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 restoration of the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo continues . . . on 19th July 2025, the Tsarskoye Selo Museum-Reserve opened three ceremonial halls of the Alexander Palace, after additional restoration work was carried out.
The Semi-circular, Portrait Hall and Marble Drawing Room are once again open to visitors and guided tours. The visitor route through the Alexander Palace now includes 17 interiors, which include the private apartments of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, as well as the interiors of the State Enfilade.
NOTE:the photos show the interiors as they looked following the recent restoration. They lack many of the decorative and applied art pieces, which have now since been returned to their original places– PG
Recall that in 2012, “cosmetic repairs” were carried out in the Portrait Hall, the Semi-Circular Hall and the Marble Drawing (the former 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 funds for restoration, 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. The State Enfilade reopened in 2021.
The State Halls were closed yet again in 2023, and during the next year+, craftsmen carried out additional restoration work in the interiors. During this time, engineering and technical support systems (heat and power supplies, exposure lighting, ventilation, air conditioning) and low-current systems (security and alarm systems, video surveillance systems, warning and evacuation control, automatic fire alarms) were completely updated.
Specialists carried out large-scale restoration work which included repairs on the parquet floors, ceilings and window fittings. In addition, the mahogany doors with gilded bronze décor were also restored.
About 70 original works of paintings and decorative and applied art are showcased in the State Halls, including two portraits transferred “on loan“ from the Pavlovsk State Museum: the first, of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Emperor Nicholas I) and the second, of Queen Victoria of Great Britain. The works were returned to their historical places in the Marble Drawing Room [not to be confused with the Marble (Mountain) Hall.
Visitors can also see three 18th-century chandeliers, created according to drawings by the architect Giacomo Quarenghi (1744-1817). They are made of bronze, glass and crystal and impress with their size: 3.5 meters high, each weighing more than 240 kilograms. The chandeliers were restored in March 2025.
Complementing the halls are four marble fireplaces, two of which are decorated with large vases created at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in the second quarter of the 19th century. On eleven consoles there are vases and candelabra. On the walls there are portraits of emperors and members of their families by artists Alexander Roslin, Franz Krüger, Timofey Neff, as well as urban and seascapes by Ivan Aivazovsky, Fyodor Alexeev, Maxim Vorobyov and Franz Ludwig Katel. In addition, are two large floor vases made of cloisonné enamel on copper, which were presented to Emperor Nicholas II in 1916 by Prince Kotohito on behalf of Emperor Yoshihito of Japan.
The Semi-Circular Hall (pictured above) is associated with an important event in early 20th century Russian history. It was from this hall, on the night of 31st July / 1st August 1917, that Emperor Nicholas II, along with his family and an enormous retinue left the Alexander Palace and went into exile to Tobolsk, Siberia. They passed through the doors (seen in the photo above), and never saw their beloved home again. From 1905, the Alexander Palace had been the preferred Imperial residence of Nicholas and his family.
At the time of this writing, the restoration of the Alexander Palace continues, funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, and philanthropists, and the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum. The restoration of the Western Wing of the palace is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Work is now underway to recreate the famous Crimson [aka Raspberry] Drawing Room. The work is planned to be completed in 2027.
PHOTO: the Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire is in the Collection of the Diamond Fund of the Russian Federation in the Moscow Kremlin
The Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire was made for the coronation of Empress Catherine II in 1762. The last Russian monarch who wore the Imperial Crown was Emperor Nicholas II, on the day of his Holy Coronation in Moscow, on 27th May (O.S. 14th May) 1896.
The Imperial Crown is a joint creation of a large number of craftsmen, but the main creators were two jewelers – the Frenchman Jérémie Pauzié (1716-1779) and the Swiss Georg Friedrich Eckart. The coronation of Catherine II was scheduled for 22nd September 1762, so there were only two and a half months for it’s preparation.
According to the surviving reports of the Diamond Workshop, it was Eckart who was given 3.96 pounds of gold and 20 pounds of silver for the manufacture of the crown and orb. A request, however, was made to Pauzié to draw a sketch of the proposed crown. The Frenchman’s version strongly resembled the crown of Empress Anna Ioannovna (1730) and looked like “an Orthodox church with its side gables and a raised central part crowned with an onion dome.” The diameter of the lower rim and the upper part of the hemispheres was almost the same, which gave the crown a bulky cylindrical shape. The arc connecting the hemispheres ended with a cross, on which a giant spinel was attached with the wide side down.
When Eckart saw the sketch, he “tore it up in anger.” The Swiss wrote a petition to Catherine with a complaint that the Frenchman’s drawing did not agree with the image of an Imperial Crown at all and was too reminiscent of a church in shape. Eckart created his own sketch of the crown, more elegant and harmonious: “the ellipsoidal hemispheres are strongly curved at the base and spread apart, making the crown look more compact. The dividing arc recessed between the hemispheres carried a cross and a giant spinel, turned wide side up. Due to the fact that Eckart made the frame openwork slotted, the finished crown turned out to be quite light in weight.”
When the frame was finished and it was time to inlay the stones, this work was entrusted to Pauzié. In preparation for the inlay, Pauzié used his original method: he made a wax model of Eckart’s slotted frame and tried different options for the arrangement of stones on it. Such a study made it possible to place each diamond in the most advantageous way, hide defects and emphasize the advantages. Pauzié was assisted in his work by six jewelers from Austria and one from France. Also involved in the creation of the crown were three Russian masters: Ivan Estifeev, Ivan Lipman and apprentice Ivan Nikiforov.
The crown was completed on time. All the masters received cash bonuses in addition to their salaries, Eckart was paid 700 rubles. Pauzié personally placed the finished crown on the head of the Empress, for fitting. Catherine II was “very pleased with it” and said she was confident that she would “somehow be able to hold the crown’s weight” on her head during the four hour coronation ceremony.
PHOTO: the Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire (left), among the Imperial Regalia is laid out on a table in the Grand Kremlin Palace, in preparation for the Holy Coronation of Emperor Nicholas II in May 1896
Designof the Imperial Crown
The image of the Imperial Crown is inspired by Byzantine symbolism, each element of the decoration has a certain meaning. The two hemispheres embody the connection of East and West. At the bottom, the grid of the hemispheres is encircled by laurel branches, a symbol of power and glory, and in the garland drawing, oak leaves and acorns are placed between the hemispheres as an image of the inviolability of the monarchy.
The Great Imperial Crown reflects the change of stylistic eras: it is decorated in the spirit of early Classicism, but also bears traces of the Baroque that preceded it. During the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna (1741-1762), massive Baroque jewelry with large precious stones of bright colors was in fashion. To give the diamonds a certain shade, a thin layer of colored foil was placed under them. From the 1760s, under Catherine II, court jewelry fashion began to change – the natural beauty of the stone began to be valued more highly, jewelry was made in more concise and restrained forms.
“I selected the most suitable materials, and since the Empress wanted not to change the crown after the ceremony, I preferred the largest stones, which were no longer in fashion, and so I created one of the most expensive jewels that ever existed in Europe. Despite the difficult task of making the crown as light as possible, using only the most necessary materials to secure the stones, it still weighed five pounds.”
– Jérémie Pauzié
A total of 5012 stones were used to decorate the crown: 75 pearls weighing 763 carats and 4936 diamonds, their total weight is 2858 carats. The height of the crown with the cross was 27.5 cm, the length of the lower circumference was 64 cm. The total weight of the jewelry is 1993.80 grams. In addition to materials from melted down jewelry from the Imperial Treasury, the work required an additional pound of gold and twenty pounds of silver for a total of 86 thousand rubles. The cost of the finished crown at the time of manufacture was estimated at 2 million rubles!
PHOTO: Emperor Nicholas II, wearing the Great Crown of the Russian Empire on the day of his Holy Coronation in Moscow, on 27th May (O.S. 14th May) 1896
After Catherine
The new crown became the main part of the Russian Imperial Regalia and the main symbol of power, it was worn only on the most solemn occasions, and the image was used on all heraldic signs. Following the established ceremony, the Great Imperial Crown was placed on the heads of all subsequent rulers of Russia, from Emperor Paul I (1797) to Nicholas II (1896). For each of the monarchs, the crown was adjusted to personal standards, this work was entrusted only to outstanding jewelry masters. The Great Imperial Crown was an integral attribute of imperial power and was used in solemn ceremonies – holidays, receptions, even funeral processions. The last time the Great Imperial Crown was worn by Nicholas II, was in 1906, during the opening ceremony of the first State Duma on 10th May (O.S. 27th April) 1906.
After the 1917 Revolution
In 1914, the Imperial Regalia, including the Great Imperial Crown, were evacuated from Petrograd [St. Petersburg] to the Armoury Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin. Because of the 1917 Revolution and the ensuing Civil War, the jewels were temporarily forgotten. Only in 1920 was the Gokhran, which collected jewels from the Romanovs, the Armoury, the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as valuables confiscated from private individuals. Many of these items were later sold abroad. In 1921, an official decision was made to use the “jewelry potential” for the benefit of the Communist Party, although the first secret deals date back to 1919.Between 1922 and 1938, the Soviet government auctioned off most of the jewelry that was not recognized as “valuable” to mostly British and American buyers.
It is interesting to note that in 1920, the estimated value of the Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire was a staggering$52 million USD!
Secret attempts to sell the Great Imperial Crown have been reliably confirmed, when, under the leadership of the Chekist Yakov Yurovsky (1878-1938), the Imperial Regalia and the main treasures of the Romanovs were taken from Moscow to Chita in 1923. The accidental publicity of the future deal created headlines in the international press and served as an impetus to stop the sale of crown jewels. It was this incident, which prompted Josef Stalin to issue a personal decree in 1934, ordering that the “tsar’s trinkets” were no longer to be sold and exported abroad, so as not to harm the reputation of the Communist Party.
PHOTO: “Comrade” Robert Yanovich Karklin (1892-1938) wearing the Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire, Chita. 1923
In the photo above, Bolshevik thugs amuse themselves, as “Comrade” Robert Yanovich Karklin (1892-1938) – an authorized representative of the People’s Commissariat of Finance of the RSFSR under the Far Eastern Revolutionary Committee – poses with the Imperial Regalia. Karkin is seen wearing the Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire, while holding the Imperial Orb and Sceptre.
Up until a few years ago, this photograph, taken in 1923 in Chita, had never been published, it was kept by Karklin’s daughter Victoria, in the family’s private archive.
Today, the Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire is in the Collection of the Diamond Fund of the Russian Federation in the Moscow Kremlin. According to Article No 7 of Federal Law No 41-F3 of 26th March 1998, it is part of an indivisible collection of unique jewelry in federal ownership and is not subject to alienation in any form. The Ministry of Finance of Russia is responsible for the safety of the fund, exclusion from the fund is possible only by personal decree of the president. All exhibits can only be used for exhibition and scientific activities exclusively on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. The current value of the Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire is too great to be calculated or estimated.
PHOTO: replica of the Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire, recreated in 2012
Replica of the Great Imperial Crown
The idea of creating a modern interpretation of the Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire, belongs to Kristall-Smolensk – an enterprise with a world reputation, and leader of diamond processing in Russia. In tandem with its subsidiary, the Smolensk Diamonds Jewellery Group, famous for the perfect cut and impeccable setting of its jewellery.
The replica of the Russian Imperial Crown was made in 2012, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty and the 250th anniversary of the original crown.
PHOTOS: two views of the replica of the Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire, recreated in 2012
More than 60 Smolensk craftsmen worked on the creation of a replica of the Great Imperial Crown for six months. It is made of white gold, encrusted with more than 11,000 diamonds of perfect cut and the highest quality. The sparkle of diamonds is accentuated by the matte brilliance of 74 natural large white sea pearls. Instead of spinel, the product contains a unique natural rubellite weighing almost 384 carats.
The creation and presentation of the Great Imperial Crown in a modern interpretation is a great opportunity to demonstrate the leading world position of the jewellery art of Russia. And two memorable historical dates were excellent occasions – 250 years since the coronation of Empress Catherine the Great (1762) and the four hundredth anniversary of the Romanov dynasty (1613).
CLICK on the image above to watch a short 2-minute VIDEO
This author has viewed both the original Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire in the Diamond Fund of the Moscow Kremlin, and the replica, which was on display in The Mint, located in the SS Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Petersburg. Both are exquisite works of jewellery art in their right.
On 11th July 2025, the exhibition “Cossacks in the Service of the Tsar and the Fatherland. 16th Century – 1917” opened in the Cameron Gallery, which is adjacent to the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo.
The large-scale exhibition brings together more than 800 items from the collections of 13 museums and archives, as well as six private collections. Their geography covers almost all of Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Gatchina, Novocherkassk, Ekaterinburg, Orenburg, Khabarovsk. Cossack troops and their units were stationed here for hundreds of years. Many of the items featured are being exhibited for the very first time.
Visitors will learn about the origin of the life of the Cossacks during peacetime, their uniforms, equipment, the weapons and regalia of the Cossack troops, the Cossack guards, the august atamans and military leaders, the Cossacks at the Imperial Court, as well as the participation of the Cossacks during the wars of the 18th – early 20th centuries.
“We have been preparing this exhibition for more than two years. It is symbolic that it opens in the year of the 250th anniversary of the formation of the Don and Chuguev court convoy Cossacks, who were stationed in Tsarskoye Selo, served the Empress Catherine II and became the basis for the creation of the Life Guards Cossack Regiment, which guarded the Imperial Family until 1917,” said Dmitry Klochkov, head of the military-historical department of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum.
“The history of the Cossacks is a separate, unique world, inextricably linked with the fate of Russia. The service of the Cossacks covers several centuries, and at all times they stood on the most dangerous borders of the country. We hope that the exhibition will become not only a cultural, but also an educational event that will awaken interest in the history and exploits of the defenders of the Fatherland,” said Alexei Gnedovsky, CEO of VELES Capital, philanthropist.
Among the exhibits are Cossack weapons (sabers, daggers, pikes and even cannons), exquisite uniforms, equipment, regalia (badges, banners, and maces, St. George trumpets, award weapons, bratins, prize cups), household items and costumes of Cossack wives, sculptures, paintings, drawings, engravings, lithographs, printed graphics, personal belongings and rare photographs. The events of the First World War on the Caucasian front are demonstrated by a large model-diorama “Plastuns in the Trebizond Operation in the Spring of 1916” specially created for the exhibition.
The exhibition tells about the participation of the Cossacks in the annexation of Siberia. This subject is widely known thanks to Vasily Surikov’s 1895 painting “The Conquest of Siberia by Yermak” – sketches for the famous canvas from the collection of the State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg) are featured in the exhibition.
Among the rare exhibits are a rifle that belonged to the ataman of the Azov Cossack Army Osip (Yosip) Mikhailovich Gladky (c. 1789-1866) from the collection of the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps (St. Petersburg); granted kovshs (ladles) of the 18th century for Cossack atamans and noble Cossacks, sabers granted from emperors and empresses from the collection of the State Historical Museum (Moscow); children’s Cossack toys from the collection of the Russian Museum of Ethnography (St. Petersburg); uniforms of the last ataman of all Cossack troops, Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, from the collection of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum. One of the priceless relics is the jubilee banner with the Alexander ribbon of the 7th Orenburg Cossack Regiment from the collection of the State Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg).
The exhibition “Cossacks in the Service of the Tsar and the Fatherland. 16th Century – 1917” runs until 8th October 2025 in the Cameron Gallery, which is adjacent to the Cather Palace at Tsarskoye Selo.
Emperor Nicholas II is well known for his piety and devotion to the Russian Orthodox Church. As part of the Tsar’s Days-2025, a collection of rare icons of the 17th to early 20th centuries, which are stored in church and private collections, will be brought to Ekaterinburg. The exhibition presents icons of the patron saints of the Romanov dynasty, which were commissioned by the Russian emperors.
The icons will be on display at the exhibition “Heavenly Patrons of the House of Romanov” which opens on 15th July 2025, to the Museum of the Holy Tsar’s Family, situated on the second floor of the Patriarchal Compound of the Church on the Blood.
This event was organized by the Altai Diocese together with the Ekaterinburg and Altai branches of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society and the Russian Academy of Arts. This is the first time that the Ural capital has hosted such an exhibition.
The organizers of the exhibition shared the history of the exposition:
For more than three hundred years, Russia was under the rule of the Romanov dynasty. The Romanovs’ coming to power is associated with a prayer at the Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God “Feodorovskaya” and was marked by the overcoming of the Time of Troubles. Under the Romanovs, the country acquired the status of an Empire, profound political transformations were carried out, feudalism was replaced by capitalist relations, the peasantry gained freedom, economic and social reforms were implemented, and the population increased. The reign of the Romanovs ended with another time of troubles, in 1917. On 15th (O.S. 2nd) March 1917, the day of the abdication of Nicholas II , the Reigning Icon of the Mother of God was revealed to a peasant woman in Kolomenskoye. Many believe the reappearance of the icon was an indication that the Virgin Mary was displeased with Russia for dethroning Tsar Nicholas II during the February 1917 Revolution.
PHOTO: The original Reigning Icon of the Mother of God in the Church of Our Lady of Kazan, Kolomenskoye (near Moscow)
According to Byzantine origins, the life of the Imperial Family in Russia was largely determined by Orthodox traditions. The Russian monarchs, following the Byzantine ones, were called God’s anointed. There was a corresponding rite of enthronement, which was performed in the main Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Solemn events, anniversaries and other holidays of the Emperor’s family were interwoven into the church rites. In churches, Diving Liturgies, public prayers and bell ringing were performed. For these occasions, special icons were ordered, on which the patron saints of representatives of the Imperial Family were painted. Such icons were made for the birth of grand dukes, for the wedding of heirs to the throne, enthronement and anniversaries. If an assassination attempt or accident occurred, and the respective member(s) of the Imperial Family were spared, then praise was given to God throughout the country, thanksgiving prayers were served, chapels and churches were built, or appropriate icons with selected saints were ordered. Moreover, for most people, the tsar was God’s anointed, and therefore, there was a prayer for the well-being of the tsar and his family members. And what is prayer without an icon? This is how new images were born.
After 1917, the Church and the monarchy became the main enemies of the new Bolshevik and later Soviet governments. The heritage of Russia was destroyed with special zeal, and it is not surprising that today such icons have become a rarity, which makes the exhibition a unique event for the spiritual life of the Sverdlovsk region – once a bastion of Bolshevism – and for Russia. The exhibition encourages a new look at the pages of the history of the ruling House of Romanov, which has so significantly influenced the history and modernity of Russia.
In addition, visitors will see the icons of the Most Holy Trinity of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, selected saints, the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, the image of Prince Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles of 1888, the version of which was painted specifically for the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus. Particular attention should be paid to the long-suffering Job – he could have been a personal icon of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II.
The exhibition “Heavenly Patrons of the Imperial House of Romanov” runs from 15th July to 31st August 2025, at the the Tsarsky Cultural and Educational Center, situated in the Patriarchal Compound of the Church on the Blood.
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.
NOTE: the dishes highlighted in red below feature a link to a dozen recipes, and while they may not be the exact recipe enjoyed by the Tsar, it will give you an idea of his favourite dishes. If you know of a more authentic traditional Russian recipe for any of the dishes noted below, please email me atroyalrussia@yahoo.com – PG
The kitchens for the Alexander Palace were located in a separate building, situated a few hundred feet away from the palace, on Dvortsovaya [Palace] Street. Meals were prepared in this building, and taken to the palace through an underground tunnel, built in 1902 – see original plan.
The kitchen building itself was a two-story, U-shaped structure with distinct architectural features on each floor. This building contained numerous rooms, including kitchens, linen room, a copper pantry, and a rooms for the cooks.
The purpose of having the kitchens in a separate building was likely due to fire safety and sanitation concerns, as was common practice for Russian palaces.
PHOTO: The former Kitchen Building of the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, as it looks today
Meals were brought to the palace via a tunnel and served in one of the rooms, usually the Semi-Circular Hall. When Nicholas and Alexandra dined alone, they dined in a more intimate setting, such as the Pallisander [aka Rosewood] Drawing Room [see photo below] or in the Empress’s Corner Reception Room.
The Palisander Drawing Room, was a cozy space with rosewood paneling and a fireplace. It was the room where Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna spent time with their children and enjoyed family dinners.
The Imperial family often invited close family members, trusted courtiers, and sometimes foreign dignitaries to dine with them. The Imperial children usually dined separately from their parents in their own dining room, situated on the second floor of the eastern wing of the palace.
For larger gatherings, the Semi-Circular Hall was the preferred space. It was in this interior, that a long table in the shape of a squared off U was used on more formal occasions. It was described as a room with a glittering chandelier, where guests could dine at round tables while listening to music.
While the Alexander Palace did not have a dedicated dining room, these two spaces served as the primary locations for meals, both casual and more formal.
PHOTO: Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, taking tea in the Pallisander [aka the Rosewood] Drawing Room, in the Alexander Palace
***
Royalty is often associated with luxurious living and dining. Throughout history the early Russian tsars, tsarinas, emperors and empresses dined lavishly. One has only to visit the elegant Baroque Style Hermitage Pavilion at Tsarskoye Selo for evidence of the grand scale in which the Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great dined and entertained their guests.
Despite the opulent surroundings of the Russian Imperial Court, Emperor Nicholas II was known for his love of simple, traditional Russian food, and unlike his ancestors and some of Europe’s royal family’s, avoided excessive luxury in food. He preferred a straightforward approach to dining, even when elaborate menus were prepared. Evidence of Nicholas II’s culinary preferences are indeed, often found in the surviving menus of that time.
Nicholas II started the day with rye bread with butter, boiled eggs and some sort of sliced meat, such as ham or bacon.
Among his favorite breakfast dishes was Dragomirovskaya porridge – named after the Russian military general Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov (1830-1905). Historian of Russian cuisine Pavel Syutkin explains that “Dragomirov porridge is… Buckwheat with mushrooms! However, there are a few secrets in the recipe. First, cook porridge by adding cream. Secondly, it is served in layers, like a pie. And thirdly, an indispensable addition to porridge is wild mushroom sauce.”
Lunch was the main meal of the day, and began with soup, such as solyanka [a thick and sour soup], ukha [fish soup] or shchi [cabbage soup]. Nicholas also had a fondness for cold Russian soups, like Botvinya, made with kvass, spinach, sorrel, and beetroot leaves. Soup was served with small vol-au-vents [small round pastry shells filled with a creamy mixture of meat or fish], rasstegai [small pies with fish or meat] or small croutons with cheese.
Nicholas also enjoyed pelmeni [meat dumplings] and vareniki [types of dumplings]. On the Imperial Yacht Shtandart, he often ate pan-fried dumplings.
Then came fish [pike perch or trout], roast [wild game or chicken], vegetables, Other favorites were Yalta-style Roasted Suckling Pig served with buckwheat stuffing and horseradish on the side, Mikhailovsky cutlets[later known as chicken Kiev] or Skobelev meatballs[Swedish meatballs], served with white sauce.
It is known that Nicholas II loved potatoes. Once in Crimea, he saw one of the officials carrying a sack of new potatoes from the market, and asked to sell him his purchase. In his youth, Nicholas II baked potatoes with his brothers and sisters in the Anichkov Palace park in St. Petersburg, and later with his son Tsesarevich Alexei in the Alexander Park.
It is interesting to note, that unlike many Russians, Nicholas did not like caviar. The officers of the Imperial Yacht Shtandart noted that “the Tsar was very fond of appetizers, except for caviar, salmon and salted fish.” There was a simple explanation for this – once while returning from the East in 1891, Nicholas was traveling along the Siberian route. At the stations, he was greeted with the traditional bread and salt, salted fish and caviar. The excessive summer heat coupled with all the salt, made him all the more thirsty. Needless to say, he developed a dislike for salted fish and caviar.
Dessert consisted of fruits, sweets, ice cream, jam, honey, as well as dishes such as pears in sherry or pie with rice porridge and lingonberries could be served. Lunch as a rule ended with delicious coffee.
PHOTO: сладости из империи / Sweets from the Empire
Nicholas II’s love of ice cream deserves special note in this article. Ice cream was especially popular at table of the last Emperor and his family. The recipe for “Romanov ice cream”, which was invented specifically for Nicholas II, has been preserved to this day. It included sugar, 10 egg yolks, heavy cream, whipping cream and vanilla. “I remember ice cream, the like of which I have never eaten anywhere else,” wrote the daughter of Grigorii Rasputin, Maria (1898-1977).
As far as alcohol, Nicholas was known as a teetotaler, despite the false allegations that he was a drunkard. As for wines, he only drank port at table. At first, the Emperor had his port brought from Portugal, but after he tried Crimean port wine, he switched. He rarely drank vodka and champagne.
At the same time, wines were served at the ceremonial dinners hosted in the palace, including Madeira, sherry, Bordeaux and Chablis wines, as well as Crimean wines, all from the well stocked cellars of the Alexander Palace.
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On 3rd July 2025, a new exhibition August Master of Moscow, dedicated to the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, opened at the Museum of Moscow in the Russian capital. The exhibition is timed to the 120th anniversary of the assassination of the grand duke on 17th February (O.S. 4th February) 1905.
Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (1857-1905) was a son of Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna, a younger brother of Emperor Alexander III, uncle of Emperor Nicholas II and husband of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. He is considered one of the most outstanding statesmen of the Russian Empire.
From 1891 to February 1905, he served as Governor-General of Moscow, and in 1896 he was appointed Commander of the Moscow Military District. It was during his years as Governor-General, that Moscow enjoyed one of the greatest periods of the city’s development, turning it from a dirty provincial city into a city that could rival any European capital.
As Governor General of Moscow, Grand Duke Sergei was in charge of overseeing the arrangements for the Holy Coronation of Emperor Nicholas II in May 1896. His reputation was initially tarnished, however, as he was partially blamed for the Khodynka Tragedy during the festivities following the coronation.
Yhe exhibition in three halls of the museum reveals all aspects of the Grand Duke’s activities. Not only his work as Governor-General of Moscow and Commander of the Moscow Military District, but also his piety and spiritual journey with his wife the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. Sergei was also a well-known philanthropist and patron of the arts.
The exposition features more than 500 items from 36 leading museums and archives of the Russian Federation, as well as from libraries and private collections. Among the exhibits are photographs, books from the library of the Grand Duke, personal items, awards of charitable institutions and societies, rare archival documents about his activities as Governor-General of Moscow and Commander of the Moscow Military District, correspondence with family members and statesmen, military uniforms, models of weapons and much more.
One of the most interesting items on display is a miraculously preserved tablet from the tombstone of the Grand Duke. After the Bolsheviks destroyed the Chudov Monastery [where he was initially buried] in 1928, it was believed that the grave of Sergei Alexandrovich was lost. However, during excavations of the site in the 1990s, a number of historical artifacts were revealed, including the grand duke’s grave. Another item on display is the icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh, also found in the tomb of the Grand Duke in the Chudov Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin.
On display in the first hall, are letters from the earliest years of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich to 1888. And they reflect his marriage, his service, his first trip to the Holy Land, his appointment as commander of the Preobrazhensky Regiment and so on.
The exposition is complemented by a unique documentary newsreel, a film about Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and the history of the Chudov Monastery.
The exhibition was solemnly opened by the Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin [pictured above] and the Chairman of the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational Society Foundation (ESPO) Anna Gromova.
The grand opening of the exhibition was attended by the head of the Department of Culture of the city of Moscow Alexei Fursin, the Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society Sergey Stepashin, the director of the Museum of Moscow Anna Trapkova, the director of the State Historical Museum Alexei Levykin, the director of the State Archives of the Russian Federation Larisa Rogovaya and the scientific director of the Civil Archive of the Russian Federation Sergey Mironenko.Archpriest Dimitry Roshchin, Head of the Department for Work with Public Organizations of the Synodal Department for Church, Society and Mass Media Relations, representatives of the museums partner of the exhibition, historians, scientists and artists, and representatives of public organizations.
The exhibition August Master of Moscow runs until 21st September 2025 at the Museum of Moscow.
Yet another new museum has opened in St. Petersburg: the Museum of Easter Eggs – not to be confused with the Fabergé Museum. The Museum of Easter Eggs, which opened in 2024, showcases the work of Andrey Georgievich Ananov, the famous Soviet and Russian jeweller, and Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation.
As the photos of Ananov’s creations, the jeweller has clearly been inspired by the Imperial Easter Eggs created by by Carl Fabergé.
Ananov’s works have received international recognition, and showcased at prestigious exhibitions in both Russia and abroad. Today his products are in the collections of Russian Presidents Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, Queen Sofia of Spain, Prince Albert of Monaco, and Queen Sirikit of Thailand, among others.
The museum, founded on the basis of the Ananov Jewellery Workshop, is a unique space where history, art and modern technology are combined. The Easter Egg Museum is housed in an Art Nouveau style building, which resembles a small castle. The exposition in two halls introduces guests to the exquisite Easter eggs and jewellery made in Ananov’s workshop in different years.
Like the famous Imperial Easter Eggs produced in the late 19th and 20th centuries by Carl Fabergé for Emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II, Ananov’s Easter eggs, each decorated with enamel, precious stones and mosaics, also contain a “surprise” inside. For example, one of them is dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. Inside this egg, the master placed miniature photographs of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna – see photo below.
The Easter Egg Museum is located at No. 7 Michurinskaya, near the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg. Individual visits are carried out during the following hours: 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30. Price of admission is 1500 rubles [$20.00 USD].
Nicholas II 
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