On May 11, 2017, on the eve of the 160th anniversary of the birth of the first Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, H.I.H. the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (b. April 29/May 12, 1857), an awards ceremony took place for the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society's two Prizes for significant contributions to the promotion of patriotism, philanthropy, public service, and the general education of young people. The ceremony was held in the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow.
In memory of his significant military and government service, the Prize for the “promotion of patriotism among young people” is named after Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, and recipients of the Prize are given the honourary title “Patriots of Russia.”
In memory of her many acts of public service and charity, the Prize for “selfless service for the advancement of philanthropy, charity and general education of young people” is named after the Holy New Martyr Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna, and the recipients are given the honourary title “Kind Hearts.”
Attending the ceremony in the Hall of Glory of the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War were representatives of several Eparchies of the Russian Orthodox Church, governmental and civic leaders, members of several military and patriotic organizations, a number of well-known historians, community leaders not only from Russia, but also from Greece, Syria, and Armenia, as well as members of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society and students from several cadet corps and public schools.
After a blessing from His Grace Bishop Methodius of Kamensk and Alapaevsk, the ceremony was opened by Iurii Smirnov, Chairman of the Moscow Regional Office of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, which had taken the lead in creating the Prizes. Mr. Smirnov noted in his address that this was the fourth awards ceremony for the Prizes, recognizing the achievements of those who were continuing the good works of the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna. Over the course of these four ceremonies, 113 “Patriots of Russia” had been named, and 98 “Kind Hearts.”
Mr. Smirnov expressed his enormous appreciation for all those who selflessly work and sacrifice for others, and called upon the younger generation to continue the glorious traditions of the older generation, to be worthy successors of the nation’s true heroes, such as Gennady Nikolaevich Zaitsev, the commander of the Special Forces “Group Alpha,” a Hero of the Soviet Union, who is a past recipient of the Prize.
The Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, Sergei Stepashin, said the following in his opening remarks, delivered just before the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Prize was awarded:
“It has become a fine tradition when the warm and celebratory days of May come, to hold this awards ceremony for our deserving countrymen and foreign friends, who have done so much for the spiritual well-being of our society. And it is fitting that this ceremony is held here, in the Hall of Glory, a place each of us considers sacred. It is also fitting that today’s ceremony takes place on the 160th anniversary of the birth of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, who was not only the first Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, but also one of the best governors-general of Russia, despite his young age, and a commander of the Moscow Military District. Thus the day of this awards ceremony, which celebrates patriotism and Orthodoxy and which is one of the most spiritual and moral prizes given out in our country, has not been selected at random.”
Mr. Stepashin expressed his thanks to the administration of the Moscow Regional Branch of the Society for its leadership and for the significant organizational work it performs throughout the year, which facilitates not only the selection of the most deserving nominees, but also attracts the attention of more and more people who love Russia and are deeply concerned for the welfare of their neighbors.
The Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna Prize was presented by Anna Gromova, Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of the Elisabeth and Sergei Educational Society. She warmly and movingly introduced each of the awardees, describing the significant work each had performed for the good of society.
Many of those who received the Prize said that they considered it not an award for past accomplishments, but rather as a kind of incentive that obliges and propels them to continue to serve others and the nation.
After the ceremony, the Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, Sergei Stepashin, gave an interview to the television channel “Soiuz,” in which he discussed the importance of the ceremonies that had just taken place, which are directly connected not only with the names of the first Chairs of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, but also with the 130th anniversary of the Society itself, which will be marked on June 2 in the Christ the Saviour Cathedral.
Among the awardees of the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Prize for 2017 was the Director of the Chancellery of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia, Alexander N. Zakatov.
In his speech thanking the Society for this award, Dr. Zakatov conveyed to all those in attendance the warm greetings of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia, H.I.H. the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, and her son and heir, H.I.H. the Grand Duke George of Russia. The Director of the Chancellery of the House of Romanoff emphasized the importance of the fact that the award ceremony for the Prize, named after the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna, took place in the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. “There is much in Russia before and after the revolution for which we must repent, but there is also much about which we can rightly feel pride, in the best sense of that word,” said Dr. Zakatov. “In this year of the 100th anniversary of the Revolution,” he continued, “it is especially important that we all strive for reconciliation and unity, and that we do not allow new rifts to emerge in our society. Grand Duchess Maria of Russia greatly values the efforts of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society to preserve and restore the best traditions of our centuries-long history, and is very pleased to see that the great people of Russia are preserving the continuity of the spiritual ideals and heroism of our ancestors. A powerful symbol of this effort to preserve and restore our traditions is the tribute of respect for the murdered members of the Imperial House of Russia found on the walls of this museum, which preserves the memory of the defenders of our country during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.”
Awardees of the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Prize:
1. Valery Leonidovich Kolikov, General Director of MRTS (Mezhregiontruboprovodstroy), a leading energy construction company;
2. Salavat Alexandrovich Shcherbakov, Professor, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts;
3. Vasilii Igorevich Nestorenko, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts;
4. The Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, Chief Conductor, Valery Gergiev;
5. Archimandrite Tikhon (Zatekin), Abbot of the Ascension Monastery of the Caves in Nizhnii Novgorod, Vice-Chairman of the Nizhnii Novgorod Regional Office of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society;
6. Irina Vladislavovna Plotnikova, Executive Secretary of the Public Memorial Fund of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich;
7. Hegumen Eumenius (Lagutin), Abbot of the Nikolo-Berliukovsky Monastery, member of the Council of the Moscow Regional Office of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society;
8. The International Association of Veterans of the Anti-Terrorist Special Forces Unit “Alpha,” President, Sergei Alekseevich Goncharov;
9. Public School № 2129, named for the Hero of the Soviet Union P. I. Romanov, Director, Alla Semenovna Plakhova;
10. Ishkhan Serzhiki Zakaryan, Chairman of the Armenian National Office of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society;
11. Simon Pavlovich Panagiotidis, Chairman of the Greek National Office of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society;
12. Mudalal Mtanius Khuri, Founder of the charitable foundation RUSSAR (Rus’ and the Syrian Arab Republic);
13. Veniamin Ivanovich Ufarkin, Senior Administrator for Curriculum at the M. A. Sholokhov Presidential Cadet School for the Forces of the National Guard of the Russian Federation;
14. Archpriest Aleksei Gomonov, Rector of the Church of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers in the village of Alyaukhovo (a mission of the Church of the Dormition of the Most Pure Mother of God in Putinki);
15. Alexander Nikolaevich Zakatov, Director of the Chancellery of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia, H.I.H. the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia;
16. Nadiya Gandur, Vice-President of the Federation of Migrants, Chair of the Orthodox Syrian community in Russia;
17. The Monk Kiprian (Valery Anatolievich Burkov), of the Mission Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the city of Kara-Balta, in the Bishkek and Kyrgyzstan Eparchy, Hero of the Soviet Union;
18. The non-profit sports organization “Vybor,” Director, Sergei Iurievich Soloviev.
Awardees of the Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna Prize:
1. Bishop Methodius (Kondratiev) of Kamensk and Alapaevsk;
2. Natalia Alexandrovna Shevchik, First Vice-Governor of Tyumen Region;
3. Hegumena Nikolaya (Ilyina), Abbess of the St. Nicholas-Chernoostrovsky Convent (Kaluga Region);
4. Vladimir Serafimovich Konev, Director of the Office of Religious Affairs of the Department of Internal Policy of the Perm District;
5. Archpriest Nikolai Strukov, Dean of the Zhukovsky Deanery of the Moscow Eparchy (Moscow Region);
6. Galina Vasilievna Ananina, Co-Chair of the Union of Orthodox Women, Chair of the Women’s Orthodox Patriotic Society;
7. Elena Alexandrovna Aksenova, Director of the interregional community organization “Russian Unity” (Simferopol);
8. Galina Igorevna Kanakhina, Chair of the Council of Municipal Education in the city of Alapaevsk;
9. Ekaterina Alexandrovna Teryukova, Vice-Director for Research of the Museum of the History of Religion (St. Petersburg);
10. Natalia Sergeevna Guden, Chair of the Ulyanovsk Regional Office of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society;
11. Irina Vyacheslavovna Kunshina, Vice-President of the regional community organization “Urals Community” [Ural’skoe zemliachestvo];
12. Vera Alexandrovna Kondrashina, Senior Research Fellow of the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural, and Arts Museum (Moscow District);
13. Emiliya Fedorovna Gamayunova, Executive Secretary of the Academic Advisory Council of the Foundation for Prizes in Memory of Metropolitan Makary (Bulgakov) of Moscow and Kolomenskoe;
14. The Nun Sofia (Koshelenko), superior of the mission church of the Cross of the Cathedral of St. Mitrophan of Voronezh in the city of Perm, provisor [ekonom] of the Perm and Kungur Eparchy;
15. Vladimir Vladimirovich Shelgunov, full member of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, photojournalist;
16. Tatiana Nikolaevna Tanyushkina, Instructor at the M. A. Sholokhov M Presidential Cadet School for the Forces of the National Guard of the Russian Federation.