14 May 2013

Greetings from the Head of the House of Romanoff on the Occasion of the 200th Anniversary of the Omsk Cadet Corps

Greetings from the Head of the House of Romanoff on the Occasion of the 200th Anniversary of the Omsk Cadet Corps

From the Head of the Russian Imperial House

I send my heartfelt congratulations to the students and teachers of the Omsk Cadet Corps on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of its founding.

The Omsk Cossack Military School was founded in 1813 during the reign of Emperor Alexander I—during the war when the Russian Army expelled the invaders from Russia and marched on triumphantly to liberate all of Europe. The determination and zeal of the founder of the future Cadet Corps, Lieutenant-General GrigoriiIvanovichGlazenap, and the patriotism and selflessness of the officers and Cossacks who donated their personal funds for the construction of the buildings and for the establishment of the School’s curriculum, have breathed life into this institution, which has played such a significant role in the history of Siberia and all of Russia.

During the reign of Nicholas I, the Cadet Corps acquired the sponsorship of the State and began to flouish. Emperor Alexander II, the Tsar-Liberator, and Emperor Alexander III, the Peacemaker, both cared very deeply about the well-being of the Cadet Corps, which had become oneof the best military academies in the Russian Empire. My great-grandfather, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, and Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich, the “father of all Cadets,”both personally visited the Cadet Corps. The Holy Passion-Bearer Emperor Nicholas II also was familiar with the work of the Cadet Corps even whenhe was the Heir to the Throne, and in 1903 he acknowledged the Cadet Corps’ service with the presentation of a holy military banner. The 100th anniversary of the Cadet Corpscoincided with the 300th anniversary of Our House in 1913, and at that time the emperor awardedit with a commemorative banner depicting the holy image of the Savior Not-Made-By-Hands.

During the tragic twentieth century, the cadets and teachers of the Cadet Corpsshared with their countrymen the sufferings that resulted from the fratricidal Civil War, the terror, and exile. But in the years following the Revolution, the school continued to educate the future defenders of the nation on the basis of the traditions of the Cadet Corps. Thelinkwiththepastwasneverbroken. Before the Revolution, as afterward, many of the graduates of the Corps went on to fame in the army, in service to the State, and in academics. The glorious names of GrigoriiPotanin, GeorgiiKatanaev, Sultan ChokanValikhanov, Prince Nikolai Gantimurov, Nikola Tsytovich, DmitriiKarbyshev, LeontiiGurtiev, AlekseiAchair, and many others will forever be written in the pages of Russian history.

Now the Cadet Corps is reviving its glorious traditions, denying none of the periods of its history, but striving to preserve and develop all the best things of its two-centuries-long heritage. It is truly Providential that the restoration of the connection between the Omsk Cadet Corps and the Russian Imperial House took place on the Borodino battlefield. Itisverymeaningfultomethatitwasthe Omsk Cadets, whom I met on the day the nation marked the 200th anniversary of that important battle in the Patriotic War of 1812, who took the lead in making my visit to Omsk possible.

To all the Cadets, I wish success in their studies and military training. To all their teachers, I wish wisdom and patience. And to all of you I wish health, strength of body and spirit, courage, and respect and trust in one another.

My son and heir, Grand Duke George of Russia, adds his own congratulations to mine, and sends his greetings to you all. 

May the Lord strengthen you in your service to the nation.

The original is signed by Her Imperial Highness:

Maria

H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria of Russia

Madrid

May 1/14, 2013

The 200th anniversary of the founding of the Cadets Corps

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