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12 December 2024

2024-12-12 The Head of the House of Romanoff Visits St. Petersburg and Moscow, 26 November – 11 December 2024

2024-12-12 The Head of the House of Romanoff Visits St. Petersburg and Moscow, 26 November – 11 December 2024

The Head of the Russian Imperial House, Her Imperial Highness The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, arrived in Moscow on November 26, 2024, and began a two-week visit to her homeland.

View the embedded image gallery online at:
https://imperialhouse.ru/en/allnews-en/news/2024-12-12-the-head-of-the-house-of-romanoff-visits-st-petersburg-and-moscow-26-november-11-december-2024.html#sigProIdd29fdba16f

More photos of the Grand Duchess’s visit will be published shortly.

 

The Grand Duchess’s first full day in Moscow, November 27, 2024, was devoted to meetings with members of her Chancellery to discuss the Imperial House’s many ongoing social and cultural projects and activities.

 

The next day, November 28, 2024, the Grand Duchess visited the Children’s Scientific and Research Clinical Institute of the Ministry of Health in the Moscow Region.

 

The Head of the House of Romanoff met with the Institute’s Director, Professor Dr. Nuriniso Dzhumaevna Odinaeva, who also serves as the Chairperson of the Academic Council and Chief Pediatrician of the Ministry of Health in the Moscow Region. Also attending the meeting were Olga Anatolievna Sidorkina, the Deputy Head of the Mytishchi City District; and Maksim Vladimirovich Babukhin, a member of the Council of Deputies of the Mytishchi City District from the United Russia party.

 

The Grand Duchess was given a tour of the Institute’s several departments, familiarized herself with their work, and met with doctors, young patients, and their parents.

 

In recognition of the extraordinary level of care and research performed by the Institute, the Grand Duchess was pleased to present to Director N. D. Odinaeva the insignia of the Imperial Order of the Great Martyr Anastasia the Alleviatrix of Captives, which Director Odinaeva had been awarded by a patent signed on August 4, 2024. The Grand Duchess then discussed the work of the Institute with staff, including ways in which the Imperial House can work together with the Institute in the future.

 

For local news coverage of the Grand Duchess’s visit, see:

https://regions.ru/mytischi/zdravoohranenie/glava-doma-romanovyh-vyskazala-gotovnost-pomogat-v-razvitii-niki-detstva-v-mytischah

 

On November 29, 2024, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, visited the pharmaceutical manufacturer ZiO-Zdorovye (Podolsk).

 

Her Imperial Highness was welcomed by Nikolai Viktorovich Safonov, General Director of ZiO-Zdorovye, and by Mikhail Yurievich Stepanov, General Director of IRVIN 2 LLC, a pharmaceutical distributor—corporations that are both part of the PharmEco group of companies.

 

During her visit, the Grand Duchess met with the production manager Marina Nikolaevna Polyakova; the quality assurance and personnel manager Elena Nikolaevna Pyrkova; and the director of production Rimma Alekseevna Skobochkina—all of whom discussed with the Grand Duchess their many years of experience in the production of drugs in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) requirements. They then led the Grand Duchess on a detailed personal tour of the entire process of drug production, including the granulation, tableting, and encapsulation processes; tablet coating; and primary and secondary packaging. They also demonstrated the operation of technology and manufacturing machinery behind the production of medicines. The Grand Duchess was enormously impressed by the modern equipment in use and the high level of automation. See: https://www.zio-zdorovie.ru/2024/11/29/vizit-glavy-rossijskogo-imperatorskogo-doma.

 

The next day, November 30, 2024, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, visited the Federal War Memorial “Pantheon of the Defenders of the Fatherland” of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in Mytishchi, in the Moscow Region.

 

The Grand Duchess toured the Memorial; paid her respects the memory of the defenders of the Motherland buried there; laid flowers at the Eternal Flame and at the grave of the head of the Military Nobility of Russia, Colonel General V. L. Manilov, who died in 2023; prayed in the stavropegial church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, where Fr. Dimitry Abramov chanted “Eternal Memory” for the souls of the soldiers who gave their lives for Russia; toured the exhibits in the Federal War Memorial Museum; and awarded several Imperial and Royal Orders and Imperial medals to a number of military personnel, government and civic leaders, and members of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IOPS) who have rendered distinguished service to the nation.

 

For more information, see the website of the IOPS:

https://www.ippo.ru/news/article/pochetnyy-chlen-ippo-velikaya-knyaginya-mariya-vla-413455

 

In the afternoon, the Head of the Russian Imperial House received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR) and Head of the Representative Office of the PMR in Moscow, Leonid Afanasievich Manakov, who conveyed greetings to Her Imperial Highness from the President of the PMR, V. N. Krasnoselsky. The Grand Duchess and Ambassador discussed the situation in Transnistria.

 

The Grand Duchess also received in audience the head of the Center for Family and Ancestral Heritage of the Russian Research Institute for Cultural and Natural Heritage, Darya Yakovlevna Romanova, who presented Her Imperial Highness a copy of the collective monograph, “Zhivoe nasledie pamiati: istoriko-kul’turnye nasledii soslovii Rossii,” (“Living Memory: The Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Estates of Russia”) (available for download here: https://heritage-institute.ru/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/nasledie-soslovij-14-10-2024_s-obl_opt.pdf). She also received the General Director of Izbor Films, Stanislav Anatolievich Podivilov, along with his son Seraphim. The Grand Duchess awarded S. A. Podivilov the Imperial Order of St. Anna, 3rd Class, in recognition of his efforts to preserve and advance the traditions of Russian spirituality in film.

 

That evening, in the Central House of Writers, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, met with a number of leading Russian cultural figures. The event was organized by the Foundation for the Support and Development of Education, Creativity, and Culture. The meeting was attended by Elena Valerievna Bayakhchyan, Chairperson of the Board for the Foundation for the Support and Development of Education, Creativity, and Culture, who was the main organizer of the event; Elena Vladimirovna Bekhtieva, President of the P. M. Tretyakov Foundation and Editor-in-Chief of the journal “Russkoe iskusstvo” (“Russian Art”); Valery Iosifovich Vorona, President of the Russian Performing Arts Foundation, Rector of the M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov State Musical and Pedagogical Institute, and Honoured Artist and Professor; Grigory Anatolyevich Gaponov, President of the nonprofit cultural organization “VIVAT,” President of the nonprofit “MASP BRICS” (“The International Alliance of Strategic Projects BRICS”), Honorary Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, and an organizer of the event; Vyacheslav Charlesovich Gonobolin, Honorary Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, member of the Union of Artists of Russia, member of the Moscow Union of Artists, Corresponding Member of the International Academy of Culture and Art, member of the International Art Fund, sculptor, and lecturer at the Moscow Architectural Institute (MARCHI); Dr. Stanislav Vladimirovich Dumin, Master Herald and head of the Office of Heraldry in the Chancellery of the Head of the Russian Imperial House; Valery Evgenievich Egoshkin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Deputy Chairman of the Association of Russian Diplomats, and President of the Interregional Youth Association for the Formation of Diplomatic Culture “Diplomats of the Future”; Dr. Alexander Nikolaevich Zakatov, Director of the Chancellery of the Head of the Russian Imperial House and Associate Professor; Darya Andreevna Kustova, International Master of Sports, athletic coach, and participant in a range of social and cultural projects in the field of the arts; Prince Vadim Olegovich Lopukhin, head of the Department for Interregional and International Relations in the Chancellery of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, and chief coordinator of the Her Imperial Highness’s official travels; Yulia Igorevna Manankova, founder and head of Partner-Agrocenter LLC (which helps advance the development of agriculture, veterinary services, and improve the country’s food security); Kirill Kirillovich Nemirovich-Danchenko, adviser to the Chancellery of the Head of the Russian Imperial House for relations with public organizations and government agencies of the Russian Federation; Vladimir Aleksandrovich Ognev, Chairman of the Interregional Association for Workers in the Nuclear Energy Industry, Chairman of the Council of the non-governmental organization “The Martha and Mary Charitable Society,” and Honorary Member of the Foundation of the Holy and All-Praised Apostle Andrew the First-Called; Stanislav Igorevich Skorik, Honorary Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, researcher, expert, collector of Russian art, philanthropist (engaging in the vital work to find and verify works of Russian art abroad and returning them to Russia), and one of the organizers of this event; Tatyana Igorevna Smirnova, fashion designer, expert in decorative and applied arts, designer, member of the Union of Artists of Russia (and creator of several new forms of patchwork technique style, pioneer in textile jewelry, and awardee the Gold Medal of the Russian Academy of Arts); Anton Borisovich Solon, Executive Director of the “National Association of Manufacturers of Building Materials and Construction Industry”; Ilya Nikolaevich Khandrikov, Honoured Worker of the textile and consumer goods industry of Russia, member of the Committee on Entrepreneurship of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, and member of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

 

On December 1, 2024, the “Yesenin Center” of the S. A. Yesenin Moscow State Museum hosted a meeting of the Head of the House of Romanoff and representatives of the Youth Section of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IOPS).

 

The Grand Duchess (who is an honorary member of the IOPS) toured the exhibits and answered questions from those present regarding the history and current activities of the Russian Imperial House. Among the topics discussed were ways to expand collaborations in a number of social and cultural activities.

 

The meeting was chaired by Oleg Yurievich Robin, and in attendance were the First Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church, Society and the Media, Vakhtang Vladimirovich Kipshidze, and his wife. Her Imperial Highness conferred the insignia of the Imperial Order of St. Anna, 3rd Class, upon V. V. Kipshidze.

 

For the IOPS’s news release on the meeting (in Russian), see:

https://www.ippo.ru/news/article/sostoyalas-vstrecha-chlenov-molodezhnoy-sekcii-obs-413449

 

In the afternoon, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia met with the government official and public figure Alexander Porfirievich Torshin, who served from 2002 to 2015 as the Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (and from 2008 to 2015 as First Deputy); and from 2015 to 2018 as State Secretary and Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

 

In recognition of A. P. Torshin’s services to the nation and on the occasion of his 70th birthday, the Head of the Imperial House of Russia was pleased to award Alexander Porfirievich the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stanislav, 1st Class (the insignia of the Order had been presented the day before during a ceremony in the Pantheon of Defenders of the Fatherland). During the meeting, the Grand Duchess and A. P. Torshin discussed their common interests in, and activities promoting, Russian society and culture.

 

The next day, December 2, 2024, the feast day of St. Filaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, the Head of the Russian Imperial House of Romanoff, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, attended a roundtable discussion at the Russian State Social University (RSSU) on the topic “The Volunteer Movement in Russia from the Crimean War to the Present Day.”

 

Her Imperial Highness was greeted at the university by the Rector of RSSU, Andrei Leonidovich Khazin, and the Chairman of the Knights’ Council of the Imperial Military Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Major-General Alexander Valentinovich Kirilin.

 

The roundtable was attended by Dr. Sergei Pavlovich Karpov, the President of the History Department of Moscow State University and Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Alexander Porfirievich Torshin; Colonel Oleg Vyacheslavovich Kuznetsov, Master Herald of Moscow; and professors, instructors, and RSSU students, as well as representatives of the volunteer movement, veterans of the Special Military Operation, and members of Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery.

 

The Head of the House of Romanoff briefly addressed the audience, listened to all the scholarly papers that were delivered at the roundtable, and presented Imperial awards to the most distinguished volunteers in social service, including students and their teachers.

 

That afternoon, the Grand Duchess received a report from Alexander Borisovich Kravchenko, Advisor to the Chancellery for Charitable Activities and Representative of the Administration of the President of the Transnistria (the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic) to the Chancellery.

 

In the evening, Her Imperial Highness attended the Mussorgsky opera “Salammbo” at the Bolshoi Theater. The Head of the House of Romanoff had a warm conversation with the General Director of the Bolshoi Theater, Valery Abisalovich Gergiev, and the Director of the opera “Salammbo,” Sergei Gennadievich Novikov.

 

On December 3, 2024, the eve of the feast day of the Entrance into the Temple of the Mother of God, the Head of the Imperial House of Russia visited the village of Usovo (Ilinskoe-Usovo) in the Odintsovsky City District of the Moscow Region.

 

The visit began at the Church of the Icon of the Saviour Not Made by Human Hands, where Grand Duchess Maria of Russia was greeted by its Rector, Archpriest Dionisii Kazantsev, Secretary to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia for the Moscow Region.

 

Her Imperial Highness laid flowers at the monument to the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, toured the church with the Rector, and venerated its holy relics.

 

In recognition of the 15th anniversary of Father Dionisii’s ordination (which took place on the Feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Mother of God in 2009), the Grand Duchess awarded him the Imperial Order of St. Anna, 2nd Class.

 

Deacon Aleksei Kulikov of the Odintsovo Diocese then chanted “Many Years” for His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, His Eminence Metropolitan Pavel of Krutitsy and Kolomna, His Eminence Archbishop Foma of Odintsovo and Krasnogorsk, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, her heir the Tsarevich and Grand Duke George of Russia, his spouse Princess Victoria Romanovna, and their son Prince Alexander Georgievich.

 

During her visit, Her Imperial Highness was introduced to the Priest Ioann Abramchik and Deacon Ioann Zakharov, as well as the famous Soviet and Russian rock musician, singer, composer and poet Alexander Vitalievich Minkov (who goes by the stage name Alexander Marshal). Archpriest Dionisii Kazantsev presented the Grand Duchess with a carved image of the Icon of the Saviour Not Made by Human Hands.

 

The Head of the Imperial House of Russia then went to the Museum of Elementary Education and Childhood, located in the building of the former Usovskaya Church Parish School, where she laid flowers at the monument to her great-great-grandmother, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, the wife of Emperor Alexander II the Tsar-Liberator.

 

This monument was erected at the entrance of the Museum to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Empress Maria Alexandrovna; it was unveiled by the Governor of the Moscow Region, A. Yu. Vorobyov, and blessed by His Eminence Archbishop Foma of Odintsovo and Krasnogorsk on the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos on September 8/21, 2024.

 

Grand Duchess Maria expressed her gratitude to the Administration of the Moscow Region; the “Elizabeth-Sergius Educational Society,” a Foundation for the Promotion of the Revival of Traditions of Charity and Philanthropy; and the M. B. Grekov Studio of Military Artists, whose generous support made possible this monument to her ancestor, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, and her sons, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich.

 

Both Grand Dukes were martyred: Sergei Alexandrovich was killed by a terrorist on February 4/17, 1905, and Pavel Alexandrovich was executed by the Bolsheviks on January 17/30, 1919, during the Red Terror.

 

The Director of the educational center Usovo-Spasskoye, Andrey Vilorievich Milanovich, then led the Head of the House of Romanoff on a tour of the expositions in the museum. Afterward, the Head of the Imperial House awarded the Imperial Order of St. Anna 3rd Class to Dr. Alexander Vadimovich Sakharov, First Vice-President of the Union of Lawyers of Russia, and then received in audience Alexander Vladimirovich Kulemin, the Chairman of the Governing Center of the organization “For Faith and Fatherland.”

 

For further information on this visit (in Russian), see: https://www.ippo.ru/news/article/pochetnyy-chlen-ippo-velikaya-knyaginya-mariya-vla-413481

 

After having returned to Moscow, the Grand Duchess met with Archpriest Alexander Tkachenko, Chairman of the Board of the Circle of Kindness Foundation, which provides assistance to children with rare diseases and their families. The Head of the House of Romanoff then awarded the Imperial Order of the Holy Great Martyr Anastasia the Alleviatrix of Captives to Marina Gennadievna Tyan, Financial Director of the Circle of Kindness Foundation.

 

At the end of this eventful day, the Head of the Russian Imperial House attended a dinner in her honour hosted by the Department for Historical and Memorial Activities of Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery. The dinner was attended by the Chairman of the Board of the Circle of Kindness Foundation, Archpriest Alexander Tkachenko, the Chairman of the Russian All-People’s Union Party, Sergei Nikolaevich Baburin; and members of the Chancellery of the Head of the Russian Imperial House.

 

On December 4, 2024, the feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, the results of the literary competition “Heritage,” which enjoyed Her Imperial Highness’s patronage, were announced in the Cathedral Chamber of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Humanities University.

 

After a service in the Church of the Holy Patriarch Tikhon the Confessor and the Holy Fathers of the Church Council of 1917-1918, officiated by Hieromonk Nikon (Levachev-Belavenets), with the blessing of the Rector of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Humanities University His Grace Bishop Mefodii of Yegorievsk, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, venerated the reliquary containing a particle of the relics of St. Tikhon, toured the exhibition dedicated to his life and work, and then participated in the presentation ceremony for the winners of the “Heritage” literary competition.

 

Laureates of the 2024 “Heritage” prizes were:

 

In the Prose Category: Ivan Mordvinkin (of Novoshakhtinsk, in the Rostov region), Sergey Lushnikov (of Tomsk), and Sergei Gorbatykh (of Buenos Aires, Argentina); and

 

In the Poetry Category: Anton Shitarev (of Sosnovy Bor, in the Leningrad region), Marina Shcheglova (of Omsk), and Tatiana Breslavskaya (of Moscow).

 

The organizer of the “Heritage” competition, Dmitrii Vladimirovich Kravchuk, the President of the Russian Union of Writers, was awarded the Imperial Order of St. Anna, 3rd Class.

 

During the ceremony, which was hosted by the artist and writer Evgeny Valerievich Sules, the Chamber Choir of the St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Humanities University, under the direction of Fr. Aleksei Zaitsev, performed for the audience. Igor Yuryevich Ilyin, the official voice of Kultura TV channel, announcer for the Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK), and noted actor, recited selections of several works of classic Russian poetry, as well as the winning compositions by the participants in the 2024 “Heritage” competition.

 

After the ceremony, all those present had the opportunity to meet and talk with the Head of the House of Romanoff.

 

That evening, the organizers of the “Heritage” literary competition hosted a dinner in honour of the Grand Duchess.

 

The Grand Duchess Maria departed Moscow for St. Petersburg by train on December 5, 2024.

 

The next day, December 6, 2024, the feast day of the St. Alexander Nevsky and the name day of the her grandson, His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Georgievich, the Grand Duchess Maria attended services in the Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood, constructed on the site of the horrific murder of her great-great-grandfather, Emperor Alexander II the Tsar-Liberator by revolutionary terrorists in 1881.

 

At the church, Her Imperial Highness was introduced to the Director of the Museum of the Church on the Blood, Ilya Vasilievich Demidov.

 

With the blessing of the Rector, Archpriest Sergei Kuksevich, Secretary of the St. Petersburg Diocesan Administration, a Litiya service for the murdered Emperor Alexander II was officiated by the clergy of the church, Priest Aleksei Magazenkov and Deacon Daniil Begaev.

 

During the service, “Many Years” was chanted for Grand Duchess Maria, her heir the Tsarevich and Grand Duke George, his spouse, Princess Victoria Romanovna, and their son, Prince Alexander Georgievich.

 

Her Imperial Highness noted the extensive and expert restoration work being carried out at the church and expressed her deep gratitude to the restorers and the museum administration, the clergy and parishioners of the church, and to all who work to preserve the splendour of the church and offer prayers in it.

 

In the afternoon, the Grand Duchess met with the leadership of the Imperial Floorball Club “The Sharks,” which is under Her Imperial Highness’s patronage. The Grand Duchess was greeted by the President and Vice-President of the Club, Ilya Vladimirovich Zlunitsyn and Albert Eduardovich Arutyunov, respectively.

 

Then Her Imperial Highness visited the Alexander Pushkin Apartment Museum on the Moika Embankment. The Director of the Museum, Dr. Galina Mikhailovna Sedova, led the Head of the House of Romanoff on a tour of the Museum and presented her with books authored by the Director of the A. S. Pushkin Museum, Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation, and Doctor of Cultural Studies, Professor Sergei Mikhailovich Nekrasov. During the tour, the Grand Duchess was accompanied by the Director of the “Foundation for the Support and Development of Education, Creativity, and Culture,” Elena Valerievna Bayakhchyan.

 

Grand Duchess Maria expressed her gratitude and delight at the opportunity to visit the apartment of the great Russian poet and writer Alexander Pushkin in the year of the 225th anniversary of his birth.

 

That evening, the Head of the Imperial House of Russia met with the Chairman of the Council of Armenian National-Cultural Autonomy of St. Petersburg, Karen Romikovich Mkrtchyan. The meeting was also attended by Sergei Vladimirovich Lukianov, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Security and Law Enforcement of the city government of St. Petersburg, and Grigory Norayrovich Mikaelyan, Executive Secretary of the St. Petersburg Regional Armenian National-Cultural Autonomy.

 

On December 7, 2024, the feast day of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine, the Grand Duchess attended a ceremony, during which she canceled stamps on envelopes and postcards dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the publication by the Curator of the Imperial Russian Throne, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, of the Manifesto accepting the title of Emperor-in-Exile (1924). The event took place at the Russian Academy of Arts and was organized by the Knights’ Council of the Imperial Order of St. Vladimir.

 

Also attending the ceremony were Aleksei Yurievich Mudrov, the Director of the Museum of the Russian Academy of Arts and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Arts; Viktor Anatolyevich Dvoryankov, Chairman of the Knights’ Council of the Imperial Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Prince Vladimir; Alexander Yurievich Voronin and Yuri Alekseevich Strelnikov, members of the Knights’ Council; Elena Valeryevna Bayakhchyan, Director of the “Foundation for the Support and Development of Education, Creativity, and Culture”; Anna Yurievna Kovalenko, Chief of the Arts Broadcasting Department of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company of Saint Petersburg; Valentin Gennadievich Levandovsky, publisher of the “World of Russian Philately” magazine; Aleksandr Nikolaevich Zakatov, Director of Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery; Stanislav Vladimirovich Dumin, Master Herald and head of the Office Heraldry in Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery; and Kirill Kirillovich Nemirovich-Danchenko, advisor to the Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery for relations with public organizations and government agencies of the Russian Federation.

 

After the ceremony, A. Yu. Mudrov presented the Head of the Russian Imperial House the commemorative medal “The 180th Anniversary of the Birth of I. E. Repin.”

 

V. A. Dvoryankov presented a report to Her Imperial Highness about the work of the Knights’ Council of the Imperial Order of St. Vladimir and its plans for future charitable, educational, and cultural activities.

 

In the afternoon, the Knights’ Council of the Imperial Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Prince Vladimir hosted a gala dinner in honour of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia.

 

On December 8, 2024, the Head of the Imperial House visited the exhibition complex of the Patriotic Association “Lenrezerv,” which is dedicated to the history of the Siege of Leningrad.

 

The Grand Duchess toured the exhibition with Nikolai Gennadievich Smirnov, a senior research fellow at the “Lenrezerv” Patriotic Association, and donated to it a collection of archival documents related to daily life in Leningrad during the Siege (documents formerly belonging to the engineer Mark Panteleimonovich Denisov, which were acquired by K. K. Nemirovich-Danchenko from a private individual while conducting research for Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery. (See https://lenrezerv.archive.systems/persons/view/id/40?h=p6748bee4ee306&rn=1.)

 

The Head of the Imperial House of Russia paid tribute the memory of the victims of the Siege of Leningrad and the defenders of the city during the Second World War, and noted the colossal importance of the activities of the “Lenrezerv” Patriotic Association and the accomplishments of its founder and director, Anatoly Ruvimovich Bernstein, in preserving the history of these events and promoting the education of the nation’s young people.

 

In the Guest Book of the “Lenrezerv” Patriotic Association, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia wrote: “I thank you very much for the opportunity to experience the great and tragic history of the Siege of Leningrad.”

 

After her visit to the “Lenrezerv” Patriotic Association, the Head of the Imperial House of Romanoff, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia went to the Military Medical Academy (the former Imperial Military Medical Academy; see: https://www.vmeda.org/; and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._M._Kirov_Military_Medical_Academy).

 

The Head of the House of Romanoff was greeted by Dr. Evgeny Vladimirovich Kryukov, the Head of the Military Medical Academy, Lieutenant-General in the Army Medical Service, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), and Honoured Physician of the Russian Federation; and his Deputy for military education, Colonel Pavel Petrovich Oleksyuk.

 

The Administrator of the Academy’s Historical and Memorial Hall, Colonel Konstantin Alekseevich Paly, recounted for Her Imperial Highness the history of the Military Medical Academy and showed her many of its most valuable artifacts.

 

Then, with the assistance of Colonel Dr. Vitaly Yurievich Markevich, the Deputy Head of the Military Medical Academy and Chief Administrator of the Medical and Diagnostic Center of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, an investiture ceremony took place to present patents and insignia of the Imperial Military Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Imperial Order of St. Anna, and Imperial commemorative medals “Anniversary of the National Triumph, 1613-2013” to military medical officers, senior nurses, volunteers, and soldiers undergoing treatment after serious injuries.

 

Grand Duchess Maria of Russia expressed her deepest gratitude to the medical staff and her admiration for their service to the nation. She also thanked those currently in military service and to all the volunteers and social workers tirelessly working for the welfare of others.

 

On December 9, 2024, the Feast of the Consecration of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr George in Kyiv and the Heroes of the Fatherland Russian national holiday, the Head of the Russian Imperial House of Romanoff took part in the solemn ceremony consecrating the restored gravestones of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna and her children: Their Imperial Highnesses Sergei Maximilianovich and George Maximilianovich, Princes Romanovsky and Dukes of Leuchtenberg, and Her Imperial Highness Alexandra Maximilianovna, Princess Romanovsky and Duchess of Leuchtenberg, in the New Mausoleum in the Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral in the Sts Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.

 

The restoration work on the grave stones, which were destroyed after the Revolution of 1917, was the culmination of many years of planning, initiated by the Chairman of the Sergievsky Memorial Foundation, Dmitry Borisovich Grishin.

 

The project expanded from the original idea to restore the gravestone of Duke Sergei Maximilianovich, a hero of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, who died while bravely carrying out a combat mission.

 

On March 7, 2017, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia became the patron of this project, and as the work progressed, it became possible also to restore the gravestones of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna and all the members of the Leuchtenberg ducal family buried in the New Mausoleum of the Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral.

 

The service blessing the restored gravestones was officiated by the Rector of the Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral, Archimandrite Alexander (Fedorov), assisted by the Diocesan Protodeacon Andrei Levin. The service was attended by the Rector of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Lesnoi, Archpriest Mikhail Gruzdev, and Fr. Andrei Smirnov of the Cathedral of the Holy Transfiguration.

 

Then the secular, official part of the ceremony took place, during which several people gave short speeches about the project and about the biographies of the Dukes and Duchess of Leuchtenberg, including: Vladimir Anatolyevich Grigoriev, the Acting General Director of the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg and Honoured Architect of the Russian Federation; the Head of the Russian Imperial House of Romanoff, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia; the Director of the Chancellery of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, Alexander Nikolaevich Zakatov; the Director of the Soyuz Restoration Company, LLC and designer of the restoration project, Tatiana Sergeevna Zhitomirskaya; and the Chief Researcher of the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg Marina Olegovna Logunova.

 

Flowers from the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, the Russian Imperial House, the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg, and from representatives of a range of public organizations were laid at the restored gravestones.

 

Archimandrite Alexander (Fedorov) and Protodeacon Andrei Levin sang “Memory Eternal” for Grand Duchess Maria of Russia’s parents and ancestors: Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich and Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna, Emperor-in-Exile Kirill Vladimirovich and Empress-in-Exile Victoria Feodorovna, and Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. Flowers were also laid at their graves.

 

The Head of the House of Romanov expressed her appreciation to all her countrymen and thanked all those who undertook this important and patriotic work of restoring the gravestones of her relatives.

 

NOTE:

 

H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna (1819-1876) was the daughter of Emperor Nicholas I and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (née Princess of Prussia). She married (1839) Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg (1817-1852). She was born in Pavlovsk on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, August 6/19, 1819, and died in St. Petersburg on February 9/22, 1876. She served as President of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1852-1876) and as Chairperson of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. She was buried in the Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral on February 13/26, 1876. Her remains were reburied in the New Mausoleum on June 13-14/26-27, 1912.

 

Her Children:

 

His Imperial Highness Prince Sergei Maximilianovich Romanovsky, Duke of Leuchtenberg (1849-1877). Born in St. Petersburg on December 8/21, 1849. He fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, and in recognition of the capture of Tarnov, he was awarded the “Golden Sword for Bravery” and promoted to the rank of Major-General. He was killed by an enemy bullet on October 12/25, 1877, while serving in the Ruschuk detachment on a reconnaissance patrol near Jovan Chiftlik (present-day Ivanovo) in Bulgaria. He was thus the first member of the Russian Imperial House to die in battle. He was buried in the Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral on October 24/November 6, 1877. He was reburied in the New Mausoleum on June 13-14/26-27, 1912. December 8/21, 2024, marked the 175th anniversary of his birth.

 

His Imperial Highness Prince George Maximilianovich Romanovsky, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg (1852-1911). Born in St. Petersburg on February 17/March 1 (March 2, in non-leap years) 1852. Held the ranks of Lieutenant-General and Adjutant-General (appointed to both in 1910). He died in Paris on April 20/May 3, 1911, and was buried in the New Mausoleum on April 28/May 11, 1912.

 

Her Imperial Highness Princess Alexandra Maximilianovna Romanovskaya, Duchess of Leuchtenberg (1840-1843). Born in St. Petersburg on March 28/April 10, 1840. She died of whooping cough in infancy in Sergievka on July 31/August 13, 1843, and is buried in the Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral on August 5/18, 1843, and reburied in the New Mausoleum on June 13-14/26-27, 1912.

 

After attending the blessing of the graves in the New Mausoleum of the Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral, Grand Duchess Maria participated in a roundtable in the office of the “Preserved Culture” Project, which is dedicated to Internet security and blockchain technologies. The roundtable was chaired by the founder and head of the Project, Professor Viktor Borisovich Naumov, PhD. (See https://prescult.ru/about).

 

The session was attended by Filipp Nikolaevich Apostol, the Head of the Architectural Bureau; Elena Valerievna Bayakhchyan, the Chairperson of the Board of the “Foundation for the Support and Development of Education, Creativity, Culture”; Dr. Andrei Georgievich Vaytens, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences (RAASN); Irina Igorevna Gordeevskaya, the wife of V. B. Naumov and participant in several “Preserved Culture” Project programs; Stanislav Vladimirovich Dumin, Master Herald and head of the Office Heraldry in Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery; Konstantin Sergeevich Zhukov, a noted philologist, writer, and local historian; Dr. Alexander Nikolaevich Zakatov, Director of Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery; Vladimir Isaakovich Karlik, a member of the Russian Genealogical Society, and his grandson Yuri Dmitrievich Zakhmatov, a 2nd-year student of the University-Institute of Precision Mechanics and Optics (ITMO); Valentin Gennadievich Levandovsky, President of the “World of Russian Philately” Foundation; Alexander Gavrilovich Leontyev, architect-restorer and member of the Council for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage; Kirill Kirillovich Nemirovich-Danchenko, adviser to Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery; and Archpriest Nikolai Nikolaev, Rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” at the G. I. Turner National Medical Research Center for Children’s Traumatology and Orthopedics (St. Petersburg).

 

The roundtable raised a range of issues related to digitalization and the advent of artificial intelligence. Several Russian cultural leaders surveyed for Her Imperial Highness the work and activities of the institutions and organizations they lead and represent, described the details of the history of preservation and restoration of religious, historical, and cultural sites in St. Petersburg, and brainstormed on the possibilities of cooperating with Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery on a range of projects.

 

Afterward, there was an investiture ceremony, and then the “Preserved Culture” Project hosted a luncheon given in honour of the Head of the House of Romanoff.

 

That evening, the Tatar Nobility Association of St. Petersburg hosted a formal reception in honour of the Head of the Russian Imperial House.

 

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna was greeted by the Chairman of the Tatar Nobility Association, Honoured Worker of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan, Salim Talkhinovich Khasanov.

 

Attending the reception were: Dr. Asadulla Badrudinovich Asadullaev, Associate Professor and member of the Council of Elders of the Republic of Dagestan; Albert Nurullovich Asadullin, Honoured Artist of Russia and People’s Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan; Igor Petrovich Voronin, Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper and website “Monarchist”; Rail Habibyanovich Gabbasov, the First Vice-Chairman of the Tatar Nobility Association; Dmitry Vasilyevich Dudin, a member of the Russian Nobility Association; Dr. Stanislav Vladimirovich Dumin, Master Herald and head of the Office of Heraldry in Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery; Dr. Alexander Nikolayevich Zakatov, Associate Professor and Director of Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery; Valery Aleksandrovich Kim, Honoured Architect of the Russian Federation and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Building Sciences; Dr. Sergei Aleksandrovich Mankov, Senior Research Fellow at the Tsarskoe Selo Museum; Kirill Kirillovich Nemirovich-Danchenko, adviser to Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery; Rustem Ravilevich Serazetdinov, Vice-Chairman of the Tatar Nobility Association; and Rafis Yagfarovich Faizullin, Chairman of the Committee of the Tatar Nobility Association for Entrepreneurship.

 

During the reception, the conversation touched on the best ways to preserve the religious, ethnic, and civil peace in Russia; to advance the educational and charitable activities of the organizations represented at the reception; and to expand cooperation among and between traditionalist organizations to help preserve the historical and cultural heritage of the nation.

 

The Grand Duchess expressed her deepest gratitude to S. T. Khasanov and his associates for their devotion to the ideals of the Russian Imperial House and their highly beneficial work in fostering unity among their countrymen and in strengthening the notion that belonging to the nobility should not be seen so much as a source for pride in and of itself, but as source of special awareness of the nobility’s added responsibility to the nation, to the memory and legacy of their ancestors, and to the fate of their descendants.

 

A. N. Asadulin then performed several songs in both Russian and Tatar.

 

On December 10, 2024, The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia went on a walk about the streets of St. Petersburg, and that evening attended the opera “Queen of Spades” in the Mariinsky Theatre.

 

In the evening of the next day, December 11, 2024, the Head of the Imperial House of Russia departed from St. Petersburg for Madrid.

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