#grandduchess

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Every summer prior to the war, the Romanov family boarded their imperial yacht “The Standart” and headed for a holiday on the Finnish skerries. The time they spent in Finland was always one of their fondest memories.From Grand Duchess Olga’s 1913 diary:“We walked through the woods for ¼ an hour and finally came to the picnic site. [They] set up a stage there, and a few people from ‘The Polar Star’ performed 2 plays. Very funny. We all sat on the rocks. After that there was dancing, first to an accordion, then musicians played. Lots of Finns came over from the villages with little children. The crew had a lot fun and danced a lot. The crew had a lot fun and danced a lot. [We] went to dinner at 9 o’cl. Sat at the table until 11 o’cl. because by the end of dinner the singers came out, and they sang and danced and every other thing one can imagine. Artemiev and T.[atiana] Yevg.[enievna] were really making everyone laugh on stage. They told funny stories on stage and mimicked sailors from different countries, danced folk dances in different [ways], the way they dance them in various provinces. Then we returned to the old spot and danced again. We danced with the officers. Then Allaverdov, etc. Datzoev danced the ‘lezginka’ very well and did not even get tired. When he finished, Artemiev started mimicking him – [it was] unbelievably funny. The last dance was the polonaise to the ‘Old Ranger’ march. I danced with Pavl. Al. [We] returned to the yacht at 12 o’cl 35 min. Mama was already in bed. It was so nice and fun.”

Today we celebrate the memory of the Holy Royal New Martyr, Elizabeth the Grand Duchess of Russia, the Nun Barbara and those with them. Saint Elizabeth was the grand daughter of Queen Victoria. She was also the older sister of Tsarina Alexandra (Alice) of Russia. Marrying the Grand Duke Sergius of Russia, the then Elizabeth converted to Orthodoxy, not because of her marriage, but rather of her profound interest in the faith. When her husband was assassinated in 1905, Saint Elizabeth went to the prison of her husband's murderer and preached repentance to him. Such was the gentleness and humility of her soul. She sold her mansion and bought a small property to live in. Here the Saint looked after the poor and infirm with all her heart. She then founded the Martha and Mary convent where many nuns came to live with her. The Communist rule forced Saint Elizabeth to leave her monastery with one of her her nuns, Barbara, with whom she went to Ekaterinburg. At the end of May 1918, Saint Elizabeth was taken house arrest and moved to nearby Alopaevsk with the Grand Dukes Sergius, John, and Constantine, and the young Count Vladimir Paley. They were all housed in a schoolhouse on the edge of town. St Elizabeth was under guard, but was permitted to go to church and work in the garden. On the night of July 5 1918, they were all taken to a place twelve miles from Alopaevsk, and executed. The Grand Duke Sergius was shot, but the others were thrown down a mineshaft, then grenades were tossed after them. St Elizabeth lived for several hours, and could be heard singing hymns. It is said that the last act of Elizabeth while alive in the mineshaft was tearing part of her nun's habit and wrapping her fellow martyr's wounds with the material. The bodies of Saints Elizabeth and Barbara (which were found incorrupt) were taken to Jerusalem in 1920, and buried in the church of St Mary Magdalene which the Grand Duchess herself revered greatly. May the new martyrs intercede for us always + #saint #saints #martyr #martyrs #newmartyr #newmartyrs #elizabeth #barbara #grandduchess #grandduchesselizabethfeodorovna #communist #grandduke #russia #moscow #nun #love #orthodox #saintoftheday (at Alapayevsk) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgIMP0svVgZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Women of Romanov Dynasty by Nicholas Panagiotti Zarokilli. 1920-1922. 

Princess Adelaide Marie of Anhalt-Dessau, future Grand Duchess of Luxembourg as a child