Last meeting. Two sisters. The last meeting of Elizaveta Feodorovna forgave her husband's murderer

Elizaveta Fedorovna was called one of the most beautiful women in Europe. It would seem that a high position and a successful marriage should have brought happiness to the princess, but many trials fell to her lot. And at the end of her life, the woman suffered a terrible martyrdom.

Elizabeth Alexandra Louise Alice was the second daughter of Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse-Darmstadt and Princess Alice, and the sister of the last Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Ella, as her family called her, was raised in strict Puritan traditions and the Protestant faith. From an early age, the princess could serve herself, light the fireplace and cook something in the kitchen. The girl often sewed warm clothes with her own hands and took them to a shelter for the needy.

As she grew older, Ella blossomed and became prettier. At that time they said that there were only two beauties in Europe - Elizabeth of Austria (Bavarian) and Elizabeth of Hesse-Darmstadt. Meanwhile, Ella turned 20 years old, and she was still not married. It is worth noting that the girl took a vow of chastity at the age of 9, she avoided men, and all potential suitors were refused, except one.

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, the fifth son of the Russian Emperor Alexander II, became the princess’s chosen one, and even then, after a whole year of deliberation. It is not known for certain how the young people’s explanation occurred, but they agreed that their union would be without physical intimacy and offspring. This suited the devout Elizabeth quite well, because she could not imagine how a man would take her virginity. And Sergei Alexandrovich, according to rumors, did not prefer women at all. Despite this agreement, in the future they became incredibly attached to each other, which can be called platonic love.

Sergei Alexandrovich's wife was named Princess Elizabeth Fedorovna. According to tradition, all German princesses received this patronymic in honor of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God. After the wedding, the princess remained in her faith, since the law allowed this to be done unless there was a need for accession to the imperial throne.

A few years later, Elizaveta Fedorovna herself decided to convert to Orthodoxy. She said that she fell so in love with the Russian language and culture that she felt an urgent need to convert to another faith. Gathering her strength and knowing the pain she would cause to her family, Elizabeth wrote a letter to her father on January 1, 1891:

“You must have noticed how deep reverence I have for the local religion... I thought and read all the time and prayed to God to show me the right path, and came to the conclusion that only in this religion can I find all the real and strong faith in God that a person must have to be a good Christian. It would be a sin to remain as I am now, to belong to the same church in form and for the outside world, but inside myself to pray and believe like my husband…. You know me well, you must see that I decided to take this step only out of deep faith, and that I feel that I must appear before God with a pure and believing heart. I thought and thought deeply about all this, being in this country for more than 6 years and knowing that religion was “found”. I so strongly wish to receive Holy Communion with my husband on Easter.”

The father did not give his blessing to his daughter, but her decision was unshakable. On the eve of Easter, Elizaveta Fedorovna converted to Orthodoxy.

From that moment on, the princess began to actively help those in need. She spent huge amounts of money on maintaining shelters and hospitals, and personally went to the poorest areas. The people loved the princess very much for her sincerity and kindness.

When the situation in the country began to heat up, and the Social Revolutionaries began their subversive activities, the princess kept receiving notes warning her not to travel with her husband. After this, Elizaveta Feodorovna, on the contrary, tried to accompany her husband everywhere.

But on February 4, 1905, Prince Sergei Alexandrovich was killed by a bomb thrown by terrorist Ivan Kalyaev. When the princess arrived at the scene, they tried to prevent her from seeing what was left of her husband. Elizaveta Feodorovna personally collected the scattered pieces of the prince onto a stretcher.

Three days later, the princess went to prison where the revolutionary was being held. Kalyaev told her: “I didn’t want to kill you, I saw him several times while I had the bomb ready, but you were with him and I didn’t dare touch him.”. Elizaveta Fedorovna called on the killer to repent, but to no avail. Even after this, this merciful woman sent a petition to the emperor to pardon Kalyaev, but the revolutionary was executed.

After the death of her husband, Elizabeth put on mourning and decided to devote herself entirely to caring for the disadvantaged. In 1908, the princess built the Martha and Mary Convent and became a monk. The princess said this to the other nuns: “I will leave the brilliant world where I occupied a brilliant position, but together with you all I will ascend into a greater world - the world of the poor and suffering.”.

Ten years later, when the revolution occurred, Elizabeth Feodorovna’s monasteries continued to help with medicines and food. The woman refused the offer to go to Sweden. She knew what a dangerous step she was taking, but she could not abandon her charges.

In May 1918, the princess was arrested and sent to Perm. There were also several other representatives of the imperial dynasty. On the night of July 18, 1918, the Bolsheviks brutally dealt with the prisoners. They threw them alive into the mine and blew up several grenades.

But even after such a fall, not everyone died. According to eyewitnesses, cries for help and prayers were heard from the mine for several days. As it turned out, Elizaveta Fedorovna did not fall to the bottom of the mine, but onto a ledge that saved her from a grenade explosion. But this only prolonged her torment.

In 1921, the remains of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna were taken to the Holy Land and buried in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Equal to the Apostles.

After the execution of the royal family, many legends were born about the miraculous salvation of some of its members. So,
. The impostor Anna Anderson fooled everyone for a very long time and pretended to be the murdered princess.

Original taken from echo_2013 in Mother Elizabeth. Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna. Part 1

In 1884, the Russian Tsar's brother, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, married Queen Victoria's granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Louise Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, or simply Ella of Hesse. Princess Ella, as her family called her, was the second daughter of the German Duke Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt and Duchess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria.
By the time of Ella and Sergei’s wedding, the bride’s mother, Duchess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, had long been dead.
Life forced Princess Elizabeth to grow up early. Ella was a teenager when a diphtheria epidemic broke out in Darmstadt in 1878, completely affecting the Duke's family.

Ella in childhood

Ella's older sister Victoria was the first to feel symptoms of illness. E I felt chills, my throat and head ached... The girls received a strict upbringing and did not have the habit of complaining about trifles. Having decided that her illness was just that little thing - a slight cold, Victoria continued to fulfill her duties as an older sister - in the evenings she had to read fairy tales out loud to the kids. Having seated her brother and sisters in a circle next to her, the princess opened the book.
When Duchess Alice realized that her daughter was sick and called the doctor, the most terrible diagnosis was confirmed - Victoria had diphtheria, a disease that was difficult to cure in those years and claimed many children's lives... The doctor insisted on the immediate isolation of the sick princess, but his recommendations were few It was too late - other children managed to get infected from their older sister. Everyone except Ella, whom her mother, in a panic, sent to relatives. Then the Duke himself fell ill.
Mad with horror, the duchess rushed between the children's rooms and her husband's bedroom, trying to do everything to pull her loved ones out of the embrace of death.
Four-year-old May, Princess Mary, was the first to die. Little Ernie, having learned that his beloved sister was no longer there, cried and rushed to his mother’s neck and began to kiss her. Perhaps the mother understood that the sick child was passing on his illness to her at that moment, but she did not find the strength to push him away... The Duchess, who had been on her feet for a long time, also fell ill after direct contact with her son. The disease was difficult. On her last day, Alice was delirious; it seemed to her that all her dead loved ones, led by tiny May, were calling her to them...
The famous politician Disraeli, having learned about the tragedy in the family of Duke Ludwig, called Ernie's fatal kiss "the kiss of death." And the young prince himself soon recovered, as if he had given his illness to his mother. The inconsolable Duke erected a monument on his wife's grave depicting Alice clutching the dead May...

Duchess Alice with little Ella

And for Ella, childhood ended on the day of her mother’s death. Doctors were afraid that the girl would develop a nervous illness from the shock. She could fall silent in the middle of a conversation, mid-sentence, and, staring at her interlocutor with eyes full of tears, plunge into her own thoughts for a long time. She began to develop a stutter.
But fourteen-year-old Ella managed to pull herself together. It was necessary to support the father and the kids, to do everything to at least partially replace their mother. The elder sister Victoria, who claimed leadership in the house, was sarcastic and harsh.
Ernie, the future Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse, recalled: " She's a girl(Princess Victoria) she considered it unworthy to show kindness and therefore often remained misunderstood, to which she easily reacted with harshness, since her sharpness helped her give biting answers..."
Ella had much more kindness, affection and self-denial, surprising for a teenager.
Even if she was offered something very valuable in the eyes of children - a toy, sweets, new paints for painting, she usually answered: “I don’t need anything, it’s better to give it to the kids”...
Ernie spoke about her very differently from the other sisters: “Of all the sisters, Ella was the closest to me. We almost always understood each other in everything; she felt me ​​so subtly, as is rarely the case with sisters. She was one of those rare beauties, just perfection. Once in Venice, I saw in the market how many people abandoned their goods and followed her in admiration. She was musical and had a pleasant voice. But she especially loved to draw. And she loved to dress beautifully. Not at all out of vanity, no, out of love for beauty in everything. She had a strong sense of humor and could talk about various incidents with inimitable comedy. How often we laughed with her, forgetting about everything in the world. Her stories were a true delight.» .

Ella in her youth

Queen Victoria was devastated by the death of her daughter, Duchess Alice. This is probably why Alice’s orphaned children were closer to the queen than her other grandchildren...
« I will try, together with your other grandmother, to become your mother by the will of God,- Queen Victoria wrote to them after the tragedy in the ducal family. - Your loving and unhappy grandmother"...
Ella, like her sisters and brother, grew up in Windsor Castle and considered Britain her native country and English as her natural language, and until the death of the Queen of the British Empire she maintained a tender and trusting relationship with her grandmother.

Queen Victoria with her orphaned granddaughters; Ella stands on the right, next to her is little Alix, the future Russian empress

Even in her family, among the pretty young princesses, Ella stood out for her beauty and grace. But she was not just unusually pretty, but also smart and tactful; She behaved with dignity, but without unnecessary pretensions. She had many fans and very eligible suitors. The German Prince Willi, heir to the Prussian crown, the future Kaiser Wilhelm II, was passionately in love with Ella.
He often visited Darmstadt, tried to clumsily court the beautiful princess and finally dared to propose marriage, heart and the imperial crown awaiting him. But Ella remained cold and wrote to her grandmother in Windsor: " Willie is obnoxious"Victoria, who in her dreams saw her beloved granddaughter as the empress of the Berlin court, tried to reason with her: the princess must remember her state and its interests, and passionate love is not always the basis for a successful marriage. Ella replied that in addition to human calculations, there is also God and it is better to rely at his will.
“He may have many other important things to do besides arranging your destiny,” the grandmother smiled.
“Nothing, I’ll wait until he’s free,” answered the picky princess, realizing that the formidable queen-grandmother was not angry.
Friedrich of Baden and other European princes also wooed Ella. But she needed only one person - Grand Duke Sergei, brother of the Russian Tsar...
Sergei often visited Darmstadt during his mother’s lifetime - Empress Maria Alexandrovna was from the Hesse-Darmstadt family (Grand Duke Ludwig, Ella’s father, was the nephew of the late empress) and, of course, could not help but fall in love with the beautiful Ella, who reciprocated his feelings completely.

Sergey and Ella

Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt did not find any objections to Grand Duke Sergei. The Romanov family also welcomed this union. Duchess Mary of Edinburgh, as a sister, wrote to Alexander III about Ella: “ Sergei would be simply a fool if he did not marry her. He will never find a more beautiful and sweeter princess».
But the bride’s grandmother, Queen Victoria, whose opinion carried special weight when concluding dynastic alliances, did not immediately decide to give her consent to Ella’s marriage to the brother of the Russian emperor. (The grandmother herself was involved in arranging the fate of the orphaned princesses, for marriage is a serious matter, and the Duke of Hesse, like all men, showed complete frivolity here).
The Queen did not particularly favor the Russian imperial family, although her children and grandchildren forced her to become related to the ruling house of the Romanovs. Ella’s marriage to the Grand Duke doomed the young beauty, raised in European traditions, to life in distant, cold and, according to the queen’s conviction, completely wild Russia.
But Ella, in love with Sergei, managed to insist on her own. Victoria thought and thought, collected information about the groom... and agreed. After all, she had a weakness for love marriages - her own long and happy marriage was just like that!

Ella and Sergey

Not all contemporaries left favorable memories of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. A man with restrained manners, dry (which in the eyes of Ella, who received an English “Victorian” upbringing, was rather a virtue), deeply religious. Many were irritated by Sergei’s manner of holding his back “forcibly straight”, looking somewhat down and turning his whole body towards the interlocutor. Such manners were seen as arrogance and defiance.
Few people realized that since childhood, Sergei suffered from back pain due to a spinal disease and was forced to wear a rigid corset, which deprived him of flexibility. At the same time, he tried to lead the life not of a disabled person, but of an ordinary person - he preferred a military career, went in for horse riding, sports, and danced (all this - overcoming constant pain and not wanting to admit it to anyone). And the reserved manners were explained simply by shyness caused by a physical disability...
Nowadays they rarely remember that Sergei Alexandrovich, like his older brother Alexander III, was a hero of the Turkish War. As well as about the scientific activities of the Grand Duke. But he defended his doctoral dissertation in economics, was a famous scientist, organizer of scientific expeditions and a member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Grand Duke Sergei patronized two archaeological institutes - in St. Petersburg and Constantinople, and provided his own funds for organizing archaeological excavations.
In addition, Sergei Alexandrovich was considered an expert, connoisseur and patron of art. He collected wonderful collections of Italian and Russian painting of the 18th century, antiques, a rich library, and an archive of historical documents. He, for example, managed to find many scattered letters from the wife of Alexander I, Empress Elizabeth - the Grand Duke was going to write a book about her life. Professor I. Tsvetaev, who laid down his life for the construction of the Moscow Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin (originally the Alexander III Museum of Fine Arts), recalled that Grand Dukes Sergei Alexandrovich and Pavel Alexandrovich were the first major donors to the organization of the museum. The Parthenon Hall, one of the most majestic and expensive museum halls, was built entirely at the expense of the grand dukes.
The Orthodox Church still highly honors the religious services of the Grand Duke to the fatherland. The organizer and leader of the Imperial Palestine Society, he did a lot to strengthen the position of Russian Orthodoxy in the East, for the activities of Russian churches and monasteries in Palestine, for the development of Russian charity in eastern countries and for organizing pilgrimages from Russia to the Holy Land. Despite all the political changes, terrible wars, and changes in the world order in the twentieth century, the Orthodox organizations created with the help of Sergei Alexandrovich in the Holy Land are still operating.
Even a cursory glance at what was done by Grand Duke Sergei during his short life shows that all attempts to present him as a stupid martinet, a retrograde, a person with a low level of intelligence, to put it mildly, are far from objectivity.

Speaking about Grand Duke Sergei and his marriage to Ella, one cannot ignore another topic, complex and controversial. This is the alleged non-traditional sexual orientation of the Grand Duke.
Mentions of his homosexuality have become common place in the works of modern authors, and even highly respected researchers have not avoided such statements. But you can’t help but notice that almost none of them provide any facts to support this version. Letters, diary entries, denunciations addressed to the highest name, police reports or similar documents are not quoted anywhere; at most, there are references to some gossip received from third hands and basically conveying meaningless events. The authorship of gossip most often belongs to Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, Sandro, the younger cousin of Alexander III and Sergei Alexandrovich.
For some reason, Sandro especially disliked his cousin Sergei. He even ventured to assert that Sergei only married Ella of Hesse " in order to further emphasize his unpleasant personality"But in fact, supposedly, because of his vicious inclinations, he did not need a woman wife at all.
Of course, for the 21st century, this is no longer as serious an accusation as for the end of the 19th, when, according to the Penal Code, sodomy was equated with bestiality and was strictly punished by law, and the honor of the suspected person suffered immensely. And yet, if we take on faith the allegations about the secret weakness of the Grand Duke, it is difficult to find answers to a number of important questions.
First. It is known that Queen Victoria, before giving her consent to the marriage of her granddaughter Ella, who was in love with the prince, collected a real dossier on the prospective groom through informants of the English crown. English diplomats and spies are responsible people, and when preparing information for Her Majesty, they would hardly lose sight of something generally known that characterizes the personality of the future husband. Could the English queen, known for her strict moral principles, agree to the marriage of her beloved granddaughter to a gay man?

Ella (second from right) with her sisters

Second. Ella, having moved with her husband to distant Russia, wrote frequent and detailed letters to her grandmother about her life. They described everything - from important family events and religious experiences that shook her soul, to trifles like a wasp sting, a dance party or a dress she liked, seen in a picture in a fashionable French magazine. And at the same time, not a word or a hint about failures in family life, about neglect on the part of the husband, about the fact that hopes for happiness have failed.
Let’s say that Ella, who received a strict upbringing, simply did not consider it possible to complain, she considered it unworthy. But outright lies would be just as unworthy. She could “eloquently” keep silent about her troubles; often such silence says much more than words. But Ella's letters are letters from a happy young woman enjoying a harmonious marriage, and there is no doubt about that. A prosperous life, full of joy, and endless mentions of “my dear Sergei,” with whom she does not want to part with even for a minute... Together to the estate, together to the capital, together to regimental exercises, on a trip to holy places, to visit foreign relatives. " All I can always repeat is that I am quite happy..."
And this is written by a young beauty who married a man who doesn’t need or care for women?

Queen Victoria

Third. Sergei Alexandrovich was, according to everyone, a true believer. Even in his early youth, he made pilgrimages to holy places, headed large Christian organizations, donated to Orthodox churches and participated in their consecration. His faith was not ostentatious, but internal, capturing the soul. He revealed to his young wife all the beauty of Orthodoxy, so that Elizabeth, raised in the traditions of Protestantism, became imbued with love for the Russian Church and, contrary to the orders of her father and grandmother, accepted Orthodoxy. No one demanded this of her; she herself, under the influence of her husband, decided to share his religious beliefs.
But, being Orthodox, Sergei had to regularly confess his sins to the priest, telling about everything without concealment. And the attitude of the church towards the “sin of Sodom” is known. Could the Grand Duke combine Christian ideas about morality and similar hobbies, while remaining spiritually pure before God?
Fourth. Alexander III, Sergei’s older brother, could not help but know all the ins and outs about such a close relative. He himself was not only an absolutely heterosexual person, but also an exemplary family man who did not allow even innocent romantic hobbies outside marriage, and would hardly have been lenient towards the “unconventional hobbies” of his relatives. And yet, he had friendly relations with Sergei, not overshadowed by any disagreements; Alexander even appointed his brother to the post of Moscow governor-general. This is an indicative appointment in every sense. The second city in Russia after the capital (and according to Muscovites - just the first!), Moscow was distinguished by patriarchal morals, and people in it, like in a large village, were visible, especially representatives of high society. The whole Mother of the Mother See was discussing who had wooed whom, who was cheating on his wife, who bought the estate beyond his means, and who was entangled in gambling debts. Almost nothing could be hidden! And the Governor-General, the first person in the Moscow hierarchy, was even more like under a magnifying glass for the townspeople. The level of tolerance in Moscow, both at that time and later, did not rise to stratospheric heights; people were supposed to live “like everyone else.” A rumor supported by facts that the governor is a “blue” would instantly deprive Sergei Alexandrovich of all authority and turn him into a general laughingstock.
So would Alexander III have thoughtlessly decided to compromise the august family in such a way?

Fifth. Ella, who was strikingly beautiful in her youth, literally blossomed in her marriage. She was full of charm, feminine sensual charm, looked unusually young, almost younger than in the years of her mournful orphan youth... Men admired her like the sun, but from afar - Sergei Alexandrovich was terribly jealous! And his jealousy was visible to everyone. The French ambassador Maurice Paleolog left the following memory:
« The good-natured giant, Alexander the Third... lavished on her(To Grand Duchess Elizabeth. - E.Kh.) first your kindest attention; but soon had to refrain, noticing that he was arousing the jealousy of his brother».
Is this really just a decoration for a failed marriage? No matter how you pretend, no matter how you play, trouble leaves an indelible mark on a woman.
But the day when fate, through the hand of the revolutionary extremist Kalyaev, who threw a bomb into the carriage of Grand Duke Sergei, took away her husband and marital happiness, became a fateful day in the life of Elizabeth. There was and could not be any replacement for her dead husband. She remained faithful to his memory until her death. Having visited the terrorist killer in prison and listened to his lengthy explanations that he did not want any unnecessary blood, and although he could have dealt with her husband long ago, he spared Elizabeth Feodorovna, who was usually next to the Grand Duke, and did not want to kill her either, she quietly said :
“You didn’t realize that they killed me along with him!”
You can cite various facts for a long time and ask questions that are difficult to find an answer... But when asking whether Elizaveta Fedorovna was happy and loved in marriage, you involuntarily have to answer with only one word - yes! " Sergei told me about his wife, admired her, praised her, - recalled Grand Duke Konstantin Romanov. - He thanks God every hour for his happiness"...
So what gave rise to such long-circulating rumors about Sergei Romanov belonging to sexual minorities?
Being a strict and not very flexible (in the figurative sense of the word even more than in the literal sense) person, Sergei Alexandrovich made some enemies in the rapidly growing Romanov family. Not everyone had enough of a share in the “family pie,” and a struggle began for a place closer to the throne.

Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich and his wife Ksenia Alexandrovna, sister of Nicholas II

Sergei, who did nothing to strengthen his position, nevertheless aroused the envy of many Romanovs. The grandson, son, brother and uncle of the reigning emperors, he was part of the innermost circle of the royal entourage, and many representatives of the “side branches” of the Romanov tree wanted to oust him with all their might.
Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich always, without any particular reason, claimed a special role in the empire, and woe to those who dared not recognize this state of affairs. His mother, Grand Duchess Olga Feodorovna (nee Princess Cecilia of Baden), not without reason considered the “first gossip of the empire,” took great pleasure in spreading unfriendly rumors about everyone in whom she saw competitors for her sons. It was she who was suspected of being the author of gossip about the “sodomite hobbies” of Grand Duke Sergei. Why did she need this? It’s so simple: she didn’t like Prince Sergei, and he made it very difficult for her beloved son to strengthen his position at court.
“I know Ella and I are being maligned., - wrote Sergei Alexandrovich to Grand Duke Konstantin. - But what do all these undeveloped people understand??»

Elizaveta Fedorovna

If you look at a person with an unkind gaze, you can usually find flaws in him sooner or later. So Alexander Mikhailovich, determined to find shortcomings in his unloved relative, only tried to notice them. " He flaunted his shortcomings, as if challenging everyone in the face, - he wrote, remembering Grand Duke Sergei, - and thus giving the enemies rich food for slander and slander".
Slander and slander! Alexander Mikhailovich seems to be letting it slip, using these very words, being himself one of Sergei’s main ill-wishers.
(By the way, this strict moralist and prude, who saw hidden obscenity in the most ordinary actions of Prince Sergei, would eventually marry his own daughter to Prince Felix Yusupov, a man of more than ambiguous reputation. All of St. Petersburg knew about Felix’s unusual erotic amusements, the young prince did not particularly hid, appearing in theaters and restaurants in women's clothes and surrounded by "gentlers", but... The Yusupovs were so rich, much richer than the Romanov family, especially its lateral, deprived branches, and Felix, after the death of his elder brother, turned out to be the only possible heir to countless millions! ...)

Be that as it may, the marriage of Sergei Alexandrovich and Ella of Hesse was consecrated with very great love. And she wanted to see her husband’s surroundings embellished, consisting of kind and sweet people. " Everyone who knows him loves him and says that he has a truthful and noble character...“, she wrote to her grandmother the queen about her husband.

Ella and Tsarevich Nikolai

This marriage, as it turned out later, albeit indirectly, determined the fate of the heir to the Russian throne. Nicholas's future wife, Alexandra Fedorovna, Alix, was Ella of Hesse's sister, and the mutual infatuation between the little princess and the Russian crown prince found strong patrons in the person of Sergei and Ella, who, despite all the obstacles, managed to bring the matter to the reunification of the lovers.

To be continued.

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“Among the thousands of strong, talented and courageous people killed by the so-called Soviet government in Bolshevik Russia, an unforgettable figure stands apart. This is a woman, a courageous and generous woman, whose life's journey began in the splendor of imperial splendor and ended in the black depths of the Siberian< уральской- ред.>mines, where the executioners threw her after cruel torture.
Dazzlingly beautiful, She appeared at balls, sparkling with diamonds; but Her calm brow was already imprinted with a calling - only, perhaps, less clearly than on the face of Her sister, the Empress: even in the most prosperous times, the mournful folds near her mouth did not disappear, giving Her beauty a tragic expression.

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I appeal to my compatriots: they remember a wonderful vision - a woman in a modest light gray or blue dress and a small white hat; a friendly smile lights up a face with regular features; Here She goes, rejoicing at the sight of hundreds of working women, united by a common goal - to alleviate as much as possible the suffering of those who are now there, in the Far East, fighting under the bullets of the Japanese.
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It was a wondrous rite that will never be forgotten by those who took part in it. The Grand Duchess left the world in which she occupied a brilliant position in order to go, as She herself said, “to a larger world, a world of the poor and wretched.” Bishop Tryphon (who was Prince Turkestan in the world), handing Her a white apostle, uttered prophetic words: “This veil will hide you from the world, and the world will be hidden from you, but will witness your good deeds, which will shine before God and glorify Him.”

And so it happened. Through the gray sisterly veil, Her deeds shone with divine light and led Her to martyrdom.
If one of the patients gave cause for concern, She sat next to his bed and sat there until the morning, trying to ease the sufferer’s grueling night hours. Thanks to the exceptional intuition of the mind and heart, She was able to find words of consolation, and the sick assured that Her very presence eased the pain, they felt the healing power emanating from Her, giving patience and calmness in suffering; the fearful boldly went to the operation, strengthened by Her comforting word.

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It is impossible to imagine that you will no longer see this creature, so unlike others, so towering above everyone else, such captivating beauty and charm, such irresistible kindness; She had the gift, without any effort, of attracting people to Her who felt that She stood above them and affectionately helped them rise to Her. She never sought to show her superiority; on the contrary, without false humility she brought out the best qualities of her friends.
It may happen that in the time of our grandchildren the Church will glorify Her as a saint,” Countess A. Olsufieva.

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“Rare beauty, wonderful mind, subtle humor, angelic patience, noble heart - these were the virtues of this amazing woman.”,- VC. Alexander Mikhailovich.

“She is so feminine; I can't stop looking at her beauty. Her eyes are amazingly beautifully outlined and look so calm and soft. In her, despite all her meekness and shyness, there is a certain self-confidence and awareness of her strength. Under such a beautiful appearance there must certainly be an equally beautiful soul."- from the diary of V.K. Konstantin Konstantinovich.

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Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna/Empress Maria Alexandrovna.

“I know you keep Her fragrant memory deep in your heart. She is still praying for you, of course. God sent you a sweet wife, who, I think, would be after her heart; many see in her, and I also see, as if a reflection of the graceful image of the deceased Empress,”- from a letter from K. Pobedonostsev to V.K. Sergei Alexandrovich, September 14, 1884.

“She captivated with her beauty, emphasized by her lovely dress. What is even more impactful than her beauty is the charm of modesty, simplicity that emanates from her, her thoughtful look and the enchanting gaze that she plunges into your eyes when she speaks to you or listens to your answer. There is something in her that reminds her of the late Empress (Maria Alexandrovna),”- from a letter from A.F. Tyutcheva.

“She was striking with her appearance, her facial expression: it was modesty itself, unusually natural - without realizing it, she was exceptional. Deeply thoughtful, always calm, even,”- Countess Maria Belevskaya-Zhukovskaya.

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“She had just gotten married then; Her beauty struck me as a wondrous revelation. Her charm is what is called an angelic type. The eyes, mouth, smile, hands, gaze, manner of speaking were inexpressible, elegant almost to the point of tears. Looking at Her, I wanted to exclaim along with Heine:

Like a color, You are pure and beautiful;
Tender as a flower in spring.
I look at you and worry
Will sneak into my heart.
And it seems as if my hands
I placed it on your forehead,
Praying that God will tender you,
Kept it beautiful and clean.

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Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Grand Duke Ernst-Ludwig (Elizabeth’s brother)

Most of all I admired Uncle Serge and Aunt Ella. Then they just got married, and Her beauty and charm seemed fabulous... Ella was pure charm and feminine charm. Being quite the eldest, She was our cousin, as the daughter of my father's sister, the late Grand Duchess of Hesse Alice. Through marriage, She became our aunt, and since at a young age a few years make a big difference, we treated Her with the respect due to an aunt. Having married a very young girl, he treated her somewhat like a school teacher. I cannot forget the charming blush that filled her cheeks when he reprimanded her, which happened often no matter where or with whom they were. “But, Serge!” she exclaimed, and the expression on her face was like that of a schoolgirl taken by surprise. To this day, I just have to remember her and my heart skips a beat. She had wonderful jewelry and Uncle Serge, who idolized her, despite his lectures, invented all sorts of pretexts and reasons to bring her amazing gifts. There was a special talent in the way she dressed; although, of course, with her height, slenderness, incredible grace, everything suited her, and not a single ruddy rose could compete with the color of her face. She resembled a lily, so perfect was her purity. It was impossible to look away, and, parting in the evening, you again waited for the hour when you could see her again,” - Queen Maria of Romania.

- -

“...Aunt Ella was<…>one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life. She was tall and fragile blonde with very regular and delicate features. She had gray-blue eyes, on one of which there was a brown spot, and this produced an extraordinary effect."- V.K. Maria Pavlovna Jr.

“Elizaveta Feodorovna is charming, smart, simple... I decided to say that there is one voice everywhere, that her name is blessed among the troops. She accepted it simply - and I was excited, saying that it was the absolute “truth”! ... The conversation stopped, and I left under the enchanting impression,”- Count S.D. Sheremetev.

- -

“At the beginning of January 1904 there was a ball at the Governor General’s house. Elizaveta Feodorovna received guests, standing with the Grand Duke at the end of the hall. She looked wonderfully beautiful in a pale pink dress with a tiara and a necklace of large rubies. The Grand Duke knew a lot about precious stones and loved to give them to his wife. We all looked at Elizaveta Feodorovna with admiration and admired her amazing complexion, whiteness of skin and elegant toilet, the design of which she personally sketched for the dressmaker... At the next ball she was even more beautiful; she was wearing a white dress with diamond stars scattered across her dress and with the same diamond stars on her hair. She looked like a fairy-tale princess."- N.S. Balueva-Arsenyeva.

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Grand Prince Elizaveta Fedorovna, Grand Prince Sergei Alexandrovich, Grand Prince Pavel Alexandrovich, Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark, Grand Prince Maria Pavlovna (in arms).

“Everyone who knew her admired the beauty of her face, as well as the charm of her soul. The Grand Duchess was tall and slender. The eyes are light, the gaze is deep and soft, the facial features are clean and gentle. To her beautiful appearance, add a rare mind and a noble heart... During the war of 14, she further expanded her charitable activities, establishing collection points for aid to the wounded and founding new charitable centers. She was aware of all events, but was not involved in politics, because she devoted herself entirely to work and did not think about anything else. Her popularity grew day by day. When the Grand Duchess came out, the people knelt down. People made the sign of the cross or kissed her hands and the hem of her dress as they approached her carriage...

- -

One of our archbishops said that, while passing through Jerusalem, he stood in prayer at her tomb. Suddenly the door opened and a woman in a white veil entered. She walked deeper and stopped at the icon of the Holy Archangel Michael. When she looked back, pointing at the icon, he recognized her. After which the vision disappeared.
The only thing that remains for me in memory of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna is a few beads from a rosary and a sliver of wood from her coffin. The sliver sometimes smells sweetly of flowers. The people called her a saint. I have no doubt that one day the church will recognize this,” F. Yusupov.

-
-

“The market usually lasted three days, but, of course, the first day was the busiest. One of these days, an old peasant man leaned heavily on me, who, looking at me, said:
- Here, they say, the princess herself. Show me which one.
Just at this time, the Grand Duchess went into the small living room to drink tea and sit for at least a quarter of an hour, since she was unable to do so at her table. I told the old man:
- Stay with me, grandfather, when she returns, I will show her to you.
He began to tell me that he had walked more than one hundred and twenty miles to look at the princess and receive something from her hands.
- I heard a lot about her, I wanted to see what she was like.
Then he leaned towards me and mysteriously asked:
- Is she really as kind and loves people as much as they say?
I said that this is all true.
-What is she like?
- But now you’ll see for yourself.
-
-

It must be said that all trade at our table was conducted exclusively by the Grand Duchess, since everyone wanted to buy from her personally and pay her money. The prices were cheap, and almost everything was added to the purchase price, for which the Grand Duchess thanked everyone... Her patience knew no bounds, she showed everything herself, looked for suitable things, although people themselves often did not know what they actually wanted to buy.

- -

But the Grand Duchess returned. She had a tired face, she could barely move her legs, which were very swollen. I pointed it out to him. He still couldn't figure out which one, since he probably expected to see her wearing a crown. Finally he got angry and said:
- Show me exactly where she is.
I calmed him down.
- Wait, grandfather, I’ll talk to her, and when she starts answering me, you will see where the Grand Duchess is.
I told her in English about an old man who wants to buy something from her hands and look at her. She smiled her angelic smile. There was no tired look. Leaving the table, she approached the old man. I whispered to him:
- Here she is.
He looked at her for a long time, she looked at him, then crossed himself and said:
- Thank you, Lord, that I was honored to see you, princess.
The Grand Duchess leaned towards him and asked:
- What do you want to buy, grandfather?
- I, mother, can’t buy anything. Give me something yourself, I have no money at all.
The Grand Duchess searched on the table and finally took a good glass holder with a glass, very simple workmanship, with a spoon, and asked:
- Grandfather. Do you want this glass? You like him?
- I really like it, princess.
She ordered it to be wrapped for him.
- Goodbye. “Grandfather,” she said and put ten rubles in his hand.

- -

He didn't notice the money, thinking she was extending her hand to him. He grabbed her in indescribable joy and kissed her several times, like icons kiss. She saw that the ten-ruble note was lying on the floor and said:
- Pick up the money.
He asked who dropped them.
- This is your money, I gave it to you for the journey.
For a long time he did not want to take them, but she said:
- No, take it, grandfather, on the road and goodbye. Now I have to go, others are waiting for me.
He stood next to me on the other side, kept looking at her and said to me:
“The people were right when they praised her, and what a beauty she is.” When she smiles, she looks like the Angel that is written on the images.
Then he turned to me and bowed:
- Thank you, my dear. For showing her to me.
When I asked if he was pleased that he had seen her. He replied:
- I won’t forget it until I die. How she received me. When I get home, I'll tell everyone.

The next year the same story repeated itself, but with an old woman who came from another region, almost one and a half hundred miles away. The Grand Duchess gave her a towel she had embroidered. The old woman even cried with emotion. I involuntarily watched both the old man and the old woman. When they left.
Both of them, having reached the door, turned and, crossing themselves widely, bowed to the waist, looking at Elizaveta Feodorovna. They were not interested in anyone or anything except Elizaveta Feodorovna at this bazaar,” Countess V.V. Kleinmichel.

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V.k. Elizaveta Feodorovna, V.k. Sergey Alexandrovich, V.k.P- Avel Alexandrovich

“One day, running with Nyx through the garden, crawling out from under the bushes. We were both dumbfounded, as a creature of unearthly beauty appeared before our eyes in a white airy dress and a white hat, with two very tall, handsome officers. We probably looked funny, we were disheveled, dirty... “Who are you?” the strangers asked us. We answered: “Kleinmicheli.” - “That’s how lucky it is. We are looking for your mother and got lost,” they said, continuing to laugh, looking at us. The unearthly creature took Nyx by the hand, and I walked next to him...
Nyx did not take his enthusiastic eyes off the Grand Duchess and kept looking and looking after her until she disappeared into the pavilion... Suddenly, with horror, I heard the voice of the Empress (Maria Feodorovna): “Goodbye, Nyx, look at me.” And my Nyx was still looking after Elizaveta Feodorovna. She turned his head, taking him by the chin and smiling at him, because he did not notice her hand, which she extended to him, she kissed him on his curly head and asked where he was looking and what was wrong with him today. We answered in unison: “To the Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, Your Majesty.” She laughed and said: “Then I understand, I’ll tell her. Goodbye, children,”- Countess V.V. Kleinmichel.

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"Vel.kn. Elizaveta Feodorovna was charming, delightfully charming, full of tact and grace, clouded by some cloud of moral light, as always, kind to everyone, and not with an elaborate kindness, but with the expression of a kind, condescending human feeling.”- A. Polovtsov.

“I just see her like this... Tall, strict, with light, deep and naive eyes, with a gentle mouth, soft facial features, a straight and thin nose, with harmonious and pure contours of the figure, with a charming rhythm of gait and movements. In her conversation one could discern a charming female mind - natural, serious and full of hidden kindness.
Her face, framed by a long blanket of white woolen material, amazes with its spirituality. The thinness of her features, the pallor of her skin, the deep and distant life of her eyes, the faint sound of her voice, the reflection of some kind of radiance on her forehead - everything reveals in her a being who has a constant connection with the ineffable and divine,”- M. Paleolog.

- -

“It was a rare combination of a sublime Christian mood, moral nobility, an enlightened mind, a tender heart and elegant taste. She had an extremely subtle and multifaceted mental organization. Her very outer appearance reflected the beauty and greatness of Her spirit: on Her brow lay the stamp of innate high dignity, which distinguished Her from her environment. In vain She sometimes tried, under the cover of modesty, to hide from human gaze: She could not be confused with others. Wherever She appeared, one could always ask about Her: “Who is this, the watching dawn, bright as the sun?” (Song. 6:10). She brought with her everywhere the pure fragrance of the lily; perhaps that is why She loved the color white so much: it was a reflection of Her heart. All the qualities of Her soul were strictly proportioned to one another, without creating anywhere the impression of one-sidedness. Femininity was combined in her with courage of character; kindness did not turn into weakness and blind, unaccountable trust in people; the gift of reasoning, which Christian ascetics place so highly, was inherent in everything, even in the best impulses of the heart.

- -

Hiding her exploits, She always appeared before people with a bright, smiling face. Only when She was alone or in a circle of close people, a mysterious sadness appeared on her face, especially in her eyes - the mark of high souls languishing in this world. Having renounced almost everything earthly, She shone all the brighter with the inner light emanating from Her and especially with her love and affection. No one could do something pleasant for others more delicately than She - each according to his needs or spiritual character. She was able not only to cry with those who weep, but also to rejoice with those who rejoice, which is usually more difficult than the first.
She responded sensitively to all requests, except those that were politically charged...
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When the revolutionary storm then broke out, She met it with remarkable composure and calm. It seemed that She stood on a high, unshakable rock and from there, without fear, looked at the waves raging around Her, fixing her spiritual gaze into the eternal distances. She did not have a shadow of bitterness against the furies of the excited crowd. “The people are children, they are not to blame for what is happening,” she said meekly, “they are misled by the enemies of Russia
Like a wonderful vision, She walked across the earth, leaving behind a shining trail. Together with all the other sufferers for the Russian land, she was both the redemption of the former Russia and the foundation of the future... Such images have an enduring significance: their destiny is eternal memory both on earth and in heaven,” Archbishop Anastassy.

Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna (Elizabeth Alexandra Louise Alice; in her family her name was Ella; in Russia - Elisaveta Feodorovna) (11/01/1864-07/18/1918) - Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, Grand Duchess of the House of Romanov.

She was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992.

Elizaveta Feodorovna Romanova (Elizabeth Alexandra Louise Alice) - Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, Grand Duchess of the House of Romanov. She was the second child of seven children in the family of the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt Ludwig IV and Princess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria of England. Another daughter of this couple, Alice, later became the last Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

When Ella (as she was called at home) was 14 years old, her mother died. The family's grief was immeasurable, but the children were warmed in her home by their grandmother, Queen Victoria of England.

From childhood, Ella was religiously inclined and participated in charity work with her mother, Grand Duchess Alice. A major role in the spiritual life of the family was played by the image of Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, in whose honor it was named: this saint, the ancestor of the Dukes of Hesse, became famous for her works of mercy.

I look at you and admire you every hour:

You are so inexpressibly beautiful!

Oh, true, under such a beautiful appearance

Such a beautiful soul!

Some kind of meekness and innermost sadness

There is depth in your eyes;

Like an angel, you are quiet, pure and perfect;

Like a woman, shy and tender.

May there be nothing on earth among the evils and much sorrow

Your purity will not be tarnished. K.R.

Young Ella was considered one of the most beautiful brides in Europe, and many tried to woo her. Then they said that in all of Europe there were only two real beauties: Elizabeth of Austria, the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph, and Elizabeth Feodorovna. However, few people knew that Elizaveta Feodorovna took a vow of virginity before God. The reason for this, as far as one can assume, was the death of her mother and younger sister Mei from diphtheria, as well as the death of her little brother Friedrich, who fell to his death from an accidental fall from a balcony. The sight of death and the realization that human life could end overnight and destroy all the happiness that seemed so lasting and all the hopes of people close to each other made an indelible impression on Elizaveta Feodorovna. Man's life on earth is short - and so much needs to be done, comforting those who cry and alleviating the suffering of those who mourn... And the suitors were refused. However, she had long been in favor of Sergei Alexandrovich. They had a frank conversation, from which Elizaveta Feodorovna learned that the Grand Duke had also taken a secret vow of abstinence. Only after this did her consent follow and it was decided that after the wedding they would live like brother and sister. In their house, the children of Sergei Alexandrovich's younger brother, Pavel Alexandrovich, who was removed from Russia by Nicholas II for misalliance, Maria and Dmitry, who later took part in the murder of Rasputin, were raised.

After the wedding, the newlyweds lived for some time on the estate of the Grand Duke Ilyinskoye near Moscow. This village was famous. Writers S.T. were there at different times. Aksakov, I. I. Lazhechnikov, poet N. M. Yazykov and writer P. V. Kireevsky. Subsequently, the village became the property of Emperor Alexander II and his wife Maria Alexandrovna. Then the right to own it passed to Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich.
Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, a family friend, a man of high spiritual culture, versatile talents and a talented, subtle poet, often visited the spouses’ estate. He dedicated lines to Elizaveta Feodorovna, which can rightfully be considered at the level of Pushkin’s lyrics from the point of view of imagery and the deepest insight into the essence of a Christian woman and the secrets of her extraordinary beauty as a consequence of her inner purity and spirituality.
She mastered the Russian language perfectly and spoke it with almost no accent. While still professing Protestantism, she attended Orthodox services. In 1888, together with her husband, she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In 1891 she converted to Orthodoxy, having written to her father: “I thought and read and prayed to God all the time to show me the right path - and came to the conclusion that only in this religion can I find real and strong faith in God, which a person should have to be a good Christian."

The brilliant social life of young Elizaveta Feodorovna is partially described in the memoirs of N.S. Balueva-Arsenyeva. To complete the perception of the image of the Grand Duchess, I present the following excerpt from these memoirs: “My first meeting with the Grand Duchess was at the end of December 1903, when I, along with other debutantes, went to Neskuchnoye to introduce myself to Elizaveta Feodorovna. At the beginning of January 1904 there was the first ball in the Governor General's house. Elizaveta Feodorovna received guests, standing with the Grand Duke at the end of the hall. She looked wonderfully beautiful in a pale pink dress with a tiara and a necklace of large rubies.

The Grand Duke knew a lot about precious stones and loved to give them to his wife. We all looked at Elizaveta Feodorovna with admiration and admired her amazing complexion, the whiteness of her skin and her elegant toilet, the design of which she personally sketched for the dressmaker. At this ball I had to square dance opposite the Grand Duchess.
At the next ball she was even more beautiful; she was wearing a white dress with diamond stars scattered across her dress and with the same diamond stars on her hair. She looked like a fairy princess. The third ball was supposed to be in Neskuchny. We all worked hard to prepare for it, new toilets were sewn; the dances were sorted out in advance by our gentlemen. There were eight or nine quadrilles alone.” Ella loved beautiful clothes “not out of vanity, but out of the joy of creating beautiful things.” But:
Archbishop Anastasy wrote: “On her face, especially in her eyes, a mysterious sadness appeared - the stamp of high souls languishing in this world.”

Official receptions and balls in the Neskuchny Palace and the General Governor's House followed each other.


In January 1903, a costume ball was held in the Winter Palace, almost four hundred participants of which were ordered to appear in clothes based on samples from the era of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. This was the last big court ball in the history of the Russian Empire.

Charity

Following tradition and the call of her heart, Elizaveta Feodorovna never left

do good

As the wife of the new Moscow governor-general, Elizaveta Feodorovna organized the Elizabethan Charitable Society in 1892, whose activities were aimed at “look after the legitimate babies of the poorest mothers, who had hitherto been placed, although without any right, in the Moscow orphanage, under the guise of being illegal.” . The activities of the society initially took place in Moscow, and then covered the Moscow province.

Elizabethan committees were formed at all Moscow church parishes, as well as in all district cities of the Moscow province. The Elizabethan society existed only on charitable funds. The largest donations were made by the Grand Duchess herself. Over 25 years of operation, the Society has taken part in the fate of more than nine thousand children and paid widowed mothers 13 thousand benefits totaling 120 thousand rubles. Over the years of its existence, the society has spent more than a million rubles on the maintenance of nurseries and shelters. The Company's activities were highly appreciated by the Russian public. In materials about the activities of the Society published in the newspaper “Moskovskie Tserkovnye Tserkovnye Vedomosti”, it was rightly called “the decoration of Moscow”, “the flower of Christian charity and enlightenment”.

And suddenly, like a bolt from the blue - war with Japan! All balls and receptions have been cancelled. Hospitals for the wounded were hastily set up, workshops were opened for sewing linen and preparing bandages.”

With the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, Elizaveta Feodorovna organized active assistance to the front. All the halls of the Kremlin Palace, except the Throne Palace, were occupied by her as workshops for the needs of soldiers. Thousands of women worked there - at sewing machines and work tables. Continuous donations poured into the Kremlin from Moscow and the provinces.

From here, cargo with food, uniforms, medicines and gifts for soldiers was sent to the front. The Grand Duchess sent camp churches with icons and everything necessary for worship to the front.

Using her personal funds, she filled and sent several ambulance trains to the war. In Moscow, Elizaveta Feodorovna opened a hospital for the wounded and created committees to provide assistance to widows and orphans of those killed at the front. On the Black Sea coast near Novorossiysk, in a picturesque place, Grand Duchess Elizabeth created a sanatorium for the wounded. “This sanatorium was equipped with everything necessary for the treatment and rest of the wounded: comfortable special beds, new furniture with desks, carpets, engravings on the walls, and for seriously ill patients - chairs on wheels. The sanatorium was serviced by experienced medical personnel. Below, near the sanatorium building, the beautiful sea spread out. Elizaveta Feodorovna thought through everything, down to the smallest detail. The sanatorium was solemnly consecrated in October 1904.”

In addition, Elizaveta Feodorovna headed the Ladies' Committee of the Red Cross, and after the death of her husband, she became the chairman of the Moscow Office of the Red Cross. Visits to hospitals for the poor, almshouses, and shelters for street children became an integral part of the life of the young Grand Duchess. On her initiative, there was a regular distribution of food, clothing and money for those especially in need.

Elizaveta Feodorovna was the honorary chairman of the Ladies' Prison Committee, which looked after children whose mothers were serving sentences. She organized sewing workshops for women released from custody, where they received a salary and could provide clothing for themselves and their children. The Ladies' Committee also organized a shelter for women released from prison.

On February 4, 1905, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was killed by terrorist Ivan Kalyaev, who threw a hand bomb at him. The Grand Duchess was at the Red Cross warehouse in the Grand Kremlin Palace at the time of the terrorist attack. Hearing the explosion, she shouted: “It’s with Sergei! Sergei was killed! – ran out into the square in one dress and rushed to the scene of the disaster. The adjutant threw a fur coat over her shoulders as she ran. Elizaveta Feodorovna began to collect the remains of her husband on a stretcher with her own hands, driving away the curious. On the third day after the death of Sergei Alexandrovich, she visited the murderer in prison: she conveyed forgiveness to him on behalf of Sergei Alexandrovich, and left him the Gospel. Moreover, she submitted a petition to Emperor Nicholas II to pardon the terrorist, but it was not granted. . Her sisters and brother tried to persuade her to leave Russia, but she considered it her duty to be near her husband’s grave. She often came to his burial place at night and knelt in prayer until the morning. The Greek Queen Olga Konstantinovna, cousin of the murdered Sergei Alexandrovich, wrote: “This is a wonderful, holy woman - she is apparently worthy of the heavy cross that lifts her higher and higher!” ". But then no one could have imagined to what height her suffering on the cross would take her.

. Elizaveta Fedorovna sold all her jewelry, the collection of works of art and rarities that Sergei Alexandrovich had collected for many years, gave part of the proceeds to the treasury, part to relatives, and the rest for charitable purposes. She did not have children, so she decided to devote herself entirely to the poor and sick. In 1907, she purchased an estate on the street. Bolshaya Ordynka in Moscow for the establishment of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Sisters of Mercy. For high society, this was an unprecedented thing: the empress’s sister, refined, educated, always with a white lily in her hands, dressed in the dress of a sister of mercy and every day walks around churches, travels to monasteries, visits almshouses, sings in the choir, strokes and hugs some dirty ragamuffins!
Grand Duchess Elizabeth "Ella" Feodorovna Romanova
Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine

Abramova Anastasia

This work is dedicated to the last Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova. The work uses the queen's diary entries, her correspondence, memoirs of contemporaries, and scientific and journalistic articles. The life of Alexandra Feodorovna is viewed from different angles: as a mother, as a wife, as a Christian woman. The defense of the research work took place at the regional conference and received a prize.

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EIGHTH DISTRICT SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONFERENCE OF EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OF KIREEVSKY DISTRICT OF TULA REGION

"STEPS INTO SCIENCE-2016"

SECTION No. 2

"RUSSIA: THE ROLE OF HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL TRADITIONS"

COMBINED WORK ON THE TOPIC:

“THE WONDERFUL LIGHT OF ALEXANDRA FYODOROVNA ROMANOVA”

GRADE: 10TH GRADE

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION: MUNICIPAL STATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION "KRASNOYARSK EDUCATION CENTER"

CONTACT PHONE: 8-950-909-73-78

WORK SUPERVISOR: IGNATOVA IRINA GENNADIEVNA, TEACHER OF HISTORY AND SOCIAL STUDIES MCOU "KRASNOYARSK EDUCATION CENTER".

2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR

1. Introduction. Page 3-5
2. Theoretical analysis of the problem under study. Page 6-31

1. Princess Alix (childhood and teenage years) pp. 6-7
2. Alexandra Fedorovna - Nikolai's Wife II.

(getting married; attitude towards marriage, husband, family.) pp. 7-14

1. Alexandra Fedorovna is the mother of five children. Pages 15-20
2. Alexandra Feodorovna is like a sister of mercy. Pages 21-24
3. Holy Martyr Alexandra Feodorovna. Pages 25-31

1. Conclusions. Page 32
2. Bibliography. Page 33

Applications

“Without purity it is impossible to imagine true femininity. Even in the midst of this world, mired in sins and vices, it is possible to maintain this holy purity. I saw a lily floating in the black swamp water. Everything around was rotten, but the lily remained pure, like angelic robes. Ripples appeared in the dark pond, they shook the lily, but not a speck appeared on it. So even in our immoral world, a young woman can keep her soul unsullied by radiating holy, selfless love."

(From the diary of Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova).

1. Introduction.

In recent years, interest in the history of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers has been growing. In 2000, the Council of Bishops canonized Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna and their children: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and the young Tsarevich Alexei. For a long time, a negative attitude towards the Royal Family developed in our country. We now know that the Bolsheviks, who committed the regicide in an attempt to justify their actions, surrounded Nicholas and his family with slander and myths.Before the canonization of the Holy Royal Martyrs, controversy arose in the Church Abroad. N. Sakhnovsky writes in the article “Sorrowful Angel”: “Some believed that all new martyrs should be glorified, but without the Royal Family. This, they say, is politics. Others spoke out in favor of glorifying only the Royal Children, but not the Emperor and Empress. Finally, there were some clever people who said that the entire Royal Family should be glorified,but not the Empress.Nevertheless, it was the Queen who was most worthy, so to speak, of this glorification with the saints! According to Archbishop Seraphim, the entire Royal Family was prepared to accept martyrdom. But, probably, Queen Alexandra prepared more than anyone else.”

Hypothesis: Alexandra Fedorovna Romanovawas a righteous woman even before her martyrdom.

Goals of my work:

1. Study various historical sources: Alexandra Fedorovna’s diary entries, her correspondence, memoirs of contemporaries, scientific and journalistic articles, Internet resources.

2. Find information and facts characterizing Alexandra’s life path from birth to the last days of her life.

3. Consider her life from different angles: as a wife, as a mother, as a Christian woman. Try to penetrate the inner world of the last empress.

In order to understand Alexandra Fedorovna, you need to look into her inner spiritual world, understand her feelings and experiences.

In my work, I rely on diary entries, correspondence, and the biography of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, compiled into the collection “Wonderful Light” by nun Nektaria.

Alexandra Fedorovna's letters and diaries are of great spiritual value and important historical value. They have been going on since her youth and throughout all the years of her marriage. The Victorian habit of keeping a diary was passed on to Princess Alix, Queen Victoria, and her sisters.

It is a pity that little of the diaries has survived. Alexandra Feodorovna burned many personal papers, diaries and letters during her years of imprisonment.All surviving diaries of Alexandra Feodorovna, although they differ in format and binding, are lined and bound in such a way that approximately one page corresponds to each day of the week. Emotionally charged entries are quite rare, but there is a certain set of mandatory information that is repeated day after day: notes about the health of children, family and religious holidays, meetings and visits, the weather, the most important personal letters, etc.

The important thing is that the empress did not intend to publish her notes; they were intended exclusively for herself and were made for memory, and not for posterity.There are also diaries for 1917, 1918.

The spiritual notes of Alexandra Fedorovna have been preserved. These are not her own writings, but collections of religious and philosophical quotes that inspired her.Obviously, under her hands lay various works both in genre and in content, philosophical reflections, ethics of marriage, poetry, spiritual sayings. Alexandra Feodorovna, reading books, wrote out from them the most consonant with her own spiritual world, and found answers to the most difficult questions in her life.

A precious part of the collection is the correspondence between Nikolai Alexandrovich and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna and their children. It was found in Yekaterinburg after the death of the imperial family in a small black box. Members of the royal family write to each other about their deepest experiences, joys, and trials.

Interesting information about the royal family is contained in the book by R. Massey “Nicholas and Alexandra”.

After the canonization of the Romanov royal family as saints, the Lives of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers, Akathist and prayers were created.

On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the beginning of the reign of the Romanov dynasty, the Orthodox church calendar “Filling the Day with Meaning” was published, which contains a large number of articles about the last Romanovs, about their life, about the period of their imprisonment in Tobolsk and Yekaterinburg, about martyrdom.

Publications on the Internet about Alexandra Fedorovna are varied, giving ambiguous assessments of her personality and activities.

1. Theoretical analysis of the problem under study.

1.Princess Alix (childhood and teenage years)

Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova was born on June 7, 1872 in Darmstatt. Future EmpressRussian Empire was the daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse - Ludwig of Darmstadt and the English Princess Alice. The parents named their daughter Alix Elena Louise Beatrice. She was the sixth child in the family. It is worth noting that her grandmother was Queen Victoria of England. Alix's mother loved England, and her children received a real English upbringing. The daughter ate oatmeal for breakfast, ate potatoes and meat for lunch, and ate puddings and baked apples for dessert. Alix slept on a soldier's cot, and in the mornings she took a cold bath.

Since childhood, Alix was characterized by shyness, which she had to struggle with in adulthood. Her mother died early, saw Alix and the death of her little brother, who died due to an accident. These events left a deep mark on her heart. R. Messi in his book “Nikolai and Alexandra” writes that the death of her mother, who lived only to be 35 years old, was a terrible blow for six-year-old Alix. She sat quiet, motionless in her room, while her nurse sobbed in the corner. Even the toys she handled in her hands were new; old familiar toys were burned as a possible source of infection. Alix was a cheerful, sympathetic girl, stubborn but sensitive. After the tragedy she experienced, she began to avoid people. Only in a cozy family circle, where she could count on warmth and understanding, did Alix relax...

After the death of her mother, Alix took up her studies, and very diligently. Her teacher was Margaret Jackson, an Englishwoman who had a great influence on the formation of the personality of the future empress. By the age of 15, the girl knew literature, history, art, geography and mathematics very well. She played the piano well. But she didn’t like playing for the public. The princess knew foreign languages ​​- English and French, and read serious literature. Studying was interspersed with long-awaited trips to England to visit my grandmother, Queen Victoria of England, and cousins. " June 1887. – she will write in her diary.-I'm so happy to see Windsor again. I was last there in 1879 as a little girl and I remember little.”Alix was a special favorite of the aging queen and Victoria surrounded her with close attention.

In her early years, Alexandra Fedorovna already suffered from terrible facial neuralgia, which tormented her all her life. She tried to hide her condition from others, and only those close to her knew about the pain that the girl suffered almost every day. Her stern expression in many photographs is the result of pain as well as shyness, and throughout her life, because of this tragic circumstance, her detractors attributed this expression to haughty arrogance. When she was healthy, Princess Alix spent her leisure time like any other young girl. In her diary, she mentions skating, sledding, stargazing, painting, fishing, dancing, singing, tennis, horse riding, board games, including cards, spending time with cooks in the kitchen and forge; Her favorite pastime was at one time watching the maneuvers of the duchy's soldiers.

2.Alexandra Feodorovna - Nikolai's wifeII (Getting married; attitude towards marriage, husband, family.)

Alix first met her future husband, Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov, at the wedding of her older sister Ella, who was marrying Nikolai’s uncle, Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov. When visiting her sister, she more than once met with the heir to the Russian throne.

In 1889 Nicholas II I wanted to marry Alix, but did not receive the blessing of my parents.Alexander III and Maria Fedorovna Romanov believed that Alix was not the best wife for the future emperor. And, although Nikolai and Alix corresponded and sent each other small gifts, they separated for almost five years. Both of them believed that these five years strengthened their relationship. Alix's heart was occupied only by Nikolai; as for him, he firmly declared to his father that he would marry only Alexandra. Letters from this period are filled with great love and tenderness from Nicholas and Alexandra. Each letter begins with these words:“My dear, priceless Niki!”, “My dear, dear, beloved”. In response, Nikolai replies:“My dear, dear little Alix”, “My precious sun”.They wrote letters every day, telling in detail about the events that happened to them, about the feelings they had for each other. At the end of the letter Nikolai makes a note: “Your forever loving, devoted and sincerely faithful betrothed, Niki. I love you, I love you, that’s all I can say!”Princess Alix ends her letters with these words: “Always yours, deeply loving, very devoted and ever faithful bride.", or “I kiss you deeply, God bless you, my angel, the love of my heart.”. The letters are so kind and sincere that there is no doubt about their great love for each other.

In the spring of 1894, the parents nevertheless gave their consent to the marriage of Nicholas II to Alix. It was not an easy decision. A huge obstacle for Alix was the need to accept another faith. In order to become the wife of the ruling Monarch of Russia, she had to renounce Lutheranism and accept Orthodoxy.

Alix arrived in the Russian Empire shortly before the death of her husband’s father, Alexander III. The baptism was performed by John of Kronstadt. During the baptismal ceremony, Alix received a Russian name. Now she was called Alexandra Feodorovna. She received the middle name Feodorovna later, before the wedding. German princesses accepted the Orthodox faith in front of the image of the Most Holy Theotokos of Feodorov, the patroness of the royal dynasty.

Alexandra Feodorovna diligently prepared for marriage. The future Empress diligently studied the Russian language. Russian speech came very easily to her. She quickly learned to write and read, and a little later she was able to speak Russian fluently. In addition to the usual Russian language, Alexandra Feodorovna also learned the Church Slavonic language. This allowed her to read liturgical books and the works of Russian saints.

On November 27, 1894, their wedding took place. The appointed day was the birthday of the Dowager Empress Maria, and for such an occasion the protocol provided for a brief cessation of mourning. The wedding ceremony was performed by John of Kronstadt. The royal couple, who were in mourning for the death of Alexander III, did not organize receptions or celebrations. The newlyweds also did not go on their honeymoon.

After the wedding, Alexandra Feodorovna wrote in her husband’s diary:

“I never believed that there could be such complete happiness in the world - such a sense of community between two mortals. There will be no more separations. Having united at last, we are bound for life, and when this life ends, we will meet again in another world and remain together forever.”

And further : “I would never have believed that there could be such completeness of happiness in this world - such a feeling of unity between two mortal beings. We will not be separated again. Finally, we are together, and our lives are connected to the end, and when this life ends, then in another world we will meet again, and will never be separated forever.”

In her diary, Alexandra made many notes about her family, about family relationships, which can be parting words for modern families. Here are some of them.

« The point of marriage is to bring joy. It is implied that married life is the happiest, fullest, purest, richest life».

“If marriage does not become happiness and does not make life richer and fuller, then the fault is not in the marriage bonds themselves,the fault lies in the people who are connected by them».

« Wedding day should always be remembered and highlighted especially among other important dates in life. This is a day whose light will illuminate all other days for the rest of your life.Over the wedding altar, when hands are joined and holy vows are pronounced, angels bow and quietly sing their songs, and then they overshadow the happycouple with their wings, when their journey together in life begins"

“A good wife is a blessing from Heaven, the best gift for a husband, his angel and source of innumerable blessings: her voice is the sweetest music for him, her smile illuminates his day, her kiss is the guardian of his fidelity, her hands are the balm of his health and his whole life, her hard work is the guarantee of his well-being, her frugality is his most reliable manager, her lips are his best adviser, her breast is the softest pillow on which all worries are forgotten, and her prayers are his advocate before the Lord.”

« Another important element in family life is unity of interests.Nothing a wife cares about should seem too small, even for the gigantic intellect of the greatest of husbands. On the other hand, every wise and faithful wife will become willing to take an interest in the affairs of her husband, and will be aware of all his daily affairs. But even if the wife cannot help her husband in his affairs, love for him makes her deeply interested in his concerns. And she is happy when he asks her for advice, and so they become even closer.”

« Everyone should blame themselves and not others when things go wrong.Most of all, rudeness is unforgivable in our own home, towards those we love.
“Another secret of happiness in family life is attention to each other. Husband and wife should constantly show each other signs of the most tender attention and love.The happiness of life is made up of individual minutes, of small, quickly forgotten pleasures from a kiss, a smile, a kind look, a heartfelt compliment and countless small but kind thoughts and sincere feelings».

« Beware of the slightest beginning of misunderstanding or alienation. Did you say something in a hurry? Ask for forgiveness immediately. Do you have any misunderstanding? No matter whose fault it is, don’t let him stay between you for an hour.”

"Refrain from quarreling. Don't go to bed harboring feelings of anger in your soul. You should never indulge your sense of offended pride and scrupulously calculate who exactly should ask for forgiveness.The first lesson to learn and practice is patience.. Sometimes it seems that it is impossible to get used to each other, that there will be eternal and hopeless conflicts, but patience and love overcome everything.”

« A good wife is the keeper of the family hearth.»

« For every woman, the main responsibility is to set up and maintain her home.».

From 1898 to 1914 The correspondence between Tsar Nikolai Alexandrovich and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna contains fewer letters than during the period of their engagement or the First World War, because they were rarely separated. When they did part, the separation was difficult for them, and they wrote to each other every day, as before their wedding. These letters characterize much of their family life, as Alexandra dealt with her children, her husband, and numerous charitable causes. Alexandra wrote voluminously. She would start early in the morning, adding paragraphs throughout the day, continue until late at night, and perhaps add even more the next day. The remarkable feature of these letters was the freshness of Alexandra’s feelings of love. She still wrote to her husband like a fiery girl. Letters usually arrived with lily or violet petals between the pages. Here are some of the letters written by Alexandra Fedorovna to Nikolai Alexandrovich during her family life.

My favorite,

What deep joy your letter brought me this morning. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for it. Yes, dear, indeed, this parting was one of the most difficult, but every day brings our meeting closer again. It must have been very difficult during the speeches...

I put your dear letters and telegrams on your bed, so that when I wake up at night, I can touch something of yours. Just think about how this married old lady speaks - as many would say, "old-fashioned." But what would life be without love, what would happen to your little wife without you? You are my beloved, my treasure, the joy of my heart. To keep the children quiet, I play with them: they think of something, and I guess. Olga always thinks about the sun, clouds, sky, rain or something heavenly, explaining to me that she is happy when she thinks about it...

Goodbye now. May God bless and keep you. I kiss you deeply, dear, your tenderly loving and devoted wife,

Alix."

My dear angel,

You're away, and your little wife is alone, with only her tiny family to keep her company. It’s hard to be apart from you, but we must thank God that in 10 years this has happened so rarely. I will be persistent, and others will not see how my heart hurts..."

My priceless one,

You will read these lines when the train is already taking you far from your wife and children. It’s very hard to let you go alone - the first trip after all these worries - but I know that you are safe in God’s hands... Our love and our life are one whole, we are so connected that one cannot doubt both love and fidelity ... whatever is in the wife’s heart, in her heart is her hubby, always the dearest, the closest, the best of all.

Goodbye, my treasure, I bless and kiss you again and again, and hug you tightly. Always your faithful old one,

Wifey."

In Alexandra’s diary you can find the following lines: “Every wife is imbued with the interests of her husband. When he’s having a hard time, she tries to cheer him up with her sympathy, a manifestation of her love. She enthusiastically supports all his plans. She's not a burden on his legs. She is the strength in his heart that helps him become even better.”

Alexandra Feodorovna’s own role in state affairs was limited at that time. She left the Emperor himself to deal with them, and took care of the children, the Palace and numerous charitable causes.

During the First World War, being at the front and unable to deal with the internal affairs of the state, Nikolai Alexandrovich needed a person who could oversee current affairs and deal with internal politics. And more and more often he turned to Alexandra Fedorovna. She responded to her husband's call, taking a few timid steps at first, but later gaining confidence by working with ministers. Alexandra's reign was unofficial. Nikolai often wrote, encouraging her:“Be my eyes and ears there in the capital while I’m here. You only need to maintain peace and harmony among the ministers.”Alexandra Fedorovna understood her inexperienceYes, her letters to her husband often showed uncertainty. Like any politician, she has supporters and opponents. After some time, Alexandra lost her popularity among the courtiers. By 1915, rumors began to spread that Rasputin and Alexandra Feodorovna were “controlling” the government. She was accused of adherence to Germany, of betrayal, of fanatical religiosity, and semi-hysterical mysticism. But these accusations were unfounded.

Lily Dehn (Alexandra’s friend) writes: “She knew and read everything that was written about her, but, although anonymous letters sought to smear her with dirt, nothing could tarnish her bright soul...”

And she writes this letter when Nicholas abdicated the throne, and she was expecting him with her children in Tsarskoe Selo:
“My beloved, priceless angel, the light of my life! It breaks my heart to think that you are going through all this pain and worry all alone, and we know nothing about you, and you know nothing about us. Everything is disgusting, and events are developing with tremendous speed. But I firmly believe - and nothing will shake this faith - everything will be fine.”
It's amazing how she supports her husband during such a difficult time for them.Alexandra was a loving wife, assistant, and faithful life partner of Tsar Nicholas. It seems to me that she was an amazing woman and she deserves to be called Empress.

3. Alexandra Fedorovna is the mother of five children.

Mother's love. Many poetic lines, many warm words are dedicated to her. Where do mothers get so much tenderness and affection? Where is its source and what is the power of a loving mother’s heart? Why does a mother's love never cease? We can find answers to these questions in Alexandra Fedorovna’s diary entries.

“Mother’s love embodies the love of God, and it surrounds the child’s life with tenderness,”- said Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.“There is nothing stronger than the feeling that comes to us when we hold our children in our arms. Their helplessness touches a noble chord in our hearts. For us, their innocence is a cleansing force. When there is a newborn in the house, the marriage is, as it were, reborn. A child brings a married couple together like never before. Previously silent strings come to life in our hearts. Young parents face new goals and new desires. Life immediately takes on a new and deep meaning...Of course, with children we have a lot of worries and troubles, and therefore there are people who look at the appearance of children as a misfortune. But only cold egoists look at children this way.”

In 1895, the first daughter, Olga, was born. Alexandra Feodorovna, finding herself faced with the onslaught of ever-increasing misunderstanding and hostility of the Court, completely immersed herself in family life and works of mercy. Here she felt needed, this became her goal, since society rejected her.
She wrote to her sister, Princess Victoria:

“A radiant, happy mother writes to you. Can you imagine our endless happiness now that we have our precious baby and we can care for her".

Olga was followed by three more daughters and a son: Tatiana in 1897, Maria in 1899, Anastasia in 1901 and Alexey in 1904. Alexandra devoted herself entirely to her family. She fed the children herself, without fear of spoiling her figure; for the monarch of that time, this was a departure from conventions; then it was customary to hire a wet nurse.

“Oh, may God help every mother to understand the greatness and glory of the work before her, when she holds at her breast the baby whom she has to nurse and educate. As for children, it is the duty of parents to prepare them for life, for any trials that God sends them.”(From A.F.’s diary)

“You must raise children by your own example” - this is one of the principles of raising children in the royal family.“Parents should be what they want their children to be, not in words, but in deeds. They should teach their children by the example of their lives"- she wrote. For the empress, patience, mutual attention, unity of interests, and avoidance of quarrels were very important in relations with her husband. The children saw all this and understood. They grew up in an atmosphere of love and respect from their parents for each other.

The Tsar and Tsarina raised their children in devotion to the Russian people. “Children must learn self-denial, learn to give up their own desires for the sake of other people,” the empress believed. “The higher a person is, the sooner he should help everyone and never remind of his position in his behavior,” said the sovereign, “my children should be like that.”

Alexandra Feodorovna believed that religious education was the basis for raising children.

“Some mothers love their children very devotedly, but think only mainly about earthly things. They tenderly lean over their children when they are sick. They work hard and deny themselves everything in order to dress their children decently. They begin to teach them little by little very early and constantly develop their mental abilities so that over time they take their rightful place in society. But they do not pay such attention to the spiritual development of children. They do not teach them God's will. There are homes in which children grow up without ever hearing prayer from their fathers or mothers and without receiving any spiritual training. On the other hand, there are houses where the lamp is constantly burning brightly, where words of love for Christ are constantly spoken, where children are taught from an early age that God loves them, where they learn to pray as soon as they begin to babble.”

“How happy is a home where everyone - children and parents, without a single exception - believes in God together. In such a house there is a joy of camaraderie. Such a house is like the threshold of Heaven. There can never be alienation in it.”

« God first comes to children through the love of a mother, because mother's love embodies the love of God».

« Religious education is the richest gift that parents can leave to their child."- the Empress wrote in her diary. The spiritual core is the basis of a morally healthy personality. The child receives spiritual education in the family, at home. House for the Empress - “this is a place of warmth and tenderness. Love must live in a Christian home. It should be a place of prayer. It is in prayer that we draw the grace we need to make our home bright, kind, clean».

In the royal family, everything was like in every family: birthdays, studies, illnesses, games at home and on the street, family holidays. The regime for children was normal, not burdened with the responsibilities familiar to the Royal Family. The Emperor and Empress were faithful to the principles of their own upbringing: large, well-ventilated rooms where the girls lived, hard camp beds without pillows, cold baths (warm ones were allowed in the evening). Growing up, children dined with their parents. The food was simple: beef, pork, borscht or buckwheat porridge, boiled fish, fruit.

M.K. Diterichs in the book “In My Circle” writes: “Getting up in the morning from sleep or going to bed in the evening before bed, each of the family members performed his prayer, after which in the morning, having gathered together as much as possible, the mother or father loudly read the prescribed prayers to the other members for this day the Gospel and Epistles. Likewise, when sitting down at the table or getting up after eating, everyone performed the prescribed prayer and only then took food or went to their room. They never sat down at the table if the father was delayed for something - they waited for him. When one of the children turned to their mother on issues related to upbringing, education or relationships of an external nature, she always answered: “I’ll talk to my father! The entire external and spiritual way of home life of the royal family was a typical example of the pure, patriarchal life of a simple Russian religious family.”

The day in the royal palace began early. Alexandra herself was an early bird and taught her children not to lie in bed. After the morning toilet and prayer at nine in the morning, breakfast followed in the English style. After breakfast, the Empress went to the children, where she looked at their homework and talked with the teachers. The queen taught her daughters the basics of housekeeping and wanted to see them as real helpers: the princesses embroidered, sewed shirts, and ironed linen. Alexandra Feodorovna instilled in them a sense of duty as future wives and mothers.Morning time was also reserved for official receptions, which Alexandra Fedorovna gave to numerous petitioners. And in the evenings, just like in many families in Rus' back then, they loved to spend time reading at home with their children and Nikolai.

Many notes and letters from Alexandra Fedorovna and her daughters have been preserved. Notes were a frequent, if not daily, form of communication. When Alexandra, due to ill health or work, could not go upstairs to her children’s rooms, she often wrote letters to them, and as they grew up, they willingly adopted this habit.

“Olga, my dear, my girl,” writes Alexandra, “you must remember that one of the main things is to be polite, and not rude, both in manners and in words. Always think about your behavior, be honest, listen to your elders... Above all, remember that you must always be a good example to the younger ones... be especially polite to all servants and nannies...”(1909)

“Good morning, my little one (Tatiana), and thank you for your letter. You can go to Olga's room for breakfast. In this heat it’s so hard for me to breathe, my heart hurts, and I’m tired...”(1911)

On August 12, 1904, Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich wrote in his diary:“A great, unforgettable day: God’s mercy clearly visited us. Today at one o’clock Alix gave birth to a son. The boy was named Alexei.”

Finally, the Heir to the Throne has appeared. The long-awaited birth of the Tsarevich, the Royal Family was - by faith - obliged to the prayers of St. Seraphim of Sarov: Alexandra Feodorovna made a pilgrimage to the shrine with the relics of the Reverend, asking for a son.

The child was born strong, healthy, “with thick golden hair and blue eyes.” He was a sweet, cheerful boy, and only a few months later his parents began to notice with concern the first signs of hemophilia. On September 15, 1904, the first attack occurred.

In her letter to her husband, Alexandra writes:“My dear, priceless, You are no longer around again, may God bless you and keep you, and bring you back safely. Forgive me for not holding back, but I can't hold back these terrible tears, feeling so exhausted after such an ordeal last week... oh, such pain, and I can't let others see it... Thank God, he is completely healthy now! It's as if he was returned to us again, although I did not believe that he would leave. I know that his little soul is praying for you...Your little wife.”

Carriers of this disease are usually women, and their sons inherit it. Alexandra Feodorovna inherited this genetic defect from her grandmother, Queen Victoria, and she passed it on to Alexei. Even when it was possible to control the external bleeding and protect the boy from the slightest scratches, which could have been fatal, nothing could be done about the internal hemorrhages - they caused excruciating pain in the bones and joints.

It was a terrible blow for the entire Family - no one could ease the child’s suffering. The parents never gave up hope for improvement, but it was clear to everyone that Alexei might not live to see his accession to the Throne. Grigory Rasputin had a beneficial effect on the Tsarevich's health. Even those who condemned the Queen for being too trusting of him recognized his ability to alleviate attacks and heal the heir.

Thus began years of tension and anxiety for Alexandra Feodorovna. Her vigils near her son's crib will last for days, or even weeks, during repeated bouts of illness.“There is grief that hurts even more than death. But God's love can turn any trial into a blessing."- she wrote. The son's illness brought the royal family together even more.At the same time, Alexandra Feodorovna’s health deteriorated. Since childhood, she suffered painfully from radiculitis and was sometimes forced to move in a wheelchair. This, coupled with difficult frequent pregnancies that sometimes left her bedridden for weeks at a time, was exacerbated by the need to participate in the official life of the Court and public affairs, despite her illness. In 1908, when Alexei was diagnosed with hemophilia, it gave her chronic heart disease. Her husband’s sister Olga Alexandrovna wrote that at times Alexandra Feodorovna felt very bad, her breathing quickened, her lips turned blue. Constant worry about Alexei completely undermined her health
It is not difficult to trace the misunderstanding in society and the growing unpopularity of the Queen. Not wanting to advertise the illness of the heir and her deteriorating health, Alexandra Feodorovna inevitably became the prey of courtyard gossip, misunderstanding and condemnation.

I believe that Alexandra Fedorovna was an amazing mother: kind, very warm, responsive to the needs of her children. And with this, she can be an example for many modern women who plunge headlong into their careers, take care of their image, or, first of all, think about improving their home, and not about children.

4. Alexandra Feodorovna is like a sister of mercy.

Alix received a deep sense of compassion for the disadvantaged from her mother. In Alix's letters in her younger years we find references to her visits to the hospital, her constant knitting of warm winter clothes for poor neighbors and her loving care for loved ones.Even when she was five or six years old, Alexandra visited hospitals in Darmstadt with her mother regularly, every Saturday. The girl’s duty was to distribute flowers to the sick. The Hessian court maintained a simple and hardworking life. The Empress's mother, daughter of Queen Victoria, Grand Duchess Alice of Hesse left such a good memory that the main hospital in Darmstadt, one of the best in Germany, still bears her name. In one of her letters to her mother, Duchess Alice wrote:“... it is important that princes and princesses know that they are no better or higher than others and that with their kindness and modesty they should set an example for everyone. I hope that this is how my children will grow up.”. This is how they grew up.

From the first days of her marriage, Alexandra Feodorovna’s charitable activities were extensive. On her own initiative, she organized workshops for the poor throughout the country, founded a school of nurses and an orthopedic hospital for children. Opened the School of Folk Art. During the two-year course, peasant girls and nuns learned crafts. Which they could teach in villages and monastery schools. She showed interest in many tuberculosis sanatoriums near Livadia and supported them at her own expense. She organized charity bazaars and gave the proceeds to sick poor people. When her daughters grew up, she involved them in her charitable activities. Alexandra said that in addition to beauty, there is a lot of sadness in the world.

When the world war began, the Empress took upon herself the difficult feat of being a sister of mercy. Without sparing her strength and health, Queen Alexandra, having completed medical courses, began nursing practice together with her two eldest daughters. She providedassistance in distributing funds for the needs of the war, organizing medical centers, adapting all the palaces that were possible into hospitals; Petrovsky and Poteshny in Moscow, as well as Nikolaevsky and Ekaterininsky were the first to be converted for these purposes. At the palace hospital, she and her daughters organized courses for nurses and nurses. By the end of the year, there were already 85 military hospitals and 10 ambulance trains under her care. At the beginning of the war, she ordered extensions to the palaces to accommodate the wives and mothers of hospitalized soldiers, and also organized points in St. Petersburg for the production of dressings and medical bags, where women of different classes worked.

In her memoirs, Anna Vyrubova writes:

“Back then we were sisters of mercy, we were trained in medicine. They arrived at the hospital immediately after the Liturgy at 9 am and went straight to the emergency room, where the wounded lay, who had been admitted after first aid in the trenches and field hospitals. They were brought from afar, always terribly dirty and bloody, suffering. We treated our hands with antiseptics and began to wash, clean, bandage these mangled bodies, disfigured faces, blinded eyes - all the indescribable injuries that in civilized language are called war. I saw the Empress of Russia in the hospital operating room: either she was holding cotton wool with ether, or she was handing sterile instruments to the surgeon, helping with the most complex operations, taking amputated arms and legs from the hands of a working surgeon, removing bloody and sometimes lice-infested clothes, enduring all the sights, smells and the agony of this most terrible place - a military hospital in the midst of war. She was tireless and did her work with humility, like all those who dedicated their lives to serving God. The Empress did not shy away from any kind of work. It happened that the surgeon informed the unfortunate soldier about the upcoming amputation or about an operation that could end fatally; the soldier turned and shouted with agony in his voice: “Queen! Stay nearby. Hold my hand so that I can be braver.” No matter who it was - an officer or a young peasant soldier, she always hurried to the call. Placing her hand on the wounded man's head, she spoke words of comfort and encouragement to him, prayed with him while they were preparing for the operation, her merciful hands helped with anesthesia. People adored her, awaited her arrival, stretched out their bandaged hands to touch her as she approached, smiled at her as she knelt at the bedside of the dying with parting words of prayer and consolation.”

In the empress's letter dated October 22, 1914, we can read the following words:“From 10 to 11 o’clock they bandaged the wounded officers, then went to a large hospital for three rather serious operations. Three fingers were amputated because blood poisoning had set in and they were completely rotten. Another was wounded by shrapnel and... amputated; another had many pieces of crushed bone taken out of his leg. Now I must go to my Red Cross train No. 4..."

In her letters from exile, Alexandra Feodorovna writes that she, the Empress, saw herself as the mother of Russia, the mother of all her people. At the beginning of the war, she took the trouble to attach small images to chains so that every soldier could receive something made by her hands. She did this throughout the war during business meetings and brief moments of rest. 15 million people went to the front and, although we do not know how many such images she made, doing such work was constant for Alexandra Feodorovna.

Many in aristocratic circles criticized her for her work caring for the wounded, considering it beneath her dignity. Alexandra Feodorovna wrote in a letter: “Some may think that I don’t have to do this, but I don’t just look after the hospital and help as much as possible, because this only brings good, now every person counts. It distracts people from sad thoughts.”

Alexandra Feodorovna, caring for the wounded, knew better the destructive work of war than her husband; as commander-in-chief, he was not often on the front line.

Modern authors blithely continue to describe Alexandra Feodorovna as narcissistic and spoiled - as if before the war broke out, she only got out of bed late in the morning, and almost no one will mention that this was done on doctor's orders, since she had a bad heart . On the contrary, when, despite her poor health, during the war she began to care for the wounded, whose suffering was immeasurably more severe than her own, the Empress began to be accused of impulsiveness and hysteria. By the end of 1914, such exhausting work took its toll, and she did not get out of bed for several weeks. By 1916, Alexandra Feodorovna was completely exhausted.

One day, one of the officers, who came out of the church where the evening funeral service was taking place, was shocked by everything he had seen. A car stopped at the cemetery fence, from which a lady all dressed in black got out and, entering the fence, walked around the entire cemetery, praying in front of each cross. When she reached the officer, he recognized her as the Empress, who alone at night prayed for the souls of her fallen subjects. This incident speaks of the great love and true religiosity of the Empress, who served God and people to the point of complete dedication.

5. Holy Martyr Alexandra Feodorovna.

One of the conditions for Alix and Nikolai’s marriage was her conversion to Orthodoxy. For Alix, this was tantamount to a betrayal of the Lutheran Church, which she had so wholeheartedly accepted only a few years ago. It was not easy for her to abandon the faith in which she was raised, and this struggle with herself took her almost two years. The depth of the internal struggle shows that, despite her great love for Nikolai, she would never have married him if she felt that by doing so she was insulting God. She was supported by her sister Ella (Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna). She convinced Alix that a change of faith was not really such a colossal or unusual event.

In 1890, Ella’s letters to Nikolai contain the following lines.

“We have spoken with her very often, but the barrier that I hope will be crossed still seems insurmountable. She feels like she is doing something wrong. With my love for my sister, I tried to convince her that she could do no other than love this religion, to which I also intend to belong and which has remained uncorrupted through the centuries and continues to be as pure as in the beginning.

“When you arrive in Jerusalem, pray that God will give her the strength to make up her mind.”

Ella herself married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and voluntarily converted to Orthodoxy (later she will become the abbess of the Holy Mary's Monastery and will be canonized). And now the time has come for study and spiritual search, which finally dispelled her doubts and led to the acceptance of Orthodoxy.

Alexandra Feodorovna completely devoted herself to her Family, to Russia, and at the same time her Orthodox piety grew and deepened.

The queen was a living example of what a real Christian woman should be, both in family and in public life.The Empress loved to attend divine services, and also sang and read in the choir with her daughters. She often fasted and received the Holy Sacraments. She especially revered the Most Holy Theotokos and often prayed to Her with tears of tenderness. In recent years, the Royal Family attended almost all services in the sovereign Feodorovsky Cathedral, which was equipped and decorated with the personal care of Alexandra. In this Cathedral she arranged for herself a secluded corner, hidden from prying eyes, where there was a lectern, at which she stood, following the service from the liturgical books.

One of her close maids of honor recalls:“She knelt in the shadow of one of the columns, and no one guessed what kind of lady she was, who modestly prayed, having bought candles and placed them in front of the icons.”

In December 1916, the Empress visited the Tithe Monastery in Novgorod. Blessed Elder Maria, who had been lying in heavy chains for many years, stretched out her hands to the Empress and said: “Here comes the Martyr-Queen Alexandra.” Then the blessed one hugged Alexandra Feodorovna and blessed her.

The Empress carefully studied the lives of Russian saints. The works of the holy fathers were her reference books until her martyrdom.

The original diary for 1917 has been preserved - it is a small book bound in fabric with a blue cover sewn by Alexandra Fedorovna, in the corner of which a small cross is embroidered.The notebook for the diary was presented to Alexandra Feodorovna by her daughter, Grand Duchess Tatyana Nikolaevna, as evidenced by the dedicatory inscription.This is a collection of various quotes, poems, reflections, this is the diary of a woman who makes notes to remind herself of the daily responsibilities in the life of a Christian.

I would like to quote a few lines from this diary that touched me:

« The Bible should be studied intelligently. It should be studied carefully, since every part of it is useful for edification, for correction, for consolation, for help. The Word of God is a lamp.”

“The life of every Orthodox Christian is a small garden where love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness and other spiritual values ​​grow.”

“What people around us need most is just kindness.”

“Never lose heart and never let others lose heart.”

“Joy is the hallmark of a Christian. A Christian should never become discouraged and should never doubt that good will triumph over evil.”

“How happy is a home where everyone - children and parents, without a single exception - believes in God together.”

“All Christian virtues must be learned. They don’t come to anyone on their own. We must learn to be patient, meek, and politely respond to harsh, unfair words and insults. We must learn to forgive offenders; the most difficult thing is that a person must overcome himself.”

“The Christian religion is a religion of joy. But for some reason many people think that religious life cannot be joyful. In fact, there is no deeper and more joyful life than a life filled with self-sacrifice in the service of Christ.”

The Tsarina suffered the most severe mental anguish during the days of the February revolution, when she and her seriously ill children were imprisoned in the Tsarskoye Selo Palace, surrounded by rebels, and knew nothing about her beloved husband. It was then that the Empress, having gone through this torture with humility, without losing her constant hope in the will of God, according to the testimony of the people around her, was reborn and moved to a new side of spiritual life.

After the abdication of the Emperor, the life of the royal family was filled with difficult trials. Arrest, detention in Tsarskoye Selo, then exile to Tobolsk, Yekaterinburg. There is little evidence left about the Yekaterinburg period of imprisonment of the royal family. Almost no letters. These are mainly brief entries in the emperor's diary and testimony of witnesses in the case of the murder of the royal family. The Emperor said:“I would not like to leave Russia. I love her too much. I’d rather go to the farthest end of Siberia.”And these are lines from the queen’s diary in 1917:“I thank God for allowing me to stay in Russia... just as I want to share everything with my loved one who is sick,... so I would like to share everything with my Motherland.”The last days of the Royal Martyrs ended in Ipatiev's house. Feeling the approaching denouement, Alexandra Fedorovna wrote:“Although a thunderstorm is approaching, my soul is peaceful—everything is according to the will of God. He does everything for the better."Constant insults and bullying from the guards at the Ipatiev House caused deep moral and physical suffering to the Royal Family. In the guardhouse, drunken voices were chanting revolutionary and obscene songs. They watched every movement of the prisoners. The soldiers, mocking the Empress and the Grand Duchesses, covered the walls with obscene drawings and inscriptions. In a very short time the house became dirty and spit-stained. When dining with the Royal Family at the same table, they did not take off their caps and smoked. Meeting meekness and humility instead of anger, the soldiers changed their behavior and stopped obscene swearing. The authorities were forced to change security. From the Empress's diary:“Anyone will repay good for good, but a Christian must be kind even to those who deceive, betray, harm... never lose heart and do not let others lose heart.”. The Queen’s wondrous peace of mind was that miraculous force that gave determination to Christian martyrs in moments of terrible trials and allowed them to go to death with joy.

The Romanov family in Ipatiev’s house led a decent family life, trying to brighten up the depressing situation with mutual communication, prayer, reading and feasible activities. It was Alexandra who became a spiritual support and example of Christian humility for all family members.In captivity, she taught children the Law of God, foreign languages, did needlework, painting, and reading spiritual books. The Empress gave the children books: “The Life and Miracles of the Holy Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye”, “The Life of Our Reverend Father Seraphim of Sarov”, “Consolation in the Death of Those Close to the Heart”, “On the Patience of Sorrows”, “The Benefits of the Mother of God to the Human Race Through Her Holy Icons”. Among Alexandra Feodorovna’s books were “The Ladder” by St. John Climacus, “On the Patience of Sorrows, the Teaching of the Holy Fathers, collected by Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov,” a Prayer Book and the Bible.

Poems, quotes and sayings of the Saints, written down by Alexandra in captivity in a small book, have been preserved. They reflect the empress’s feelings and thoughts about the Christian path, love for one’s neighbor, and forgiveness.

“Christians must endure tribulations and external and internal battles, so that, taking blows upon themselves, they can overcome with patience. This is the way of Christianity" St. Mark the Great.

« Believe that everything that happened to us, down to the smallest thing, happens according to God’s providence, and then you will bear everything that happens to you without embarrassment." A.Dorofey.

« Bear in silence when the enemy insults you, and open your heart to the One God" St. Seraphim of Sarov.

On Sunday, July 1/14, three days before his martyrdom, at the request of the Emperor, worship was allowed to take place in the house. That day, for the first time, none of the Royal Martyrs sang during the service; they prayed in silence.The priest served as a liturgist, according to the order of the service it was necessary 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 it too. The royal martyrs, moved by some unknown feeling, knelt down. So they said goodbye to this world, sensitively responding to the calls of the heavenly world - the Eternal Kingdom.

As a result of the earthly life of the passion-bearers, we read the following lines from the Empress’s letter: “Nothing, life is vanity, we are all preparing for the Kingdom of Heaven. Then there's nothing to worry about. Everything can be taken away from a person, but no one can take away his soul.”.

She forgave in a Christian way the people who committed a grave sin - regicide.“With the abdication of the Sovereign, everything is over for Russia. But we should not blame either the Russian people or the soldiers: they are not to blame... The people are not spoiled, they got lost, they were tempted. An uncultured, wild people, but the Lord will not abandon, and the Holy Mother of God will intercede for our poor Rus'.”

For the sacrificial service to God and their neighbors, for the boundless mutual love that tightly bound them into one indivisible whole, the Lord vouchsafed the royal family to suffer martyrdom on one day and in one hour.The Christian life of this family could serve as an example for centuries, and their martyrdom and the suffering they endured were no different from the suffering of the first Christians. They were one family, forever bound together by great love, sense of duty and religiosity. And the main thing is not how they left the world, but how they lived in the world.The life of the Romanov family can in many ways serve as an example to all modern people.
The veneration of the royal family was actually begun by His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon in the funeral prayer and word at the memorial service in the Kazan Cathedral in Moscow for the murdered emperor three days after the murder.

In 1981, the Church Abroad canonized the Royal Family as martyrs, along with many who died as a result of persecution at the hands of the Communists. The canonization of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers by the Russian Orthodox Church took place in 2000.

“The greatest struggle is slander, especially when it is accompanied by accusations in an important matter. If the struggle is great, then a brilliant crown is prepared for it.” St. John Chrysostom. I read this entry in Alexandra Fedorovna’s notes. The image of the royal passion-bearers - the last Russian Tsar from the Romanov family and his family - appears before us as a pure mirror of truth and piety. The royal crowns, which became martyrdoms for them, shine with eternal, imperishable glory in the Kingdom of Heaven.

At canonization, Alexandra Feodorovna became Tsarina Alexandra Nova.

Saint Alexandra is a martyr twice, so to speak, because after her murder in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, decades of cosmopolitan slander against her name followed.

“It is difficult to find a person who has been more slandered by contemporaries, and will probably be slandered by history,” said Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna, “than Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Alas! No one knew or appreciated her, no one wanted and does not want to be simply fair to Her.And, meanwhile, the Empress was both an excellent exemplary wife and mother, and a truly Russian Tsarina. By her upbringing and spirit, she was not a German, but an English princess. Having arrived in Russia forever, She went with all her heart to meet Russia and everything Russian. Having accepted Orthodoxy, She became sincerely and deeply Orthodox. She perceived not only the spiritual essence of Orthodoxy, but also all the external manifestations of the Russian cult, right down to the last ritual details, so dear to the heart of the Russian peasant."

1. Conclusions.

Alexandra Fedorovna made the following entry in her diary in 1917:“Only that life is worthy in which there is sacrificial love.”

I think that it was precisely the sacrificial love for her husband, for her children, for Russia that determined Alexandra’s entire life path.She loved unselfishly, patiently and constantly.In no way do I idealize Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova. She lived a worldly life, the circumstances of her life, overcoming difficulties and temptations are similar to what every person experiences. But, unlike others, she was a true Orthodox Christian. Christian faith, love, mercy, humilityhelped her endure numerous sorrows, illnesses, fierce slander, suffering in exile and, finally, allowed her to courageously and humbly accept martyrdom. In the course of my workI was completely convinced that Alexandra Feodorovna was a wonderful, exemplary Woman, Wife, Mother, Christian and Empress. And I believe with all my heart that there are many people like her in our modern, difficult and cruel world. Society needs people like her. Alexandra Romanova became for me a symbol of femininity, purity, lightness, humanity and humanity. That is why this topic is called “The Wonderful Light of Alexandra Feodorovna.”Thus, I confirmed my hypothesis thatSaint Alexandra was a righteous woman even before her martyrdom.

I can use this work at school - in a history lesson, at a class hour or at a conference. I can also introduce it to other people who want to know the whole truth about the last Empress of the Russian state.

Bibliography:

1. Massey R. Nicholas and Alexandra: A Novel Biography. M.: MP "Insight", 1992.
2. Filling the day with meaning. Orthodox church calendar. Publishing house of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, 2013.

Internet resources:

1. www. tsaarinikolai.com

2. http://www.pravmir.ru

3. http://ru.wikipedia.org/

4. http://www.rus-sky.com/history/library/diaris/1916.htm