Press Release On the Official Visit of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, to Moscow and to the Republic of Belarus, 14-23 July 2009

On 14-23 July 2009, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, made an official visit to Moscow and to the Republic of Belarus. Her Imperial Highness’s trip at the invitation of the Administration of the Gomel’ District of the Republic of Belarus, with the participation of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus, and with the blessing of His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow and all Russia, and the blessing of the patriarchal exarch of all Belarus, His Eminence Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, and with the financial and logistical support of the foundation “Bond through generations [Sviaz’ pokolenii]”, which was founded by Lieutenant General A. I. Kotelkin.

On 14 July, Her Imperial Highness arrived in Moscow from Madrid.

On 15 July, the Head of the House of Romanoff met with new members of the Imperial Orders of St. Anna and St. Nicholas, and bestowed upon them the devices of their Orders. Then the Grand Duchess heard a report from her Judge of Arms, S. V. Dumin, and received delegations of the groups “For Faith and Fatherland,” and the Russian Imperial Union-Order. On the same day, the Grand Duchess met with the well-known St. Petersburg philanthropist V. N. Zhimirov, who presented to Her Imperial Highness a gift of original letters, acquired by him abroad, written by members of Emperor Alexander III’s family. That evening, the Head of the Russian Imperial House left by train for Gomel’.

On 16 July, Her Imperial Highness arrived in Gomel’. At the train station, the Grand Duchess was met by the chairman of the Gomel’ District Council of Deputies, V. S. Selitskii. After a short rest at her hotel, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, accompanied by V. S. Selitskii, took a walking tour of the city, during which she visited the monument to the soldiers-defenders of the Fatherland during the Second World War, and the monument to the famous philanthropist Countess I. I. Paskevich-Erivanskaia, the Princess Varshavskaia. The Grand Duchess left flowers at both monuments. Then Her Imperial Highness went to the Gomel’ Palace-Park Complex (the former palace and grounds of Count N. P. Rumiantsev). After laying flowers at the monument to the famous Russian statesman and diplomat, Count N. P. Rumiantsev, the Head of the House of Romanoff met in the palace with the leaders of the Gomel’ District and the City of Gomel’, including: the chair the Gomel’ District Council of Deputies, V. S. Selitskii; the vice-chair of the District Executive Committee, P. A. Kirichenko; the chief of staff of the chair of the Executive Committee of the City of Gomel’, S. N. Kovalev; the vice-chair of the Executive Committee of the City of Gomel’, S. I. Poroshin; the director of the Administration of the Central Region of the City of Gomel’, I. A. Borodinchik; the advisor to and member of the Oversight Committee of the Foundation “Bond through generations [Sviaz’ pokolenii]”, V. P. Poterukhin (a native of the city of Gomel’); and members of Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery who were accompanying her on this trip. During the meeting, the leaders of the District and City told the Grand Duchess about their region and about the improvements that have been taking place in recent years. After this meeting, the Grand Duchess answered questions from representatives of the television news and the press. During the second half of the day, Her Imperial Highness visited the District Library and met with a delegation from the Club of Business Women. The official itinerary for the day ended with a concert at the Rumiantsev palace and a short historical play performed in the Belorussian language.

On 17 July, the feast day of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna visited the State Scientific Center for Radiological Medicine, where she was able to see the procedures for the treatment of victims of the Chernobyl’ nuclear accident, and to speak with patients. Afterward, Her Imperial Highness visited the Museum of Folk Arts in the town of Vetka, where she toured the exhibits devoted to the historical, spiritual, and cultural experience of Russian Old-Believers. Upon returning to Gomel’, the Head of the House of Romanoff went to the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul for a moleben [intercessory prayer service] to the Royal Passion-Bearers, then visited the Historical Museum of the City of Gomel’, and the Gomel’ District Military Museum. That evening, a dinner was given in honor of the Grand Duchess by His Eminence Archbishop Aristarkh of Gomel’ and Zhlobin, at his residence.

On 18 July, Her Imperial Highness traveled from Gomel’ to Brest. Along the way, the Grand Duchess visited the ancient cities of Mazyr and Turov, where she visited the churches, toured the sites, and spoke with residents of the cities. In Mazyr, the Grand Duchess, accompanied by the secretary of the eparchy of Turov and Mazyr, Archpriest Sergei, and by the chair of the Mazyr Regional Council of Deputies, L. F. Pisanik, visited the St. Michael Church and prayed in its crypt at the graves of those who died as victims of the communist terror, having been shot while worshipping inside the church. In Turov, the Head of the House of Romanoff, accompanied by the chair of the Zitkovich Regional Council of Deputies V. A. Atlivanov, the chair of the Zhitkovich Regional Executive Committee N. M. Kakora, and by the priest Fr. Gennadii, toured the ruins of a thirteenth-century church, which had been studied and restored by scholars, and placed flowers at the monument to St. Kirill of Turov. That evening, the Grand Duchess arrived in Brest.

On 19 July, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, along with an official representative of His Grace, Bishop Ioann of Brest and Kobrinsk, Archpriest Vladimir (Korneliuk), went to the Memorial Complex “Brest Hero Fortress.” Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna paid her respects at the monument to the heroic defenders of the Fatherland and prayed at the rebuilt St. Nicholas garrison church. The rector of the church, Archpriest Igor Umets, retold to Her Imperial Highness the story of this much suffering church, which had witnessed many calamitous events of the twentieth century. After touring the fortress and visiting the museum, the Grand Duchess, along with Abbess Alexandra (Zharin), visited the Convent of the Nativity of the Mother of God, which is situated on the so-called Hospital Island of the fortress. After having a meal at the convent, the Grand Duchess left for the National Park “Belovezh Pushcha [Belovezh Forest],” where, accompanied by its director N. N. Bambiza, she viewed bison and other kinds of wild life of the Belovezh’e. She also took in an exhibition of photographs of members of the Russian Imperial House who had visited the forest, and she then visited the entertainment center “Grandfather Frost’s Residence [=Santa Claus’ Residence].” The director then explained in outline the Republic of Belarus’s conservation policies on the natural treasures of this unique site.

On 20 July, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna went to the St. Simeon Cathedral and the Holy Resurrection Church in Brest and also toured the city. From Brest the Grand Duchess went to Minsk, having visited along the way the Salt Works in the town of Gorodei, where the entire production process was demonstrated for her. She also stopped at the rebuilt ancient Mirsky Zamok [Mirsky Castle] of the Princes Radziwill.

On the morning of 21 July, in Minsk, Her Imperial Highness met with a delegation of the Belorussian Nobility Association and the Russian Imperial Union-Order. Then the Head of the House of Romanoff attended services and venerated the holy icons and relics of saints with the clergy from the eparchy of Minsk and Slutsk at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. She also visited the St. Elizabeth Convent and the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, the rector of which, Archpriest Georgii, hosted a luncheon in honor of the Grand Duchess.

In the second half of the day, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna toured the city of Minsk, visited the National Art Museum, the National Museum of the History and Culture of Belarus, visited the National Library of Belarus and an exhibit of rare and valuable books, and met with the Vice-Minister of Culture of the Republic of Belarus, V. I. Kurash. In the evening, the Grand Duchess flew back to Moscow.

On 22 July, the Head of the Russian Imperial House went to the city of Volokolamsk. The Grand Duchess traveled by car from Moscow to Volokolamsk with the dean of the Volokolamsk district, Archpriest Konstantine Popov. In Volokolamsk, the Grand Duchess met with the Vice-Governor of the Moscow Region, V. V. Gromov, with the Director of the Administration of the Volokolamsk District, V. N. Karabanov, and with the mayor of the city of Volokolamsk, V. N. Shulepov. After an official meeting and discussions in the Administration Building of the Volokolamsk District, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna attended a moleben [intercessory prayer service] at the Church of the Resurrection inside the Volokolamsk kremlin, and then visited an exhibition at the museum in the kremlin. Then Her Imperial Highness visited the ancient Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God “na Vozmishche,” which contains murals done by the great Russian iconographer Dionisii, and also the Church of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple in the village of Spirovo, where she venerated the Mozhaisk Icon of St. Nicholas of Mirlikii. The Head of the House of Romanoff placed a wreath at the memorial to the defenders of the Fatherland in the years of the Second World War, 1941-1945, and visited the factory “Z M” in Volokolamsk, where she was shown the production facilities and spoke with workers. Then the Grand Duchess went to the Iosifo-Volokolamsk Monastery. The Grand Duchess attended services in the monastery’s church, venerated the holy relics of St. Iosif Volotskii, toured the monastery grounds and the Museum of the Bible. The Grand Duchess and others sang the hymn “Memory Eternal” at the site of the cross that was erected in memory of His Eminence Metropolitan Pitirim of Volokolamsk and Iur’ev (1926-2003), with whom the Imperial Family had a very close spiritual friendship. The Grand Duchess shared her memories of the ever-memorable Metropolitan Pitirim with the abbot of Iosifo-Volokolamsk Monastery, Hegumen Sergei (Voronkov) and with the brothers of monastery. Later Her Imperial Highness attended a concert in the Center for Culture and Arts “Rodniki” in Volokolamsk. After her return to Moscow, a dinner in honor of the Head of the Russian Imperial House was hosted by her relatives: Prince M. P. Romanovsky-Ilinsky (the grandson of Grand Duke Dmitrii Pavlovich from his morganatic marriage with A. Emery, the Princess Romanovskaia-Ilinskaia) and P. E. Kulikovsky (the great-grandson of Grand Duchess Olga Aleksandrovna from her morganatic marriage with Colonel N. A. Kulikovsky) and his wife L. A. Kulikovskaia. Also there were members of Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery and the spiritual advisor for the movement “For Faith and Fatherland,” Hieromonk Nikon (Levachev-Belavenets).

On 23 July, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirova listened to a report from the director of the Legal Department of her Chancellery, the attorney G. Iu. Luk’ianov, about the progress of her suit to have legally rehabilitated the faithful servants of the Russian Imperial House who suffered at the hands of the Communist regime. She also met with V. P. Poterukhin and also members of her Chancellery. At the airport “Domodedovo,” before her departure for Madrid, Her Imperial Highness received reports from the Chairman of the Russian Nobility Association, G. G. Gagarin, from the Director of the organization “For Faith and Fatherland,” K. R. Kasimovskii, and from leaders and representatives of civic and nobility organizations.

A. N. Zakatov
Director, H.I.H.’s Chancellery