During my recent visit to Ekaterinburg I was delighted to find such a rich collection of books, postcards and other collectibles on the Romanovs. Any Romanovphile will be overwhelmed with the selections found in the city's shops, as well as at the Church on the Blood and Ganina Yama.

Of particular interest were beautiful colour portraits of the Russian Imperial family, including Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and the Tsarevich Alexei. These portraits are all hand-painted by a local artist and sold in the gift shop at the Church on the Blood.

I was able to add another 40 photocards and 45 postcards of the Russian Imperial family to my own personal collection. All of them are of exceptional quality, and many I have not seen published in any pictorial to date.

© Paul Gilbert @ Royal Russia. 09 July, 2012

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently visited the Armoury Museum, now recognized as the oldest museum in Moscow. Putin was given a tour of the museum and its store rooms by Yelena Gagarina, the Director of the Armoury. After the tour Putin met with Gagarina and announced that the museum will be expanded to accommodate its enormous collection.

The Armoury Museum was created in 1806. At that time the collection consisted of 5,000 items, today it exceeds 160,000 items. Gagarina noted that only a mere 20% of the Armoury’s vast collection is on display at any one time. She also noted that much of the collection in storage has never been put on public display, including a collection of banners, porcelain services and glassware, and other treasures from the Tsarist period.

Nearly 2 million people visit the Moscow Kremlin Museums each year. The Armoury Museum currently occupies an area of little more than 2,000 square meters. The expansion of the museum will increase the exhibition space to 40,000 square meters.

© Paul Gilbert @ Royal Russia. 08 July, 2012

© Paul Gilbert @ Royal Russia. 07 July, 2012

I recently discovered a monument to Emperor Nicholas II at Pavlovsk. The monument was unveiled on November 20th, 2011, at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas, which is located on Artillery Street in Pavlovsk.

The churchl was built by the architect Alexander von Gauguin in 1900-1904. The construction of the church was overseen by a committee headed by the Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. Other members included Grand Duke's  Andrei Vladimirovich, Michael Alexandrovich. The plans for the church were approved by the Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich, the owner of Pavlovsk.

The consecration of the church took place on August 28 (O.S. 15), 1902, in the presence of the Emperor Nicholas II and members of his family. Construction was completed in 1904.

The church was closed by the Soviets, but returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1991. The church was restored as a cathedral.

© Paul Gilbert @ Royal Russia. 07 July, 2012

A series of billboards bearing the image of Tsar Martyr Nicholas and his family are appearing in towns and cities all across Russia.

The wording of the billboards vary, but the message is the same: "Forgive us, our Sovereign."

On July 17th Russia will mark the 94th anniversary of the murders of Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, their four daughters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and their son and heir-apparent, Alexis.

© Paul Gilbert @ Royal Russia. 06 July, 2012

Join Alexey Litvin as he takes a group of visitors on a guided tour of the exhibition on the investigations into the murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family at Ekaterinburg.

The exhibition is being hosted by the Federal State Archives of the Russian Federation (GARF) in Moscow until July 29th.

Note: the video is in Russian, however, for those of you who do not understand the language, do not allow that to deter you from previewing the items on display in this historic exhibition.

For more information on this exhibition, please refer to the following articles:

||| Documents Relating to the Murders of Nicholas II and His Family Presented in Moscow + VIDEO |||

St. Petersburg officials have determined that the remains of victims of the Red Terror, found in an unmarked mass grave on the grounds of the Peter and Paul should be examined by forensic experts. The remains of the Grand Dukes Nicholas Mikhailovich, Dmitry Konstantinovich, Paul Alexandrovich, and George Mikhailovich are believed to be among the remains found on the Hare Island in December 2009. 

After the Revolution, the four grand dukes were imprisoned at the Peter and Paul Fortress. They were subsequently all taken out and shot by the Bolsheviks in the early morning hours of January 30th, 1919. Their bodies were thrown into an unmarked mass grave.

To date a total of 106 human remains have been unearthed. Local government officials believe it is only right to make an effort to determine the identity of the remains through DNA and genetic examinations.

In April 2012 historians and forensic scientists were able to identify the remains of Alexander Rykov, a hero of the Russian-Japanese War 1904-1905.

The Committee on Culture, headed by the Deputy Governor Vasily Kichedzhi has decided to conduct an expert study of the remains with the cooperation the Central Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia. He has also recommended that blood samples from the descendants of the grand dukes should be requested and compared with the remains.

Officials of the Peter and Paul Fortress Museum have agreed to allocate funds in their 2013 budget to search for further remains of the Red Terror. The Committee for Youth Policy has already offered to provide volunteers to assist with the search, under the guidance of professional archaeologists.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the following articles;

||| Bodies of Grand Dukes Found at Peter and Paul Fortress? + VIDEO |||

||| Historians Unearth One of St. Petersburg’s Darkest Periods at the Peter and Paul Fortress + PHOTOS |||

© Paul Gilbert @ Royal Russia.

A unique collection of colour news clips of Tsar Nicholas II and his family. The background music includes the Russian Imperial national anthem God Save the Tsar, followed by the Preobrazhensky Regiment and Semenov Regiment Marches.

© Royal Russia. 03 July, 2012

An exhibit called Catherine II: the Path to the Throne, dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the Russian empress’s ascension to the throne opens today, July 3, at the State Historical Museum in Moscow. The exposition focuses on the early period of Catherine's life in Russia: from her arrival in Russia to the time she became empress, ITAR-TASS reports.

The key sections of the exposition tell about the origins of the German princess Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg and her upbringing, arrival in Russia, conversion to the Orthodox faith, marriage to the heir to the throne, birth of her son and the palace coup on June 22 and subsequent coronation on September 22, 1762.

The creation of the exhibit was made possible in part by the Russian Museum, Tretyakov Gallery, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts, State Archive of the Russian Federation, Peterhof museum reserve, and others.

© ITAR-TASS. 03 July, 2012

Photo: St. John arriving in Shanghai in 1934 

Today, July 2, the Russian Orthodox Church commemorates the life of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco – one of the most venerated saints of the Russian diaspora. Services will be held in his honor at churches around the world.  However, this is a particularly special occasion for the Church of John the Baptist in Washington DC. This is the only parish personally founded by St. John in the United States for emigrants in 1949, ITAR-TASS reports.

On July 2, 1966, St. John died while visiting Seattle at a time and place he was said to have foretold. He was entombed in a sepulcher 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. In 1994 he was solemnly glorified on the twenty-eighth anniversary of his death, and 14 years later his canonization was confirmed by the Russian Orthodox Church.

His feast day is celebrated on the Saturday nearest to the 2nd of July. He is beloved and celebrated worldwide, with portions of his relics located in Serbia, Russia, Mount Athos, Bulgaria, United States, Canada (Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church, Kitchener), England (Dormition Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church, London) and other countries of the world.

© ITAR-TASS. 02 July, 2012