Nicholas II

Poll reveals nearly 60% of Russians believe murder of Tsar’s family as an atrocity

Posted on December 7, 2019 by Paul Gilbert

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NOTE: All of the articles pertaining to Nicholas II and his family which were originally published in my Royal Russia News blog, have been moved to this Nicholas II blog. This article was originally posted on 26 July 2018 in my Royal Russia News blog – PG

Most Russians believe the murder of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II, and his family members in 1918 had no justification, describing it as a monstrous crime rather than an act of retribution, a poll conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center ahead of the centenary of the murders of the Imperial family showed earlier this month.

“Most Russians (57%) believe that the murders of the Imperial family is a heinous unjustified crime (this number is bigger among people aged 35+ than among the younger generation aged between 18 and 34). Another 29% said the last Russian emperor paid too high a price for his mistakes. Nevertheless, young people believe that he had to be punished for them, with 46% among those aged between 18 and 24 more often expressing this point of view. Just 3% of those polled were certain that the Imperial family’s execution was the public’s just retribution for the emperor’s blunders,” the pollster said.

That said, Russians generally see Nicholas II in a positive light (43%). This viewpoint was expressed most often by people aged 45 (45-46%).

On the other hand, 22% tend to think of him negatively. Young people aged between 18 and 24 often said they disliked the last Russian emperor. However, 7% of the respondents stressed they were indifferent to Nicholas II, while 4% said they felt empathy for him.

“By now, the Soviet narrative, which claimed the murders of the Tsar’s family by their Bolshevik captors near Ekaterinburg during [Russia’s] Civil War was a necessary and fair act of revenge for the blunders and crimes committed by the Romanov family, has finally exhausted its credibility. Regardless of their political views and relations towards the tragic events that occurred a century ago, Russians consider that a crime, which has no justification whatsoever. Amid this sentiment, the last tsar, whatever his accomplishments or failures, is seen by today’s public as a nice person who deserves compassion, at the very least,” the pollster’s Director General Valery Fyodorov noted.

The survey was conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center on July 11, 2018, with 1,600 people aged 18 and above interviewed over the phone. The margin of error does not exceed 2.5% with a probability of 95%.

‘Point of No Return’ – Ekaterinburg Street Art in Memory of the Russian Imperial Family

Posted on December 7, 2019 by Paul Gilbert

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Unique street art in memory of the Russian Imperial Family has been created in an underground passage in the center of Ekaterinburg. The work entitled “Point of no return” depicts two groups of people on opposite walls of the passage.

On one side are depicted: Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, their five children, and four faithful retainers – all of whom were murdered on the night of 16/17 July 1918 in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg.

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On the other side the murderers: the Ural Chekists and the guard of the “House of Special Purpose”, the participants in the murders of the Romanovs. Between the two images on the floor is a red circle – Точка невозврата (Point of no return), standing on which, one gets a sense of being in the line of fire.

The appearance of the street art is timed to the 100th anniversary of the deaths of the Imperial Family in Ekaterinburg. The underground passage is located in close proximity to the Church on the Blood, built on the site of the Ipatiev House.

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The executor of the work was the GREAT Advertising Group (St. Petersburg), and the ZNAK Information Agency.

“The idea belongs to the GREAT Advertising Group. We liked it, and immediately accepted it. This work is a desire to recall the tragedy of the shooting in the basement of the Ipatiev House, which included the murder of innocent children and servants. It became a symbol of the tragedy of all Russia, a great tragedy of the twentieth century. This shooting really became a ‘point of no return’ for Russia. We believe it is important that a person can feel this point, literally stand on it, even for a moment,” said Dmitry Kolezev, deputy editor-in-chief of Znak.com.

“We wanted to create something without any gadgets and technologies, something with simple and affordable means, which would allow people to get a sense of what it must have felt to face the murderers. To try to literally immerse yourself in a tragic moment, to become a part of it, to stand between the defenseless Imperial family and their murderers with revolvers,” said the creators from the GREAT Advertising Group.

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Sadly, the work was only temporary for the 100th anniversary marking the regicide – the artwork was not done with paint, but with a film, making it easy to remove, and leaving the transition walls clean.

Serbs celebrate Royal Martyrs with Liturgy and procession in Belgrade

Posted on December 7, 2019 by Paul Gilbert

Tsar Nicholas II was “one of the greatest rulers and tsars of Russia in his moral and spiritual qualities,” the Serbian patriarch said.

While 100,000 Orthodox faithful gathered in Ekaterinburg on the night of 16/17 July 2018 to honor the 100th anniversary of the Royal Martyrs, they were honored with another Divine Liturgy and procession in Belgrade the following morning.

During the events, His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia praised Tsar Nicholas as one of the greatest Russian rulers, of high moral and spiritual character.

The day began with the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in the courtyard of the Russian Church of the Holy Trinity in Belgrade, after which a festive procession passed through the capital city’s central streets.

The procession was announced in all Belgrade churches last Sunday, and according to police estimates, the procession gathered about 10,000 faithful, including clergy, representatives of Russian-Serbian friendship organizations, and citizens of Serbia and Russia participated in the march. As the procession moved past the Serbian Parliament building, the choir sang “God Save the Tsar.”

Serbs gather in Belgrade to honour Nicholas II

The procession came to an end at Belgrade’s monument to the slain Russian Tsar, where Pat. Irinej celebrated a festive moleben and addressed the gathered faithful, in which he referred to the Tsar-Martyr’s Orthodox character.

“All his life, he was accompanied by distrust, slander, and underestimation of his personality. And this happened, if we look at the time when tsarist Russia had numerous enemies, as it does now,” the Serbian primate said. In his words, the entire Romanov family behaved in a “deeply Christian manner” to the very end.

“No one knows what would have happened with Serbia and the Serbian people if he had not entered into the First World War,” the patriarch also added.

Then wreaths were laid at the monument to Tsar Nicholas II, with the participation of representations from the Russian embassy, Serbian politicians, priests, and public figures.

Monument to Emperor Nicholas II in Belgrade

The monument to Tsar Nicholas was unveiled in November 2014 by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and former President Tomislav Nikolic. On the pedestal is quoted in Russian and Serbian Tsar Nicholas’ telegram to King Alexander of Serbia, saying, “All my efforts will be directed towards maintaining the dignity of Serbia… In any case, Russia will not remain indifferent to Serbia’s fate.”

Monument to Nicholas II in Archedinskaya

Posted on December 7, 2019 by Paul Gilbert

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On 17th July 17 2018, on the day marking the 100th anniversary of the murder of the Imperial Family, a bust of Emperor Nicholas II was was established on the grounds of the Church of the Assumption of the Most-Holy Mother of God in the Russian village of Archedinskaya, situated in the Volgorad region. The bronze bust is a copy of an original work by the famous Russian sculptor Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Klykov (1939-2006).

A capsule containing earth from the mines at Ganina Yama and Alapaevsk – where the Bolsheviks attempted to dispose of the bodies of the murdered members of the Imperial family – was placed inside the bust of the Emperor. The bottle of Holy water for consecration was brought from the Church on the Blood of Ekaterinburg. A honourary guard made up of members of the Don Cossacks participated in the event.

After the Divine Liturgy, the consecration of the monument was performed by the Bishop of Uryupinsk and Novoanninsky Elisha.

The bust of the Emperor was made according to a project of the Russian sculptor Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Klykov, who died in 2006. Copies of his sculptures of Nicholas II have been are installed in Mytishchi, Vladivostok, Simferopol, Russia, and Melbourne, Australia.

Colour Autochromes of the Alexander Palace in 1917 Presented in Kazan

Posted on December 6, 2019 by Paul Gilbert

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The following exhibition ran from 17 July to 17 August 2018

On 17th July, the exhibition Tsarskoye Selo: the Last Residence of the Last Emperor, opened in the E.A. Boratynsky Museum (a branch of the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan) in Kazan. The exhibition presents unique autochromes from the collection of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve. The exhibition is timed to mark the 100th anniversary of the murder of Russia’s last Imperial family in 1918.

The life of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II is closely connected with Tsarskoye Selo: on 18th May (6th May in the old style) in 1868, he was born in the Alexander Palace. From 1905, Nicholas II made the palace his permanent residence, in which he spent the last 12 years of reign. After his abdication on 15th March [O.S. 2nd March] 1917, the Emperor spent the first months of his house arrest in the palace. On 1st August 1917, the Emperor and his family left the Alexander Palace for the last time, his family was sent into exile to Tobolsk.

Immediately after the departure of the imperial family, the Kunsthistorico-Historical Commission, headed by Georgy Lukomsky, began work in the Alexander Palace. Photographer Andrey Zeest took 140 colour autochromes of the palace interiors.

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Colour autochromes of the Alexander Palace taken in 1917
© Tsarskoye Selo State Museum Reserve

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The fate of this unique collection is interesting. In November 1918, 843 images from black and white negatives and 83 color transparencies (autochrome) were transferred to the Kopeyka Publishing House. The pictures were supposed to be transferred to the Detskoye Selo department of artistic property, however, the transfer never took place.

Now the collection of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve now consists of 93 autochromes, shot by Zeest in 1917. Thirty-three autochromes were acquired by the museum in 1968, from the heirs of a photographer, twelve – in 1958, from a British tourist from Oxford, England. In 2013, members of the Friends of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve Club Michael Piles and Mikhail Karisalov, financed the acquisition of another 48 autochromes at an auction in Paris.

The exhibition is complemented by documents relating to the links of Georgiy Lukomsky with Kazan, from the funds of the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan, and printed editions issued for the coronation of Nicholas II from the Kazem-bek family collection courtesy of the Department of Manuscripts and Rare Books of the Lobachevsky Libraries.

The exhibition Tsarskoye Selo: the Last Residence of the Last Emperor marks the beginning of cooperation between the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve.

The exhibition Tsarskoye Selo: the Last Residence of the Last Emperor, ran from 17th July to 17th August 2018, in the E.A. Boratynsky Museum (a branch of the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan) in Kazan.

‘The Conspiracy Against Nicholas II’, with Paul Gilbert

Posted on December 6, 2019 by Paul Gilbert

CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO WATCH VIDEO

The Conspiracy Against Nicholas II is a short seven minute interview with researcher Paul Gilbert, produced by the Monastery of St John the Forerunner Mesa Potamos in Cyprus.

Paul speaks about the Emperor’s abdication on 15th March [O.S. 2nd March] 1917, and the ‘treachery, cowardice and deceit’ which surrounded him.

He further discusses the main plots which aimed to overthrow Nicholas II from his throne, by his ministers, and even members of his own family. He then discusses some of the myths regarding Nicholas’ II alleged weakness as a ruler, and allegations that his death was met with indifference by the Russian people.

The video includes coloured pictures of the Romanovs and other historical figures, by acclaimed Russian colourist Olga Shirnina, from the forthcoming book The Romanov Royal Martyrs: What Silence Could Not Conceal, published in 2019.

The Conspiracy Against Nicholas II is the fifth of a special multi-episode tribute featuring exclusive interviews with Mesa Potamos Monastery research colleagues: Helen Azar, Helen Rappaport, Nicholas B.A. Nicholson and Paul Gilbert. Click HERE to view ALL six episodes.

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PHOTO: Paul Gilbert at the Romanov Memorial, Porosenkov Log. July 2018.

Paul Gilbert is an independent researcher specializing in the life, reign and era of Emperor Nicholas II, and who is dedicated to clearing the name of Russia’s much slandered Tsar through his news blog Nicholas II. Emperor. Tsar. Saint., his semi-annual journal Sovereign, and Conferences. The 1st International Nicholas II Conference was held on 27th October 2018, in St. John of Shanghai Church in Colchester, England.

Documentary: ‘Regicide. A Century of Investigation’

Posted on December 6, 2019 by Paul Gilbert

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“We have shown all the stage of the investigation of the Royal Family’s murder” – Elena Chavchavadze on the new Russian language documentary, Цареубийство. Следствие длиною в век / Regicide. A Century of Investigation.

In 2015, a new investigation was launched into the murder of Tsar Nicholas II, Tsarina Alexandra, and their children and servants. This was instigated by the “Ekaterinburg remains”, which some are convinced are those of the Royal Martyrs. The Russian Orthodox Church has not yet come to a final conclusion, and the detective work goes on.

The new documentary, Regicide. A Century of Investigation, premiered in the evening of November 24, 2019, on the “Russia” TV channel. Its creator, Elena Nikolaevna Chavchavadze, talked to Yegor Andreev on what this film is about, how it was created and what revelations it has led to.

At the end of the interview, Chavchavadze is asked, “In conclusion, what would you wish to the viewers who will watch the film? How should they watch it? What should they get ready for?”

“Watch it without bias” – she replies – “If you feel your responsibility before God, then you shouldn’t pass any judgment before you are convinced of the truth yourself and hear the voice of the Church in this case. This is something we are waiting for, too.”

On a personal note, I would like to add that this is a very interesting interview, and a MUST for those of you who are following the ongoing investigation of the Ekaterinburg remains, and awaiting its conclusion by the Russian Orthodox Church – PG

Click HERE to read Yegor Andreev’s interview (in English) with documentary creator Elena Chavchavadze, translated from Russian by Dmitry Lapa, and published on the Pravoslavie.ru web site 5th December 2019.

You can watch the documentary Цареубийство. Следствие длиною в век / Regicide. A Century of Investigation by clicking on the image above. The video’s duration is 1 hour, 42 minutes and is in Russian only:

Russian Orthodox Church in Dispute Over Porosenkov Log

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Paul Gilbert

At Porosenkov Log, during my visit to Ekaterinburg, July 2018

Back in March 2016, I reported that Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye had made a request to the Sverdlovsk regional government to transfer the land in and around Porosenkov Log (3.7 hectares) to the Ekaterinburg Diocese. The territory is simultaneously claimed by the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local History in Ekaterinburg. My report was followed up by a second article on the dispute in July 2017 (see links below for both articles – PG).

Since the events marking the 100th anniversary of the death and martyrdom of Emperor Nicholas II and his family last month, the subject is again making headlines in the Urals media.

According to a document signed by the head of the regional forestry department Oleg Sandakov, as early as 2016, Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye made a request to the regional government to transfer Porosenkov Log to the diocese “for gratuitous urgent use for religious activities.” Scans of the relevant documents (see below) were published last week on the Memorial of the Romanovs Facebook page.

In June 2014, a request was made to recognize Porosenkov Log as a cultural heritage site. Then, the regional ministry of culture planned to transfer the Romanov Memorial site to the Sverdlovsk Museum of Local History. The official opening of the memorial was planned to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the deaths and martyrdom of the Holy Royal Martyrs in July 2018.

In 2016, however, the Ekaterinburg Diocese began to interfere with the plans. In February of the same year, Metropolitan Kirill of Ekaterinburg and Verkhoturye sent an appeal to the Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region Evgeny Kuyvashev, in which he asked to declare invalid the document on the transfer of the site to the museum. The governor granted the Metropolitan’s appeal, with the regional ministry of culture subsequently putting the project on hold.

“Due to the historical and spiritual significance of the territory, and in order to avoid any disagreements between secular and religious parties, an official note was sent to the governor of the Sverdlovsk region on the expediency of organizing a discussion on the development of the territory as a cultural heritage site with all interested parties,” said the head of the regional department of forestry Oleg Sandakov.

At the second grave where the remains of Alexei and Maria where discovered in 2007

On the eve of the Tsar’s Days held in Ekaterinburg last month, the Russian Investigative Committee confirmed that genetic examinations on the remains found at Porosenkov Log belong to the murdered Imperial family. It was hoped that Patriarch Kirill would officially recognize the remains during his visit to Ekaterinburg, however, this did not happen. An estimated 100,000 people took part in the pilgrimage from the Church on the Blood to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama, where once again the final prayer service was held, which is still considered by the ROC to be the final burial place of the bodies of the royal martyrs. Porosenkov Log was not included in the pilgrimage.

Despite the fact that the authenticity of the “royal remains” has not been recognized by the ROC, the Ekaterinburg Diocese is unlikely to back away from its plans. It can not be ruled out that the dispute over the site will be put on hold until the time when the church changes its position.

It is believed that not “if” but “when” the Moscow Patriarchate officially recognize the “Ekaterinburg remains”, that a new monastery in honour of the Holy Royal Martyrs, similar to the one situated 3.8 km down the road at Ganina Yama, will be constructed at Porosenkov Log.

Memorial Cross to the Holy Royal Martyrs in London

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Paul Gilbert

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On 13th July 2018, the day after the Feast of the Holy Apostles Sts Peter and Paul, a new memorial Cross to the Holy Royal Martyrs was erected on the grounds of the Diocesan Cathedral of the Mother of God and the Royal Martyrs in London.

The memorial Cross, which has been commissioned to mark the centenary of the martyrdom of the Imperial Family, was carved of red granite by special commission of the parish. The lower Altar of the Cathedral is dedicated to the honour of the Holy Royal Martyrs, and it seemed fitting to the faithful of the community to pay homage to the holy intercessors by erecting a Cross in their honour, to serve as a perpetual monument to the God-pleasing lives of these saints.

The initial erecting of the Cross will be followed by landscaping of the nearby territory to accommodate the new monument, which will be formally blessed on the day of the Cathedral’s full consecration on the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, 21st September 2018.

The Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Holy Royal Martyrs took place at the London Cathedral at 9.00 a.m. on Tuesday, 17th July 2018 (n.s.), served in the Lower Church. It was celebrated by His Grace Bishop Irenei together with clergy of the Cathedral, Diocese, and guests from the surrounding areas. The new memorial Cross was visited as part of the Cross Procession of the Altar Feast.

Nicholas II memorial plaque in Nikolsk-Ussuriysk

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Paul Gilbert

On 17th July 2018 a memorial plaque in honour of Tsesarevich and Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich (future Emperor Nicholas II) was unveiled on the northern facade of the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin in the Far-eastern Russian city of Nikolsk-Ussuriysk.

The memorial plaque was established in honour of the August visit of Nicholas Alexandrovich on 3-4 June 1891, as part of his Eastern Journey, and the construction of the Ussuri section of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The memorial also marks the 120th anniversary of the granting of the status of the city with the name Nikolsk-Ussuriysk on 16th April 1898, by the will of the Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II to Nikolsky, and, subsequently – the city coat of arms.

The work on the preparation of the memorial plaque was initiated by a group of historians, parishioners and residents of the city. The project was agreed and approved, with the blessing of Metropolitan Veniamin of Vladivostok and Primorye.

Associate Professor of the Far Eastern Federal University Yaroslav Popov, who headed the group, said that exactly at this place, in the wooden St. Nicholas Church (Nikolsk-Suifunsky), the Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich prayed during his visit in 1891. After the Liturgy, the Tsesarevich addressed the soldiers of the Nikolsk fortress, Russian residents and settlers, representatives of local peoples, Chinese and Korean diasporas, thanking everyone for their warm welcome.

The Divine Liturgy held on 17th July 2018 was attended by the mayor of Ussuriysk, Evgeny Evgenevich Korzh and the head of the Ussuriisk urban district Nikolai Nikolayevich Rud. After the consecration of the memorial sign, the choir of the parishioners of the church performed the hymn of the Russian Empire “God Save the Tsar”.

This was followed by the reading of the poems of the famous Russian poet Sergei Sergeivich Bekhteev (1879-1954), who escaped Russia after the Revolution. Bekhteev’s poems are full of love for the Motherland, the monarchy and the Holy Royal Martyrs. Countess Anastasia Hendrikova managed to pass five of Bekhteev’s poems to the Tsar’s family during their house arrest in Tobolsk. Emperor Nicholas II, was so moved by Bekhteev’s poem “God Save the Tsar”, that he shed a tear and asked to convey his gratitude to the poet for sharing his loyal feelings.