Church of All Saints, Yekaterinburg

For the Church on Blood in St. Petersburg, see Church of the Saviour on Blood.

Church on Blood in Honor of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land in Yekaterinburg.

The Church on Blood in Honour of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land (Russian: Храм-на-Крови́ во и́мя Всех святы́х, в земле́ Росси́йской просия́вших) is a Russian Orthodox church in Yekaterinburg built in 2000-2003 on the site where the former Emperor Nicholas II of Russia and several members of his family and household were executed by the Bolsheviks following the October Revolution during the Russian Civil War. The church commemorates the Romanov sainthood.

Romanov execution

Main article: Romanov sainthood

After the February Revolution, the former Tsar Nicholas II and his family were taken captive and held as prisoners during the Russian Civil War.^[1] Nicholas and his family were at first kept at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoe Selo outside St. Petersburg. Alexander Kerensky, leader of the provisional government feared for their safety and moved them to the former Governor's mansion in Tobolsk. Later they were transferred to the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg. Fears of an attempt to liberate them grew. The Bolshevik leaders decided to execute the former imperial family.^[1] In the early hours of July 17, 1918, the former imperial family, Nicholas Alexandrovich, Alexandra Feodorovna, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexei were taken to the cellar of the Ipatiev House and executed.^[2]

Ipatiev House

Main article: Ipatiev House

The Ipatiev House, built in the 1880s, was a spacious and modern home owned by a man named Nicholas Ipatiev.^[3] The Ural Soviet gave him two days' notice to leave; after Ipatiev's departure, the Soviet built high walls around the house.^[3] On April 30, the Romanov family were moved into what became their final residence, where they lived for 78 days. In 1974, the mansion was designated a "national monument"; but three years later, on September 22, 1977, the Soviet government demolished the house, probably to prevent its attracting crowds of foreign visitors.

The church

Yekaterinburg's "Church on the Blood," built on the spot where the last Tsar and his family were executed.

On September 20, 1990, the Sverdlovsk Soviet handed the plot to the Russian Orthodox Church for construction of a memorial chapel. After the former Tsar's canonisation, the Church planned to build an impressive memorial complex dedicated to the Romanov family.^[4] A state commission was gathered and architectural as well as funding plans were developed. Construction began in 2000.

The completed complex comprises two churches, a belfry, a patriarchal annex, and a museum dedicated to the former imperial family.^[4] It covers a total of 29,700 square feet (2,760 m²). The main church was consecrated by patriarchs from all over Russia on June 16, 2003, 85 years after the execution of the former imperial family.^[4]

See also

• Ganina Yama

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Execution of Tsar Nicholas II - The First World War - July 1918
2. ^ The Execution of Tsar Nicholas II, 1918
3. ^ ^{a b} Ipatiev House - Romanov Memorial - Outside Tour
4. ^ ^{a b c} Byzantine Catholic Culture - The Church On The Blood Ekaterinburg

Coordinates: 56°50′40″N 60°36′35″E / 56.84444°N 60.60972°E / 56.84444; 60.60972