Fifth anniversary of the Romanov monument on the Isle of Wight
THE GRAND DUCHESS ELIZABETH ROMANOV SOCIETY’S PILGRIMAGE TO THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 26th and 27th June, 2023 On 26th and 27th June the patrons of the GDERS, Father Alexander Groves, Maria Harwood (Chairman) and John Harwood (Hon Secretary) and members of the Society Paul Oxborrow, Marina Scirska and Matthew Cradduck travelled to the Isle of Wight to mark the 5th Anniversary of the erecting of the Monument to the Romanov Martyrs in July2018 (you can read about this event here https://gdelizabeth-society.co.uk/marking-thecentenary-of-romanovs martyrdom-in-uk/). This was a major project of the Society dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of their martyrdom when Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Emperor Nicholas II and his whole family and other Romanovs and their servants weresavagely killed in Alapaevsk and Ekaterinburg. Other killings happened in Perm (Grand Duke Michael, Nicholas’s brother) and in St Petersburg. The creation and opening of the monument was enthusiastically supported by the local authorities and the public. The monument was blessed by Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe (ROCOR) in presence of the Lord Lieutenant of the County, Major General Sir Martin White, and Prince Rostislav Romanov, who unveiled the monument. The honorary member of the society from the Isle of Wight Lady Sally Grylls, and two prospective members attended the service of prayers to the Royal Martyrs and Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth. People held icons of the Saviour, Mother of God and of the Martyrs in their hands creating a “living iconostasis”. Father Alexander lead the service with assistance of Reader John and all sung the prayers. The Romanov Flag and the church banner with images of Tsar Nicholas and Tsarevich Alexis blew in a strong wind. After the service the chairman Maria Harwood laid flowers to the monument and distributed some society magazines to the local members, which were gratefully received. Jonathan Page told us about his great grandfather who served as an officer of the Scotts Guards to the Tsar Nicholas II. He promised to make his family memoirs available to us. Leni Badgery Ang from Sandown brought a new book about the Romanovs, which she was reading and which is not widely known. She called her daughter Tatiana in honour of the daughter of the Emperor. Marina’s grand daughters also are bearing names of the Royal Martyrs Elizabeth and Alexandra. We had a very warm conversations and exchangeof news about Society matters. From the Monument we moved to St Mildred’s Royal Church nearby and laid flowers on the grave of Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven, Princess of Hesse and by Rhine, the elder sister of Ella and Alix; all of them grand daughters of Queen Victoria and daughters of Princess Alice. Inside the church the Battenberg chapel has a memorial plate to Tsar Nicholas, Tsarina Alexandra and their children, placed there by Princess Beatrice after their killing, and Orthodox icons donated to the church by the Society. Maria Harwood shared her knowledge about the life of Princess Victoria, her close relationship with Ella and her frequent visits to Russia. This…
Prince Philip: Вечная память – Memory Eternal.
It was with great sadness that we learnt of the repose of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.Prince Philip was born in Greece in 1921 and was baptised as an Orthodox Christian. His father was Prince Andrew, the seventh child and fourth son of King George I of Greece (who was the son of King Christian IX of Denmark). His father’s mother was Olga Constantinovna of Russia, a granddaughter of Emperor Nicholas I. Prince Philip’s mother was Princess Alice, eldest child of Princess Victoria of Battenberg (daughter of Princess Alice the Grand Duchess of Hesse Darmstadt and third child of Queen Victoria). His grandmother’s younger sisters were Empress Alexandra of Russia and Grand Duchess Elizabeth - both of whom were martyred by the Bolsheviks and have been canonised by the Russian Orthodox Church. He allowed his DNA to be used to identify the remains of Tsar Nicholas and his family.
Last Great Lent of the Russian Royal Family as Reflected in the Diary of Nicholas II
by Anastasia Parkhomchik Tsar Nicholas II formally abdicated from the throne on 3 March 1917 and six months later he was exiled to Tobolsk, Russia, together with his family, attendants and servants. The royal family lived in Tobolsk until the end of April 1918. Afterwards, they were dispatched to Ekaterinburg, where its members met their martyr’s deaths on 17 July 1918. That year — the last in the lives of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers – Easter fell on 5 May, and the Great Lent did not begin until 18 March. The family spent the Lenten period together in Tobolsk, but they were separated for the Easter Sunday. The Emperor’s diary has survived to this day, with records from each day of the Great Lent of 1918. They are mostly short and factual. Yet despite the brevity, they open a window on the hardships of the exile for the Royal Family and their life there. They also provide wonderful examples of great courage, strong hope and solid faith in the Divine Will, which fill every line of the narrative. We present to your attention some of the most striking fragments of the Emperor’s diary about the readings, works and worship in his family in those difficult times. Monday 18 March* It is the first day of the Great Lent Alix and the daughters began choir practice at 9.30 with the deacon. Hours start in 30 minutes. The Empress and the Grand Duchesses sang in both services, as it is impossible for the regular singers to sing four times in a day. The weather was marvellous. We spent a long time outdoors cutting wood. The servants and attendants took leave in the afternoon, and we spent the evening in the family circle. In Tobolsk, the Royal Family resided in the house of the former governor. Placed under house arrest, they could not go to church regularly, so they worshipped nearly all of the time in their domestic chapel. Wednesday 20 March Finally, we were able to go to church to attend the Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts. Father Vladimir Khlynov was the celebrant. The regular choir sang the chants that we all knew and loved. Friday 22 March Today is the anniversary of my arrival in Tsarskoye Selo and my arrest in the Alexandrovsky Palace. Despite myself, I remember again this past tragic year. What lies ahead of all of us? All is in God’s hands. On Him, we lay all out hopes. We went for the day hours at eight. We spent the rest of the day as usual. We had dinner at seven, then the went for the vespers, and afterwards the confession at church for the children, the attendants and ourselves. Saturday 23 March We went for the day hours at 7.30 and took the Holy Communion as a family. The choir was excellent. We returned at nine. We took a walk after tea. The weather was spring-like, and snow was melting in the shadows. We worked a lot after…
Issue 2 of Romanov History UK Available Now
The second issue of the GDERS quarterly magazine, Romanov History UK, is now available. Please visit the publications page to read more about it.
Isle of Wight Tour “Royal Martyrs and Revolutions”
We are currently developing a new project - a historical tour of the Isle of Wight titled "Royal Martyrs and Revolutions". This tour will take visitors on an educational journey to places associated with Royal Martyrs (Charles I and the Romanovs) on the Isle of Wight, who were victims of revolutions. We expect the tour to take us to Ventnor, Carisbrooke Castle, Quarr Abbey, Osbourne House, the Royal Chapel of St Mildred's and the Romanov Monument in East Cowes. This tour will take place in July 2021 (pandemic restrictions allowing). Please get in touch with Maria Harwood (nd2315@gmail.com) to register your interest.
“The Last Romanovs” eBook Released
The GDERS is proud to present "The Last Romanovs: Archival and Museum Discoveries in Great Britain and Russia" eBook. The eBook is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in Romanov history. It brings together research presented at the Cumberland Lodge Symposium in Windsor Great Park in June 2017. Please read more about it here on our publications page.
OUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
We were hoping to put on a special weekend on the Isle of Wight in July 2021, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Glorification of the Royal Martyrs. But this may not happen because of Covid restrictions. It will be postponed if necessary. The Romanov events this year will include presentation of our exhibitions, talks, film showing, concerts and walks. We are planning to co-operate with local publisher “Medina”, which will launch a new book dedicated to the Romanov connections with the Isle of Wight. We are going to establish two guided walks: one following the footsteps of the Imperial Family during their visit to Cowes and East Cowes in August 1909: from the Royal Yacht Squadron through the High Street in Cowes and shops visited by the daughters of Tsar Nicholas towards Osborne, St Mildred’s and Barton Manor; and another one “Royal Martyrs and Revolutions” from Ventnor and Bonchurch, a favourite holiday place among Russian liberals and radicals, towards the places associated with English and Russian Royal Martyrs – Carisbrooke Castle (Charles I), Osborne House and the Monument to the Royal Martyrs of Russia. Other plans include: Improvement of our website and Facebook and developing of a new Site on Instagram; Archival research and new publications; Pilgrimage to the Holy land Lectures on “Orthodox Faith of St Elizabeth and Royal Martyrs” (on line).
Interview with Maria Harwood (In Russian)
https://rusorel.info/krest-romanovyx-v-velikobritanii-2/