Nicholas II

Pavel Viktorovich Ryzhenko 1970-2014

Posted on July 16, 2022 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Pavel Viktorovich Ryzhenko (1970-2014)

On this day – 16th July 2014 – the great Orthodox artist Pavel Viktorovich Ryzhenko died in Moscow, at the age of only 44.

Russia’s hugely popular Christian, patriotic, monarchist painter Pavel Viktorovich Ryzhenko created more than 60 paintings depicting scenes from Imperial Russian history, particularly from the era of the Holy Royal Martyr Nicholas II. Large-scale exhibits of his works have been held in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Kostroma among other Russian cities.

Pavel Ryzhenko was born at Kaluga, Russia on 11 June 1970. In 1982 he entered the Moscow Art School at the Surikov Institute. In 1990 he entered the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where he studied in the historical and religious workshop of Professor Ilya Glazunov. From 1999, he taught at the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. In 2007, Pavel began working at the Ryzhenko Military Artists Studio, where he became one of the leading masters of diorama-panoramic art (during his life, he painted six large-scale dioramas). In 2012 Ryzhenko was awarded the title “Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.”

Sadly, Ryzhenko died on 16 July 2014. The famed Orthodox artist died, on the eve of the day of remembrance of the death and martyrdom of the Holy Royal Martyrs, and just 5 days before his 44th birthday, the cause of death was a stroke.

Pavel Ryzhenko’s early death was a tremendous loss to Russia’s artistic and spiritual communities.

PHOTO: Pavel Ryzhenko’s grave in Zhdamirovskom Cemetery, Zhdamirovo

A memorial service for Pavel Ryzhenko was held on Sunday 22 July 2014 in the Church of All Saints in the village of Krasnoselsky District, Moscow. The funeral was held on the same day in Kaluga, followed by his burial at the Zhdamirovskom Cemetery, in the village of Zhdamirovo.

I had the great honour of attending an exhibition of his works during my first visit to Ekaterinburg in 2012. The exhibition was held in the Patriarchal Compound, which is situated across from the Church on the Blood.

Memory Eternal! Вечная Память!

Below, are six of Ryzhenko’s canvases, in which the Holy Royal Martyr Nicholas II is depicted:

The Farewell of the Tsar to His Troops: From the Triptych “Imperial Golgotha”. 2004

Wounded, the last Tsar on an inspection of a military hospital near the front in World War I

Imprisoned at Tsarkoye Selo: From the Triptych “Imperial Golgotha”. 2004

The Ipatiev House. The Morning After: From the Triptych “Imperial Golgotha”. 2004

A Photograph in Remembrance: From the Triptych “A Russian Century”. 2007

The Birth of Russian Aviation. 2007

To view Ryzhenko’s complete works of historical realism, please click HERE to visit his official web site.

In Memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Paul Gilbert

Holy Royal Martyrs, pray to God for us! 🙏
Святы Царственные мученики, молите Бога о нас! 🙏

During this month, in which we sadly recall the regicide at Ekaterinburg on 17th July 1918, we also continue to honour the memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs throughout the year.

I am dedicated to clearing the name of Russia’s much slandered Tsar. I devote many hours, researching new works from Russian media and archival sources, and have them translated to English. These documents help to challenge and dismiss the many lies and myths about Russia’s last Tsar, which have have endured for more than a century.

Translating news and articles to English is very costly, therefore, I am reaching out to you for assistance, by making a donation to my work. Thank you for your consideration.

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION

Metropolitan Eugene calls for conciliar prayer during Tsar’s Days

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Metropolitan Evgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye

During an interview on 10th July, Metropolitan Evgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye spoke about the spiritual significance of the 30th anniversary of Tsar’s Days in Ekaterinburg.

“People of all faiths and nationalities come to the Urals to honour the memory of the Imperial Family. Why? Because they understand that the events which took place in Ekaterinburg in 1918, changed the history of the entire world. They also understand that the personality of Emperor Nicholas II was so significant that people want to know more about his life and reign, get closer to him, to draw from this historical and cultural well, draw living water, touch this beautiful family,” said Metropolitan Evgeny.

“And, of course, for believers, this is a particularly significant event, because the Imperial family is a holy family. And to turn to them, especially in these dark days, when we see that again, like a hundred years ago, the destinies of the world are being redrawn – this is very important. We pay serious attention to the preparation of this festival and hope that every person who has visited our region, who comes to our city during Tsar’s Days, will find what they are looking for.”

Vladyka also spoke about a free mobile application that allows pilgrims to keep track of daily event in the festival program.

“This is an application in which we publish the entire schedule of events, as well as important information for pilgrims during Tsar’s Days. It details dates and times of cultural events, church service, as well as detailed information for those who wish to participate in the Cross Procession, which, according to tradition, will take place on the night of July 16-17, from the Church on the Blood, along the streets of Ekaterinburg to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama.

“In addition is the historical forum, which which will take place on 16th July, in the Patriarchal Compound adjacent to the Church on the Blood. This can also be found in the application.”

Can you tell us about both the first White Flower Festival and the planting of Lilac Alley at Ganina Yama. Are we seeing the birth of some new tradition? Or is it a special preparation?

“One beautiful tradition succeeds another. The exhibition of ice sculptures has already become traditional, which takes place around Orthodox Christmas in January, near the Church on the Blood and decorates our city for almost the entire winter. The White Flower Festival is a tradition which was founded by the Imperial Family in the early 20th century. This year it has taken on a special scale, with the addition of the White Flower Festival, which showcases beautiful floral arrangements. They have already attracted the interest of many residents of the city, and became a highlight of the month of June.

“I believe that as these beautiful flowers continue to bloom and grow, so will this new tradition also grow, and that it will be a welcome addition to the framework of the Tsar’s Days Festival. I believe that the flowers and the number of compositions will increase from year to year. And, of course, the flowers and ice compositions, will be beautiful reminders to both residents and visitors, of the Holy Royal Martyrs, for whom we honour.”

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. There have already been many exhibitions marking this historic anniversary.

“Yes, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was a remarkable woman. A devoted wife and mother. Today, we can learn how our modern day families can learn from the examples set by Alexandra Fedorovna. And we are trying in the year of the 150th anniversary of her birth (she did not live to experience her 50th anniversary), to somehow compensate for this, learn from her and bring some light from the holy family to our contemporaries.”

Every year we try to remember the servants of the Tsar, who also endured the same fate and martyrdom. How will they be honoured this year?

“Last month, we opened a monument dedicated to four faithful servants to Nicholas II, on the grounds of the Novo-Tikhvinsky Convent. When the Imperial family were arrested, everyone was free to pack their things and return home, to their relatives, or to leave the country. Instead, they followed their personal oath that was given them, a sense of duty and remained with the Family. While many retainers followed the Imperial family into exile to Tobolsk, very few of them followed them further when the family was transfered to Ekaterinburg. We remember and honour the faithful generals, sailors, among others who died together with the Tsar’s family in the basement of the Ipatiev House, as well as those who were excommunicated from their families, and those shot in other places of our city and region.

“When we understand that such people lived in our country, in our history, they set examples on how we can follow their examples of faith and duty. We can encourage our children to strive to be like them. When we learn about them, we can then appreciate and understand the amazing lives and fates of those people who remained faithful to the end.”

There is an interesting story connected with this monument. Is it true, that the sisters of the convent created the sketch for it?

“Yes. The sisters of the convent created a sketch for this monument. The beauty which we see today, within the walls of the Novo-Tikhvinsky Convent, include beautiful architecure, landscaping which includes newly planted flowers and trees – this is the inner beauty in which the sisters of the convent live and which they embody around themselves. Orthodox Christians and other visitors can experience this wonderful world, this ray of light which comes from the kingdom of heaven to us here on earth. It is very beautiful.”

“Praying is always important. And why is it especially important at this time of year?

“When some kind of danger, illness, or trouble comes into our lives and a person feels helpless, the impossibility of humanly changing the situation for the better, they then turn to God.

“I myself am a witness to this, and I know that a lot of the people who make the Cross Procession from the Church on the Blood to Ganina Yama on the night of July 16-17, it is clear that they are not just walking, they are also praying. And these prayers, according to the testimonies of these pilgrims, they very clearly, distinctly reach the one to whom they are addressed and return with special events, positive events in their lives. And in this regard, of course, I would urge and invite residents of the city and region, to come and pray for our Motherland, to pray for our country. God is able to fulfill our prayers, so I invite you to get together and make such a prayer feat.”

The Fate of Nikolai Nikolaevich Ipatiev, 1869-1938

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Paul Gilbert

While the tragic fate of Russia’s last tsar, his family and their four faithful retainers is well known, the life and fate of the owner of the notorious house in Ekaterinburg, where they were brutally murdered on 17th July 1918 – Nikolai Nikolaevich Ipatiev (1869-1938), remains less familiar.

Nikolai was born on 18th February 1869 in Moscow, to Nikolai Alekseevich Ipatiev (1839-1890) a well-known architect in Moscow, who held a prominent and influential post – one of the three official architects of the first Russian Insurance Society – the most respected in the country. His wife Anna Dmitrievna Ipatieva (nee Glika) came from a family that gave Russia many remarkable intellectuals.

In addition to Nikolai, the couple had two other children, a daughter Vera and a brother Vladimir (1867-1952), who became a famous chemist, who is considered one of the founders of petrochemistry in the United States.

Nikolai was a graduate of the 3rd Moscow Cadet Corps, the Nikolaev Engineering School in St. Petersburg and the Military Engineering Academy. In 1906, after serving in the army, he retired with the rank of engineer captain and settled in Ekaterinburg, where he began working as a civil engineer. He later opened a very successful company engaged in the laying of railroad tracks.

At first, Nikolai lived in a rented apartment, but his business was so successful, that two years later in 1908, he was able to buy a two-storey stone mansion at Voznesenskaya Gorka, 49/9 paying the former owner 6 thousand rubles. He became the third owner of the house since it’s construction in the 1880s.

Nikolai and his wife lived on the upper floor of the house, while the main floor was used for his thriving business. The interiors were richly decorated with iron castings, stucco mouldings, and the ceilings were decorated with artistic painting. The house was equipped with all the modern amenities: electricity, sewerage, a bathroom with a water heater, a wine cellar, and even a telephone.

He took part in the construction of the Ekaterinburg-Perm railway. He was active in public and local history activities. He also participated in the development of the project for the construction of the building of the Ural Mining Institute. He also served as an engineer of the Railway Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, a unit in the engineering corps of the Imperial Russian Army.

PHOTO: early 20th century view of the Ipatiev House (left) from the bell tower of the Ascension Church

THE BOLSHEVIKS EVICT THE IPATIEV’S

Nikolai Ipatiev and his wife Maria Feodorovna Ipatieva (1876-1953), led a quiet and peaceful life until April 1918, when the Bolsheviks suddenly knocked on the door of their house. Nikolai’s memories of that day are preserved in the State Archives of the Russian Federation (GARF).

“On 27th April, Commissar Zhilinsky [Alexander Nikolaevich Zhilinsky, 1884-1937] came to me and, announced that my house would be occupied for the needs of the council, and then ordered me to clean the entire house by 29th April,” writes Nikolai. “Having overheard the order, my wife asked Zhilinksy, among other things, whether the integrity of our belongings that we would leave in the house would be guaranteed to us; Zhilinsky replied to this that the people who would be living in the house would not damage anything.”

The choice and location of the Imperial family’s place of imprisonment is explained by Alexander Dmitrievich Avdeev (1887-1947), the first commandant of the Ipatiev House [renamed “House of Special Purpose” by the Bolsheviks] in his memoirs, that it was located “… almost in the very centre of the city, in such a place that its defence against an external attempt to free the former tsar was favourable in all respects … ”

Ipatiev was able to take only a small number of personal belongings from the house. He locked the cabinet with his valuable books in his office. His wife locked their dishes in the dining room. The rest of their belongings were locked in the basement pantry, a room adjacent to the one where the regicide was carried out, and then locked with a key.

“The keys to the locked rooms were left with me, while the members of the Commission sealed the rooms themselves with the Soviet seal,” said Ipatiev. “I had moved our folded kitchen and table utensils, chests with clothes and linen into the carriage house . After some time, the Chairman of the App. Committee Sergei Egorovich Chutskaev (1876-1944) demanded from me the keys to all the locked rooms in order to check what was in them and, after inspecting the rooms, he replaced seals on them.”

Until the very last moment, Ipatiev did not know who exactly the Bolsheviks were preparing his house for. Only after 29th April, when he had already moved out [Nikolai and his wife moved to the village of Kurinskoye], did his neighbour inform him that the ex-tsar Nicholas II, his wife and one of his daughters [Grand Duchess Maria] had been settled in the mansion. The rest of the family members were brought later.

A high double wooden fence exceeding the windows of the second floor in height, was built around the outer perimeter of the house, closing it off from the street. The fence had a single gate in front of which a sentry was constantly on duty, two guard posts were placed inside, eight outside. Machine guns were installed in the attics of neighbouring buildings.The Imperial family were held under house arrest in the Ipatiev House for 78 days, from 28th April to 17th July 1918.

PHOTO: Nikolai Nikolaevich Ipatiev (1869-1938)

“THE TENANT HAS LEFT”

Before leaving, Nikolai Ipatiev made an agreement with his cousin Yevgenia Poppel that she would send him a telegram with certain words if the Bolsheviks suddenly vacated his house. And such a telegram came to him on 22nd July – five days after the murder of the Imperial Family. It contained only four words: “The tenant has left,” whereupon Nikolai and his wife returned to Ekaterinburg.

An article appeared in the newspaper Ural Worker – stating that, “at the numerous requests of the workers, the blood-drinking tsar was shot.”

On the same day, Nikolai Nikolaevich was summoned to the local Cheka, who returned to him, the keys to his own house. By that time, all traces of blood had been washed away, the floors swept, the personal belongings of the dead packed and taken away. Nikolai and his wife never returned to the “bloody house” again, even leaving his belongings, which he had stored in the house.

Later, during an interview Ipatiev noted that “in all the years of the existence of the house, no one had died in it. And then, overnight, eleven people were all murdered at once … “

On 25th July, Ekaterinburg was occupied by the Czechoslovak Corps. Upon the arrival of the White Army, Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (1874-1920), ordered the Ipatiev House sealed, “the crime scene was to remain intact.” He ordered investigator Nikolai Alekseevich Sokolov (1882-1924), to launch an investigation into the fate of Nicholas II and his family, and the events which took place in the house of engineer Ipatiev, where bullet marks were discovered in the basement walls.

PHOTO: Nikolai Ipatiev’s grave at the Olshansky Cemetery in Prague

LIFE AND DEATH IN EXILE

On 28th July, 1919, Ekaterinburg was retaken by the Reds, Nikolai Ipatiev was now considered an “enemy of the Bolsheviks”, forcing him to flee the Urals.

Nikolai and his wife Maria evacuated from Ekaterinburg with the Whites. They travelled across Siberia to Japan, then moved to Turkey, but eventually ended up in Czechoslavakia in 1920, where they settled in Prague, teaching at the Civil Engineering Institute.

Nikolai died there on 20th April 1938, and buried in the crypt of the Assumption Church, at the Olshansky Cemetery in Prague. His burial niche is decorated with an orthodox icon of the Saviour Made Without Hands. On the church’s website, they note in one line: “N.I. Ipatiev, in whose house the last Russian Emperor and his august family were killed. Maria died in Prague in 1953, and is buried near her husband.

On 22-23 September 1977, the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg where Emperor Nicholas II and his family were held under house arrest for 78 days before being murdered, was razed to the ground. Click HERE to read my article How Yeltsin justified the demolition of the Ipatiev House, published on 25th February, 2020.

American Tsarism – A Sermon for the Feast of the Royal Martyrs of Russia

Posted on July 13, 2022 by Paul Gilbert

This article was originally published on 17th July 2021, on the web site of the Holy Cross Monastery, a monastic community of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), situated in Wayne, West Virginia, USA. Click HERE to make a donation to the Holy Cross Monastery.

I remember the first time I saw a portrait of Tsar Nicholas II in a church. As a recent American convert to Orthodoxy, it seemed strange to me, and something within me bristled. Not surprisingly, most Americans are uneasy with the concept of monarchy. Our nation was born in casting off the rule of a monarch and the founding a democratic republic. We have always defined ourselves in opposition to the antiquated ways and entrenched hierarchies of the Old World. And now, the Church sets before us the last living representatives of that order for our pious admiration and veneration.

What are we to make of this as Americans? For us, the words “czar” and “autocrat” have the negative connotations of someone who wields power in an arbitrary or oppressive manner. They are practically synonymous with “tyrant” and “despot”. The voice of the inner cynic suggests that the canonization of the last Tsar and his family is just an expression of Russian chauvinism and reactionary nostalgia for a time when the Orthodox Church enjoyed the patronage of the State. Why should a repressive Russian tyrant command the affection and devotion of an American heart reared on the ideals of liberty and democracy? Perhaps your inner cynic has never had such thoughts, but mine has, and others like them—Were the Royal Martyrs really deserving of sainthood? They did not perform any miracles in their lifetime. Were they even truly martyrs? For unlike the martyrs of the early Church, they were not killed by state-sanctioned persecutors simply for confessing Christ; rather, they were killed precisely because they represented and embodied the very conjunction of State power and the Christian faith.

The presence of their relics here in our little chapel tells us that the last Royal Family of Russia is not meant for Russia alone, but for Christians of all peoples and nations. First, though, we may have to set aside the objections of the cynic, the distortions of history, and our American political prejudices, and simply encounter this holy family as fellow human beings and fellow Christians. If we are willing to do so, then no sensitive heart can fail to be moved by their lives, to be drawn by the beauty of their virtues, to be struck by the horror of their slaughter, and to be in awe of their ultimate sacrifice.

On this human level, there is indeed much to admire about Tsar Nicholas II. He was a deeply and sincerely pious man, a patriot in the truest sense of the word, a devoted husband, and a loving father. Born on the feast-day of Righteous Job the much-suffering, he had a clear sense of the historic tragedy that was his providential lot to live through. He understood his role as Tsar to be a charge from God, and he accepted it self-sacrificially, ready to bear any suffering in order to fulfill his sacred calling.

Secular historians often judge him to be a weak and ineffective ruler. Instead, it is the modernizing and Westernizing rulers Peter I and Catherine II whom they remember as “the Great”. And from the point of view of their earthly accomplishments, they were indeed great. But things appear differently from the Church’s point of view. During the reign of “the Greats” the Moscow Patriarchate was abolished, and the Russian Church was reorganized as a department of state, on the model of certain Protestant Churches in Western Europe; monasteries were closed, their lands taken; obstacles were created to prevent young men and women from entering monastic life; the eremitical life was outlawed.

The pious Tsar Nicholas had a much different attitude to the Church. During his reign the first steps were taken to restore the Patriarchate, culminating in the All-Russian Council of 1917-18. The Tsar also had a great devotion to the saints. It was thanks to his encouragement and insistence that St. Seraphim of Sarov was officially canonized, and he took part personally in the solemnities of his glorification. He was a great patron of church building, and had an exquisite taste for traditional Russian church art and architecture. Even today, you can go to Russia and see with your own eyes the concrete legacy of the Tsar in all of the magnificent churches he commissioned and funded. In these places of sacred beauty—monuments of craftsmanship, artistry, and imagination that surpass anything to be found in the New World—it becomes tangibly clear just what it meant for there to be an Orthodox Tsar in Russia, to protect, defend, nurture and support the life of the Church. The imposing majesty and celestial beauty of these temples needs no explanation or apology; it is its own justification for an Orthodox regime and a Christian civilization.

PHOTO: Shrine and reliquary for the Holy Royal Martyrs, in the Hermitage of the Holy Cross, a Russian Orthodox monastery in Wayne, West Virginia, USA. It was installed on July 17th, 2018, to mark the centenary of the tragic murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family.

On my pilgrimage to Russia with Fr. David and Nicholas two years ago, we visited a number of these churches associated with Tsar Nicholas II. The one that had the deepest stamp of his personality was the Fyodorovskiy Cathedral in Tsarkoe Selo. It was built for the Royal Family to worship together with the soldiers who were garrisoned the town, where the Tsar lived for much of the year. The first floor of the church was covered in darkly stained hardwood, which gave the spacious nave a sense of inviting warmth, a very down-to-earth quality. Standing there during the Divine Liturgy, halfway across the world, I had the uncanny sense of being of right at home—home in my parish where I first saw the Tsar’s portrait and found myself skeptical of the Royal Family’s veneration. Now it felt as though they were welcoming me here, and the grace of their presence was overwhelming. There was no more room for skepticism, only inexplicable tears of recognition and devotion.

After the Liturgy, we were given a tour of the basement church in the cathedral, which was dedicated to St. Seraphim and was the Royal Family’s private chapel, only open to others by their invitation. In that dark and low-ceilinged chapel, the Family worshipped together, knelt together, fasted and prayed together. I saw the plain wooden chair in which the Emperor sat during church; the narrow alcove looking in on the altar for the Empress to observe the services; the side-room built for the Emperor to address urgent state affairs; a pillow embroidered by the Empress’ own hands. Beneath the outward splendor, their life here was so unassuming, so disarmingly homely. It all pointed to something deeper about their character—to a goodness and spiritual nobility that inspired loyalty, fidelity, and love.

By all accounts, this is how they were in life, too. Nicholas and his family, and everything they stood for, were hated and reviled by certain segments of Russian society. The Russian press spread the most vile slanders about the Tsar and his family. They did not shrink from inventing and printing total fabrications in order to stir up public opinion against them, so intense was the animosity directed against them. During the days of their final imprisonment, their guards, having been fed on this propaganda, were often hostile to them at first. But the godly family would win them over eventually with patience, charity, and their noble simplicity. New guards, even more violent, crude, and full of revolutionary fervor, had to be found who would not deal with them so humanely. At last, after months of increasingly restrictive and deprived confinement, they and a handful of loyal servants were hauled into a basement cellar, and shot in cold blood by a band of committed revolutionaries. Their bodies were violated, disfigured and maimed, then disposed of like animals.

Yet after seventy long years, full of suffering for the Russian land, they were recovered; and even more improbably, fragments of them now have a permanent home in our holler. What does this mean for us as 21^st century Americans? We don’t have to become avid Russophiles or staunch monarchists to appreciate the fact that their death represents the end of a world—that of Christendom. The era of Christian monarchs that began with Constantine the Great and lasted for 1600 years, came to an end with Tsar Nicholas. Some, of course, greet this as a welcome development, or at least an ambivalent one. After all, the Christian Gospel cannot be exclusively identified with one particular regime, or one particular people. But true as that may be, it is nonetheless possible for a regime or for a people to identify themselves with the Gospel. That is the meaning of Holy Rus’. The Royal Martyrs were the last representatives of this union of Church and State, and were killed because of it. But like their forebears Boris and Gleb, they died ultimately because of their personal fidelity to Christ. They could have fled Russia and lived, but they chose to remain and suffer together with the people whom God had entrusted to them, to undergo their sorrowful fate together with them. They died for the ideal of a Christian Russia, a holy Russia. And they modelled this holiness in their lives, as they walked the path to their own Golgotha with patience, with kindness to their persecutors, with grace and nobility, with total forgiveness for their enemies, and with pure Christian love. Their lives and deaths indeed bear witness to the truth of the Christian Faith. They are justly called saints and martyrs.

As we gaze upon their icon and venerate their relics, we can scarcely begin to fathom all that was lost in the fire and bloodshed of Revolution. Although we may have some inkling of the goodness that was irretrievably spoiled, and of the evil that took its place, we should not feel nostalgic for a lost past. There is no sense in us as Americans pining for the days of Holy Rus’ and the benevolent reign of a pious Tsar. We must live out our Christian struggle in the time and the place to which God has called us. And there is so much about the lives of the Royal Martyrs that can help us find our way through our own time in America, where more and more people are abandoning the Christian faith, where Christian morals are in retreat from the law and the public sphere. Their personal example shows us how to remain steadfast in even the most difficult circumstances. In our time, when most marriages end in divorce, the Royal Martyrs present us with a perfect icon of Christian marriage and family life. Now, when children are exposed to images of sex and violence at younger and younger ages, the Royal Martyrs show us an image of youthful innocence, chastity, and purity. In our time of indifference and cynicism, they show us that it is possible to live self-sacrificially in service to a lofty spiritual ideal. In short, they manifest the fulness of Christian life on the level of the individual and the family, as well as the nation. Whatever our age or whatever our calling, we can draw great strength in our struggle by prayerfully turning to them for support.

No matter how far our own country may turn from Christ, when we look upon the Royal Martyrs, we should be reminded that every triumph of evil in this world is only temporary. Their contemporaries and their historians have all made their judgments, but God’s judgment is the one that prevails in the end. And Christ has glorified them. So let us also glorify them, and turn to them in prayer, asking that we too might remain faithful to Christ amidst the darkness of this world. So may we find a place together with them in Christ’s heavenly kingdom. Amen.

Program for the XXII Tsar’s Days in the Urals – 2022

Posted on July 5, 2022 by Paul Gilbert

From 12th to 20th July, the 22nd annual Tsar’s Days will be held in the Urals [Ekaterinburg and Alapaevsk], which 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 are the night Divine Liturgy, which is performed on 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, and the 21-km [13 miles] Cross Procession 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.

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.

In addition, the XXI International Festival of Orthodox Culture will be held in Ekaterinburg from 12th-20th July. The festival features many events in honour of the Holy Royal Martyrs, including divine services, religious processions, exhibitions, concerts, conferences and other events.

PHOTO: icon depicting the Ekaterinburg and Alapaevsk Martyrs

SERVICE CALENDAR

July 16, Saturday

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.

July 17, Sunday

~ 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.

17.00 – All-night vigil. Monastery in the Name of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church, Alapaevsk.

July 18, Monday

00:00 – Divine Liturgy. Holy Trinity Archbishop’s Compound, Alapaevsk.

02:30 – Small Vespers with Akathist to the Holy Royal Martyrs Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and nun Varvara. Holy Trinity Archbishop’s Compound, Alapaevsk.

03:30 – Procession from the Holy Trinity Bishops’ Metochion to the Napolnaya School [where Grand Duchess Elizabeth along with other members of the Imperial family and their servants were held under arrest] and further to the Monastery in the Name of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church, Alapaevsk.

05:30 – Divine Liturgy (early). Monastery in the Name of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church, Alapaevsk.

09:00 – Divine Liturgy (late). 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.

Click HERE to read my article What is Tsar’s Days? – published on 15th May 2021

*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 the end of 2022, during which they will review the findings of the Investigative Commission and deliver their verdict on the authenticity of the Ekaterinburg Remains.

Summer 2022 Appeal

If you enjoy my articles, news stories and translations, then please help support my research by making a donation in US dollars to my project The Truth About Nicholas II – please note that donations can be made by PayPal or credit card. Thank you for your consideration – PG

Saint John (Maximovich) of Shanghai and San Francisco, 1896-1966

Posted on July 2, 2022 by Paul Gilbert

On this day – 2nd July 1966 – St. John (Maximovich) of Shanghai and San Francisco died in the United States. During his life, he honoured the memory of the Holy Royal-Martyr Nicholas II and his family, believing that “the Russian people were entirely guilty for the death of the tsar.” On 2nd July 1994, St. John was solemnly canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR).

Mikhail Borisovich Maximovitch (his secular name) was born on 17th (O.S. 4th) June 1896, in the village of Adamovka of the Izyumsky Uyezd of the Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire (in present-day eastern Ukraine).

Maximovitch was a patriot of his fatherland and was profoundly disappointed by what he saw as human weakness and impermanence during the tragic events of the 1917 Revolution. As a result he made the decision to dedicate his life to serving God. His family sought refuge in Yugoslavia and brought him to Belgrade in 1921, where in 1925 he graduated from Belgrade University with a degree in theology.

In 1926 he was tonsured a monk and ordained a hierodeacon by Russian Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), who gave him the name of St. John after his saintly relative. Later that same year, he was ordained to the priesthood by Russian Bishop Gabriel (Chepur) of Chelyabinsk. Once ordained St. John would no longer sleep in a bed. He would nap in a chair or kneeling down in front of the icons, praying fervently and eating only once a day.

St.John earned the respect and devotion at the seminary where he taught. His reputation grew as he started visiting hospitals, caring for patients with prayer and communion. In 1934 he was ordained a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia by Metropolitan Anthony and assigned to the diocese of Shanghai.

PHOTO: St. Nicholas Church in Shanghai, built in 1935, dedicated to Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II

Shanghai, China

In Shanghai, Holy Bishop St. John found an uncompleted cathedral and an Orthodox community deeply divided along ethnic lines. Making contact with all the various groups, he quickly involved himself in the existing charitable institutions and personally founded an orphanage and home for the children of indigents. Under Holy Bishop St. John, the construction of St. Nicholas Church (1935) was completed, a memorial church dedicated to Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II.

He also set about restoring church unity, establishing ties with local Orthodox Serbs, Greeks and Ukrainians. Here he first became known for miracles attributed to his prayer. As a public figure it was impossible for him to completely conceal his ascetic way of life. Despite his actions during the Japanese occupation, even when he routinely ignored the curfew in pursuit of his pastoral activities, the Japanese authorities never harassed him. As the only Russian hierarch in China who refused to submit to the authority of the Soviet-dominated Russian Orthodox Church, he was elevated to Archbishop of China by the Holy Synod of ROCOR in 1946.

When the Communists took power in China, the Russian colony was forced to flee, first to a refugee camp on the island of Tubabao in the Philippines and then mainly to the United States and Australia. Archbishop St. John personally traveled to Washington, D.C. to ensure that his people would be allowed to enter the country.

PHOTO: the Church of St. Job the Long Suffering in Brussels, consecrated in 1950, dedicated to Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II

Western Europe

In 1951, St. John was assigned to the archdiocese of Western Europe with his see first in Paris, then in Brussels, which was considered the official residence of Archbishop John of Brussels and Western Europe. The center of the vigorous activity of Archbishop John was the Church of St. Job the Long-suffering in Brussels, constructed between 1936-1950, as a memorial church dedicated to Tsar Nicholas II.

Thanks to his work in collecting lives of saints, a great many pre-Schism Western saints became known in Orthodoxy and continue to be venerated to this day. His charitable and pastoral work continued as it had in Shanghai, even among a much more widely scattered flock.

PHOTO: the Holy Virgin Cathedral, San Francisco, consecrated in1977

San Francisco, United States

In 1962 St. John was once again reassigned by the Holy Synod to the see of San Francisco. Here too, he found a divided community and a cathedral in an unfinished state. Although he completed the building of the Holy Virgin Cathedral and brought some measure of peace to the community he became the target of slander from those who became his political enemies, who went so far as to file a lawsuit against him for alleged mishandling of finances related to construction of the cathedral. He was exonerated, but this was a great cause of sorrow to him in his later life.

The current cathedral was founded by St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. Groundbreaking took place on 25th June 1961, construction was completed in 1965, a year before the death of The cathedral was consecrated on 31st January 1977.

PHOTO: the sepulchre of St. John in the Holy Virgin Cathedral, San Francisco

Death and Veneration

On 2nd July 1966 (O.S. 19th June), St. John died while visiting Seattle at a time and place he was said to have foretold. He was entombed in a sepulchre beneath the altar of the Holy Virgin Cathedral he had built in San Francisco dedicated to the Theotokos, Joy of All Who Sorrow, on Geary Boulevard in the Richmond district.

On 2nd July 1994, St. John was solemnly canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), the day marking the 28th anniversary of his death. His unembalmed, incorrupt relics now occupy a shrine in the cathedral’s nave.

His feast day is celebrated each year on the Saturday nearest to 2nd July. He is beloved and celebrated worldwide, with portions of his relics located in Serbia, Russia, Mount Athos, Greece (Church of Saint Anna in Katerini), South Korea, Bulgaria, Romania, United States (St. John Maximovitch Church, Eugene, Oregon), Canada (Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church, Kitchener), England (Dormition Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church, London) and other countries of the world.

Memory Eternal! Вечная Память!

On Tsar-Marytr Nicholas II

IN MEMORY OF THE ROYAL MARTYRS

Sermon given in 1934 by His Eminence John, Bishop of Shanghai,during the memorial service for Tsar Nicholas II and those slain with him

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

On July 17 (July 4 Old Style) the Holy Church praises Saint Andrew, the Bishop of Crete, the author of the Great Canon of Repentance, and at the same time we gather here to pray for the souls of the Tsar-Martyr and those assassinated with him. Likewise, people in Russia used to gather in churches on the day of the other Saint Andrew of Crete (Oct.17), not the writer of the Great Canon whose day is celebrated tomorrow, but the Martyr Andrew, martyred for confession of Christ and His Truth. On the day of Martyr Andrew, people in Russia thanked God for the miraculous delivery of Emperor Alexander III from the train wreck at Borki on Octo ber 17, 1888. In the terrible derailment which occurred during his journey, all the carriages of the train were wrecked, except the one carrying the Tsar and his Family.

On the day of the Martyr Andrew of Crete, martyred by enemies of Christ and His Church, the Heir to the throne and subsequent tsar, Nicholas Alexandrovich, was saved, and on the day of Saint Andrew of Crete the Canonist, who reposed in peace, the Tsar was assassinated by atheists and traitors. On the day of Martyr Andrew, Russia also celebrated the day of the Prophet Hosea, who foretold Christ’s Resurrection. Churches were built in honor of these saints wherever Russian people thanked God for the delivery of their Sovereign. Thirty years later, on the day of Saint Andrew the Canonist, who taught repentance, the Sovereign was assassinated before the eyes of the whole nation, that did nothing to save him. It is especially dreadful and incomprehensible since the Sovereign, Nicholas Alexandrovich, incarnated the best virtues of those Tsars whom the Russian people knew, loved, and esteemed.

Most of all the Tsar-Martyr resembled Tsar Alexis Michailovich Tishayshiy (the Most Meek, 1645-76) excelling in unshakable meekness. Russia knew Alexander II(1855-81) as Liberator, but Tsar Nicholas II liberated even more nations of the fraternal Slavic tribe. Russia knew Alexander III (1881-94) as Peacemaker but Sovereign Nicholas II did not limit himself to care for peace in his own days but made a significant step towards establishing peace in Europe and in all the world so that all nations should solve their controversies peacefully. To that purpose, by his dispassionate and noble initiative, the Hague Conferences were called. Russia admired Alexander I(1801-25) and called him the Blessed One because he liberated Europe from the alien rule of a tyrant, Napoleon. Sovereign Nicholas II under much more difficult circumstances rose against another ruler’s attempt, Kaiser Wilhelm II, to enslave Slavic nations, and in the defense of that nation showed a determination that was devoid of compromises. Russia knew the Great Reformer Peter I but if we recall all the reforms of Nicholas II, we would be uncertain whom to give preference and the latter’s reforms were conducted more carefully, more thoughtfully, and without abruptness. John Kalita (1328-40) and John III (1449 – 1505), Grand Princes of Moscow, were known for uniting the Russian people, but their cause was finally accomplished only by Sovereign Nicholas when in 1915 he returned to Russia all her sons, though only for a short time. Sovereign of All Russia, Nicholas II was the first Pan-Russian Tsar. His inner, spiritual, moral image was so beautiful that even the Bolsheviks in their desire to blacken him could blame him only for his piety.

It is known for certain that he always began and ended the day with prayer. He always received Communion on the days of the Church’s great holidays and often went to receive the Great Sacrament in a crowd of commoners, as for instance during the opening of the relics of Saint Seraphim of Sarov. He was an example of marital fidelity and the head of an exemplary Orthodox family, bringing up his children to be ready to serve the Russian people and strictly preparing them for the future labors and feats of that calling. He was deeply considerate towards his subjects’ needs and always wanted to ascertain clearly and acutely their labor and service. Everyone knows that he once marched alone many miles in soldier’s full equipment in order to better understand the conditions of a soldier’s service. He walked alone, which refutes the slanderers who say that he was afraid for his life. Peter I said: “know about Peter, that life is not precious for him, but may Russia live” and Sovereign Nicholas II indeed fulfilled his words. Some people say that he was credulous. But the great father of the Church, Saint Gregory the Great, says that the more pure the heart, the more credulous it is.

What did Russia render to her pure-hearted Sovereign, who loved her more than life? She returned love with slander. He was of great morality, but people began to talk about his viciousness. He loved Russia, but people began to talk about his treason. Even the people close to the Sovereign repeated the slander, passing on to each other rumors and gossip. Because of the ill intention of some and the lack of discipline of others, rumors spread and love for the Tsar began to grow cool. They started to talk of the danger to Russia and discuss means of avoiding that non-existent danger, they started to say that to save Russia it would be necessary to dismiss the Sovereign. Calculated evil did its work: it separated Russia from her Tsar and in the dread moment at Pskov he was alone; no one near to him. Those faithful to him were not admitted to his presence. The dreadful loneliness of the Tsar… But he did not abandon Russia, Russia abandoned him, the one who loved Russia more than life. Thus, in the hope that his self-belittling would still the raging passions of the people, the Sovereign abdicated. But passion never stills. Having achieved what it desires it only inflames more. There was an exultation among those who desired the fall of the Sovereign. The others were silent. They succeeded in arresting the Sovereign; succeeded, and further events were almost inevitable. If someone is left in a beast’s cage he will be torn to pieces sooner or later. The Sovereign was killed, and Russia remained silent. There was no indignation, no protest when that dread, evil deed happened, and this silence is the great sin of the Russian people, and it happened on the day of Saint Andrew, the writer of the Great Canon of Repentance, which is read in churches during Great Lent.

In the vaults of a basement in Ekaterinburg the Ruler of Russia was killed, deprived by the peoples’ insidiousness of the tsar’s crown, but not deprived of God’s Sacred Anointment. Hitherto, all the cases of regicide in the history of Russia were committed by cliques, not by the people. When Paul I was killed, people knew nothing about it and when it became known, for many years they brought to his grave compassion and prayers. The assassination of Alexander II produced in Russia a storm of indignation that healed the people’s morality and assisted the reign of Alexander III. The people remained innocent of the blood of the Tsar-Liberator, Alexander II. But in the case of Nicholas lI the entire nation is guilty of shedding the blood of its tsar. The assassins did the terrible deed, their masters approved the murder, sharing the same sin, the people did not prevent it. All are guilty and indeed we must say: “His blood is on us and on our children.” The garland with which the Russian people crowned their Tsar was made of treason, treachery, the breaking of the oath of allegiance to Tsar Michael Theodorovich, the first Tsar of the Romanov dynasty and his heirs, passivity, hardness of heart, and insensitivity.

Today is a day of sorrow and repentance. Why – we could ask – did the Lord save the Tsar [previously] on the day of Martyr Andrew and not save him on the day of the other Saint Andrew, the teacher of repentance? With deep grief we answer: the Lord could have saved him, but the Russian people did not deserve it.

The Sovereign received a martyr’s crown, but this neither justifies us, nor reduces our guilt, as the Resurrection of Christ does not justify, but condemns Judas, Pilate, and Caiphas and those who demanded from Pilate the murder of Christ.

It is a great sin to lift up a hand against the God-Anointed Sovereign. When the news of the murder of Saul was brought to King David, he ordered the execution of the messenger, although he knew that the messenger did not participate in the murder but only hurried to bring that news, and he ascribed the murder to him. Even the slightest participation in such a sin is not without retribution.

In sorrow we say, “his blood is on us and our children.”

Let us remember that this evil deed of the whole nation was committed on the day of Saint Andrew of Crete, who calls us to deep repentance. Let us remember also, that there is no sin which cannot be washed away by repentance. But our repentance has to be full, without self-justification, without reserve, condemning ourselves and the evil deed from the very beginning.

After the deliverance of the Royal Family at Borki the icon depicting the patron saints of the family was painted. Perhaps the day will come when not just the patrons but also the Royal Martyrs themselves will be depicted on icons in remembrance of the event we recollect today. But now let us pray for their souls and ask God for deep humble repentance and forgiveness for us and for all Russian people.

On 27th October 2018, I hosted the 1st International Nicholas II Conference at St. John of Shanghai Orthodox Church in Colchester, England, with the blessing of the church rector Andrew Phillips, Arch Priest of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROCOR).

Nicholas II in the news – Spring 2022

Posted on June 30, 2022 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: mosaic portrait of Emperor Nicholas II

Russia’s last Emperor and Tsar continues to be the subject of news in Western media. For the benefit of those who do not follow me on my Facebook page, I am pleased to present the full length articles and news stories published by American and British media services.

Below, are the articles published in April, May and June 2022. Click on the title [highlighted in red, located under each of the photos below] and follow the link to read each respective article:

Why on earth did Russia’s last emperor have DRAGON tattooed on his forearm?

Nicholas II, the last ruling offspring of the Romanov dynasty, got this unusual tattoo when he was traveling in Japan.

Source: Russia Beyond. 23 June 2022

Now in color: PHOTOS of Nicholas II & his children + 50 PHOTOS

Russian artist Olga Shirnina, known on the Internet under the username ‘Klimbim’ has given black-and-white photos of the Russian Imperial Family vivid colour and now the grand duchesses and the tsesarevich look incredibly alive.

Source: Russia Beyond. 31 May 2022

How Nicholas II’s favorite singer became a Soviet spy + 11 PHOTOS

Nadezhda Plevitskaya had dreamed of making music all her life. But the 1917 revolution changed her plans.

Source: Russia Beyond. 26 May 2022

How did Tsar Nicholas II become a saint? + PHOTOS

The canonization of the last Russian Tsar and his family was not an easy decision for the Russian Orthodox Church. So why did it make such a controversial move?

Source: Russia Beyond. 18 May 2022

Nicholas II’s awesome car collection + 13 PHOTOS

Despite being a bit reluctant about cars at first, Emperor Nicholas II quickly developed a strong liking for motor vehicles – and squandered copious amounts of money to get the best cars.

Source: Russia Beyond. 11 May 2022

Nicholas II’s family yachts + 15 PHOTOS

The Romanovs didn’t just build yachts with crystal chandeliers, churches and cowsheds onboard. These were massive cruisers, capable of going into battle, if the situation demanded it.

Source: Russia Beyond. 15 April 2022

Nicholas II through the eyes of Russian and foreign artists + 25 PHOTOS

Russia’s last tsar was keen on photography and we have lots of pictures taken of him and by him. But what about his image in fine art heritage?

Source: Russia Beyond. 12 April 2022

Paul Gilbert’s Romanov Bookshop on AMAZON – UPDATED with NEW titles!!

I have published nearly 30 titles to date through AMAZON – featuring one of the largest selections of books on Nicholas II, the Romanov dynasty and the history of Imperial Russia.

Please CLICK on the BANNER or LINK above to review my current selection of titles in hardcover, paperback and ebook editions. Listings provide a full description for each title, pricing and a Look inside feature.

‘Nicholas II: The Last Orthodox Tsar of Russia’ with Paul Gilbert achieves 100,000 views!

Posted on June 28, 2022 by Paul Gilbert

CLICK HERE or ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO WATCH VIDEO
Duration: 19 min., 40 sec. English with Closed Captioning

On 28th June 2022, the video ‘Nicholas II: The Last Orthodox Tsar of Russia’ surpassed more than 100,000 views on YouTube! The video was produced in July 2020, by the Holy Monastery of St. John the Forerunner of Mesa Potamos in Cyprus.

“This video production is based on the research of project colleague and independent researcher Paul Gilbert, who also presents this video.”

I am truly honoured to be a research colleague of this important publishing project. I am most grateful to Father Prodromos Nikolaou and the Holy Monastery of St. John the Forerunner of Mesa Potamos in Cyprus for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this new video which tells the story about Russia’s last Orthodox Christian monarch.

Emperor Nicholas II reigned for 22 years. With his murder, the last Orthodox Christian monarch, along with the thousand-year history of thrones and crowns in Russia, ended, ushering in an era of lawlessness, apostasy, and confusion, one which would sweep Holy Orthodox Russia into an abyss which would last more than 70 years.

The creators have done a remarkable job of incorporating a wonderful collection of photos – both vintage B&W and colourized by Olga Shirnina (aka KLIMBIM) – vintage newsreel film footage and music.

One viewer noted on my Facebook page: “Only 20 minutes long, this is the BEST portrayal of the last Tsar’s Orthodox faith I have ever seen. Very well-made, historical and moving.”

The crowning moment of the video is near the end, which shows film footage of the actual canonization ceremony performed on 20th August 2000 by Patriarch Alexei II (1929-2008) in the Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow. You can hear His Holiness calling out each of the names of the Imperial Family. The footage is extremely moving to watch.

This 20-minute video is presented in the framework of the production of the book The Romanov Royal Martyrs: What Silence Could Not Conceal published by Mesa Potamos Publications in 2019.

***

READ THE BOOK . . .

*This title is available from AMAZON in the USA, UK, Canada,
Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands and Japan

CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE PAPERBACK EDITION @ $9.99 USD

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Paperback edition. 134 pages + 23 black & white photos

This book is not only for Orthodox and non-Orthodox persons, but for any one who shares an interest in the life, death, and martyrdom of the Holy Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II.

An illustrated Introduction by independent researcher Paul Gilbert explores the piety of Nicholas II, and his devotion to the Russian Orthodox Church, which reached its fullest development and power, during his 22-year reign.

This book further examines the trials and tribulations the Tsar endured, which later led to his canonization by the Russian Orthodox Church.

This unique collection of writings helps dispel many of the negative myths which persist to this very day, a must read for any one who seeks to learn the truth about Nicholas II.

Gilbert has compiled this collection of writings as part of his mission to clear the name of Russia’s much slandered Tsar, and my own personal journey to Orthodoxy.

Holy Tsar Martyr Nicholas II, Pray to God for Us!

Святой Царь Мученик Николай, Моли Бога о Нас!

Moscow Patriarchate issues student calendar dedicated to Nicholas II and his family

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Paul Gilbert

The Department of Children’s Literature of the Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate, have published a special Orthodox student’s 2023 calendar, dedicated to Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and their children.

The calendar «Патриарх — детям. Царская семья. Уроки из жизни» [Patriarch to Children. Tsar’s family. Lessons from life] is designed to guide students and children on the holidays and fasts of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The 32-page calendar includes a preface, written by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, a troparion and kontakion to the Holy Royal Martyrs, prayers for before and after lessons. The calendar also features blank pages, where students can record their schedule of additional lessons, as well as birthdays and name days of their family, relatives and friends.

The preface for the student calendar, written by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, reads:

“Dear children! We perceive the family as a small Church, as a circle of the closest people, united by the paternal faith. It is no coincidence that the Gospel says: “Where two or three gather in My name, there I am with them (Matthew 18:20).” It is the dispensation of the family in the name of the Lord that makes it possible to build relationships between children and parents, relationships in which any act is accompanied by a willingness to serve one’s neighbour as oneself. A striking example of a Christian family is the family of the Royal Martyrs, Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II, his wife and children, who together carried out their public service. In joy and in sorrow, in prosperity and in persecution, the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers strengthened prayed with all their hearts for Russia, for the hardships and problems of the Fatherland. It is in such families that today our people can and must draw their strength.”

The 2023 students calendar is available from the Publishing house of the Moscow Patriarchate – price 65 rubles.