The Head of the House of Romanoff has sent Her Condolences to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow and All Russia and to the Clergy and Faithful of the Kostroma Eparchy on the Death of Archbishop Aleksei (Frolov) of Kostroma and Galich.

From the Head of the Russian Imperial House

To His Holiness Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow and All Russia

Your Holiness,

It was with profound sadness that I learned the news of the repose of Archbishop Aleksei of Kostroma and Galich.

Archbishop Aleksei was a man of fervent prayer and an ascetic, an able administrator and scholar, and a caring and kind-hearted archpastor, who spent his entire adult life diligently serving the Holy Church and his country. He made an enormous contribution to the preservation of the principles and traditions of the Orthodox Church. For many years, two of the most revered monasteries to Our House were under his loving care—the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow, where our ancestors are buried, and where Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, who was martyred by terrorists, was laid to rest; and Holy Trinity-Ipatievsky Monastery in Kostroma, where 400 years ago the House of Romanoff accepted the summons of the people to ascend the throne before the miracle-working Feodorov Icon of the Mother of God.

I will forever remember in my heart the spiritual and moral support offered to me and my family by Archbishop Aleksei at the sad moment of the death of my mother, Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna.

I and my son, Grand Duke George of Russia, send you, Your Holiness, and the entire clergy and flock of the Kostroma and Galich Eparchy, our most heartfelt and sincere condolences.

Asking your primatial prayers and blessing, I remain ever yours faithfully,

H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria of Russia

London, November 21/December 4, 2013

Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple in Jerusalem