Press Release on the Visit to Rome of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. theGrand Duchess Maria of Russia, and H.I.H. theHeir, Tsesarevich and Grand Duke George of Russia, and on Their Imperial Highnesses' Meeting with His Most Eminent Highness the Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Fra' Matthew Festing,
April 3, 2014
On April 3, 2014, Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, Head of the Russian Imperial House, and her son, His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke and Tsesarevich George of Russia, visited Rome. The purpose of the visit was to develop and strengthen the historical ties between the Russian Imperial House and the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (more frequently called the Order of Malta).
The Grand Duchess and her son were met at the Magistral Palace, the Order’s headquarters in the Via Condotti, by His Most Eminent Highness the Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing, accompanied by His Excellency the Grand Chancellor, Jean-Pierre Mazery, and other high officials of the Order.
In accordance with international law, the Order of Malta has the status of an extra-territorial state and exchanges ambassadors with more than a hundred countries. It operates a worldwide network of medical relief services to the poor and sick, to refugees, and to victims of war, whether Christian or non-Christian. It is also the oldest order of chivalry in the world, enjoying an unbroken and continuous history since the founding of the Order during the Crusades.
After being introduced to the dignitaries of the Order and other guests, including His Excellency Ambassador Alexander Avdeev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Holy See and to the Order of Malta (and a former Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation), the Grand Duchess spoke to those assembled about the more than two centuries of ties that bind the Order of Malta with Russia and the Russian Imperial House. She stated:
Your Most Eminent Highness,
Standing in this room, one is always struck by a strong sense of the sweep of History.
And it is indeed the long history of close ties between the Russian Imperial House and the Sovereign Order of Malta that brings us together today.
Emperor Paul’s time as de facto Grand Master was, of course, not without controversy. But it was he who assured the unbroken continuity of the Order in a very difficult period of revolutionary upheaval, after the loss of Malta. Indeed, we recall that it was at exactly this same time that Pope Pius VI himself, held prisoner in France by the revolutionary army, died in captivity.
The Order has counted many members of my House as honorary members, most recently my father[1] and myself.[2] Among the members of the Imperial House who were in the Order, three in fact have now been canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as passion-bearers, who faced violent deaths in the Russian revolution with Christ-like resignation.[3]
From Paul I to Nicholas II, six emperors reigned in Russia. All were received into the Order of Malta, except Alexander II, who was himself a victim of revolutionary violence in 1881.[4] However, his eldest son and heir[5] had already become a member in 1875, and two of Alexander II’s younger sons[6] were received into the Order of Malta just two weeks before the emperor’s tragic death.
These ties have endured and deepened because, over the generations, the Russian Imperial House has been so greatly inspired by the example of the Order’s mission of service to the poor and the sick, whether Christian or non-Christian. Preserving history and tradition is never an end in itself. Instead, it provides the sturdy platform from which the Order follows the message of our Lord. This example inspires us today as we work, in collaboration with the Patriarch and the Russian Orthodox Church, their hospitals and charities, to make our own contribution to Russia.
The Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing, then delivered remarks welcoming the Grand Duchess Maria and the Grand Duke George to the Magistral Palace.
In the Order’s diplomatic reception room, under a portrait of Emperor Paul I of Russia in his regalia as de facto grand master of the Order of Malta, Her Imperial Highnessbestowed the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called on His Most Eminent Highness.[7] The patent investing the Prince and Grand Master into the Order of St. Andrew was signed by Her Imperial Highness on March 14/27, 2014—the feast day of the miracle-working Fedorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God, one of the most important icons for the House of Romanoff.[8]
The Prince and Grand Master in turn bestowed the insignia of Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion on the Grand Duke George. The ceremony was followed by a formal luncheon, at the end of which the Grand Master proposed a toast to the Grand Duchess, who in turn proposed a toast to the Grand Master.
During their visit to Rome, the Grand Duchess Maria and her son were accompanied by Brien Purcell Horan. On April 4, the Grand Duchess left Rome to return to Madrid, and the Grand Duke George returned to Brussels.
[1] The Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. the Grand Duke Wladimir Kirillovich.
[2] The Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. the Grand Duchess Maria Wladimirovna, has been a Dame Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Order of Malta since 1994. The Royal Passion-Bearer Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was also a Dame Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Order of Malta, and the Grand Duchess Maria Wladimirovna’s mother, H.I.H. the Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna, was a Dame Grand Cross of Merit.
[3] The royal passion-bearer Emperor Nicholas II (who was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in 1981 and by the Patriarchate in Russia in 2000); the Royal Passion-Bearer Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in 1981 and by the Patriarchate in Russia in 2000); and Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich (canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in 1981).
[4] The Russian emperors who were members of the Order of Malta were: Alexander I, Nicholas I, Alexander III, and the royal passion-bearer Nicholas II.
[5] The Heir, Tsesarevich, and Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich, the future Alexander III.
[6] Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and St. Pavel Alexandrovich.
[7] The Order of St. Andrew the First-Called had previously been bestowed on Fra’ Matthew Festing’s predecessors as Princes and Grand Masters of the Order of Malta, including Fra’ Angelo de Mojana di Cologna (Grand Master, 1962-1988), and Fra’ Andrew Bertie (Grand Master, 1988-2008).
[8] On this same day, Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Maria Wladimirovna signed a patent bestowing the Imperial Order of St. Anna First Class on His Excellency the Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta, Jean-Pierre Mazery.
 The Grаnd Duchess reading aloud the Decree bestowing the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called on the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing |  The Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta, His Most Eminent Highness Fra’ Matthew Festing, receiving the insignia of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called |  The Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta, His Most Eminent Highness Fra’ Matthew Festing, reading aloud the Decree bestowing the Order of Malta on the Grand Duke George of Russia |
 The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, Head of the Russian Imperial House |  The Heir, Tsesarevich, and Grand Duke George of Russia |  The Tsesarevich receiving the insignia of the Order of Malta |
 From left to right: Alexander Avdeev, the Russian ambassador to the Vatican and the Order of Malta; Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing; the Head of the House of Romanoff, the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia; the Grand Duke George of Russia; the Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta, Jean-Pierre Mazery |  From left to right: the Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing; the Head of the House of Romanoff, the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia; the Grand Duke George of Russia; Brien P. Horan |  |