevsky-Kozell House Museum of the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore in Ekaterinburg
On 15th July 2023 a bust of Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich was installed and consecrated in the Tsarsky Center, located in the Patriarchal Compound, across from the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg
Tsar’s Days, marking the 105th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Emperor Nicholas II and his family. On the night of 16/17 July, Divine Liturgy was performed at the Church on the Blood, and then lead the 21-km (13 miles) Cross Procession to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama. An estimated 40,000 people took part in this year’s event
On 11th August 2023, a pair of busts depicting Emperor Peter I and Empress Catherine I were unveiled on Historical Square in front of the Museum of Architecture and Design of the Ural State Academy of Arts
PHOTO: St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Novo-Tikhvinsky Convent, Ekaterinburg
“Ekaterinburg: my favourite Russian city”
People often ask me “Why Ekaterinburg?” as opposed to the former Imperial capital of St. Petersburg, especially given that “Ekaterinburg has such a dark history.”
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 Nicholas II and his family than any other city in Russia. Thanks to my visits to Ekaterinburg in 2012, 2016 and 2018, it is a city which I have grown to admire and love.
Articles about Paul Gilbert and his admiration for Ekaterinburg, published in Russian media:
PHOTO: On the eve of the 300th anniversary of Ekaterinburg, the city plans to erect a statue – by the Russian sculptor Fedor Petrov – dedicated to the patron saint of the city – St. Catherine.
“The last capital of the Russian Empire”
“On a spiritual level, Ekaterinburg is the last capital of the Russian Empire, because the residence of the Sovereign was always considered the capital in Russia. Peter the Great never officially transferred the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg, but since he lived there, it was the capital,” says Russian historian Peter Multatuli.
He noted that in 1918, for 78 days, Emperor Nicholas II and his family lived in Ekaterinburg, and that is why the Ural capital can be considered the last capital of the Russian Empire. [It is important to note that many historians – myself included – firmly believe that the Tsar’s signing of the instrument of abdication, his status as Tsar remained inviolate and unassailable – PG]
“Petrograd and Moscow to one degree or another welcomed his overthrow, and they bear a greater responsibility in this than any other Russian city. No matter what anyone says, it was Ekaterinburg that served as the last Imperial residence, which, according to God’s special plan, became the Royal Golgotha,” added Multatuli.
According to him, in the near future, Ekaterinburg will play a great role in the history of Russia, because “the city named after St. Catherine and becoming the Royal Golgotha will be the city of Russian resurrection.”
***
TSAR’S DAYS Journey to Ekaterinburg by Paul Gilbert
Read all about my journey to Ekaterinburg – my 3rd visit to the Urals – in July 2018, to take part in the events marking the 100th anniversary of the deaths and martyrdom of Nicholas II and his family.
“On 17th July 1998, independent researcher and writer Paul Gilbert travelled to St. Petersburg, for the interment of Emperor Nicholas II and his family. Twenty years later to the day, he journeyed to Ekaterinburg, to take part in the events marking the 100th anniversary of the Tsar’s death and martyrdom.
“In his own words and photographs, the author shares his experiences and impressions of this historic event, which include visits to the Church on the Blood, Ganina Yama, Porosenkov Log, the Patriarchal Liturgy, exhibitions, and much more.
“In addition are 24 illustrated news articles about events leading up to Tsar’s Days in the Urals, from 1st to 31st July 2018.
“Gilbert’s solemn journey to the Urals allowed him to experience history in the making, and to honour the memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs, a century after their death and martyrdom.”
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Hardcover and Paperback editions. 152 pages + Richly illustrated with nearly 200 COLOUR PHOTOS, 65 of which were taken by the author
On the night of 16/17 July 2023 – the eve marking the 105th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Emperor Nicholas II and his family – some 40,000 faithful attended a Divine Liturgy and Cross Procession in Ekaterinburg.
Defying Western sanctions, a number of foreigners also attended this years events, including the Italian opera singer and singing teacher Elvis Fanton, who said he felt compelled to come to Ekaterinburg after having a dream about Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich. Fanton is a regular visitor to the Ural capital, where he has performed in concerts dedicated to the only son and heir of Russia’s last Tsar.
PHOTO: Orthodox Christians venerate an icon of the Holy Tsar Martyr Nicholas II on the square in front of the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg
PHOTO: Orthodox Christians gather on the square outside the Church on the Blood holding yellow flags depicting the double-headed eagle of the Russian Empire
PHOTO: Orthodox Christians carrying icons, banners and flags
PHOTO: 40,000 faithful gathered for the Divine Liturgy on the square in front of the Church on the Blood for the Divine Liturgy in Ekaterinburg
PHOTO: this year’s outdoor Divine Liturgy was performed by 12 Orthodox bishops
Prior to the outdoor service, a Divine Liturgy in honour of Emperor Nicholas II and his family was performed in the Imperial Room,[1] situated in the Lower Church of the Church on Spilled Blood. Twelve bishops took part, including Metropolitan Vincent of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, Head of the Central Asian Metropolitan District, Representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis, Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan, Metropolitan Eugene of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, Metropolitan Alexy of Chelyabinsk and Miass, Bishop Anthony of Moravichi, Bishop Theodosius of Isilkul and Russo-Polyansky, Bishop Theodosius of Nizhny Tagil and Nevyansk, Bishop Methodius of Kamensk and Kamyshlov, Bishop Vladimir of Shadrinsky and Dalmatovsky, Bishop Vincent of Zlatoust and Satka, Bishop Leonid of Argentina and South America.
The outdoor Divine Liturgy began at 11:30 pm on the square in front of the Church on the Blood, also led by 12 bishops. In addition, representatives of the local Orthodox Churches — Antioch, Serbian, Czech, American — also prayed, some of the prayers were performed in several languages. Abbots and abbesses, monastics, who came to honour the memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs from various monasteries, prayed during the service.
It is sad to note that not a single descendant of the Romanov Dynasty attended this year’s Divine Liturgy, including Princess Maria Vladimirovna nor her son Prince George Mikhailovich-Hohenzollern, the latter of which lives in Moscow with his wife and son.
VIDEO: click on the above image to watch the Cross Procession from the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama on 17th July 2023. Duration:
Cross Procession to Ganina Yama
At 3:00 am, tens of thousands of people—including clergy and laity from all over the Russian Federation and beyond began the 21km [13 miles] Cross Procession – headed by Metropolitan Yevgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye and other archpastors – from the Church on the Blood to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama[2].
The column of faithful pilgrims covered the route on foot – part of which was in the rain in about 5 hours. Together in unison, they chanted the prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us!”. They were accompanied by ten mobile groups from the Orthodox Charity Service and Tsar’s Days volunteers.
Upon arrival at the monastery at Ganina Yama, a moleben was served at the “heart” of the monastery—the mineshaft where the Imperial family’s remains were thrown after they had been brutally murdered by the Bolsheviks.
PHOTO: tens of thousands of people took part in the 21km Cross Procession from the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama
PHOTO: the Cross Procession winded its way through the streets of the Ural capital in the early morning hours of 17th July
PHOTO: it took about 5 hours for the column of faithful to arrive at the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama
PHOTO: Together in unison, they chanted the prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us!”
PHOTO: Metropolitan Yevgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye (center) and other archpastors arrived at the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama
His Eminence Evgeny[3] thanked all those who participated, and said a few words about the Imperial Family and their memory.:
“I wish that you would tell your close ones about this, so that in future years even more of you would come, and thus testify to our love for the Imperial family and our desire to receive their blessing upon our world, upon our unity, upon the sanctity of family life, and for peace and prosperity in our Russian land.”
“A lot of churches are dedicated to the Imperial Family. Over the past 30 years, hundreds of churches have been erected in Russia in the name of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers[4]. And in every place where their temple stands, there are a lot of people. If we saw today all those who revere the Imperial family, then, it is possible, that their numbers would be more than the population of the whole of Ekaterinburg,” the metropolitan added.
PHOTO: pilgrims gather around the “heart” of the monastery—the mineshaft where the Imperial family’s remains were thrown after they had been brutally murdered by the Bolsheviks
PHOTO: a large wooden Orthodox cross marks the location of the now collapsed mineshaft where the Imperial Family’s remains were first disposed of by the regicides
PHOTO: a simple icon depicting the Holy Royal Martyrs mounted on the large wooden cross
“Ekaterinburg is connected with the Imperial Family, because it was from here that they ascended to the Heavenly abodes, and therefore the people honour them. I think our city stands thanks to the prayers of a whole family of righteous saints, the holy Royal Family,” His Eminence Metropolitan Evgeny of Ekaterinburg said.
“Tsar’s Days are a special phenomenon in the history of our Church, our country, because Tsar’s Days are our repentance before the Holy Royal Family, before the Holy Tsar-Martyr,” added Dr. Peter Multatuli, who has been researching and writing about the life and reign of Russia’s last Tsar since the early 1990s.
“What is repentance? Repentance is a change, we must radically change our view, our attitude towards the Sovereign-Emperor and his family, who were murdered by the Bolsheviks. For me, the procession is my moral duty,” Multatuli said, adding that his great-grandfather Ivan Mikhailovich Kharitonov (1872-1918), the senior chef of the Imperial Family, was killed together with the Holy Royal Martyrs, “which, of course, makes these days also a family affair for me.”
Holy Royal Martyrs, pray to God for us! 🙏 Святы Царственные мученики, молите Бога о нас! 🙏 ☦️
NOTES:
[1] The altar of the Imperial Room is situated in the Lower Church sanctified in honour of the Holy Royal Martyrs. It was established on the site of the room located in the basement of the Ipatiev House, where Emperor Nicholas II, his family, and four retainers were all brutally murdered in the early morning hours of 17th July 1918.
There is some dispute about whether this sanctuary stands in the spot of the murder room. It is believed that it was not possible to build on the exact spot due to construction issues, and that the actual spot of the murder room lies outside the church along its wall.
As one of my Russian Orthodox friends correctly pointed out: “Whether it is in the exact spot or not to me is irrelevant as when you are in that room, you are spiritually in the exact place it happened”.
[2] Once again, Porosenkov Log was not included in this year’s Cross Procession.
Porosenkov Log is where the remains of the Imperial family were unearthed in two separate graves in 1991 and 2007 respectively. Due to the fact that the Moscow Patriachate does not yet recognize the Ekaterinburg Remains as those of the Imperial Family. Their official recognition rests with the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
[3] Metropolitan Yevgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye (born Alexei Sergeyevich Kulberg; born 25th September 1972, Moscow). From 9th October 2017 to 15th October 2018, he served as abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama. On 8th December 2020, by the decision of the Holy Synod, he was elected Bishop of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye. On December 25, 2020, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia elevated Bishop Eugene of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye to the rank of Metropolitan.
[4] On 1st November 1981, Emperor Nicholas II and his family were canonized as new martyrs by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). On 20th August 2000, after much debate, they were canonized as passion bearers by the Moscow Patriarchate
The Moscow Patriarchate canonized the family as passion bearers: 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 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.
The term “passion-bearer” is used in relation to those Russian saints who, “imitating Christ, endured with patience physical, moral suffering and death at the hands of political opponents. In the history of the Russian Church, such passion-bearers were the holy noble princes Boris and Gleb (1015), Igor of Chernigov (+ 1147), Andrei Bogolyubsky (+ 1174), Mikhail of Tverskoy (+ 1318), Tsarevich Dimitri (+ 1591). All of them, by their feat of passion-bearers, showed a high example of Christian morality and patience.
Despite their official designation as “passion-bearers” by the August 2000 Council, Nicholas II and his family are referred to as “martyrs” in Church publications, icons, and in popular veneration by the people.
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The 23rd annual Tsar’s Days will be held from 8th to 21st July 2023 in Ekaterinburg and Alapaevsk. The festival includes a series of solemn events [16th to 18th July] dedicated to Emperor Nicholas II and his family, who met their death and martyrdom in Ekaterinburg 104 years ago, on 17th July 1918.
The main events include the outdoor night Divine Liturgy, which will be performed n the square in front of the Church on the Blood, built on the site of the Ipatiev House, where members of the Imperial Family and their faithful subjects ended their earthly days, followed by the 21-km [13 miles] Cross Procession – led by Metropolitan Yevgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye – to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama, on the site of which the regicides first disposed of the Imperial family’s remains, before returning the following day to exum thre remains and bury them in two separate graves at *Porosenkov Log.
On 18th July, similar events will be held in Alapaevsk, where 8 additonal members of the Romanov dynasty and their faithful servants [see below] met their death and martydom.
In addition, the XXII International Festival of Orthodox Culture will be held in Ekaterinburg from 12th-20th July. Aside from divine services and religious processions, the festival will feature many events in honour of the Holy Royal Martyrs, including concerts and musical evenings, attended by artists and musicians from various regions of Russia and neighboring countries. A number of conferences hosted by well-known historians, theologians and authors are also planned.
The extensive cultural and educational program includes exhibitions at the Museum of the Holy Royal Family [located in the Patriarchal Compund], the Museum of the Royal Monastery [Ganina Yama], the multimedia park “Russia My History”, the regional museum of local lore; and the XIX International Orthodox Exhibition and Forum “From Repentance to the Resurrection of Russia”.
As part of the Tsar’s Days, the Festival of Bell Ringing “Evangelize, the Ural Land!” will be held, as well as the V Children’s Sailing Regatta named after Crown Prince Alexy, in which more than 200 young yachtsmen of the Ural Federal District will take part; VI tournament “Russian Silometer” and other events.
The Ekaterinburg Martyrs– 11 victims
Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, and their four faithful retainers Dr. Eugene Botkin (court physician), Alexei Trupp (footman), Ivan Kharitonov (cook), and Anna Demidova (Alexandra’s maid).
The Alapaevsk Martyrs– 8 victims
Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, Princes of the Imperial Blood Ioann, Konstantin and Igor Konstantinovich, Prince Vladimir Paley (son of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich), and two faithful servants: sister of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent Varvara Alekseevna (Yakovleva), and Fyodor Semyonovich (Mikhailovich) Remez, secretary of the Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich.
PHOTO: icon depicting the Ekaterinburg and Alapaevsk Martyrs
SERVICE CALENDAR
Sunday 16th July
09:00 – Divine Liturgy at the altar of the Holy Royal Martyrs, situated in the Lower Church of the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg.
13:00 — Cross procession along the route in which the Holy Royal Martyrs travelled upon arriving in Ekaterinburg [from Tobolsk] on 30th April 1918, from the Shartash Train Station [Kuibysheva street, 149-a] to the Church on the Blood. Route: [Tsarskaya street, 10] along the route: railway station Shartash – Kuibyshev street – Vostochnaya street – Chelyuskintsev street – Sverdlov street – K. Liebknecht street).
15:00 – Small Vespers with Akathist to the Holy Royal Martyrs. Confession. In the Lower Church of the Church on the Blood.
16:30-20:00 – All-night vigil, on the square in front of the Church on the Blood.
17:00-20:00 – All-night vigil, at the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama.
23:30-02:00 – Divine Liturgy, on the square in front of the Church on the Blood.
Monday 17th July
~ 02:30 – Traditional 21-km [13 miles] Cross Procession from the Church on the Blood to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama Route: Tsarskaya street, 10 – st. Tolmacheva – Lenin Ave. – V. Isetsky Boulevard – st. Kirov – st. Bebel – st. Technical – st. Reshetskaya – Railway forest park – pos. Shuvakish – Ganina Yama.
Upon the arrival of the procession, a Liturgy to the Holy Royal Martyrs will be performed at the Field kitchen.
06:00 – Divine Liturgy (early). Church on the Blood. In the Lower Church, altar at the site of the martyrdom of the Holy Royal Martyrs aka the Imperial Room [built on the site of the murder room, located in the basement of the Ipatiev House].
09:00 – Divine Liturgy (late). Church on the Blood, Upper Church
09:00 – Divine Liturgy. Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama.
17.00 – All-night vigil. Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, at Ganina Yama.
02:30 – Procession from the Holy Trinity Cathedral to the Monastery in the Name of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church, Alapaevsk.
06.00 Arrival of the procession to the Monastery in the Name of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church, Alapaevsk. Diving Liturgy at the mine.
09:00 – Divine Liturgy with the Episcopal Rite. Monastery in the Name of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church, Alapaevsk.
Tsar’s Days in the 21st century
The first procession in memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs, headed by Metropolitan of Ekaterinburg and Verkhoturye Kirill, took place in 2002, in which more than 2 thousand pilgrims and about 100 clerics participated. In 2012, for the first time since the construction of the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg, an all-night vigil and Divine Liturgy were performed in the open air.
In 2017 an estimated 60,000 people took part; in 2019, 60 thousand participated; in 2020, 10 thousand people [due to COVID], and in 2021, 3 thousand people [once again, due to COVID]. In addition, up to 2 thousand people gathered an alternative religious procession of the schismatic and tsarist monk Sergius (Romanov) in the Sredneuralsk Convent in Honour of the Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In 2018, more than 100,000 Orthodox Christians, monarchists, among others from across Russia and around the world took part in the Patriarchal Liturgy and procession of the cross from the Church on the Blood to the Ganina Yama.
*NOTE: due to the fact the Moscow Patriachate does not yet recognize the Ekaterinburg Remains as authentic, the Cross Procession does not stop at Porosenkov Log, where the remains of the Imperial family were unearthed in two separate graves in the late 1970s and 2007.
The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) have confirmed that the Bishops’ Council, will meet in Moscow at at a future date, during which they will review the findings of the Investigative Commission and deliver their verdict on the authenticity of the Ekaterinburg Remains.
The city of Ekaterinburg is already making preparations for ‘Tsar’s Days‘, the annual event held in July, marking the deaths and martyrdom of Emperor Nicholas II and his family.
Over the past few years, a blue line has been painted on the streets in Ekaterinburg. The blue line is a 6.3 km pedestrian route for pilgrims and tourists, which connects a dozen places associated with the final days Nicholas II and his family in the Ural city.
This year participants can make use of a printed guidebook or download a special app to their mobile phone, both of which provide details about the Holy Royal Martyrs, and the places highlighted along the Holy Route.
Five of the places on the route are churches and cathedrals – such as the Church on the Blood (built on the site of the Ipatiev House) seen in the photo above.
The idea was implemented jointly with the Ekaterinburg diocese and the city administration in 2018. It is a wonderful idea, and I found it very helpful during my visit to the city in July 2018.
This year (2023) marks the 300th anniversary of the founding of Ekaterinburg in 1723; the 155th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Nicholas II in 1868; and and the 105th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of the Imperial Family in 1918.
Organizers have issued a small but handy guidebook “The Tsar’s Line of Ekaterinburg”. Copies will be distributed FREE at the Tsarsky Center – located in the Patriarchal Compound – and the Church on the Blood.
Nicholas II 
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