The Head of the House of Romanoff visits Uzbekistan
On November 3-15, 2014, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, made her first visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan. Her Imperial Highness was invited to come to Uzbekistan by His Eminence Metropolitan Vikentii of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, who is the Head of the Central Asian Metropolia and a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.
On November 3, the Head of the Russian Imperial house arrived in Tashkent.
After settling in at her hotel, the Grand Duchess went on a short and informal tour of the city by car, visiting some of the most noteworthy sites in Tashkent.
On November 4, on the feast day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the Day of National Unity (a national holiday of the Russian Federation), the Head of the Russian Imperial House began her formal visit to Uzbekistan at the Cathedral of the Dormition in Tashkent, where she attended pine Liturgy, and immediately afterward, an intercessory prayer service, or moleben, which was served according to the royal rubrics for the health of the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia and her son and Heir, Grand Duke George of Russia. The service took place before the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and a fragment of the holy relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra in Lycia[1] and was officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Vikentii of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, His Grace Bishop Pitirim of Dushanbe and Tajikistan, His Grace Feodosii of Isilkul and Russkaia Poliana, and other clergy. After the service, the Metropolitan gave a sermon, during which he welcomed Grand Duchess Maria of Russia to the capital of Uzbekistan and highlighted the essentially religious foundations of the House of Romanoff’s contributions to Russia and the Holy Church. In her reply, the Grand Duchess thanked His Eminence for the invitation to come to Uzbekistan and for the opportunity to pray together on this feast day. An investiture ceremony followed, during which the Imperial Order of St. Anna First Class was awarded to His Eminence Metropolitan Vikentii of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, the Order of St. Anna Second Class was awarded to His Grace Bishop Pitirim of Dushanbe and Tajikistan and to His Grace Bishop Feodosii of Isilkul and Russkaia Poliana. The hierarchs were also awarded the Imperial Commemorative Medals “In Memory of the 400th Anniversary of the House of Romanoff” and “Anniversary of the Nation’s Victory, 1613-2013.” The insignia of the Imperial Order of St. Anna and the Imperial Medals were also presented to Metropolitan Vikentii with the request to present them personally, in Her Imperial Highness’s name, to Metropolitan Vladimir of Omsk and Tauride,[2] Archbishop Feofilakt of Piatigorsk and Circassia, and Bishop Daniil of Bishkek and Kyrgyzstan—all three of whom were shortly to arrive in Uzbekistan. The Grand Duchess presented the insignia of the Imperial Order of St. Anna and the Imperial Commemorative Medals to other clergy of the Metropolia of Central Asia and had the opportunity to meet with and converse warmly with the clergy and parishioners present at the services. In turn, His Eminence Metropolitan Vikentii presented to Her Imperial Highness an icon of the Holy and Righteous Anna—the mother of the Most Pure Mother of God. The Holy and Righteous Anna, along with the Holy Prophetess Anna, in whose honor the Imperial Order of St. Anna was founded, are the Heavenly patrons of knights of the Order.
Later, in the small concert hall in Metropolitan Vikentii’s residence, a second investiture ceremony took place, during which the insignia of the Imperial Order of St. Anna and the Imperial Medals were awarded to prominent figures in civil society and in philanthropy of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
After the ceremony, His Eminence Metropolitan Vikentii hosted a lunch in his residence in honor of the Grand Duchess. The lunch concluded with a short musical program.
After lunch, the Grand Duchess, Metropolitan Vikentii, Bishop Pitirim, and Bishop Feodosii went to the reception hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan (the former palace of H.I.H. The Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich[3]), where she was greeted by the Head of Administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Sh. U. Rakhimov, who was awarded the Imperial Medal “In Memory of the 400th Anniversary of the House of Romanoff.” Her Imperial Highness was led on a tour of the historic former palace; and later, during tea, the conversation moved to the linked histories of Russia and Uzbekistan and the contributions of the Russian Imperial House, and in particular, of Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich, to the development of pre-Revolutionary Turkestan.
That evening, the Grand Duchess attended a formal reception marking the Day of National Unity at the Russian embassy to the Republic of Uzbekistan.
In his welcoming address at the reception, the Russian ambassador to Uzbekistan, V. L. Tiurdenev, emphasized the significance of the Day of National Unity, which marks the emergence of Russia from the Time of Troubles in 1612-1613. He especially welcomed the Head of the House of Romanoff, noting that the calling of the Romanoffs to the throne by the Assembly of the Land in 1613 represented the symbolic end of the Troubles. His Eminence Metropolitan Vikentii of Tashkent and Uzbekistan also spoke, greeting all those gathered and underscoring the historical, religious, and national significance of this important Russian state holiday. Then the Russian ambassador gave the floor to the Grand Duchess, who thanked all those present for their warm welcome. The Grand Duchess congratulated everyone on this holiday and called on God’s help in preserving the nation’s traditions and in strengthening the ongoing friendship that exists between Russia and Uzbekistan.
The Grand Duchess had the opportunity at the reception to speak with the head of the Russian Federal Agency for International Humanitarian Cooperation (“Rossotrudnichestvo)” in Uzbekistan, V. N. Shulika, and with representatives of the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in attendance, including: the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Zhavlon Vakhabov; the Chairman of the Committee for Foreign Policy of the Senate, the upper house of the Uzbek Oliy Majlis (its bicameral Supreme Assembly, or parliament), Sadik Safaev; the head of the Chamber of Commerce, Alisher Shaikhov; and with other guests at the reception.
On November 5 the Grand Duchess toured the city of Tashkent, both the modern sections of the city and the historical neighborhoods that survived the devastating earthquake in 1966. Then the Head of the Russian Imperial House went to the Khast Imam Mosque and its Islamic Center. Her Imperial Highness was shown one of the holiest objects in the Moslem world: the Uthman Quran.
That afternoon, Her Imperial Highness, along with Metropolitan Vikentii, Bishop Pitirim, and others accompanying the Grand Duchess, flew to Urgench and traveled on to Khiva, where she settled into her hotel.
On November 6, the feast day of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” Grand Duchess Maria of Russia returned to the city of Urgench, where His Eminence Metropolitan Vikentii, along with Bishop Pitirim and other clergy, served a moleben according to the royal rubrics after the pine Liturgy. The Head of the House of Romanoff awarded the Imperial Commemorative Medals to a number of clergy of the Tashkent and Central Asian Metropolia, as well as to members of the Alshevsky family, who helped to organize the Orthodox community in Urgench. Afterward, Her Imperial Highness took the opportunity to speak with parishioners.
Metropolitan Vikentii and Bishop Pitirim then hosted a lunch in honor of Her Imperial Highness. Among those present at the lunch was the Imam of Khiva, Sanzharbek Sapaev, and the chair of the Civic Committee of the city of Khiva, Ravshanbek Vaisov. The Grand Duchess presented the Imperial Medal “In Memory of the 400th Anniversary of the House of Romanoff” to Imam Sanzharbek Sapaev. R. D. Vaisov greeted the Grand Duchess on behalf of the Khokim (the local title for the Head of Administration) of Khorezm Region, P. R. Bobozhonov, and expressed his hope that the Grand Duchess’s stay in Uzbekistan would be a success. Having returned to Khiva later that evening, Her Imperial Highness took a walking tour in the city’s old town.
On November 7, the Grand Duchess, Metropolitan Vikentii, and Bishop Pitirim visited the holy places and museums of Khiva. In particular, Her Imperial Highness toured the summer mosque and throne hall of the Khans of Khiva, and paid tribute to the memory of the greatest son of the Uzbek people, Pahlavan Mahmoud,[4] at his mausoleum. That evening, the Grand Duchess returned by plane to Tashkent.
On November 8, the Head of the House of Romanoff met with the Director of the Russian Cultural Center of Uzbekistan, A. V. Aristov. Grand Duchess Maria of Russia discussed the various projects being undertaken by the Center, toured the Center’s exhibits, attended a concert, and awarded several Imperial Medals.
Later, the Grand Duchess answered questions from the public.
On November 9, the Grand Duchess went to the Dormition Cathedral in Tashkent, where, after the pine Liturgy, Metropolitan Vikentii, Bishop Pitirim, and other clergy served a Litya service to commemorate the soul of H.I.H. Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich, and a moleben service for the health of the Head of the Russian Imperial House and her Heir. The moleben was served before a fragment of the holy relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Later, in the larger concert hall in the residence of the Metropolitan of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, the Grand Duchess awarded the insignia of Russian Imperial Orders and the Imperial Commemorative Medals to members of the government of Uzbekistan and to local civic leaders and philanthropists. The Director for the Office for Religious Organizations of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Ahmed Alavetdinov, was given the Imperial Medal “In Memory of the 400th Anniversary of the House of Romanoff” to convey to the Minister of Justice, Nigmatulla Yuldashev.
In that same hall a concert was put on by performers of the Ali-Shir Nava’i State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Uzbekistan, with the National Artist of Uzbekistan and the director of the Ali-Shir Nava’i Theater, A. E. Slonim, and Fr. Aleksei Nazarov acting as masters of ceremony.
After the concert, there followed a dinner in Metropolitan Vikentii’s residence. Before the dinner began, there was a formal presentation of the exclusive wine “Imperial,” a reserve vintage from the vineyard “Hamkor,” unveiled especially in honor of the visit of the Head of the Russian Imperial House to Uzbekistan. The presentation of the wine was made by Mahmoud Islamov, who is in charge of the vineyard.
In the morning of November 10, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, Metropolitan Vikentii, Bishop Pitirim, members of Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery, and Metropolitan Vikentii’s assistant, S. V. Romanov, departed by train from Tashkent for Samarkand.
The Grand Duchess’s visit to Samarkand began with services at the Church of St. Aleksei Metropolitan of Moscow, which was constructed after the birth of the Holy Passion-Bearer, Heir, Tsesarevich, and Grand Duke Aleksei Nikolaevich, and which enjoyed the special patronage of the Holy Passion-Bearer Alexandra Feodorovna. After the pine Liturgy, His Eminence Metropolitan Vikentii, His Grace Bishop Pitirim, and other clergy served a moleben for the health of Grand Duchess Maria of Russia and her Heir, the Tsesarevich and Grand Duke George of Russia. The moleben was served before the holy relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and other relics in the church. In his homily, Metropolitan Vikentii described the close connections between the Church of St. Aleksei and the Imperial House of Romanoff. Grand Duchess Maria of Russia then spoke, offering her greetings to the clergy and parishioners and thanking them all for their warm welcome and expressions of love. Then the Grand Duchess presented the insignia of the Imperial Order of St. Anna and the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stanislav to those who had been newly appointed to these Orders, and awarded them the Imperial Commemorative Medals. She then had lengthy and warm conversations with the assembled clergy and parishioners.
In the afternoon, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, along with Metropolitan Vikentii, Bishop Pitirim, clergy from Samarkand, and members of Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery visited a very special and holy place—the grave of the Holy Prophet Daniel (one of the four great biblical prophets, a fragment of whose relics were brought to Samarkand by Tamerlane). The royal pilgrim, the two hierarchs, and other clergy circled the grave three times, reciting prayers and singing the hymns of praise to the Holy Prophet Daniel. Afterward, the group went to the spring of the Holy Prophet Daniel and sipped the holy water.
After a short rest at her hotel, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia went to the Theater of Historical Costumes “El Merosi,” where an investiture ceremony took place for the Director of the Theater, Professor Iu. N. Abdullaev. The Grand Duchess also had the opportunity to speak with the intelligentsia of Samarkand and to appreciate the young, multinational group of artists that is associated with the theater.
That evening, His Eminence Metropolitan Vikentii of Tashkent and Uzbekistan gave a farewell dinner in honor of the Head of the House of Romanoff. The Grand Duchess offered her heartfelt thanks to Metropolitan Vikentii for the invitation to come to Uzbekistan,, for the opportunity to pray with him at many important and holy sites in the country, for his warm hospitality, and for the chance to realize a long-held dream of visiting these great and ancient cities of Uzbekistan. Her Imperial Highness wished His Eminence God’s blessing during his upcoming trip to Mount Athos. Metropolitan Vikentii in turn wished the Grand Duchess a successful remainder of her visit in Samarkand, Bukhara, and Tashkent.
On November 11, the Grand Duchess and Bishop Pitirim continued their tour of the holy sites and other notable attractions in the city of Samarkand. Her Imperial Highness surveyed the city from the observation deck, then went to the site of the famous Ulugh Beg Observatory and toured its ruins and visited the exhibitions in the museum. Then the Head of the Russian Imperial House went to the Islamic architectural complex, the Shah-i-zinda necropolis, where she was greeted by the Imam of Samarkand, Umid Rustamov, who personally led the Grand Duchess on a tour of the site, describing for her the history of Shah-i-zinda and the colossal work currently underway to restore and study it.
The Grand Duchess visited the mausoleum of Tamerlane’s wife, Bibi-Khanym, the grave of Tamerlane, the Gur-e Amir, and the graves of Tamerlane’s royal successors. The day ended with a tour of the majestic and wonderful architectural complex of the Registan Square and a tour by car of Samarkand at night. That evening, a farewell dinner was given for the Grand Duchess by the philanthropist Alisher Karimov.
In the morning of November 12, the Head of the House of Romanoff, Bishop Pitirim, and members of the Chancellery departed Samarkand for Bukhara.
On arriving, and after a brief rest, the Grand Duchess took a walking tour of the historical center of the city of Bukhara, visiting the Po-i Kalan complex, including the Kalan Mosque, the Kalyan Minaret, and the Mir-i Arab Madrassah. That evening, the Grand Duchess visited an oriental rug workshop and store, where Uzbek artists and master craftsmen described for Her Imperial Highness the history and present state of rug making in Uzbekistan, demonstrating for her the process for rug stitching and showing her various examples of their work.
On November 13, the Grand Duchess toured two Madrassahs—the Madrassah Ulugh Beg and the Madrassah Abdul-Aziz Khan, and also the Trade Dome Tagi Zargaron. Later, the Head of the House of Romanoff and Bishop Pitirim went to the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, where the rector, Fr. Leonid Petrov, served a moleben for the health of Her Imperial Highness and her Heir, Grand Duke George of Russia. After the service, Fr. Leonid gave a short speech welcoming Her Imperial Highness, and in turn the Grand Duchess spoke to all the parishioners present, thanking them for their warm welcome. Then the Head of the Russian Imperial House presented the Imperial Medal “In Memory of the 400th Anniversary of the House of Romanoff” to the Imam of the Bukhara Region, Mansur Nurullaev, who was in attendance at the service, and the insignia of the Imperial Order of St. Anna and the Imperial Commemorative Medals to Fr. Leonid Petrov.
That afternoon, the Grand Duchess continued her tour of the holy sites and attractions of the city of Bukhara. She surveyed the panorama of the city from the roof of her hotel, Minora-Kalon; toured the Trade Dome; visited the architectural ensemble Liab-i Hauz; the Nadir pan-Beghi Madrassah; the monument to Nasruddin Hodja, and a crafts shop for doll makers.
Later, the Head of the Russian Imperial House visited the spring of the Holy and Righteous Job the Much-Suffering (the mausoleum Chashma-Ayub), the Mausoleum of the founder of the Samanid dynasty, Ismail Samani (9th – 10th cents.), and the Bolo-Hauz Mosque. The Grand Duchess’s tour of Bukhara ended with a visit to the Ark fortress. Her Imperial Highness inspected the walls and the handful of surviving buildings in this jewel of antiquity—in particular, the Mosque of Dzhuma and the Throne Room of the Emirs of Bukhara (the Kurinish-Khona), the ruins of the palace, and other historical buildings, which had been savagely destroyed by aircraft on the orders of M. V. Frunze during the Russian Civil War (1917-1922).
That evening, the Grand Duchess flew back to Tashkent. On arrival in the capital of Uzbekistan, Her Imperial Highness said her good-byes at the airport to Bishop Pitirim, who was returning to his eparchy. The Grand Duchess thanked him with all her heart for traveling with her and for attending and officiating at services with her.
On November 14, the Grand Duchess received in audience in her hotel in Tashkent—the hotel “Turkiston”—a number of philanthropists active in the Central Asian Metropolia and bestowed upon them the insignia of the Imperial Order of St. Anna, the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stanislav, and the Imperial Commemorative Medals.
Then the Grand Duchess visited the Museum of Art of Uzbekistan, touring the exhibits of national Uzbek art dating from ancient times to our own day, and a collection of Russian and European art which had been collected by H.I.H. The Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich.
In the afternoon, the Grand Duchess gave a press conference, during which she shared her unforgettable and vivid impressions of her time in Uzbekistan. The Grand Duchess expressed her profound gratitude for the hospitality shown her, and she made a point to note especially the success that the Republic of Uzbekistan has achieved in building healthy multi-ethnic and inter-confessional relations within the country, an achievement that no doubt has much to do with the efforts of President Islam Karimov to ensure an environment of stable and constant growth in Uzbekistan.
That evening, at the Russian Embassy, the Ambassador, V. L. Tiurdenev, hosted a farewell banquet in honor of the Head of the Russian Imperial House. Attending the banquet were: the British Ambassador to Uzbekistan, George Edgar and his wife; the German Ambassador Naythart Höfer-Wissing and his wife; the U. S. Ambassador, George A. Krol and his wife; the Turkish Ambassador Namik Guner Erpul and his wife; the French Ambassador Jacques-Henri Els and his wife; the Japanese Ambassador Fumihito Kato and his wife; the wife of the Russian Ambassador to Uzbekistan, L. G. Tiurdeneva; the Director of the Chancellery of the Russian Imperial House, A. N. Zakatov; the Head of the Office of Interregional Relations of the Chancellery of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, Prince V. O. Lopukhin; the Lady-in-Waiting to the Head of the Russian Imperial House, Princess E. N. Lopukhina; and the advisor to the Chancellery of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, K. K. Nemirovich-Danchenko.
In lively yet casual conversations, the Head of the Russian Imperial House and members of the diplomatic corps in Uzbekistan exchanged ideas about the development of cultural connections among nations and about the role of traditions and historical institutions in helping to maintain healthy interactions between cultures and in maintaining peace and stability across the world.
In the morning on November 15, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, departed Tashkent for Madrid.
[1] Donated by a representative of the St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Foundation.
[2] From 1990 to 2011, Vladimir was Metropolitan of Tashkent and Central Asia.
[3] Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich (b. in St. Petersburg, February 2/15, 1850; d. in Tashkent on January 14/27, 1918) was the son of Grand Duke Constantine Nikolaevich and Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna (née Princess Alexandra Friederike Henriette of Saxe-Altenburg). Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich took part in the Khiva campaign of 1873. In 1874, he was dismissed from his duties and put under surveillance for participating in inappropriate activities that were attributed to mental illness. In 1865, he was again permitted to wear the uniform of his military units. In 1878, in the village of Berdy in Orenburg Province, Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich entered into a morganatic marriage with Nadezhda Alexandrovna von Dreyer, who was later given the surname Iskander. From this marriage were born two sons: Artemii Iskander (who died during the Civil War) and Prince Alexander Iskander (who was granted the title prince in emigration by Emperor Kirill Vladimirovich). Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich was permanently dismissed from service in 1878. In 1881, he was again placed under surveillance in Tashkent. He was noted for his extravagant behavior. He was an avid art collector and he supported projects that improved local irrigation and cotton production in Turkestan. The circumstances of his death remain unknown. According to one source, he died of pneumonia; but according to another, he was arrested and shot by the Bolsheviks. He was buried in the Church of St. George in Tashkent. His grave, however, does not survive.
[4] Pahlavan Mahmoud lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. He was a simple skinner who became a prominent philosopher and poet, who was noted for his benevolence and piety and who remains to this day the devoutly revered patron of the city of Khiva.