Nicholas II

Nicholas II’s grave near Ekaterinburg under threat

Posted on March 14, 2025 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Paul Gilbert standing at the entrance to the Romanov Memorial in July 2018

On 10th March 2025, the head of the Ekaterinburg based Romanov Memorial Charitable Foundation Ilya Korovin, issued a press release expressing concern that the grave of Nicholas II, his family and four faithful retainers at Porosenkov Log is now under threat of development by the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).

According to Kovovin, the Russian Orthodox Church will soon recognize the Ekaterinburg remains as those of the Imperial Family, and that such an announcement may very well threaten the Romanov Memorial at Porosenkov Log.

“If the Bishop’s Council of the ROC agree with the authenticity of the remains, then a serious question will arise about the fate of the Romanov Memorial,” said Kovovin. “This area has been preserved in its original form since 1918. It is the only place associated with Russia’s last Tsar in Ekaterinburg, which has survived to this day unchanged,” he added.

PHOTO: an Orthodox cross marks the place where Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna, three of their children: Olga, Tatiana, Anastasia and their four faithful retainers were reburied by the regicides in July 1918. The remains of Alexei and Maria were buried in a second grave nearby.

Recall that it was at Porosenkov Log that the regicides buried the remains of the Imperial Family the day after they attempted to destroy their bodies at the Four Brothers Mine at Ganina Yama, situated 3.8 km [2.4 miles] down the road. The remains were initially discovered in June 1979 by Geliy Trofimovich Ryabov (1932-2015) and Alexander Nikolaevich Avdonin (born 1932). On 16th July 1999, the Romanov Memorial was opened on the site of the graves.

The land in and around the Romanov Memorial has been the subject of debate between Korovin and the ROC since 2021, after the Ekaterinburg Diocese requested the transfer of the land by the Sverdlovsk Region. The illegal drilling of wells was subsequently carried out, despite the fact that Porosenkov Log was recognized as an object of cultural heritage in 2014.

In September 2024, the Department of State Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites (UGOOKN) excluded the Romanov Memorial from the list of protected monuments, which raises concerns for Torovin, who is now challenging the decision in court.

It is no longer a question of “if” but “when” the ROC recognizes the Ekaterinburg remains as those of the Imperial Family [the decision rests with the Bishops Council of the Russian Orthodox Church]. The church’s interest in the land in and around the Romanov Memorial may confirm their plans to construct another monastery – similar to that at Ganina Yama – or memorial church to glorify the Holy Royal Martyrs at Porosenkov Log. The Ekaterinburg Diocese has refused to comment on any possible development.

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FURTHER READING:

ROC preparing to build memorial church at Porosenkov Log by Paul Gilbert 4th March 2023

The fate of Porosenkov Log and Ganina Yama by Paul Gilbert, 14th February 2022

104 years on, Orthodox Church still split over murdered tsar’s remains by Paul Gilbert 6th April 2021

Will the Bishops Council’s decision on the Ekaterinburg Remains cause a schism within the ROC? by Paul Gilbert, 20th September 2021

30th anniversary of the exhumation of the remains of Nicholas II and his family by Paul Gilbert, 7th July 2021

Bones of Contention: The Russian Orthodox Church and the Ekaterinburg Remains by Paul Gilbert, 23rd November 2021

Blagoveshchensk hosts photo-exhibit dedicated to the Imperial Family

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Paul Gilbert

On 24th February 2025, The Tsar’s Family. Love and Mercy photo-exhibition, dedicated to Emperor Nicholas II and his family opened in the city of Blagoveshchensk, situated in the Amur region of Siberia, near the Chinese border. The exhibition runs until 6th April 2025 at the Pushkarev Art Gallery.

The exhibition presents more than 100 vintage photographs which tell about the close relationship within the family of the last Russian emperor. The photographs reflect many aspects of the life of the Tsar’s family during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the upbringing of the children, and the warm and loving relationship, which they shared with both their parents and each other.

In addition, the photo exhibition also shows the Tsar’s Family’s dedication to acts of charity and their service to the Fatherland, and a wonderful example of Russian family traditions and unshakable piety and spiritual values.

The exhibition has been held in various formats and in many Russian cities: Moscow, Voronezh, Kursk, Ryazan, Penza, Krasnodar, Belgorod, Velikiye Luki, Yalta, Livadia, Sevastopol, Novosibirsk, Lesosibirsk, Perm, Sayansk, Severomorsk, Pskov, Pavlovsk, Livadia, etc.

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.

The Tsar’s Family. Love and Mercy photo-exhibition, runs until 6th April 2025 at the Pushkarev Art Gallery, Blagoveshchensk.

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*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

Court Gastronomist. Menus of the Imperial Court

Posted on March 8, 2025 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Архив придворного гастронома. Меню трапез российского императорского двора / The Archive of the Court Gastronome. Menus and Meals of the Russian Imperial Court and recipe supplement

NOTE: this post is for information purposes only. Due to the current Western economic sanctions against Russia, it is currently not possible to order this book from Russia. Nor do I know of any bookseller outside of Russia that offers this title for sale – PG

the State Hermitage Museum has issued a very interesting new book Архив придворного гастронома. Меню трапез российского императорского двора / The Archive of the Court Gastronome. Menus and Meals of the Russian Imperial Court. The publication of this book is a joint project of the State Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg), the retail company Magnit and the Hermitage 21st Century Foundation.

This title has been published in a limited edition printing of only 1,000 copies. It is only available in Russian, there is no English edition, nor is one planned. Below, are a small sampling of some of the beautiful menus of imperial banquets, created by outstanding Russian artists: Viktor Vasnetsov (1848-1926), Ivan Bilibin (1876-1942) and others.

The book contains several sections: coronation celebrations and major Russian holidays, regimental and order dinners, diplomatic receptions, wedding banquets, Orthodox feasts, hunting meals, yacht dinners. Each section contains a detailed description of the historical era and celebrations with colourful menus and illustrations.

Leafing through the pages of the Archive of the Court Gastronome, readers will learn what privileged guests were served at the coronations of Emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II, how the tables were set for wedding celebrations of members of the Imperial Family, what was served during the gala dinner in honour of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty in 1913, as well attributes of meals served in the Imperial residences, hunting lodges, Imperial yachts and much more.

The authors of the book include: Yulia Vadimovna Sharovskaya – head of the Fine Art Sector of the State Hermitage’s Department of the History of Russian Culture; Irina Radikovna Bagdasarova – leading researcher in the Department of the History of Russian Culture.

In addition, the publication has a special printed supplement with recipes. These are recipes which have been adapted to modern times, taken from pre-revolutionary cookbooks. The recipes were reproduced by the Gastronom.ru team in their own kitchens, using up-to-date ingredients and cooking methods.

Some of the recipes from this book can be found at the Gastronom.ru web site, as part of the Tsar’s Kitchen project. These recipes [in Russian only] provide an opportunity for food-lovers to taste some of the delicacies enjoyed by members of the Imperial Family and their guests more than a century ago.

30th anniversary of the return of the “Traitor Grand Duke” Kirill’s remains to Russia

Posted on March 7, 2025 by Paul Gilbert

Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich and Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna. 1930.

Today – 7th March 2025 – marks the 30th anniversary of the return of the remains of *Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich (1876-1938) and his wife *Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna (1876-1936) to Russia.

It is interesting to note that to this day, the Legitimists [formerly Kirillists] address Kirill as “Emperor Kirill I” and Victoria as “Empress” with the titles “Imperial Majesty”, all of which are complete nonsense! The Russian monarchy, the Empire and the Russian Imperial Family ceased to exist upon the death of Emperor Nicholas II on 17th July 1918.

On 7th March 1995, the dying will of the traitor grand duke in exile – Kirill Vladimirovich and his wife Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna was fulfilled. Their remains, were exhumed from Coburg, Germany and transferred to St. Petersburg, where they were reinterred in the Grand Ducal Mausoleum of the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

PHOTO: The Ducal Mausoleum, the burial place of members of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha on the grounds of Glockenberg Cemetery in Coburg.

On 3rd March 1995, at 11:30 a.m., in the Tomb of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in the presence of Princess Leonida Georgievna (1914-2010), the tombs of Kirill and Victoria were opened. After the removal of the tombstones, a niche with both coffins opened. Their outer plating had fallen into extreme disrepair and fell apart when touched. During the dismantling, metal crosses with lids and plates were found (one with the name, title and dates of the life of Victoria Feodorovna, and the other with the monogram of Kirill Vladimirovich). Then the inner coffins, in which the bodies rested, were brought to the surface. The remains of Victoria Feodorovna were the first to be examined. Her skeletonized remains were preserved in the same position in which the deceased had been laid in the coffin.

PHOTO: The coffins of Grand Duke Kirill I Vladimirovich and Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna before being transferred from Coburg to St. Petersburg.

After the transfer of the remains of Victoria Feodorovna to a new coffin, the exhumation of the body of her husband took place. The coffin of Kirill Vladimirovich had a glass window through which it was possible to see the face of the deceased. Looking through this window in 1995, those present at the exhumation were shocked: the decayed face of the grand duke was revealed. Its features had not changed much 57 years after his funeral in 1938.

PHOTO: a rather morbid photo depicting the decayed body of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich in his coffin, taken in the Tomb of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha during the exhumation, 3rd March 1995.

When the remains of Kirill and Victoria were placed in new coffins, Archbishop Feofan (Galinsky) of Berlin and Germany served a pannikhida [a liturgical solemn service for the repose of the deceased]. Finally, the lids are closed, the coffins are sealed and covered with national flags. After a heartfelt farewell to Vladyka Feofan, Princess Leonida Georgievna departed Coburg to escort the coffins to Russia on the ship Anna Karenina.

PHOTO: view of the Grand Ducal Mausoleum of the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in the Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Petersburg, where Kirill and Victoria’s remains were reinterred in March 1995.

On 6th March, the first day of Great Lent, the Spanish-born Princess Maria Vladimirovna, arrived in St. Petersburg by plane with her son, Prince George Mikhailovich-Hohenzollern. The next day, early in the morning, the Anna Karenina arrived. From the port, the cortege proceeded to the Peter and Paul Fortress, where the coffins were carried into the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral.

The burial ceremony was scheduled for 12-00. After the arrival of the Leonida, Maria and George, the clergy, Mayor of St. Petersburg Anatoly Sobchak (1937-2000) and representatives of the administration of St. Petersburg, a pannikhida was held, which was served by Bishop Lev (Tserpitsky) of Novgorod Bishop Simon (Getya) of Tikhvin. At the end of the pannikhida, the coffins were lowered into pre-prepared niches with military honours.

PHOTO: Princess Maria Vladimirovna pays her last respects to her grandfather and grandmother, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich and Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna. The Grand Ducal Tomb of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, St. Petersburg, 7th March 1995.

Temporary slabs were installed on the graves (later they were replaced by permanent marble ones) and wreaths were laid. The traitor Grand Duke and his wife found eternal repose next to their son Prince Vladimir Kirillovich (1917-1992).

It was Kirill’s daughter-in-law Princess Leonida, who arranged for Kirill and Victoria’s reinterment in St. Petersburg. It was only due to her vast wealth, left to her by her first husband Sumner Moore Kirby. (1895-1945), a wealthy American businessman, and one of the heirs to the F.W. Woolworth fortune. The cost of new coffins, transport to Russia, two tombs with marble slabs must have been staggering!

Given Kirill’s lack of a moral compass and his act of treason against his Sovereign in March 1917, it is this author’s belief that Kirill and Victoria’s remains should have never left in Coburg – PG

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Under no pretext can we admit to the throne those whose ancestors belonged to parties involved in the 1917 revolution in one way or another. Nor can we admit those whose ancestors, who betrayed Tsar Nicholas II. Nor can we ignore those whose ancestors who openly supported the Nazis. Thus, without any reservations, the right to the succession to the throne of the Kirillovich branch should be excluded!

Any person who supports this branch of the Romanov dynasty, dishonours the memory of the murdered Holy Tsar Martyr Nicholas II.

18th century Chandeliers returned to the Alexander Palace State Halls

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO © Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve

The restoration of the interiors of the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo continues . . . On 5th March 2025, three 18th century chandeliers were restored and returned to the palace’s beautiful ceremonial halls.

Recall that in 2012, “cosmetic repairs” were carried out in the Portrait Hall, the Semi-Circular Hall and the Marble (Billiard) Room. In June 2010, the State Halls, which are situated in the central part of the palace – between the east and west wings – were solemnly opened to visitors, as part of events marking the 300th anniversary of Tsarskoye Selo. However, despite the best efforts of curators, limited restoration funds, and dispersed collections, meant that the presentations were somewhat sparse and of varying quality. The State Halls were closed again in the Autumn of 2015 for additional restoration work, and reopened in 2021.

The three restored chandeliers were created according to a drawing by the famous Italian architect Giacomo Quarenghi (1744-1817), who constructed the Alexander Palace between 1792–96. The chandeliers were made of made of bronze, glass and crystal, and designed to hold 100 candles each. They are the largest and heaviest chandeliers in the museum’s collection and designed for such a large number of candles. Each chandelier stands 3.5 meters [11.5 ft.] high, and weighs more than 240 kilograms [530 lbs.]. The restoration work was carried out by specialists from the Yuzhakova Studio workshop in St. Petersburg.