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Date of publication or update 01.11.2017

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Life of the Blessed Tsar Nikolai Alexandrovich and his family

Lives of the Holy Royal Martyrs.

"The king who will glorify me - I will glorify."

Our tsar has a righteous and pious life, - wrote St. John of Kronstadt in 1905 about Tsar Nicholas II. - God sent Him a heavy cross of suffering, as His chosen one and beloved child. "

From childhood, Grand Duke Nicholas was distinguished by piety and tried in virtues to imitate the righteous Job the Long-suffering, on the day of whose memory he was born, and St. Nicholas, in whose honor he was named. "I was born on the day of Job the Long-suffering," he said, "and I am destined to suffer." Relatives noted: "Nikolai's soul is pure, like crystal, and passionately loving everyone." He was deeply moved by every human grief and every need. He began and ended the day with prayer; knew the rite of church services well, during which he loved to sing along with the church choir.

Icon of Sts. royal passion-bearers. From the page of the Monastery Shrine of the book Serpukhov Most Pure Theotokos Vysotsky Monastery.

The education of the son by the will of the August Father Alexander III was carried out strictly in the Russian Orthodox spirit. The royal youth spent a lot of time reading a book. He surprised his teachers with extraordinary memory and outstanding abilities. The future Sovereign successfully completed the higher course of economic, legal and military sciences under the guidance of outstanding mentors and underwent military training in the infantry, cavalry, artillery and navy.

In the fall of 1891, when dozens of Russian provinces were exhausted from hunger, Alexander III put his son at the head of the Committee for Relief of the Famine. The future Tsar saw with his own eyes the human grief and worked tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of his people.

Temple in the name of the Holy Royal Passion-bearers in Kursk.

A serious test was sent to the Tsar's family in the fall of 1888: near Kharkov there was a terrible crash of the Tsar's train. The carriages crashed down the slope from the high embankment. By the providence of God, the life of Emperor Alexander III and the entire August family was miraculously saved.

A new test followed in 1891 during the Tsarevich's trip to the Far East: an attempt was made on his life in Japan. Nikolai Alexandrovich almost died from a saber blow of a religious fanatic, but the Greek prince George knocked down the attacker with a bamboo cane. And again a miracle happened: only a slight wound remained on the head of the Heir to the Throne. The Almighty once again reminded His Word: “Do not touch My anointed ones” (Psalm 104, 15) and showed the world that in His power are the kings and kingdoms of the earth.

Royal passion-bearers. From Shamordino's article, embroidered icons of the monastery.

In the spring of 1894, seeing the Tsarevich's unshakable decision to marry Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, the August Parents finally gave their blessing. "Our Savior said:" Everything that you ask of God, God will give you ", - wrote the Grand Duke Nicholas at that time, - these words are infinitely dear to me, because for five years I prayed them, repeating them every night, begging Him to facilitate Alice's transition to the Orthodox faith and give her to me as a wife. " With deep faith and love, the Tsarevich persuaded the princess to accept Holy Orthodoxy. In a decisive conversation, he said: "When you learn how beautiful, gracious and humble our Orthodox religion is, how magnificent our churches and monasteries are, and how solemn and majestic our divine services are, you will love them and nothing will divide us."

Passion-bearers Tsar Nicholas, Tsarina Alexandra, Tsarevich Alexy, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. Icon of the XXI century.

In the fall of 1894, during the sovereign's grave illness, the Tsarevich was relentlessly at his bedside. "As a devoted son and as the first faithful servant of his Father," he wrote to his bride in those days, "I must be with him everywhere."

A few days before the death of Alexander III, Princess Alice arrived in Russia. The rite of its annexation to the Orthodox Church was performed by the All-Russian Shepherd John of Kronstadt. At the time of Confirmation, she was named Alexandra in honor of the Holy Queen-Martyr. On that significant day, the August bride and groom, after the sacrament of repentance, communed together the Holy Mysteries of Christ. With all her soul, deeply and sincerely Alexandra Feodorovna accepted Orthodoxy. “Your country will be my country,” she said, “your people will be my people and your God will be my God” (Ruth 1,16).

On the day of the death of the Emperor, Nikolai Alexandrovich, in deep sorrow, said that he did not want the Tsar's crown, but, fearing to disobey the will of the Most High and the father's will, accepts the Tsar's crown. He trusts in the Lord God, and not in his weak powers.

For the rest of his life, the Tsarevich kept in his heart the behests of the Sovereign Father, uttered by him on the eve of his death: “You have to take from my shoulders the heavy burden of state power and carry it to the grave just as I carried it and as our ancestors carried it. I received it thirteen years ago from my bleeding father ... On that tragic day, the question arose before me: which way to go? , or the one that was prompted to me by my own conviction, my highest sacred duty of the Sovereign and my conscience. I chose my path. The liberals christened it reactionary. I was only interested in the welfare of my people and the greatness of Russia. I tried to give external and internal peace, so that the state could freely and calmly develop, grow stronger, grow rich and prosper. Autocracy created the historical individuality of Russia. Autocracy will collapse, God forbid, then with Russia will also collapse with it. The fall of the primordially Russian power will usher in an endless era of turmoil and bloody feuds. I bequeath to you to love everything that serves the good, honor and dignity of Russia. Protect the Autocracy, remembering that you are responsible for the fate of your subjects before the Throne of the Most High. Faith in God and in the sanctity of your Royal duty will be for you the basis of your life ... In foreign policy - keep an independent position. Remember: Russia has no friends. They are afraid of our enormity. Avoid wars. In domestic politics, first of all, patronize the Church. She saved Russia more than once in times of trouble. Strengthen your family, because it is the foundation of every state. "

Emperor Nicholas II ascended the throne on November 2, 1894. "At this mournful, but solemn hour of Our accession to the Ancestral Throne," he said, "we take a sacred vow, in the face of the Almighty, always to have as one goal peaceful prosperity, power and glory of dear Russia and the arrangement of happiness for all Our loyal subjects."

With deeds of love and mercy, the Sovereign marked the beginning of his reign: prisoners in prisons received relief; there was great debt forgiveness; provided significant assistance to needy scientists, writers and students. Autocrat of All Russia Nicholas II was married to the Kingdom on May 27, 1896 in Moscow, in the Kremlin's Assumption Cathedral. Metropolitan Sergius of Moscow addressed him with the words: "... as there is no higher, so there is no and more difficult on earth the Tsar's power, there is no burden heavier than the Tsar's service. Through the anointing, the visible may illuminate the invisible power from above ... Your autocratic activity for good and happiness Your loyal subjects. "

Emperor Nicholas II read the Symbol of Faith; Dressed in purple and placing the Tsar's crown on his head, he took the Orb and the Scepter in his hands. In prayer to the King of Kings, the Sovereign asked to send down on him the gifts of the Holy Spirit and instruct him in the work he was sent to serve. The chorus burst out "We praise God for you." After the Divine Liturgy, he received the Sacred Confirmation. The Emperor entered the altar by the Royal Doors and took communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, as a priest.

The Orthodox Tsar, when performing the Sacrament of Confirmation during the wedding to the Kingdom, becomes a sacred person and bearer of the special grace of the Holy Spirit. This grace works through Him in keeping the law and keeps the spread of evil in the world. According to the words of the Apostle Paul, "the mystery of iniquity is already in action, only it will not be completed until the one who holds back is taken from the environment" (2 Thess. 2.7). Emperor Nicholas II was deeply imbued with the consciousness of this spiritual mission, which rests on the Anointed One of God.

By a fateful coincidence, the days of the coronation celebrations were overshadowed by the tragedy on the Khodynskoye field, where about half a million people gathered. At the time of the distribution of gifts, a terrible crush took place, claiming the lives of more than a thousand people. The next day, the Sovereign and Empress attended the memorial service for the victims and provided assistance to the families of the victims.

Tsar Nicholas II was imbued with love for man and believed that in politics it was necessary to follow the precepts of Christ. The Emperor of All Russia became the inspiration for the first world conference on the prevention of war, which took place in the capital of Holland in 1899. He was the first among the rulers to defend the universal world and became truly the King-Peacemaker.

The sovereign tirelessly strove to give inner peace to the country so that it could freely develop and prosper. By nature, he was completely incapable of causing harm to anyone. During the entire period of his reign, the Tsar did not sign a single death sentence, not a single request for clemency that reached the Tsar was not rejected by him. Every time he was worried that the pardon would not be late.

The Tsar's surprisingly sincere gaze always shone with genuine kindness. Once the Tsar visited the cruiser Rurik, where the revolutionary was, who had taken an oath to kill him. The sailor did not fulfill his vow. “I couldn’t do it,” he explained. “Those eyes looked at me so mildly, so affectionately.”

The sovereign adhered to the primordially Russian Orthodox principles in his reign and everyday life. He deeply knew Russian history and literature, was a great connoisseur of his native language and did not tolerate the use of foreign words in it. "The Russian language is so rich," he said, "that it allows replacing foreign expressions in all cases. Not a single word of non-Slavic origin should disfigure our language."

The sovereign was unmercenary. He generously helped those in need from his own funds, without thinking about the amount requested. His kindness was never revealed or diminished by countless disappointments. Four million rubles of the royal money, which since the reign of Emperor Alexander II were in the London bank, Nikolai Alexandrovich spent on the maintenance of hospitals and other charitable institutions. "He will soon distribute everything that he has," said the manager of His Majesty's cabinet, basing his desire to leave his post on this. “His dresses were often repaired,” recalls the Tsar’s servant. “He did not like extravagance and luxury. After the assassination of the Royal Family, the Emperor's military trousers were found in Yekaterinburg. There were patches and marks on them: "Made on August 4, 1900", "Renewed on October 8, 1916".

The Christian virtues of the Sovereign: meekness and kindness of heart, modesty and simplicity were not understood by many and were taken for weakness of character. However, thanks to precisely these spiritual and moral qualities, a tremendous spiritual strength was embodied in him, so necessary for the Anointed of God for the Royal service. "They say about the Russian Emperor that he is available to various influences," wrote French President Loubet. "This is deeply wrong. The Russian Emperor himself carries out his ideas. He defends them with constancy and great strength."

During the difficult war with Japan, which began in 1904, the Tsar declared: "I will never conclude a shameful and unworthy world of great Russia." The Russian delegation at the peace talks with Japan followed his instructions: "Not a penny of indemnities, not an inch of land." Despite the pressure exerted on the Tsar from all sides, he showed a firm will, and success in the negotiations entirely belongs to him.

Tsar Nicholas II possessed a rare endurance and courage. Deep faith in the Providence of God strengthened him and gave him perfect peace of mind, which never left him. "How many years I lived near the Tsar and never saw him in anger," his servant recalls. "He was always very even and calm." The emperor did not fear for his life, was not afraid of assassination attempts and refused the most necessary security measures. At the decisive moment of the Kronstadt uprising in 1906, Nikolai Aleksandrovich, after the report of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said: in the hands of the Lord. Whatever happens, I bow down to His Will. "

The royal couple were an example of a truly Christian family life. The relations of the August Spouses were distinguished by sincere love, heartfelt understanding and deep fidelity. "Our love and our life are one whole, we are so united that one cannot doubt both love and fidelity - nothing can separate us or diminish our love," Alexandra Feodorovna wrote to her husband in 1909. "I can't believe that today is the twentieth anniversary of our wedding!" Nikolai Alexandrovich wrote in his diary on November 27, 1914. "The Lord blessed us with rare family happiness; if only we could be worthy of such great mercy during the rest of our lives."

The Lord blessed this love marriage with the birth of four daughters - Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia - and a son, Alexei. The long-awaited Heir to the Throne was born on August 12, 1904, and became the favorite of the whole family. Relatives noted the nobility of the Tsarevich's character, the kindness and responsiveness of his heart. "There is not a single vicious trait in the soul of this child," said one of his teachers. "His soul is the most fertile ground for all good seeds." Alexei loved people and tried with all his might to help them, especially those who seemed to him unfairly offended. "When I am King, there will be no poor and unfortunate," he said. "I want everyone to be happy."

An incurable hereditary disease - hemophilia, discovered in the Tsarevich shortly after birth, constantly threatened his life. This ailment demanded from the family tremendous exertion of mental and physical strength, boundless faith and humility. During the aggravation of the disease in 1912, the doctors pronounced a hopeless sentence on the boy, however, the Tsar, when asked about the Tsarevich's health, humbly replied: "We hope in God."

The Tsar and Tsarina raised their children in devotion to the Russian people and carefully prepared them for the forthcoming work and feat. “Children should learn to self-denial, learn to give up their own desires for the sake of other people,” the Empress believed. "The taller a person is, the sooner he should help everyone and never remind of his position in circulation," said the Emperor, "so should my children be." The Tsarevich and the Grand Duchesses extended their care and attention to everyone they knew. They were brought up in simplicity and severity. "The duty of parents in relation to their children," wrote the Empress, "is to prepare them for life, for any trials that God sends them." The prince and the Grand Duchesses slept on hard camp beds without pillows; dressed simply; dress and footwear passed from the elders to the younger. The food was very basic. Tsarevich Alexei's favorite food was cabbage soup, porridge and black bread, "which, as he said," all my soldiers eat. " "They led a modest life, - wrote a person close to them, - were easy to handle and did not attach importance to their royal position."

It was a truly Orthodox family, in which the traditions and way of pious Russian families reigned. "Each family member should take part in the arrangement of the house," the Empress wrote in her diary, "and the fullest family happiness can be achieved when everyone honestly fulfills their duties." The August Family led a secluded life. They did not like celebrations and loud speeches, etiquette was a burden to them. The Queen and Grand Duchesses often sang in the church on the kliros during the Divine Liturgy. "And with what trepidation, with what bright tears they approached the Holy Chalice!" - recalled Archbishop Theophan of Poltava. In the evenings, the Tsar would often read aloud in the family circle. The queen and daughters were engaged in needlework, talked about God and prayed. "There is nothing impossible for God," wrote the Empress. "I believe that he who is pure in his soul will always be heard and that he is not afraid of any difficulties and dangers of life, since they are insurmountable only for those who have little and shallow faith." ...

Alexandra Feodorovna was a born sister of mercy. She visited the sick, giving them heartfelt care and support, and when she could not go to the suffering herself, she sent her daughters. The Empress was convinced that children should know that in addition to beauty, there is a lot of sadness in the world. She herself never grumbled, did not feel sorry for herself, considering it her duty to "remain faithful to Christ and take care of those who are near."

The empress was called a real ascetic of charity. Being an impeccable wife and mother, she especially sympathized with the sorrows of other mothers and provided them with all possible help and care. During the famine of 1898, she donated an eighth of the family's annual income to the suffering. Alexandra Feodorovna often gave financial aid to those in need through her close associates, trying to keep it secret. The Empress organized charity bazaars, the proceeds from which went to help the sick; she organized training workshops for the poor throughout the country and opened a nursing school. At her own expense, the Tsarina built a house for disabled soldiers of the Russian-Japanese war, where they learned all kinds of craft.

The royal couple patronized the Orthodox Church not only in Russia, but throughout the world: during the reign of Nicholas II, hundreds of monasteries and thousands of churches were built. The sovereign zealously cared about the spiritual enlightenment of the people: tens of thousands of parish schools were opened throughout the country. The pious Emperor supported the development of the arts that uplift the soul of the Orthodox Christian - church architecture, icon painting, ancient church singing and bell ringing.

During the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, the Russian Orthodox Church was enriched by a greater number of new saints and new church celebrations than during the entire 19th century. In 1903, having familiarized himself with the materials for the glorification of the great elder Seraphim of Sarov, the Tsar did not agree with the opinion of the Synod and boldly wrote: "Glorify immediately." In the summer of the same year, the Tsar's couple arrived in Sarov for a great spiritual celebration that brought together hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Russian people. The Emperor on foot, as a reverent pilgrim, carried on his shoulders the coffin with the holy relics of the Pleasant of God and communed with the Empress of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. On the first of August in Sarov, the Tsar wrote in his diary: "God is wonderful in His saints. Great is the ineffable mercy of His dear Russia; inexpressibly comforting is the evidence of the new manifestation of the Lord's grace to all of us. In Thee, God trust, let us not be ashamed forever. Amen!"

In the Diveyevo Monastery of Their Majesties, they visited the blessed eldress Pasha of Sarov, who predicted the tragic fate of the Royal Family. Orthodox Russia in those memorable days touchingly expressed its love and devotion to the Tsar and Tsarina. Here they saw with their own eyes the true Holy Russia. The Sarov celebrations strengthened the faith in the Tsar in his people.

The Tsar was aware of the need for the revival of Russia on the spiritual basis of Holy Russia. "The Russian kingdom is hesitating, staggering, close to fall," wrote the righteous John of Kronstadt at that time, "and if Russia does not cleanse itself of a multitude of tares, then it will become empty, like the ancient kingdoms and cities, erased by God's justice from the face of the earth for its atheism and for their iniquities. " According to the Tsar's plan, the success of his plans largely depended on the restoration of the Patriarchate and the choice of the Patriarch. After deep reflection, he decided to impose, if God pleases, the heavy burden of the Patriarchal service upon himself, taking monasticism and priesthood. He intended to leave the Imperial Throne to his son, appointing the Empress and his brother Michael as regents under him. In March 1905, the Tsar met with members of the Holy Synod and informed them of his intention. There was silence in response. The great moment was missed - Jerusalem “did not know the time of her visit” (Luke 19:44).

The Emperor, as the bearer of the Supreme Power of the Orthodox Autocratic Kingdom, bore the sacred duties of the Ecumenical patron and defender of Orthodoxy, protecting church peace throughout the world. He defended the persecuted when the Turks massacred the Armenians, oppressed and oppressed the Slavs, and widely opened the borders of Russia to Christian refugees. When in the summer of 1914 Austria-Hungary attacked defenseless Serbia, Tsar Nicholas II answered the call for help without hesitation. Russia defended the fraternal country. The Serbian prince Alexander sent a message to the Emperor: "The hardest times cannot but seal the bonds of deep affection with which Serbia is connected with the holy Slavic Russia, and the feelings of eternal gratitude to Your Majesty for help and protection will be sacredly kept in the hearts of the Serbs."

The Anointed One of God was deeply aware of his duty to the royal service and said more than once: "Ministers can change, but I alone bear responsibility before God for the good of our people." Proceeding from the primordially Russian principle of collegiality, he strove to attract the best people to governing the country, remaining a resolute opponent of the introduction of constitutional rule in Russia. He tried to appease political passions and give inner peace to the country. However, passions continued to rage. The Osvobozhdeniye newspaper, which was published abroad at that time, openly called the "liberation forces" that opposed the Tsarist government in Russia: "All the intelligentsia and part of the people; all the zemstvo, part of the city councils ... the entire press." Prime Minister Stolypin said in 1907: "They need great upheavals, we need a Great Russia."

In the twentieth year of the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, the Russian economy reached its peak. The grain harvest has doubled since the beginning of the reign; the population grew by fifty million. From being illiterate, Russia quickly became literate. European economists in 1913 predicted that by the middle of this century Russia would dominate Europe politically, economically and financially.

World War II began on the morning of August 1, 1914, on the day of commemoration of the Monk Seraphim of Sarov. Tsar Nicholas II arrived at the Diveyevo courtyard of St. Petersburg. They remember: "The Emperor stood at the icon of the Monk Seraphim. They sang:" Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thy heritage, victories to our blessed Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich to resist, granting Thy Cross and preserving Thy residence. " Diveyevo blessed Pasha Sarovskaya said that the enemies of the Fatherland started the war in order to overthrow the Tsar and tear Russia apart.

A few days after the start of the war, the Tsar and his family arrived in Moscow. The people rejoiced, the bells of the Mother See were ringing. To all the greetings, the Tsar replied: "At the hour of the military threat, so suddenly and contrary to my intentions, advancing on my peace-loving people, I, according to the custom of the Sovereign ancestors, seek to strengthen my spiritual strength in prayer at the shrines of Moscow."

From the first days of the war, the Tsar, in addition to the tireless work of the state, traveled around the front, cities and villages of Russia, blessing the troops and encouraging the people in the test sent to him. The tsar dearly loved the army and took its needs to heart. There is a known case when the Tsar walked several miles in a new soldier's uniform in order to better understand the hardships of soldier's service. He took care of the wounded soldiers in a fatherly way, visiting hospitals and infirmaries. In his treatment of lower ranks and soldiers, one could feel genuine, sincere love for the common Russian person.

The queen tried to adapt as many palaces as possible for hospitals. Often she was personally involved in the formation of sanitary trains and medicine warehouses in Russian cities.

Alexandra Feodorovna and the older princesses became sisters of mercy at the Tsarskoye Selo hospital. Their whole day was dedicated to the wounded, they gave them all their love and care. Tsarevich Alexei also encouraged the suffering, talking for a long time with the soldiers. The Empress worked in the operating room. Eyewitnesses recall: "She handed sterile instruments to the surgeon, helping with the most difficult operations, taking amputated arms and legs from his hands, removing bloody and lousy clothes."

She did her work with the quiet humility and indefatigability of a person to whom God had ordained this ministry. During difficult operations, the soldiers often pleaded with the Empress to be near them. She consoled the wounded and prayed with them. "I accepted crippled men with terrible wounds," wrote Alexandra Feodorovna. "My heart hurts for them. I especially sympathize with them as a wife and mother." They remember how in Peterhof, seeing off the regiment to the front, during the prayer service, the Empress wept bitterly, as if saying goodbye to her own children.

The sovereign possessed the most valuable qualities for a military leader: high self-control and a rare ability to make decisions quickly and soberly in any circumstances. In the summer of 1915, at a most difficult time for the Russian army, the Tsar assumed the Supreme Command of the troops. He was convinced that only in this case the enemy would be defeated. As soon as the Anointed One of God stood at the head of the army, happiness returned to Russian weapons. The arrival of the young Tsarevich Alexei to the front also contributed to the rise in the fighting spirit of the soldiers.

In the spring of 1916, at the behest of the Tsar, the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was brought to the active army from the Moscow Kremlin, before which prayer services were served with faith and hope. At this time, the Emperor ordered to launch an offensive on the Southwestern Front, which was crowned with great success. While the Tsar was leading the troops, not an inch of land was given to the enemy.

By February 1917, the army was holding on firmly, the troops were not lacking in anything, and the victory was not in doubt. Emperor Nicholas II, in the most difficult conditions, brought Russia to the brink of victory. Enemies did not allow him to cross this threshold. "Only now is the overthrow of the Tsar possible," they said, "and then, after the victory over the Germans, the Tsar's power will be consolidated for a long time."

The Monk Seraphim of Sarov, back in 1832, predicted a general revolt against the Tsarist power and the bloody moment of its fall: in all places of the Russian Land there is a general rebellion, and since many of the employees themselves will then participate in their evil intent, there will be no one to appease them, and at first a lot of innocent blood will be shed, its rivers will flow through the Russian Land, many nobles, and the clergy and merchants, disposed to the Emperor, will be killed ... "

In December 1916, the Empress visited the Tithe Monastery in Novgorod. The old woman Maria, who had been lying in heavy chains for many years, stretched out her dry hands to her and said: "Here comes the Martyr - Tsarina Alexandra", hugged her and blessed her. Blessed Pasha of Sarov, before her death in 1915, all bowed down before the portrait of the Emperor. "He will be above all kings," she said. On the portraits of the Tsar and the Royal Family, the blessed one prayed along with the icons, crying out: "Holy Royal Martyrs, pray to God for us." Once the Tsar was told her words: "Sovereign, come down from the Throne yourself."

Came on March 15, 1917. Unrest was growing in the capital. A "general revolt" broke out in the active army. The highest ranks of the army asked the Tsar to renounce the Throne "for the sake of saving Russia and victory over an external enemy," although victory was already a foregone conclusion. With this request, the Tsar and his closest relatives turned on bended knees. Without breaking the oath of the Anointed One of God and without abolishing the Autocratic Monarchy, Emperor Nicholas II transferred the Tsarist power to the eldest of the family - brother Michael. On this day, the Emperor wrote in his diary: "Around treason, cowardice and deceit." The Empress, having learned about the renunciation, said: "This is the Will of God. God allowed this to save Russia." The people lost the one who possessed the successive grace to create Russian Law.

It was on that fateful day in the village of Kolomenskoye, near Moscow, that the miraculous appearance of the icon of the Mother of God, called "Sovereign", took place. The Queen of Heaven is depicted on it in royal porphyry, with a crown on her head, with a Scepter and Power in her hands.

The Most Pure One took upon Herself the burden of the Tsar's power over the people of Russia.

The way of the cross of the Royal Family to Golgotha began. She completely surrendered herself into the hands of the Lord. "Everything is in the Will of God, - said the Emperor in difficult moments of life, - I trust in His mercy and calmly, humbly look into the future."

Russia met with silence the news of the arrest on March 21, 1917 by the Provisional Government of the Tsar and Tsarina. After the sovereign's abdication, the Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod asked the Synod to send out an appeal to the people to support the Orthodox Monarchy. The synod refused.

A commission of inquiry appointed by the Provisional Government harassed the Tsar and Tsarina with searches and interrogations, but did not find a single fact that accused them of high treason. When one of the members of the commission asked why their correspondence had not yet been published, he was answered: "If we publish it, the people will worship them as saints."

The August Family, being imprisoned in Tsarskoe Selo, worked tirelessly. In the spring, the Tsar and his children cleared the park of snow, in the summer they worked in the garden; they chopped and sawed trees. The Tsar's indefatigability impressed the soldiers so much that one of them said: "After all, if you give him a piece of land and he himself will work on it, then all of Russia will soon start working again for himself."

In August 1917, the Tsar's Family was taken under guard to Siberia. On the day of the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on the steamer "Rus" they arrived in Tobolsk. At the sight of the August Family, ordinary people took off their hats, crossed themselves, many fell to their knees: not only women but also men cried. Once the Tsar asked a Red Army soldier from the guard what was going on in Russia. He replied: "Blood flows like a river from the internecine war. People are destroying each other." Nikolai Alexandrovich said nothing and, sighing heavily, turned his gaze to the sky. The regime of keeping the Royal Prisoners was gradually tightened. The Empress wrote at that time: "We must move, purify ourselves, be reborn!"

Exactly one year after his abdication, in Tobolsk, the Tsar wrote in his diary: “How long will our unfortunate Motherland be tormented and torn apart by external and internal enemies? Still, no one like God! May His Holy Will be! "

The Royal Family loved Russia with all their hearts and could not imagine life outside the Motherland. "How I love my country, with all its shortcomings. It is dearer and dearer to me, and every day I thank the Lord that He allowed us to stay here," wrote Alexandra Feodorovna, being in prison. "I would not like to leave Russia. I love her too much," said the Emperor. "I would rather go to the farthest end of Siberia."

"Until now," the Sovereign's servants recalled, "we have never seen such a noble, compassionate, loving, righteous Family, and probably will never see it again." Bishop Hermogenes of Tobolsk, who at one time spread slander against the Empress, now openly admitted his mistake. In 1918, before his martyrdom, he wrote a letter in which he called the Royal Family "the long-suffering Holy Family" and begged everyone to be careful in condemning every person, especially the Anointed of God - the Tsar.

At the end of April 1918, the August Prisoners were escorted to Yekaterinburg, which became the Russian Golgotha for them. "Perhaps a redemptive sacrifice is needed for the salvation of Russia: I will be this sacrifice," said the Emperor, "may the will of God be done!" Constant insults and mockery on the part of the guards in the Ipatiev House inflicted deep moral and physical suffering on the Royal Family, which they endured with spite and forgiveness. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna wrote in her diary, recalling the words of Saint Seraphim of Sarov: "Those who are reproached - bless, who are persecuted - endure, those who are abused - be comforted, who are backbiting - rejoice. This is our path. He who has endured to the end will be saved."

The Royal Family was aware of the approach of death. In those days, the Grand Duchess Tatiana in one of her books emphasized the lines: “Those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ went to death, as if on a holiday facing inevitable death, they retained the same wonderful peace of mind that did not leave them for a minute. calmly towards death, because they hoped to enter into another, spiritual life, opening up to the person behind the grave. "

On Sunday, July 14, three days before the martyr's death, at the request of the Emperor, they were allowed to hold services in the house. On this day, for the first time, none of the Royal Prisoners sang during the service, they prayed in silence. According to the order of the service, it is necessary in a certain place to read the prayer for the dead, "Rest with the saints." Instead of reading, the deacon sang a prayer this time. Somewhat embarrassed by the deviation from the rule, the priest also began to sing. The Royal Family knelt down. So they prepared for death by accepting the funeral advice.

Grand Duchess Olga wrote from her captivity: "Father asks to convey to all those who remained devoted to him, and to those whom they may have influence on, so that they do not avenge him - he forgave everyone and prays for everyone, and to remember that something the evil that is now in the world will be even stronger, but that not evil will triumph over evil, but only love. " The Tsar's letter to his sister showed as never before the strength of his spirit in the difficult days of trials: "I firmly believe that the Lord will have mercy on Russia and pacify passions in the end. May His Holy Will be."

By the Providence of God, the Royal Martyrs were taken from earthly life all together, as a reward for boundless mutual love, which tightly bound them into one indivisible whole.

On the night of the martyrdom of the Royal Family, Blessed Mary Diveevskaya raged and shouted: "Princess with bayonets! Damned Jews!" She raged terribly, and only then did they understand what she was shouting about. Under the vaults of the Ipatiev cellar, in which the Royal Martyrs and their faithful servants finished their journey of the cross, inscriptions left by the executioners were discovered. One of them consisted of four kabbalistic signs. It was deciphered as follows: "Here, by order of the satanic forces. The king was sacrificed to destroy the State. All nations are notified of this."

The date of the savage murder itself - July 17 is not accidental either. On this day, the Russian Orthodox Church honors the memory of the holy blessed prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, who, with his martyr's blood, consecrated the autocracy of Russia. According to the chroniclers, the conspirators killed him in the most cruel way. Saint Prince Andrew was the first to proclaim the idea of Orthodoxy and Autocracy as the basis of the statehood of Holy Russia and was, in fact, the first Russian Tsar.

In those tragic days, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon in Moscow, in the Kazan Cathedral, publicly declared: “A terrible thing happened a few days ago: the former Sovereign Nikolai Alexandrovich was shot ... on us, and not only on those who committed it.We know that, while renouncing the Throne, he did it with a view to the good of Russia and out of love for her. border, but he did not do it, wanting to suffer with Russia. "

Soon after the revolution, Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow had a vision of the Tsar standing next to Christ. The Savior said to the King: "You see, I have two cups in my hands - this one, bitter, is for your people, and the other, sweet, is for you." The king fell to his knees and prayed for a long time to the Lord to give him a bitter cup to drink instead of his people. The Savior took out a red-hot coal from the bitter bowl and put it in the Emperor's hand. Nikolai Alexandrovich began to shift the coal from palm to palm, and at the same time, his body was enlightened until he became like a bright spirit ... And again Saint Macarius the Tsar saw among a multitude of people.

With his own hands he distributed manna to him. An invisible voice said at this time: "The sovereign took the blame of the Russian people upon himself; the Russian people are forgiven."

"Forgive them their sin; if not, then blot me out of your book, in which you have written" (Ex. 32, 32), Nikolai Alexandrovich emphasized the lines in the Holy Scriptures. The Emperor courageously ascended to Golgotha and with meek obedience to the Will of God accepted a martyr's death. He left a legacy of the unclouded Monarchical Principle as a precious Pledge, which he received from his Royal Ancestors.

Back in 1832, Saint Seraphim of Sarov predicted not only the fall of the Tsarist power, but also the moment of its restoration and the resurrection of Russia: "... but when the Russian Land is divided and one side will clearly remain with the rebels, the other will clearly become for the STATE and the Fatherland and the Holy The Church - and the STATE and the entire Royal family will be preserved by the Lord with His invisible right hand and will give complete victory to those who have raised arms for HIM, for the Church and for the good of the indivisibility of the Russian Land - but not so much blood will be shed here as when the right side for the STATE will gain victory and overfill all the traitors and will deliver them into the hands of Justice, then no one will be sent to Siberia, but everyone will be executed, and here even more blood will be shed, but this blood will be the last, cleansing blood, for after that the Lord will bless His people with peace and exalt His anointed David, His servant, a Husband after His own heart. "

July 17 - Day of Remembrance of the Passion-Bearers of Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra, Tsarevich Alexy, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia.

In 2000, the last Russian emperor Nicholas II and his family were canonized by the Russian Church as holy martyrs. Their canonization in the West - in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia - took place even earlier, in 1981. And although holy princes are not uncommon in the Orthodox tradition, this canonization still raises doubts among some. Why is the last Russian monarch glorified among the saints? Does his life and the life of his family speak in favor of canonization, and what were the arguments against it? Veneration of Nicholas II as Tsar-Redeemer - Extreme or Regularity?

We are talking about this with the secretary of the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints, the rector of the Orthodox St. Tikhon Humanitarian University, Archpriest Vladimir Vorobyov.

Death as an argument

- Father Vladimir, where does this term come from - royal passion-bearers? Why not just martyrs?

- When in 2000 the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints discussed the issue of glorifying the royal family, it came to the conclusion: although the family of Tsar Nicholas II was deeply religious, ecclesiastical and pious, all its members performed their prayer rule every day, regularly received the Holy Mysteries of Christ and they lived a highly moral life, observing the Gospel commandments in everything, constantly doing deeds of mercy, during the war they worked hard in the hospital, caring for the wounded soldiers, they can be numbered among the saints, first of all, for their Christian-perceived suffering and violent death caused by the persecutors Orthodox faith with incredible cruelty. But nevertheless, it was necessary to clearly understand and clearly formulate what exactly the royal family was killed for. Maybe it was just a political assassination? Then they cannot be called martyrs. However, both the people and the commission had a consciousness and a sense of the holiness of their feat. Since the noble princes Boris and Gleb, called martyrs, were glorified as the first saints in Russia, and their murder was also not directly related to their faith, the idea arose to discuss the glorification of the family of Tsar Nicholas II in the same face.

- When we say "royal passion-bearers" do we mean only the family of the king? Relatives of the Romanovs, the Alapaevsk martyrs, who suffered at the hands of the revolutionaries, do not belong to this face of saints?

- No, they don't. The very word "royal" in its meaning can only be attributed to the family of the king in the narrow sense. Relatives did not reign, even they were titled differently from the members of the sovereign's family. In addition, the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna Romanova - the sister of Empress Alexandra - and her cell attendant Varvara can be called martyrs for the faith. Elizaveta Fedorovna was the wife of the Governor-General of Moscow, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov, but after his murder she was not involved in state power. She devoted her life to the cause of Orthodox mercy and prayer, founded and built the Martha-Mariinsky monastery, led the community of her sisters. The cell attendant Barbara, sister of the monastery, shared her suffering and death with her. The connection between their suffering and faith is quite obvious, and they were both numbered among the new martyrs - abroad in 1981, and in Russia in 1992. However, it is now such nuances that have become important to us. In ancient times, no distinction was made between martyrs and martyrs.

- But why exactly the family of the last sovereign was glorified, although many representatives of the Romanov family ended their lives with a violent death?

- Canonization generally takes place in the most obvious and edifying cases. Not all of the killed representatives of the royal family show us an image of holiness, and most of these murders were committed for political purposes or in a struggle for power. Their sacrifices cannot be considered victims of the faith. As for the family of Tsar Nicholas II, it was so incredibly slandered by both contemporaries and the Soviet regime that it was necessary to restore the truth. Their murder was epoch-making, it strikes with its satanic hatred and cruelty, leaves a feeling of a mystical event - the reprisal of evil against the God-established order of life of the Orthodox people.

- What were the criteria for canonization? What were the pros and cons?

- The Commission on Canonization has been working on this issue for a very long time, very meticulously checking all the pros and cons. At that time, there were many opponents of the canonization of the king. Someone said that this should not be done because Tsar Nicholas II was "bloody", he was blamed for the events of January 9, 1905 - the shooting of a peaceful demonstration of workers. The commission carried out special work to clarify the circumstances of Bloody Sunday. And as a result of the study of archival materials, it turned out that the sovereign at that time was not in St. Petersburg at all, he was in no way involved in this execution and could not give such an order - he was not even aware of what was happening. Thus, this argument was dropped. All other arguments “against” were considered in a similar way, until it became obvious that there were no weighty counter-arguments. The royal family was canonized not just because they were killed, but because they accepted the torment with humility, in a Christian way, without resistance. They could take advantage of the offers of flight abroad that were made to them in advance. But they deliberately did not want this.

- Why can't their murder be called purely political?

- The royal family personified the idea of an Orthodox kingdom, and the Bolsheviks did not just want to destroy possible pretenders to the royal throne, they hated this symbol - the Orthodox tsar. By killing the royal family, they destroyed the very idea, the banner of the Orthodox state, which was the main defender of the entire world Orthodoxy. This becomes understandable in the context of the Byzantine interpretation of the royal power as the ministry of the “external bishop of the church”. And in the synodal period, in the "Fundamental Laws of the Empire" (Articles 43 and 44), published in 1832, it was said: "The Emperor, like the Christian Sovereign, is the supreme protector and keeper of the tenets of the dominant faith and the guardian of orthodoxy and every holy deanery in the Church. And in this sense, the emperor is called the Head of the Church in the act of succession (of April 5, 1797).

The sovereign and his family were ready to suffer for Orthodox Russia, for their faith, and this is how they understood their suffering. The Holy Righteous Father John of Kronstadt wrote back in 1905: "The Tsar is our righteous and pious life, God sent Him a heavy cross of suffering, as His chosen one and beloved child."

Renunciation: Weakness or Hope?

- How to understand then the sovereign's abdication from the throne?

- Although the sovereign signed the abdication of the throne as a responsibility of governing the state, this does not mean yet his renunciation of the royal dignity. Until his successor was placed in the kingdom, in the minds of all the people he was still a king, and his family remained a royal family. This is how they perceived themselves, and the Bolsheviks perceived them the same way. If the sovereign, as a result of his abdication, would lose his royal dignity and become an ordinary person, then why and who would need to persecute and kill him? When, for example, a presidential term ends, who will persecute the former president? The tsar did not seek the throne, did not conduct election campaigns, but was destined for this from birth. The whole country prayed for its king, and over him was performed the liturgical rite of anointing with holy myrrh for the kingdom. From this anointing, which manifested God's blessing for the most difficult service to the Orthodox people and Orthodoxy in general, the pious Tsar Nicholas II could not refuse without having a successor, and everyone understood this perfectly.

The sovereign, transferring power to his brother, departed from fulfilling his managerial duties not out of fear, but at the request of his subordinates (practically all front commanders, generals and admirals) and because he was a humble man, and the very idea of a struggle for power was completely alien to him. He hoped that the transfer of the throne in favor of his brother Michael (subject to his anointing to the kingdom) would calm the excitement and thereby benefit Russia. This example of refusing to struggle for power in the name of the well-being of one's country, one's people is very instructive for the modern world.

- Did he somehow mention these views of his in his diaries, letters?

- Yes, but it can be seen from his very actions. He could strive to emigrate, go to a safe place, organize reliable security, and keep his family safe. But he did not take any measures, he wanted to act against his own will, not according to his own understanding, he was afraid to insist on his own. In 1906, during the Kronstadt mutiny, the Emperor, after the report of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the following: the hands of the Lord. Whatever happens, I bow down to His will. " Already shortly before his suffering, the sovereign said: “I would not want to leave Russia. I love her too much, I'd rather go to the farthest end of Siberia. " At the end of April 1918, already in Yekaterinburg, the Tsar wrote: "Perhaps an atoning sacrifice is needed for the salvation of Russia: I will be this sacrifice - may the will of God be done!"

- Many see in renunciation an ordinary weakness ...

- Yes, some see this as a manifestation of weakness: a man of power, strong in the usual sense of the word would not abdicate the throne. But for Emperor Nicholas II, the strength was in something else: in faith, in humility, in the search for a grace-filled path according to the will of God. Therefore, he did not fight for power - and it was hardly possible to keep it. On the other hand, the holy humility with which he abdicated the throne and then accepted a martyr's death contributes even now to the conversion of the entire people to God in repentance. Still, the vast majority of our people - after seventy years of atheism - consider themselves Orthodox. Unfortunately, the majority are not church-going people, but still they are not militant atheists. The Grand Duchess Olga wrote from her imprisonment in the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg: “Father asks to convey to all those who remain loyal to him, and to those whom they can influence, so that they do not avenge him - he forgives everyone and prays for everyone, and to remember that the evil that is now in the world will be even stronger, but that not evil will triumph over evil, but only love. " And, perhaps, the image of a humble martyr-tsar moved our people to repentance and faith to a greater extent than a strong and domineering politician could have done.

Revolution: Disaster Inevitable?

- Did the way they lived, as the last Romanovs believed, influenced their canonization?

- Undoubtedly. A lot of books have been written about the royal family, many materials have survived that indicate a very high spiritual order of the sovereign himself and his family - diaries, letters, memoirs. Their faith is attested to by all who knew them and by their many deeds. It is known that Tsar Nicholas II built many churches and monasteries, he, the Empress and their children were deeply religious people, regularly partaking of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. In prison, they constantly prayed and, in a Christian way, prepared for their martyrdom, and three days before his death, the guards allowed the priest to perform the Liturgy in the Ipatiev House, at which all members of the royal family received Holy Communion. In the same place, Grand Duchess Tatiana, in one of her books, emphasized the lines: “Those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ went to death like a holiday, facing inevitable death, they retained the same wonderful peace of mind that did not leave them for a minute. They walked calmly towards death because they hoped to enter into another, spiritual life, opening up to the person behind the grave. " And the Emperor wrote: “I firmly believe that the Lord will have mercy on Russia and will pacify passions in the end. May His Holy Will be done. " It is also well known what place in their lives was occupied by deeds of mercy, which were performed in the gospel spirit: the tsar's daughters themselves, together with the empress, looked after the wounded in the hospital during the First World War.

- A very different attitude towards Emperor Nicholas II today: from accusations of lack of will and political inconsistency to veneration as a king-redeemer. Can you find a middle ground?

- I think that the most dangerous sign of the grave condition of many of our contemporaries is the absence of any relation to the martyrs, to the royal family, in general to everything. Unfortunately, many are now in some kind of spiritual dormancy and are not able to accommodate any serious questions in their hearts, to seek answers to them. The extremes that you named, it seems to me, are not found in the entire mass of our people, but only in those who are still thinking about something, looking for something else, and internally striving for something.

- What can you answer to such a statement: the sacrifice of the tsar was absolutely necessary, and thanks to it Russia was redeemed?

- Such extremes sound from the lips of people who are theologically ignorant. Therefore, they begin to reformulate certain points of the doctrine of salvation in relation to the king. This, of course, is completely wrong, there is no logic, consistency and necessity.

- But they say that the feat of the new martyrs meant a lot for Russia ...

—Only the feat of the new martyrs alone was able to withstand the rampant evil that Russia was subjected to. At the head of this martyr army were great people: Patriarch Tikhon, the greatest saints, such as Metropolitan Peter, Metropolitan Kirill and, of course, Tsar Nicholas II and his family. These are such great images! And the more time passes, the clearer their greatness and their meaning will be.

I think that now, in our time, we can more adequately assess what happened at the beginning of the twentieth century. You know, when you are in the mountains, an absolutely amazing panorama opens up - many mountains, ridges, peaks. And when you move away from these mountains, then all the smaller ridges go beyond the horizon, but one huge snow cap remains above this horizon. And you understand: here is the dominant!

So it is here: time passes, and we are convinced that these new saints of ours were indeed giants, heroes of spirit. I think that the significance of the feat of the royal family will be revealed more and more over time, and it will be clear what great faith and love they showed with their suffering.

In addition, a century later, it is clear that no most powerful leader, no Peter I, could with his human will restrain what was happening then in Russia.

- Why?

- Because the cause of the revolution was the state of the entire people, the state of the Church - I mean its human side. We often tend to idealize that time, but in reality everything was far from cloudless. Our people received communion once a year, and it was a massive phenomenon. There were several dozen bishops throughout Russia, the patriarchate was abolished, and the Church did not have independence. The system of parish schools throughout Russia - a great merit of the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod K. F. Pobedonostsev - was created only towards the end of the 19th century. This is undoubtedly a great thing, the people began to learn to read and write precisely during the Church, but it happened too late.

Much can be enumerated. One thing is clear: faith has become largely ritualistic. Many saints of that time, first of all, Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), holy righteous John of Kronstadt testified about the difficult state of the people's soul, if I may say so. They foresaw that this would lead to disaster.

- Did Tsar Nicholas II himself and his family anticipate this catastrophe?

- Of course, and we find evidence of this in their diary entries. How could Tsar Nicholas II not feel what was happening in the country when his uncle, Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov, was killed right by the Kremlin by a bomb thrown by the terrorist Kaliayev? And what about the revolution of 1905, when even all seminaries and theological academies were in revolt, so they had to be temporarily closed? After all, this speaks of the state of the Church and the country. For several decades before the revolution, a systematic persecution took place in society: they persecuted the faith, the royal family in the press, terrorists attempted to kill the rulers ...

- Do you mean to say that it is impossible to blame exclusively Nicholas II for the troubles that have befallen the country?

- Yes, that's right - he was destined to be born and reign at this time, he could no longer simply by exerting his will to change the situation, because it came from the depths of people's life. And in these conditions, he chose the path that was most characteristic of him - the path of suffering. The tsar suffered deeply, suffered mentally long before the revolution. He tried to defend Russia with kindness and love, he did it consistently, and this position led him to martyrdom.

What kind of saints are they? ..

- Father Vladimir, in Soviet times, obviously, canonization was impossible for political reasons. But even in our time it took eight years ... Why so long?

- You know, more than twenty years have passed since perestroika, and the remnants of the Soviet era are still very strong. They say that Moses wandered in the wilderness for forty years with his people because the generation that lived in Egypt and was raised in slavery had to die. For the people to become free, that generation had to leave. And it is not very easy for the generation that lived under Soviet rule to change their mentality.

- Because of a certain fear?

- Not only because of fear, but rather because of the cliches that have been implanted since childhood, which people possessed. I knew many representatives of the older generation - among them priests and even one bishop - who still found Tsar Nicholas II during his lifetime. And I witnessed that they did not understand: why canonize him? what kind of saint is he? It was difficult for them to reconcile the image that they had adopted from childhood with the criteria of holiness. This nightmare, which we now cannot imagine for ourselves, when huge parts of the Russian Empire were occupied by the Germans, although the First World War promised to end victoriously for Russia; when terrible persecutions, anarchy, Civil War began; when famine came in the Volga region, repressions unfolded, etc. - apparently, he somehow became linked in the young perception of the people of that time with the weakness of power, with the fact that there was no real leader among the people who could withstand all this rampant evil ... And some people remained under the influence of this idea for the rest of their lives ...

And then, of course, it is very difficult to compare in your consciousness, for example, St. Nicholas of Myra, the great ascetics and martyrs of the first centuries with the saints of our time. I know an old woman whose uncle, a priest, was canonized as a new martyr - he was shot for his faith. When they told her about this, she was surprised: “How ?! No, he, of course, was a very good person, but what kind of saint is he? " That is, it is not so easy for us to accept the people with whom we live as saints, because for us saints are “inhabitants of heaven,” people from another dimension. And those who eat, drink, talk and worry with us - what kind of saints are they? It is difficult to apply the image of holiness to a person close to you in everyday life, and this is also very important.

- In 1991, the remains of the royal family were found and buried in the Peter and Paul Fortress. But the Church doubts their authenticity. Why?

- Yes, there was a very long controversy about the authenticity of these remains, many examinations were carried out abroad. Some of them confirmed the authenticity of these remains, while others confirmed the not very obvious reliability of the examinations themselves, that is, an insufficiently clear scientific organization of the process was recorded. Therefore, our Church has evaded the solution of this issue and left it open: she does not risk agreeing with what has not been sufficiently verified. There are fears that by taking this or that position, the Church will become vulnerable, because there is no sufficient basis for an unequivocal decision.

End crowns the work

- Father Vladimir, I see that you have on your table, among others, a book about Nicholas II. What is your personal attitude towards him?

- I grew up in an Orthodox family and from early childhood I knew about this tragedy. Of course, he always treated the royal family with reverence. I have been to Yekaterinburg several times ...

I think, if you take it seriously, you cannot help but feel, see the greatness of this feat and not be fascinated by these wonderful images - the sovereign, empress and their children. Their life was full of difficulties, sorrows, but it was wonderful! In what severity the children were brought up, how they all knew how to work! How not to admire the amazing spiritual purity of the great princesses! Modern young people need to see the life of these princesses, they were so simple, majestic and beautiful. For their chastity alone, they could already be canonized, for their meekness, modesty, willingness to serve, for their loving hearts and mercy. After all, they were very modest people, unassuming, never aspired to fame, lived as God set them, in the conditions in which they were placed. And in everything they were distinguished by amazing modesty and obedience. No one has ever heard of them showing any passionate character traits. On the contrary, a Christian heart was cultivated in them - a peaceful, chaste one. It is enough even just to look at the photographs of the royal family, they themselves already reveal an amazing internal appearance - of the sovereign, and the empress, and the grand duchesses, and Tsarevich Alexei. It is not only a matter of upbringing, but also of their very life, which corresponded to their faith and prayer. They were real Orthodox people: as they believed, they lived, as they thought, so they acted. But there is a saying: "The end crowns the deal." “In what I find, in that I judge” - says the Holy Scriptures on behalf of God.

Therefore, the royal family was canonized not for their very high and beautiful life, but above all for their even more wonderful death. For their deathbed suffering, for the faith, meekness and obedience to the will of God they went into these sufferings - this is their unique greatness.

HOLY ROYAL PASSION-SUFFERERS († 1918)

July 17 - Remembrance Day of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers of the Most Pious Autocratic Sovereign Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich, the Spouse of His Most Pious Sovereign Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Heir to the Blessed Tsarevich Alexy Nikolaevich, Blessed Grand Duchesses Olga Nikolaevna and Tati Nikolaevna, Tati Nikolaevna, Tati Nikolaevna.

On the night of July 16-17, 1918, a terrible crime was committed - in Yekaterinburg, in the basement of the Ipatiev house, the Tsar Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich, His Family and loyal people who voluntarily remained with the Royal prisoners and shared their fate were shot.

The Day of Remembrance of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers allows you to see how it is possible for a person to follow Christ and be faithful to Him, in spite of any life's sorrows and trials. After all, what the holy Royal Martyrs endured goes beyond the boundaries of human understanding. The suffering they endured (suffering not only physical, but also moral, moral) exceeds the measure of human strength and capabilities. Only a humble heart, a heart completely devoted to God, was able to bear such a heavy cross. It is unlikely that anyone else's name was so slandered as the name of Tsar Nicholas II. But very few, with such meekness and with such complete trust in God, endured all these sorrows, as the Emperor did.

Childhood and adolescence

The last Russian Emperor Nicholas II was the eldest son of Emperor Alexander III and his wife Empress Maria Feodorovna (daughter of the Danish king Christian VII). He born on May 6 (19), 1868 the day is right. Job the Long-suffering near St. Petersburg, in Tsarskoe Selo.

The upbringing he received under the guidance of his father was strict, almost harsh. "I need normal healthy Russian children"- such a requirement was put forward by the Emperor to the educators of his children. And such an upbringing could only be Orthodox in spirit. Even as a small child, the Heir Tsarevich showed a special love for God, for His Church. He was deeply moved by every human grief and every need. He began and ended the day with prayer; knew the rite of church services well, during which he loved to sing along with the church choir. Hearing stories about the Passion of the Savior, he sympathized with Him with all his soul and even pondered how to save Him from the Jews.

He received a very good education at home - he knew several languages, studied Russian and world history, was deeply versed in military affairs, was a widely erudite person. The best teachers of that time were assigned to him and he turned out to be a very capable student.

At the age of 16, he was enlisted in active military service. At the age of 19 he was promoted to junior officer, and at 24 years old - to the colonel of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment. And in this rank, Nicholas II remained until the end.

In 1884, the wedding of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Princess Elizabeth of Hesse-Darmstadt (now the Monk Martyr Elizabeth, commemorated 5 July) was solemnly celebrated in St. Petersburg. Young Nicholas II was then 16 years old. At the celebrations, he saw the bride's young sister - Alix (Princess Alice of Hesse, granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England). A strong friendship was struck up between the young people, which then turned into deep and ever-increasing love. Five years later, when Alix of Hesse again visited Russia, the heir matures the final decision to marry her. But Tsar Alexander III did not give his consent. "Everything is in the will of God,- wrote the heir in his diary after a long conversation with his father, - trusting in His mercy, I calmly and humbly look to the future. "

Princess Alice, the future Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, was born on May 25, 1872 in Darmstadt. Alice's father was the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt Ludwig, and her mother was Princess Alice of England, the third daughter of Queen Victoria. In infancy, Princess Alice - she was called Alix at home - was a cheerful, lively child, having received the nickname "Sunny" (Sunny) for this. The children of the Hessian couple - and there were seven of them - were brought up in deeply patriarchal traditions. Their life passed according to the rules strictly established by their mother, not a single minute should have passed idle. The children's clothing and food was very basic. The girls themselves lit fireplaces, cleaned their rooms. From childhood, mother tried to instill in them qualities based on a deeply Christian approach to life.

For five years the love of Tsarevich Nicholas and Princess Alice was felt. Being already a real beauty, to whom many crowned suitors woo, she answered all with a decisive refusal. Likewise, the Tsarevich responded with a calm but firm refusal to all attempts by his parents to arrange his happiness differently. Finally, in the spring of 1894, the heir's august parents gave their blessing for the marriage.

The only obstacle was the transition to Orthodoxy - according to Russian law, the bride of the Heir to the Russian throne must be Orthodox. She saw it as apostasy. Alix was a sincere believer. But, brought up in Lutheranism, her honest and direct nature opposed the change of religion. Over the course of several years, the young princess had to go through the same rethinking of the faith as her sister Elizaveta Fedorovna. But the full conversion of the princess was helped by the sincere, warm words of the heir to Tsarevich Nicholas, which poured out from his loving heart: "When you learn how beautiful, gracious and humble our Orthodox religion is, how magnificent our churches and monasteries are and how solemn and dignified our divine services, you will love them and nothing will divide us."

The days of their engagement coincided with the dying illness of Tsar Alexander III. They arrived in Livadia 10 days before his death. Alexander III, wishing to pay attention to the bride of his son, despite all the prohibitions of doctors and family, got out of bed, put on his dress uniform and, sitting in an armchair, blessed the future spouses who fell at his feet. He showed great affection and attention to the princess, which later the queen remembered with excitement all her life.

Accession to the throne and beginning of reign

The joy of mutual love was overshadowed by a sharp deterioration in the health of his father - Emperor Alexander III.

Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich ascended the throne after the death of his father - Emperor Alexander III - October 20 (old style) 1894 ... On that day, in deep sorrow, Nikolai Alexandrovich said that he did not want the Tsar's crown, but accepts it, fearing to disobey the will of the Most High and the will of his father.

The next day, amid deep sorrow, a ray of joy flashed: Princess Alix converted to Orthodoxy. The rite of its annexation to the Orthodox Church was performed by the All-Russian Shepherd John of Kronstadt. At the time of Confirmation, she was named Alexandra in honor of the Holy Queen-Martyr.

In three weeks, November 14, 1894 in the Great Church of the Winter Palace took place wedding Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich and Princess Alexandra.

The honeymoon took place in an atmosphere of memorial services and funeral visits. "Our wedding, - the empress recalled later, - was, as it were, a continuation of these funeral services, they just dressed me in a white dress. "

On May 14 (27), 1896, the coronation took place Emperor Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Coronation of Emperor Nicholas II Alexandrovich and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna

By a fateful coincidence, the days of the coronation celebrations were darkened tragedy on Khodynskoe field , where about half a million people gathered. On the occasion of the coronation at May 18 / May 31 folk festivities were appointed on the Khodynskoye field. In the morning, people from all over Moscow and the surrounding area began to arrive on the field (often families), attracted by rumors about gifts and distribution of valuable coins. At the time of the distribution of gifts, a terrible crush took place, claiming the lives of more than a thousand people. The next day, the Sovereign and Empress attended the memorial service for the victims and provided assistance to the families of the victims.

Tragedy on Khodynka on May 18, 1896

The tragedy on Khodynka was considered a gloomy omen for the reign of Nicholas II, and at the end of the 20th century it was cited by some as one of the arguments against his canonization (2000).

Royal family

The first 20 years of the royal couple's marriage were the happiest in their personal family life.The royal couple were an example of a truly Christian family life. The relations of the August Spouses were distinguished by sincere love, heartfelt understanding and deep fidelity.

Born in the fall of 1895 first daughter- Great Princess Olga ... She had a very lively mind and prudence. It is not surprising that her father often consulted with her, even on the most important issues. Saint Princess Olga loved Russia very much and, like her father, loved the simple Russian people. When it came to the question that she might marry one of the foreign princes, she did not want to hear about it, saying: "I do not want to leave Russia. I am Russian and I want to remain Russian."

Two years later, a second girl was born, named in holy Baptism Tatiana, two years later - Maria, and two years later - Anastasia .

With the appearance of the children, Alexandra Feodorovna gave them all her attention: she fed them, bathed herself every day, constantly visited the nursery, not trusting her children to anyone. The Empress did not like to remain idle for a minute, and she taught her children to work. The two eldest daughters - Olga and Tatiana - during the war worked with their mother in the infirmary, acting as surgical nurses.

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna gives the instruments during the operation. Vel are behind. princesses Olga and Tatiana.

Nabout the cherished desire of the Royal couple was the birth of the Heir. The long-awaited event happened August 12, 1904 , a year after the pilgrimage of the Royal family to Sarov, to the celebrations of the glorification of the Monk Seraphim. But already a few weeks after birth Tsarevich Alexy it turned out that he was sick with hemophilia. The child's life hung in the balance all the time: the slightest bleeding could cost him his life. Relatives noted the nobility of the Tsarevich's character, the kindness and responsiveness of his heart. "When I am King, there will be no poor and unfortunate,- he said. - I want everyone to be happy. "

The Tsar's surprisingly sincere gaze always shone with genuine kindness. Once the Tsar visited the cruiser "Rurik", where there was a revolutionary who had taken an oath to kill him. The sailor did not fulfill his vow. "I could not do it, - he explained. "Those eyes looked at me so mildly, so affectionately."

Persons who stood close to the court noted the lively mind of Nicholas II — he always quickly grasped the essence of the issues reported to him, an excellent memory, especially of faces, the nobility of a way of thinking. But Nikolai Aleksandrovich, with his gentleness, tactfulness in handling, modest manners, impressed many people who did not inherit the strong will of his father.

The sovereign was unmercenary. He generously helped those in need from his own funds, without thinking about the amount requested. "He will soon give away everything that he has,"- said the manager of His Majesty's office. He did not like extravagance and luxury, and his dresses were often repaired.

Religiousness and outlook on their power. Church politics

The emperor paid great attention to the needs of the Orthodox Church, generously donated for the construction of new churches, including outside Russia. During the years of his reign, the number of parish churches in Russia increased by more than 10 thousand, more than 250 new monasteries were opened. The emperor personally participated in the laying of new churches and in other church celebrations. During the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, the church hierarchy had the opportunity to prepare for the convocation of the Local Council, which had not been convened for two centuries until now.

The Tsar's personal piety was manifested in the canonization of the saints. During his reign, Saint Theodosius of Chernigov (1896), Saint Seraphim of Sarov (1903), Saint Princess Anna of Kashinskaya (restoration of veneration in 1909), Saint Joasaph of Belgorod (1911), Saint Hermogen of Moscow (1913) were canonized. year), Saint Pitirim of Tambov (1914), Saint John of Tobolsk (1916). The emperor was forced to show special perseverance, seeking the canonization of the Monk Seraphim of Sarov, Saints Joasaph of Belgorod and John of Tobolsk. Nicholas II highly respected the holy righteous father John of Kronstadt. After his blessed death, the Tsar ordered a nationwide prayer commemoration of the deceased on the day of his repose.

The imperial couple was distinguished by deep religiosity. The Empress did not like socializing, balls. The upbringing of the children of the Imperial Family was imbued with a religious spirit. Short divine services in the court temples did not satisfy the Emperor and Empress. Services are performed especially for them in the Tsarskoye Selo Feodorovsky Cathedral, built in the Old Russian style. Empress Alexandra prayed here in front of a lectern with open liturgical books, closely following the service.

Economic policy

The reign of Nicholas II was a period of economic growth: in 1885-1913, the growth rate of agricultural production averaged 2%, and the growth rate of industrial production was 4.5-5% per year. Coal production in Donbass increased from 4.8 million tons in 1894 to 24 million tons in 1913. Coal mining began in the Kuznetsk coal basin.
The construction of railways continued, the total length of which, 44 thousand km in 1898, exceeded 70 thousand kilometers by 1913. In terms of the total length of railways, Russia surpassed any other European country and was second only to the United States.

In January 1887, a monetary reform was carried out, establishing the gold standard for the ruble.

In 1913, all of Russia solemnly celebrated the three hundredth anniversary of the House of Romanov. Russia was at that time at the pinnacle of glory and power: industry developed at an unprecedented pace, the army and navy became more and more powerful, the agrarian reform was successfully carried out, the country's population was growing rapidly. It seemed that all internal problems would be safely resolved in the near future.

Foreign policy and the Russo-Japanese war

Nicholas II treated the performance of the duties of the monarch as his sacred duty. For him, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was an example of a politician - at the same time a reformer and a careful guardian of national traditions and faith. He became the inspiration for the first world conference on the prevention of war, which took place in the capital of Holland in 1899, and was the first among the rulers to speak out for the defense of universal peace. During the entire period of his reign, the Tsar did not sign a single death sentence, not a single request for clemency that reached the Tsar was not rejected by him.

In October 1900, Russian troops, as part of the suppression of the uprising in China by the troops of the Alliance of Eight Powers (Russian Empire, USA, German Empire, Great Britain, France, Empire of Japan, Austria-Hungary and Italy), occupied Manchuria.

The lease by Russia of the Liaodong Peninsula, the construction of the Sino-Eastern Railway and the establishment of a naval base in Port Arthur, the growing influence of Russia in Manchuria collided with the aspirations of Japan, which also claimed Manchuria.

On January 24, 1904, the Japanese ambassador handed the Russian Foreign Minister VN Lamsdorf a note announcing the termination of negotiations, which Japan considered "useless", of the severance of diplomatic relations with Russia; Japan withdrew its diplomatic mission from St. Petersburg and reserved the right to resort to "independent actions" to protect its interests, which it deemed necessary. On the evening of January 26, the Japanese fleet attacked the Port Arthur squadron without declaring war. On January 27, 1904, Russia declared war on Japan. The Russo-Japanese War began (1904-1905). The Russian empire, possessing an almost threefold advantage in population size, could send a proportionally larger army. At the same time, the number of Russian armed forces directly in the Far East (beyond Lake Baikal) was no more than 150 thousand people, moreover, taking into account the fact that most of these troops were associated with the protection of the Trans-Siberian railway / state border / fortresses, it was directly available for active operations about 60 thousand people. From the side of Japan, 180 thousand soldiers were exposed. The main theater of operations was the Yellow Sea.

The attitude of the leading world powers to the beginning of the war between Russia and Japan split them into two camps. England and the United States immediately and definitely took the side of Japan: the illustrated chronicle of the war, which began to appear in London, was even called "Japan's Struggle for Freedom"; and American President Roosevelt openly warned France against its possible action against Japan, stating that in this case he "will immediately take her side and go as far as necessary."

The outcome of the war was decided by the naval battle at Tsushima in May 1905, which ended in the complete defeat of the Russian fleet. On May 23, 1905, the emperor received, through the US ambassador in St. Petersburg, an offer from President T. Roosevelt to mediate for the conclusion of peace. Under the terms of the peace treaty, Russia recognized Korea as Japan's sphere of influence, ceded South Sakhalin to Japan and the rights to the Liaodong Peninsula with the cities of Port Arthur and Dalny.

Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (the first in half a century) and the subsequent suppression of the Troubles of 1905-1907. (later exacerbated by the appearance of rumors about the influence of Rasputin) led to a fall in the authority of the emperor in the ruling and intellectual circles.

Revolution of 1905-1907

At the end of 1904, the political struggle intensified in the country. The impetus for the beginning of mass demonstrations under political slogans was the shooting by the imperial troops in St. Petersburg of a peaceful demonstration of workers led by priest Georgy Gapon January 9 (22), 1905 ... During this period, the strike movement took on an especially wide scale, unrest and uprisings occurred in the army and navy, which resulted in mass protests against the monarchy.

On the morning of January 9, columns of workers totaling up to 150,000 people moved from different areas to the city center. At the head of one of the columns with a cross in his hand was the priest Gapon. As the columns approached the military outposts, the officers demanded that the workers stop, but they continued to move forward. Electrified by fanatical propaganda, the workers stubbornly pushed for the Winter Palace, ignoring warnings and even cavalry attacks. To prevent the gathering of a crowd of 150,000 in the city center, the troops were forced to fire rifle volleys. In other parts of the city, crowds of workers were dispersed with sabers, sabers and whips. According to official figures, in just the day of January 9, 96 people were killed and 333 injured. The dispersal of the unarmed march of workers made a shocking impression on society. Messages about the shooting of the procession, which repeatedly overestimated the number of victims, were spread by illegal publications, party proclamations and passed from mouth to mouth. The opposition placed all responsibility for what happened on Emperor Nicholas II and the autocratic regime. The priest Gapon, hiding from the police, called for an armed uprising and the overthrow of the dynasty. The revolutionary parties called for the overthrow of the autocracy. A wave of strikes under political slogans swept across the country. The traditional belief of the working masses in the tsar was shaken, and the influence of the revolutionary parties began to grow. The slogan "Down with the autocracy!" According to many contemporaries, the tsarist government made the mistake of deciding to use force against unarmed workers. The danger of revolt was averted, but irreparable damage was done to the prestige of the royal power.

Bloody Sunday is undoubtedly a black day in history, but the role of the king in this event is much lower than the role of the organizers of the demonstration. For by that time the government had withstood a real siege for more than a month. Indeed, “Bloody Sunday” itself would not have existed, had it not been for the atmosphere of political crisis that liberals and socialists have created in the country.(author's note - an analogy with today's events involuntarily suggests itself). In addition, the police became aware of plans to shoot the sovereign when he went out to the people.

In October, a strike began in Moscow, which engulfed the entire country and developed into the All-Russian October political strike. On October 12-18, over 2 million people went on strike in various industries.

This general strike and, above all, the strike of the railroad workers, forced the emperor to make concessions. On August 6, 1905, the State Duma was established by the Manifesto of Nicholas II as "a special legislative institution, which is provided with the preliminary development and discussion of legislative assumptions." The Manifesto of October 17, 1905 granted civil liberties: personal inviolability, freedom of conscience, speech, assembly and association. Trade and professional-political unions, Soviets of Workers' Deputies arose, the Social Democratic Party and the Party of Socialist Revolutionaries were strengthened, the Constitutional Democratic Party, the Union of October 17th, the Union of the Russian People, and others were created.

Thus, the demands of the liberals were met. The autocracy went to the creation of parliamentary representation and the beginning of the reform (Stolypin agrarian reform).

World War I

World War II began on the morning of August 1, 1914, on the day of commemoration of the Monk Seraphim of Sarov. Diveyevo blessed Pasha Sarovskaya said that the enemies of the Fatherland started the war in order to overthrow the Tsar and tear Russia apart. "He will be higher than all kings," she said, praying for the portraits of the Tsar and the Royal Family along with icons.

On July 19 (August 1), 1914, Germany declared war on Russia: Russia entered a world war, which for her ended with the collapse of the empire and dynasty. Nicholas II made efforts to prevent war both in all the pre-war years, and in the last days before its start, when (July 15, 1914) Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and began the bombing of Belgrade. On July 16 (29), 1914, Nicholas II sent a telegram to William II with a proposal to "transfer the Austro-Serbian question to the Hague Conference" (to the International Arbitration Court in The Hague). William II did not reply to this telegram.

Emperor Nicholas II at headquarters

The First World War, which began with two heroic deeds of Russia - the salvation of Serbia from Austria-Hungary and France from Germany, drew off the best forces of the people to fight the enemy. Since August 1915, the sovereign himself spent most of his time at headquarters, far from the capital and the palace. And so, when the victory was so close that both the Council of Ministers and the Synod were already openly discussing the question of how the Church and the state should behave in relation to Constantinople freed from Muslims, the rear, which finally succumbed to the flattering propaganda of the atheists, changed its To the Emperor. An armed uprising began in Petrograd, the tsar's connection with the capital and his family was deliberately cut off. Treason surrounded the sovereign from all sides, his orders to the commanders of all fronts to send military units to suppress the rebellion were not carried out.

Abdication

Intending to personally find out the situation in the capital, Nikolai Alexandrovich left the headquarters and went to Petrograd. In Pskov, a delegation from the State Duma came to him, completely cut off from the whole world. The delegates began to ask the sovereign to abdicate in order to calm the rebellion. They were joined by the generals of the Northern Front. They were soon joined by the commanders of other fronts.

With this request, the Tsar and his closest relatives turned on bended knees. Without breaking the oath of the Anointed One of God and without abolishing the Autocratic Monarchy, Emperor Nicholas II transferred the Tsarist power to the eldest of the family - brother Michael. According to the latest research, the so-called. The "manifesto" of abdication (signed in pencil!), Drawn up contrary to the laws of the Russian Empire, was a telegram from which it followed that the Emperor was betrayed into the hands of enemies. He who reads understands!

Deprived of the opportunity to contact the headquarters, with his family, with those whom he still trusted, the tsar hoped that this telegram would be perceived by the troops as a call to action - the release of the Anointed One of God. To the greatest regret, the Russian people could not unite in a sacred impulse: "For Faith, Tsar and Fatherland." A terrible thing happened ...

How correctly the Emperor assessed the situation and the people around him is evidenced by a short entry, which became historical, made by him in his diary on that day: "All around there is treason, and cowardice, and deceit." Grand Duke Michael refused to accept the crown, and the monarchy in Russia fell.

Icon of the Mother of God "Reigning"

It was on that fateful day March 15, 1917 in the village of Kolomenskoye, near Moscow, a miraculous appearance of the icon of the Mother of God, called "Reigning", took place. The Queen of Heaven is depicted on it in royal porphyry, with a crown on her head, with a Scepter and Power in her hands. The Most Pure One took upon Herself the burden of the Tsar's power over the people of Russia.

During the abdication of the sovereign for several days, the empress did not receive news from him. Her agony in these days of mortal anxiety, without news and at the beds of five seriously ill children, surpassed everything that could be imagined. Having suppressed the weakness of a woman and all her bodily ailments, heroically, selflessly, she devoted herself to caring for the sick, with full confidence in the help of the Queen of Heaven.

Arrest and execution of the royal family

The Provisional Government announced the arrest of Emperor Nicholas II and his August wife and their maintenance in Tsarskoe Selo. The arrest of the Emperor and Empress had not the slightest legal basis or reason. A commission of inquiry appointed by the Provisional Government harassed the Tsar and Tsarina with searches and interrogations, but did not find a single fact that accused them of high treason. When one of the members of the commission asked why their correspondence has not yet been published, he was answered: "If we publish it, the people will worship them as saints."

The life of the prisoners was subjected to petty oppression - A.F. Kerensky announced to the Tsar that he should live separately and see the Empress only at the table, and speak only Russian. The guard soldiers in a rude manner made remarks to him, access to the palace of persons close to the Tsar's family was prohibited. Once the soldiers even took away a toy gun from the Heir under the pretext of a ban on carrying weapons.

31 july the royal family and a retinue of loyal servants were sent under escort to Tobolsk... At the sight of the August Family, ordinary people took off their hats, crossed themselves, many fell to their knees: not only women but also men cried. The sisters of the Ioannovsky Monastery brought spiritual literature, helped with food, since all the means of subsistence were taken away from the Royal Family. The restrictions on the life of the Prisoners increased. Mental anxiety and moral suffering greatly affected the Tsar and Empress. They both looked emaciated, gray hair appeared, but the mental strength in them still remained. Bishop Hermogenes of Tobolsk, who at one time spread slander against the Empress, now openly admitted his mistake. In 1918, before his martyrdom, he wrote a letter in which he called the Royal Family "the long-suffering Holy Family."

All the royal martyrs, undoubtedly, were aware of the approach of the end and prepared for it. Even the youngest - the holy Tsarevich Alexy - did not close his eyes to reality, which is evident from the words accidentally escaped from him: "If they kill, then only they would not torture"... The sovereign's devoted servants, who courageously followed the royal family into exile, also understood this. "I know that I will not get out of this alive. I only pray for one thing - that they would not separate me from the sovereign and let me die with him,"- said Adjutant General I.L. Tatishchev.

The royal family on the eve of the arrest and in fact the collapse of the Russian Empire. Anxiety, excitement, sorrow for the once great country

The news of the October coup reached Tobolsk on November 15. In Tobolsk, a "soldier's committee" was formed, which, in every possible way striving for self-affirmation, demonstrated its power over the Tsar - they force him to take off his epaulettes, then destroy the ice slide arranged for the Tsar's children. From March 1, 1918, "Nikolai Romanov and his family are transferred to a soldier's ration."

The next place of their imprisonment was Ekaterinburg ... There is much less evidence of the Yekaterinburg period of the imprisonment of the Tsar's family. There are almost no letters. Living conditions in the "special purpose house" were much more difficult than in Tobolsk. The royal family lived here for two and a half months among a gang of insolent, unbridled people - their new guard, being subjected to bullying. Guards were posted in all corners of the house and watched every movement of the prisoners. They covered the walls with indecent drawings, mocking the Empress and the Grand Duchesses. They were even on duty near the toilet door, and they did not allow the doors to be locked. A guardroom was set up on the lower floor of the house. The mud was terrible there. Drunken voices were constantly bawling revolutionary or obscene songs to the accompaniment of fists pounding the keys of the grand piano.

Resigned obedience to the will of God, gentleness and humility gave the royal passion-bearers the strength to firmly endure all suffering. They already felt themselves on the other side of being and, with prayer in their souls and on their lips, were preparing for their transition into eternal life. V Ipatiev House a poem was found, written by the hand of the Grand Duchess Olga, which is called "Prayer", the last two quatrains of it say the same:

Master of the world, God of the universe,
Bless us with prayer
And give rest to the humble soul
In an unbearable, terrible hour.
And at the threshold of the grave
Breathe into the mouth of Your slaves
Superhuman strength
Pray meekly for your enemies.

When the Royal Family was held captive by the godless government, the commissars were forced to change their guards all the time. Because under the miraculous influence of the holy prisoners, being in constant contact with them, these people involuntarily became different, more human. Conquered by the royal simplicity, humility and philanthropy of the crowned passion-bearers, the jailers softened their attitude towards them. However, as soon as the Ural Cheka felt that the guards of the royal family were beginning to feel good feelings for the prisoners, they immediately replaced it with a new one - from the Chekists themselves. At the head of this guard stood Yankel Yurovsky ... He was constantly in touch with Trotsky, Lenin, Sverdlov and other organizers of the atrocity. It was Yurovsky who, in the basement of the Ipatiev House, read the order of the Yekaterinburg Executive Committee and was the first to shoot right in the heart of our holy Tsar-Martyr. He shot at children and finished them off with a bayonet.

Three days before the murder of the royal martyrs, a priest was invited to them for the last time to perform the service. Batiushka served as a place of worship, according to the order of the service it was supposed to read the kontakion "Rest with the saints ..." in a certain place. For some reason, this time the deacon, instead of reading this kontakion, sang it, and the priest sang too. The royal martyrs, moved by some unknown feeling, knelt down ...

On the night of July 16-17 the prisoners were lowered into the basement under the pretext of a speedy move, then suddenly soldiers with rifles appeared, the "sentence" was hastily read out, and immediately the guards opened fire. The shooting was indiscriminate - the soldiers were given vodka before that - so the holy martyrs were finished off with bayonets. Together with the royal family, the servants died: the doctor Yevgeny Botkin, the maid of honor Anna Demidova, the cook Ivan Kharitonov and the lackey Trupp, who remained faithful to them to the end. The picture was terrible: eleven bodies lay on the floor in streams of blood. After making sure that their victims were dead, the murderers began to remove their jewelry.

Pavel Ryzhenko. In the Ipatiev house after the execution of the royal family

After the shooting, the bodies were taken out of town to an abandoned mine in the tract Ganina Yama, where they were destroyed for a long time using sulfuric acid, gasoline and pomegranates. There is an opinion that the murder was ritual, as evidenced by the inscriptions on the walls of the room where the martyrs died. One of them consisted of four kabbalistic signs. It stands for " Here, by order of the satanic forces. The king was sacrificed to destroy the State. All nations are notified of this. " Ipatiev's house was blown up in the 70s.

Archpriest Alexander Shargunov in the magazine "Russian House" for 2003. writes: “We know that the majority among the top of the Bolshevik government, as well as the organs of repression, such as the ominous Cheka, were Jews. by birth a Jew from the tribe of Dan. And his appearance will be prepared by the sins of all mankind, when dark mysticism, debauchery and criminality will become the norm and the law of life. We are far from thinking to condemn any people for its nationality. In the end, Christ Himself according to the flesh he came out of this people, His apostles and the first Christian martyrs were Jews. It's not a matter of nationality ... "

On the significance of the feat of the royal family

The veneration of the Tsar's family, already begun by His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon in the funeral prayer and words at the funeral service in the Kazan Cathedral in Moscow for the slain Emperor three days after the Yekaterinburg murder, continued for several decades of the Soviet period of our history. During all the time of Soviet power, violent blasphemy was poured out in memory of the holy Tsar Nicholas, nevertheless, many among the people, especially in emigration, from the very moment of his death, venerated the Tsar-martyr.

Countless testimonies of miraculous help through prayers to the Family of the last Russian Autocrat; the popular veneration of royal martyrs in the last years of the 20th century became so wide that in 2000 By the Russian Orthodox Church, the last Russian emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and their children Alexei, Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia numbered among the holy martyrs ... Their memory is celebrated on the day of their martyrdom - July 17th .

Why was the royal family canonized?

Archpriest Georgy Mitrofanov

Historical facts do not allow us to speak of members of the royal family as Christian martyrs. Martyrdom presupposes for a person the opportunity to save his life through renunciation of Christ. The sovereign's family was killed precisely as the sovereign's family: the people who killed them were quite secularized in their outlook and perceived them primarily as a symbol of imperial Russia, which they hated.

In the historical notes about Nicholas II, and in his life, a rather restrained, and sometimes even critical, assessment of his state activities is given. Bloody Sunday January 9, 1905, the problem of the attitude of the sovereign and the empress to Rasputin, the problem of the emperor's abdication - all this is evaluated from the point of view of whether this prevents canonization or not.

If we consider the events of January 9, then, firstly, we must take into account that we are dealing with riots that took place in the city. They were unprofessionally suppressed, but it was really massive illegal demonstration. Secondly, the sovereign did not give any criminal orders that day - he was in Tsarskoe Selo and was largely misinformed by the Minister of Internal Affairs and the mayor of St. Petersburg. Nicholas II considered himself responsible for what happened, hence the tragic entry in his diary, which he, having learned about the incident, left on the evening of that day: "Tough day! In St. Petersburg, there were serious riots as a result of the desire of the workers to reach the Winter Palace. The troops had to shoot in different parts of the city, there were many killed and wounded. Lord, how painful and hard it is! "

As far as the abdication is concerned, it was politically unquestionably erroneous. Nevertheless, the guilt of the sovereign is to some extent redeemed by the motives that guided him. The emperor's desire to prevent civil strife by renunciation is justified from the point of view of morality, but not from the standpoint of politics ... If Nicholas II had suppressed a revolutionary uprising by force, he would have gone down in history as an outstanding statesman, but he would hardly have become a saint.

All this allows a slightly different look at the figure of the last king. However, the Church is in no hurry to justify Nicholas II in everything. A canonized saint is not sinless.

Five reports were submitted to the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints, devoted to the study of the state and church activities of the last Russian sovereign. The commission ruled that the activities of Emperor Nicholas II alone did not provide sufficient grounds for both his canonization and the canonization of his family members. However, the reports that determined the final - positive - decision of the Commission were the sixth and seventh: "The Last Days of the Royal Family" and "The Attitude of the Church to Passion-Tolerance."

It was the last period of the life of the members of the royal family, spent in captivity, and the circumstances of their death that contain serious grounds for glorifying them in the face of martyrs. They realized more and more that death was inevitable, but they managed to preserve the spiritual peace in their hearts and at the moment of their martyrdom they gained the ability to forgive their executioners.

The family of Nicholas II is glorified in the rank of passion-suffering , which is characteristic of the Russian Church. The drama of passion-suffering, "non-resistance to death" consists precisely in the fact that it is the weak people, who often sinned a lot, who find the strength to overcome the weak human nature and die with the name of Christ on their lips. In this rank, Russian princes and sovereigns are traditionally canonized, who, imitating Christ, endured physical, moral suffering or death at the hands of political opponents with patience. By the way, there are not so many canonized sovereigns in the history of the Russian Church. And of the Romanovs, only Nicholas II is glorified in the face of saints - for 300 years of the dynasty's reign, this is the only case.

The well-known Moscow archpriest, a deeply convinced monarchist, Father Alexander Shargunov, spoke very accurately about the inner, ideological-deep, purely spiritual and timeless foundations of the feat of the royal family:

As you know, today's detractors of the Tsar, both left and right, constantly blame him for his abdication. Unfortunately for some, even after canonization, this remains a stumbling block and temptation, while this was the greatest manifestation of his holiness.

Speaking about the holiness of Tsar Nikolai Alexandrovich, we usually mean his martyrdom, associated, of course, with his entire pious life. The feat of his renunciation is the feat of confession.

To understand this more clearly, let us remember who sought the Tsar's abdication. First of all, those who sought a turn in Russian history towards European democracy or, at least, towards a constitutional monarchy. The Socialists and Bolsheviks were already a consequence and an extreme manifestation of the materialist understanding of history.

It is known that many of the then destroyers of Russia acted in the name of her creation. Among them there were many, in their own way, honest, wise people who already then thought, "how to equip Russia." But it was, as Scripture says, earthly, spiritual, demonic wisdom. The stone that the builders then rejected was Christ and Christ's anointing. The anointing of God means that the earthly power of the Sovereign has a Divine source. The renunciation of the Orthodox monarchy was a renunciation of divine authority. From power on earth, which is called upon to direct the general course of life towards spiritual and moral goals - to the creation of conditions that are maximally favorable for the salvation of many, a power that is “not of this world,” but serves the world in this, the highest sense.

Most of the participants in the revolution acted as if unconsciously, but this was a deliberate rejection by God of the given order of life and God-established power in the person of the Tsar, the Anointed of God, as the rejection of Christ the Tsar by the spiritual leaders of Israel was deliberate, as described in the Gospel parable of the evil tenants. They killed Him not because they did not know that He was the Messiah, Christ, but precisely because they knew it. Not because they thought it was a false Messiah that should be eliminated, but precisely because they saw that it was the real Messiah: "Come, let us kill Him, and the inheritance will be ours." The same secret Sanhedrin, inspired by the devil, directs humanity to ensure that it has a life free from God and from His commandments, so that nothing will prevent them from living as they want.

This is the meaning of "treason, cowardice and deceit" that surrounded the Tsar. For this reason, Saint John Maksimovich compares the sufferings of the Emperor in Pskov during his renunciation with the sufferings of Christ Himself in Gethsemane. In the same way, the devil himself was present here, tempting the Tsar and all the people with him (and all mankind, according to the exact word of P. Gilliard), as he once tempted Christ Himself in the wilderness with the kingdom of this world.

For centuries Russia has been approaching the Yekaterinburg Golgotha. And here the ancient temptation was revealed in full. Just as the devil sought to catch Christ through the Sadducees and Pharisees, setting Him into nets that were unbreakable by any human tricks, so through the socialists and Cadets the devil puts Tsar Nicholas before a hopeless choice: either apostasy or death.

The king did not abandon the purity of God's anointing, did not sell the divine birthright for a lentil stew of earthly power. The very rejection of the Tsar happened precisely because he was a confessor of the truth, and this was nothing more than the rejection of Christ in the person of Christ's Anointed. The meaning of the sovereign's abdication is the salvation of the idea of Christian power.

It is unlikely that the Tsar could foresee what terrible events would follow his abdication, because outwardly he abdicated the throne in order to avoid senseless shedding of blood. However, we can measure the depth of suffering in his Gethsemane by the depth of the terrible events that opened after his renunciation. The king was clearly aware that by his renunciation he was betraying himself, his family and his people, whom he dearly loved, into the hands of enemies. But most important for him was the faithfulness of the grace of God, which he received in the Sacrament of Confirmation for the salvation of the people entrusted to him. For all the most terrible troubles that are possible on earth: hunger, disease, pestilence, from which, of course, the human heart cannot but shudder, cannot be compared with the eternal “crying and gnashing of teeth” where there is no repentance. And as the prophet of the events of Russian history, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov, said, if a person knew that there is eternal life that God gives for loyalty to Him, then he would agree to endure any torment for a thousand years (that is, until the end of history, together with all suffering people). And about the mournful events that followed the Tsar's abdication, the Monk Seraphim said that the angels would not have time to receive souls - and we can say that after the Tsar's abdication, millions of new martyrs received crowns in the Kingdom of Heaven.

You can do any kind of historical, philosophical, political analysis, but the spiritual vision is always more important. We know this vision in the prophecies of Saint Righteous John of Kronstadt, Saints Theophan the Recluse and Ignatius Brianchaninov and other saints of God, who understood that no emergency, external government measures, no repression, the most skillful policy could not change the course of events if there was no repentance among the Russian people. It was given to the truly humble mind of Saint Tsar Nicholas to see that this repentance would probably be bought at a very high price.

After the abdication of the Tsar, in which the people took part with their indifference, one could not but follow the hitherto unprecedented persecution of the Church and massive apostasy from God. The Lord has shown very clearly what we are deprived of, depriving the Anointed One of God, and what we are gaining. Russia immediately acquired Satan's anointed ones.

The sin of regicide played a major role in the terrible events of the 20th century for the Russian Church and for the whole world. We are faced with only one question: is there an atonement for this sin, and how can it be accomplished? The Church always calls us to repentance. This means realizing what happened and how it continues in today's life. If we really love the Tsar-martyr and pray to him, if we truly seek the moral and spiritual revival of our Fatherland, we must spare no effort in order to overcome the terrible consequences of mass apostasy (apostasy from the faith of the fathers and trampling on morality) in our people ...

There are only two options for what awaits Russia. Or, by the miracle of the intercession of the Royal Martyrs and all the new Russian martyrs, the Lord will grant our people to be reborn for the salvation of many. But this will happen only with our participation - in spite of natural weakness, sinfulness, powerlessness and lack of faith. Or, according to the Apocalypse, the Church of Christ will face new, even more formidable upheavals, in the center of which will always be the Cross of Christ. Through the prayers of the Royal Passion-Bearers, leading the host of new martyrs and confessors of Russia, may it be given to us to withstand these trials and become partakers of their feat.

By his feat of confession, the Tsar put to shame, democracy is “the great lie of our time,” when everything is determined by the majority of votes, and, in the end, by those who shout louder: We do not want Him, but Barabbas, not Christ, but Antichrist.

Until the end of time, and especially in the last times. The church will be tempted by the devil, like Christ in Gethsemane and on Calvary: "Come down, come down from the Cross." “Depart from those requirements of human greatness, which Your Gospel speaks of, become more accessible to everyone, and we will believe in You. There are circumstances when it is necessary to do this. Come down from the cross, and the affairs of the Church will go better. " The main spiritual meaning of today's events is the result of the XX century - the increasingly successful efforts of the enemy to “lose its power”, so that the highest values of mankind turn into empty, beautiful words.

(Alexander Shargunov, "Russian House" magazine, No. 7, 2003)

Troparion, voice 4
Today, to the faithful people, let us lightly honor the honest Sedmeritsa Royal passion-bearer of Christ One house church: Nicholas and Alexandra, Alexia, Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. I was not afraid of those bothers and sufferings of many different kinds, I didn’t fear death and desecration of the body and improve my boldness to the Lord in prayer. For this, for the sake of them, we cry out with love: O holy martyrs, grasp the voice of peace and groaning of our people, affirm the Russian land in love for Orthodoxy, preserve peace from internecine warfare, ask God for peace and great mercy for our souls.

Kontakion, voice 8
The election of the Tsar of Kings and the Lord of the Lord from the family of the Tsars of Russia, a faithful martyr, spiritual torment and bodily death for Christ, received, and crowned with heavenly crowns, as if our merciful patron saint with love grateful to you with a prayer: ...

Prayer to the Holy Martyr Tsar Nicholas II
O holy great Russian Tsar and passion-bearer Nicholas! Listen to the voice of our prayer and lift up to the Throne of the All-Seeing Lord the groaning and sighing of the Russian people, once chosen and blessed by God, now fallen and departed from God. Resolve the perjury that hitherto gravitates over the Russian people. It is gravely sinned, having departed from the Heavenly Tsar, left the Orthodox faith to trample the wicked, violated the conciliar oath and did not forbid killing your family, your family and your faithful servants.

Not just obedience to the command of the Lord: "Do not touch my anointed ones," but to David, saying: "He will stretch out his hand on the Lord's Anointed, will not the Lord smite him?" And behold, now worthy in our deeds is acceptable, even to this day the sin of the royal blood of shedding gravitates upon us.

Our shrines have been desecrated to this day. Fornication and lawlessness do not become scarce from us. Our children are betrayed to be mocked. Innocent blood screams to the sky, shedding every hour in our land.

But see tears and the contrition of our hearts, we repent, like the people of Kiev once before Prince Igor, tortured by them; like the people of Vladimir in front of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, who was killed by them, and we ask: pray the Lord, may he not turn away from us to the end, may he not deprive the Russian people of his great chosenness, but may he give us the reason of salvation, in a hedgehog to help us from the depths of this fall.

Imashi bo, Tsar Nicholas, boldness is great, you have shed your blood for your people, and you have laid down your soul not only for your friends, but also for your enemies. For this reason, stand now in the Everlasting Light to the King of Glory, as His faithful servant. Be our intercessor and intercessor and guardian. Do not turn away from us, and do not leave us to trample the wicked. Grant us the strength to repent, and incline the justice of God to mercy, may the Lord not destroy us to the end, but may all forgive and mercifully have mercy, and save the Russian land and its people. May our Fatherland save us from the troubles and misfortunes that have befallen it, revive faith and piety, and reestablish the throne of the Orthodox Kings, and the prophecies of the saints of God come true. And may the Russian people throughout the whole universe glorify the all-praiseworthy name of the Lord and faithfully serve Him until the end of the century, singing the glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit now and ever and forever. A min.

Royal Passion-Bearers: Martyr Nicholas II and others like him slain

The royal passion-bearers are the last Russian emperor Nicholas II and his family. They were martyred - in 1918 they were shot by order of the Bolsheviks. In 2000, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized them. We will tell you about the feat and the day of memory of the Royal Martyrs, which is celebrated on July 17.

Who are the Royal Martyrs

Royal Passion-Bearers, Royal Martyrs, Royal Family- this is how, after being canonized, the Russian Orthodox Church calls the last Russian emperor Nicholas II and his family: Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Tsarevich Alexei, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. They were canonized for the feat of martyrdom - on the night of July 16-17, 1918, by order of the Bolsheviks, they, along with the court doctor and servants, were shot in the Ipatiev house in Yekaterinburg.

What does the word "passion-bearer" mean?

The Passion Bearer is one of the ranks of holiness. This is a saint who was martyred for fulfilling God's commandments, and most often at the hands of fellow believers. An important part of the passion-bearer's feat is that the martyr does not hold grudge against the tormentors and does not resist.

This is the face of the saints who suffered not for their actions or for the preaching of Christ, but for by whom they were. The fidelity of the passion-bearers to Christ is expressed in their fidelity to their vocation and destiny.

It was in the face of martyrs that Emperor Nicholas II and his family were canonized.

When the memory of the Royal Passion-bearers is celebrated

The memory of the Holy Passion-Bearers of Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra, Tsarevich Alexy, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia is commemorated on the day of their murder - July 17, new style (July 4, old style).

The murder of the Romanov family

The last Russian emperor Nicholas II Romanov abdicated on March 2, 1917. After his abdication, he and his family, doctor and servants were placed under house arrest in a palace in Tsarskoe Selo. Then, in the summer of 1917, the Provisional Government sent the prisoners into exile in Tobolsk. And finally, in the spring of 1918, the Bolsheviks exiled them to Yekaterinburg. It was there that on the night of July 16-17, the Tsar's family was shot - by order of the executive committee of the Ural Regional Council of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers' Deputies.

Some historians believe that the execution order was received directly from Lenin and Sverdlov. The question of whether this is so is a controversial one, perhaps, historical science has yet to find out the truth.

Very little is known about the Yekaterinburg period of the Imperial family's exile. Several entries in the emperor's diary have come down to us; there is testimony of witnesses in the case of the murder of the Tsar's family. In the house of the engineer Ipatiev Nicholas II, 12 soldiers were guarded with his family. In fact, it was a prison. The inmates slept on the floor; the guards were often cruel to them; the prisoners were allowed to walk in the garden only once a day.

The royal passion-bearers courageously accepted their fate. We have received a letter from Princess Olga, where she writes: “Father asks to convey to all those who remain loyal to him, and those on whom they can have influence, so that they do not avenge him, since he has forgiven everyone and prays for everyone, and so that they do not take revenge for themselves, and that they remember that the evil that is now in the world will be even stronger, but that not evil will triumph over evil, but only love. "

Those arrested were allowed to attend services. Prayer was a great comfort to them. Archpriest John Storozhev performed his last service in the Ipatiev House just a few days before the execution of the Tsar's family - on July 14, 1918.

On the night of July 16-17, the Chekist and the head of the execution, Yakov Yurovsky, woke up the emperor, his wife and children. They were ordered to get together under the pretext that unrest had begun in the city and an urgent need to move to a safe place. The prisoners were escorted to a basement room with one barred window, where Yurovsky told the Tsar: "Nikolai Alexandrovich, by order of the Ural Regional Council, you will be shot with your family." The Chekist fired several shots at Nicholas II, the other participants in the execution - at the rest of the condemned. Those who fell, but was still alive, were finished off with shots and stabbed with bayonets. The bodies were taken out into the yard, loaded into a truck and taken to Ganina Yama - the abandoned Isetsky. They threw it into a mine, then burned it and buried it.

Together with the royal family, the court doctor Yevgeny Botkin and several servants were shot: the maid Anna Demidova, the cook Ivan Kharitonov and the valet Alexei Trup

On July 21, 1918, during a divine service at the Kazan Cathedral in Moscow, Patriarch Tikhon said: “A terrible thing happened a few days ago: the former Tsar Nikolai Alexandrovich was shot ... , not just those who committed it. We know that, having abdicated the throne, he did this, having in mind the good of Russia and out of love for her. After renunciation, he could have found for himself security and a relatively calm life abroad, but he did not, wishing to suffer along with Russia. He did nothing to improve his position, resignedly resigned himself to fate. "

For many decades no one knew where the executioners buried the bodies of the executed Royal Passion-bearers. And only in July 1991, the alleged remains of five members of the imperial family and servants were discovered near Yekaterinburg, under the embankment of the Old Koptyakovskaya road. The Prosecutor General's Office of Russia opened a criminal case and during the investigation confirmed that they were indeed prisoners of the Ipatiev House.

After several years of research and public controversy, on July 17, 1998, the martyrs were buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. And in July 2007, the remains of the son of Tsarevich Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria were found.

Canonization of the Royal Family

People have been praying for the repose of the Tsar's family in the Russian diaspora since the 1920s. In 1981, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad canonized Nicholas II and his family.

The Russian Orthodox Church canonized the Royal Martyrs almost twenty years later - in 2000: "To glorify the royal family as martyrs and confessors of Russia as martyrs and confessors: Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra, Tsarevich Alexy, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia."

Why We Honor the Royal Passion-Bearers

“We honor the royal family for their devotion to God; for martyrdom; for giving us an example of real leaders of the country, who treated it like their own family. After the revolution, Emperor Nicholas II had many opportunities to leave Russia, but he did not take advantage of them. Because he wanted to share the fate with his country, no matter how bitter this fate was.

We see not only the personal feat of the Royal Passion-Bearers, but the feat of all that Russia, which was once called outgoing, but which in fact is abiding. As in 1918 in the Ipatiev House, where the martyrs were shot, so it is here, now. This is a modest, but at the same time majestic Russia, in contact with which you understand what is valuable and what is secondary in your life.

The royal family is not an example of correct political decisions, the Church did not glorify the Royal Passion-Bearers for this at all. For us, they are an example of the Christian attitude of the ruler to the people. y, the desire to serve him even at the cost of his life».

How to distinguish the veneration of the Royal martyrs from the sin of reigning?

Archpriest Igor FOMIN, rector of the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky at MGIMO:

“The royal family is among those saints whom we love and glorify. But the Royal Passion-bearers do not “save us,” because the salvation of man is the work of Christ alone. The royal family, like any other Christian saints, leads and accompanies us on the path to salvation, to the Kingdom of Heaven. "

Icon of the Royal Martyrs

Traditionally, icon painters depict the Royal Passion-bearers without a doctor and servants, who were shot together with them in the Ipatiev house in Yekaterinburg. We see on the icon of Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and their five children - princesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and heir Alexei Nikolaevich.

On the icon, the Royal Passion-Bearers hold crosses in their hands. This is a symbol of martyrdom, known from the first centuries of Christianity, when the followers of Christ were crucified on crosses, just like their Teacher. At the top of the icon are two angels, they carry the image of the icon of the Mother of God "Reigning".

Temple in the name of the Royal Passion-bearers

The Church on the Blood in the name of All Saints Who Shone in the Land of Russia was built in Yekaterinburg on the site of the house of the engineer Ipatiev, where the Tsar's family was shot in 1918.

The building of the Ipatiev House itself was demolished in 1977. In 1990, a wooden cross was erected here, and soon - a temporary temple without walls, with a dome on supports. The first Liturgy was served there in 1994.

The construction of the stone memorial temple began in 2000. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy laid in the foundation of the church a capsule with a commemorative letter on the consecration of the construction site. Three years later, on the site of the execution of the Royal Passion-Bearers, a large white-stone temple was built, consisting of the lower and upper temples. A monument to the Tsar's family is erected in front of the entrance to it.

Inside the church, next to the altar, there is the main shrine of the Yekaterinburg church - the crypt (tomb). It was installed on the site of the very room where eleven martyrs were killed - the last Russian emperor, his family, the court doctor and servants. The crypt was decorated with bricks and the remains of the foundations of the historic Ipatiev house.

Three days after the martyrdom of the royal family in Yekaterinburg on the night of July 4 (17), the holy Patriarch of All Russia Tikhon, in his funeral prayer and words at the memorial service for the slain emperor, initiated the church veneration of the crowned passion-bearers. On July 21, during a divine service at the Kazan Cathedral in Moscow, he said:

"The other day, a terrible thing happened: the former Tsar Nikolai Alexandrovich was shot ... We must, obeying the teachings of the word of God, condemn this case, otherwise the blood of the shot will fall on us, and not only on those who committed it. We know that, having abdicated the throne, he did this, having in mind the good of Russia and out of love for her. After renunciation, he could have found for himself security and a relatively calm life abroad, but he did not, wishing to suffer along with Russia. He did nothing to improve his situation, resignedly resigned himself to fate".

The Patriarch blessed the archpastors and pastors to perform memorial services for the slain king. The veneration of the royal family continued throughout the decades of the Soviet period in Russian history. Many clergy and laity secretly offered prayers to God for the repose of the murdered sufferers. Meanwhile, their veneration grew stronger among the Russian emigration, where cases of grace-filled help through their prayers became known. One of the first witnessed miracles was the deliverance during the civil war of hundreds of Cossacks, surrounded in impenetrable swamps by red troops. At the call of the priest, Father Elijah, in unanimity, the Cossacks turned with a prayer to the Russian Emperor - and in an incredible way left the encirclement. In Serbia, a case was described in the year when one elderly woman, whose two sons died in the war, and the third went missing, had a vision in a dream of Emperor Nicholas, who said that the third son was alive and was in Russia - a few months later the son returned home. The royal martyrs began to be venerated as saints in the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The circumstances of the murder and subsequent destruction of the remains of the royal family became known thanks to the investigation of Sokolov. Some of the remains, found by Sokolov, were transferred to the temple of the righteous Job the Long-suffering Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, laid in Brussels on February 2 of the year and consecrated on October 1 of the year in memory of Nicholas II, his family and all the new martyrs of Russia. The found icons, rings of the royal family and the Bible, presented by Alexandra Feodorovna to Tsarevich Alexy, are kept in this temple.

By the decision of the secular authorities of Russia, the reburial of the remains was carried out on July 17 of the year in the Peter and Paul Cathedral of St. Petersburg, the funeral service was led by the rector of the cathedral.

The Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints of the Moscow Patriarchate, chaired by Metropolitan Krutitsky, Juvenaly found " possible to raise the question of assigning [royal family] to the face of the holy martyrs"in the year. By the decision of the Holy Synod of October 10 of that year and the decision of the Council of Bishops on February 18-22, this position was approved.

This question received a great resonance in Russian society outside the church fence. Canonization was preceded by a lengthy discussion in the Church and society. In particular, among the opponents of the canonization of the royal family was A.I. Osipov, a well-known publicist and apologist.

The canonization of the royal martyrs in the Council of the New Martyrs of Russia took place at the Council of Bishops of the Year, in accordance with the decision of August 14. One of the main reasons for their general church glorification in the face of saints was declared wide popular veneration. In the debate before this, about 60 bishops-Soborians spoke about the need to glorify the tsar-martyr and his family. Doubt was expressed only by the Archbishop of Brussels. Simon (Ishunin), who said that the question of the glorification of the im. Nicholas II does not unite, but divides his flock. They voted by standing up, the decision was taken unanimously.

Metropolitan Nikolai (Kutepov) of Nizhny Novgorod was the only church hierarch who did not sign the act on the canonization of the royal family:

“But you see, I didn’t take any steps, because if an icon was already drawn up, where, so to speak, the tsar-father was sitting, why should I speak? This means that the issue has been resolved. It is solved without me, solved without you. If the Tsar-Father is included in the general list, then I cannot vote against Cyril of Kazan, Agafangel (Preobrazhensky) and others. But, when all the bishops signed the canonization act, I marked next to my list that I was signing everything except the third point. The third point was the tsar-father, and I did not sign his canonization. ... he is a treason. ... he, one might say, sanctioned the collapse of the country. And no one will convince me otherwise. What was he supposed to do? He had to use force, up to and including deprivation of life, because everything was entrusted to him. " .

The act of the Council expressed the concept of the feat of the royal martyrs in the following words:

"In the last Orthodox Russian monarch and members of his Family, we see people who sincerely sought to embody the commandments of the Gospel in their lives. In the sufferings endured by the Royal Family in captivity with meekness, patience and humility, in their martyrdom in Yekaterinburg on the night of July 4 (17), 1918, the conquering evil light of Christ's faith was revealed".

According to the unanimous opinion of observers, the glorification of the Royal Passion-Bearers was the key event of the Council - it was to this topic that the main TV news plots and the front pages of Russian newspapers and magazines were devoted to this topic in the next few days.

On the site of the former house of Ipatiev, a memorial church "on blood" was built in the name of All Saints who shone in the land of Russia - on September 23, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II served a prayer service on the site of the temple under construction and placed a mortgage on its foundation. On the icon of the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors, painted on the occasion of glorification, the Royal Passion-bearers were depicted in the center of the foreground of the centerpiece, as well as in the eighth hallmark (in the lower part of the right margin) corresponding horizontally with the image of the Holy Patriarch Tikhon, and vertically - with the images of the Monk Martyr Elisabeth and the city of Tobolsk. The stigma depicts the murder of the Royal family and is distinguished by the symmetry of the composition - the Royal Martyrs are depicted in the center, on a pedestal staircase, framed by a basement vault-triumphal arch; their awkwardly standing assassins in dirty green uniforms also symmetrically frame the close-knit family of victorious victims in robes of bright and pure colors.

In subsequent years, in the name of the Royal Passion-bearers, numerous churches and chapels were consecrated, many icons and prayers were written for them. Many Christians began to turn to the royal passion-bearers with a prayer for strengthening the family and raising children in faith and piety, for preserving their purity and chastity - after all, during the persecutions, the Imperial family was especially close-knit, carried the invincible Orthodox faith through all the sorrows and sufferings.

It is worth noting that since the 1990s, distorted forms of veneration of the holy crowned family, and especially Tsar Nicholas, have become somewhat widespread;

Prayer Words

Troparion, voice 4

Day, good faith people, the light is almost / I am honorable seven months of the royal passion-bearers, / Christ is one home Church: / Nicholas and Aleksander, / Alexis, Olga, O'lgu, Tatiana and the unfortunate death of the unfortunate ones, Mary's death. and the abuse of the body priyasha / and boldness towards the Lord in prayer, improving. / For this, we will cry out to them with love: / about the holy passionate, / the voice of repentance and the cry of the people of Russia, I won’t believe , / the world of the world from God, ask // and mercy for our souls.

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Royal martyrs: why were Nicholas II and his family canonized? Holy regal passion-bearers