Prayers to the Venerable Martyrs Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Nun Varvara

Historical reference

The icon of Elizabeth exists in different variations and iconographic designs. This is no coincidence, since the story of the most reverend disciple of Christ, which is what those who gave their lives for Him are called, is unusual.

1. Before her marriage, Louise-Alice was Princess of Darmstadt.
2. The granddaughter of the famous Queen Victoria of England and the younger sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who also suffered martyrdom.
3. She married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich in 1884, while still a Lutheran, and consciously converted to Orthodoxy in 1891.
4. She had a rather harsh attitude towards those who commit terrorist acts, but she forgave her husband’s murderer and, having sold her personal jewelry, bought an estate on Bolshaya Ordynka, where the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent was located in 1909.

Read about other Orthodox monasteries:

• Luzhetsky Monastery in Mozhaisk
• Dalmatovsky Monastery, Kurgan Region
• Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai

On a note! This was an unusual monastic community for Orthodoxy; those who entered it did not take monastic vows, and Elizaveta Fedorovna herself never accepted them. But each of the sisters was obliged to care for the sick, the orphaned and the poor. Thus, the social and charitable function of this monastery was strictly fulfilled.

With the outbreak of the First World War, the monastery provided assistance to both the wounded and prisoners of war, which gave reason to suspect Elizaveta Feodorovna of sympathizing with the Germans. With the Bolsheviks coming to power in May 1918, she was arrested and first transported to Yekaterinburg, and then to Alapaevsk, where she, along with other representatives of the Romanov family and her personal maid, nun Varvara, were thrown into a mine.

There they died a slow, painful death. After the liberation of Alapaevsk by the White Army, the body of Elizabeth Feodorovna was transferred to Jerusalem and buried in the Holy Land, as she wished.

Description of the Holy Face

The Reverend Martyr Elizabeth and the Martyr Varvara, who accompanied the Grand Duchess in her last ordeals, were glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992. From this time on, iconographic images of Elizabeth Feodorovna began to appear.

The external distinctive features of these icons are as follows:

• as a rule, the Grand Duchess is depicted as an apostle;
• with a cross in his right hand and the Marfo-Mary monastery in his left;
• There are versions of the icon where Elizaveta Feodorovna and the nun Varvara hold the Mariinsky Convent in their hands.

In any such images, the Grand Duchess is very recognizable, as she is covered with a white apostle and has a martyr’s cross on her chest. During their lifetime, the couple made a vow not to have carnal relations and for almost ten years of marriage they kept it.

What does the icon help with and how does it protect?

Of all the Russian new martyrs glorified today, Elizaveta Feodorovna is the most revered, and her image is the most recognizable. Therefore, it is not surprising that they often turn to her in prayer before her image and ask for her help and intercession before God and ask her to help:

• in difficult childbirth;
• in the birth of premature babies and their further care;
• in the healing of cancer patients, mainly female diseases: breast cancer, uterine cancer, etc.;
• For those who endure suffering, pain and torment, turning to the venerable martyr will be very useful.

And in general, like every Orthodox saint who stands very close to the throne of the Heavenly King, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna can provide great help.

Troparion, voice 1*

Audio:

By humility you hid your princely dignity, / the godly Elisaveto, / through the deep service of Martha and Mary, / you honored Christ. / By mercy, patience and love, you chose to honor yourself, / like a sacrifice you have offered yourself to God as a righteous woman./ We, who honor your virtuous life and suffering,/ as We earnestly ask you to be a true mentor:/ Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth, // pray to Christ God to save and enlighten our souls.

Translation: In humility, having hidden your princely dignity, God-wise Elizabeth, you honored Christ with the special service of Martha and Mary. You have purified yourself with mercy, patience and love, and offered yourself to God as a righteous sacrifice. We, honoring your virtuous life and your torment, as a true mentor, earnestly ask you: “Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth, pray to Christ God for the salvation and enlightenment of our souls.”

How to pray and in which churches there is an icon

The Russian Church, glorifying Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, composed an akathist and troparion for her and made appropriate amendments to the liturgical calendar on the days of her remembrance. A simple layman can read an akathist to the saint every day, prayerfully remembering her personally.

Advice! You can order a prayer service for the Grand Duchess, even with the reading of an akathist, which the clergy of the temple will have to perform.

Indeed, Elizaveta Feodorovna, one of the most revered Russian saints who suffered martyrdom during the time of persecution, her image is in many Orthodox homes.

There is an icon of the saint in many churches in Russia. If you take each specific city or even a small settlement, you can find the image of a saint in many of them. This shows how revered this image is. And most importantly, how this image inspired many others to heroic deeds and repeat the path of the saint.

Prayer 1**

Oh, Grand Duchess, Holy Martyr Elisabeth, Russian praise, glorious adornment of the city of Moscow and sacred heritage of the Holy Land! In the days of your life, you acquired faith, hope, and love without falsehood; you shone brightly with mercy toward the afflicted. Having shown the image of humility to your neighbors with patience through sorrows and temptations, you crowned your life with exile and suffering, and you now remain in the Kingdom of Heaven. For this reason, we pray to you, holy passion-bearer, through your prayers grant us a humble and repentant heart, unfailing mercy, sacrificial service to others, unshakable patience, courage in sorrow and undiminished circumstances, but in the terrible hour of death, firm trust in our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom all befits glory, honor and worship with His Beginning Father, and His Most Holy, Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Saint Elizabeth Romanova: 9 main facts about the Grand Duchess’s charity

The Holy Martyr Elizaveta Feodorovna (July 18) was a reformer of merciful service in Russia. What new types of social service did she introduce?

The activities of the Venerable Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, who converted to Orthodoxy and founded the Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy in Moscow, were varied. She was always distinguished by her personal involvement.

Life prmts. Elizabeth was not divided into “just life” and “good deeds.”

She personally visited Khitrovka - the “bottom” of Moscow, where the poor and the “criminal element” lived and where even men were afraid to enter. She personally assisted in operations that were carried out at the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent hospital.

After the execution, when Grand Duchess Elizabeth, wounded, was thrown into a mine, she, having received fractures and a head injury, bandaged the wounds of other victims and consoled them.

For all her active involvement in affairs, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna maintained a prayerful attitude. Not all monasteries of that time practiced the Jesus Prayer. Saint Elizabeth was its “doer” and even - at least one letter has survived - she advised her relatives to pray this prayer.

She wrote the charter of a fundamentally new monastery of mercy. The Venerable Martyr Elizaveta Fedorovna treated Russian Orthodox monastic traditions with great respect.

But in the monastery, she, first of all, saw a departure from the world, from an active life for the sake of prayer.

In a big city, such as the second capital of the Russian Empire, Moscow, according to the leader. book Elizaveta Feodorovna, they needed a monastery that would respond to the most diverse needs of people, where a person could be helped in word and deed. And where anyone in need could come, regardless of religion or nationality.

Therefore, she began to create new sister institutes. Both sisters who had taken vows of obedience, virginity and non-covetousness for the duration of their service in the monastery, as well as sisters who had taken or were preparing for monastic vows, could live in the Martha and Mary Convent.

Letters from the Venerable Martyr Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna

In 1995, our sister publishing house published our first book - “Materials for the Life of the Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth. Letters, diaries, memories, documents.” It published several letters from the Grand Duchess to Nicholas II - English originals and translations with commentaries. In this edition, the epistolary legacy of the Grand Duchess is presented most fully: these are letters to Empress Maria Feodorovna, Emperor Nicholas II, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, Grand Dukes Sergei and Pavel Alexandrovich, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova and Prince Felix Feliksovich Yusupov Jr. Many of them are published for the first time, and all previously known ones have been translated anew.

It is important to note that the new edition, in spirit and objectives, continues “Materials for the Life of ...”: we did not set out to publish some kind of definitive compendium with exhaustive comments, but when selecting documents, we first of all sought to most fully reveal the image of the venerable martyr.

In her correspondence with congenial people, Elizaveta Feodorovna appears as a loving wife, relative and friend, a zealous loyal subject and benefactor, Grand Duchess and abbess of the Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy. Her path to holiness is gradually revealed to the reader - “a road full of light, which the Lord showed me after the death of Serge and which dawned in my soul many, many years ago,” as she wrote to Nicholas II.

As a biographical sketch, readers are offered the memoirs of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna's friend and colleague, Countess Alexandra Andreevna Olsufeva, fully translated into Russian for the first time.

The publication includes personalities - short biographical information about individuals who form the historical context of the era.

Unlike the English and French originals, which are usually written in continuous text, without paragraphs, and sometimes without punctuation marks, in the Russian text, in accordance with the interpretation of the translation, a semantic breakdown is made into phrases and paragraphs, and the author’s underlining is removed.

Abbreviations are indicated in angle brackets, omissions are noted, and editorial notes are given. References to sources are placed in square brackets. Dates relating to events in Russia are given according to the old style, for foreign dynasties and events outside Russia - according to the old/new style.

We thank S.K. for his help in publishing this book. Arutyunov, N.K. Zverev, M.G. Kozhevnikov, O.V. Krushinskaya, V.A. Levushkina, I.A. Mayakov, A.A. Mukhametova, A.B. Pankratova, B.V. Pankratov, monk Onufriy (Porechny), O.N. Pochatkin.

Compiled by: T.V. Korshunova, E.N. Ponkratova, O.S. Trofimova.

Approved for distribution by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Content:

From the publishers Countess Alexandra Olsufieva Her Imperial Highness Russian Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna LETTERS TO EMPRESS MARIA FEODOROVNA LETTERS TO EMPEROR NICHOLAS II LETTERS TO GRAND DUCHESS OLGA NIKOLAEVNA LETTERS TO GRAND DUCE SERGEY ALEXA NDROVICH LETTERS TO GRAND DUKE PAVL ALEXANDROVICH LETTERS TO PRINCESS ZINAIDA NIKOLAEVNA YUSUPOVA LETTERS TO THE PRINCE FELIX FELIXOVICH YUSUPOV, JR. Personalities Bibliography

Icon of Saint Elizabeth

This icon still reminds us of the tragic life of the Holy Martyr Elizabeth Feodorovna. The martyr's cross in the right hand of the Saint and the Cathedral of the Marfo-Mariinsky monastery - this is how the icon of Elizabeth Feodorovna is depicted.

• February 5 – Cathedral of Kostroma Saints
• February 11 – Cathedral of Ekaterinburg Saints
• July 18
• October 11 – Finding of relics

Like the Catholic Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, who founded the Eisenach Hospital for the Poor, she became famous for following the ideals of the Church of Christ.

History of Saint Elizabeth Feodorovna

Saint Elizabeth Feodorovna was born in Darmstadt, Germany on October 20 (now November 1), 1864. She became the second child in the family of Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse-Darmstadt and the daughter of Queen Victoria of England, Princess Alice. Thanks to the traditions of old England, children were brought up in strictness - they wore simple clothes and ate ordinary food. Their mother raised them on the basis of Christian precepts and put compassion and love for their neighbors into their hearts. That is why, from childhood, Elizabeth was distinguished by her religiosity and paid her respect to her distant relative, Elizabeth of Thuringia.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth's family lost a child - in 1873, her three-year-old brother, Friedrich, left them. And in 1876, diphtheria took away one of Elizabeth’s sisters, and then her mother Alice. Then Saint Elizabeth became a support to her father and surviving brother and sisters.

At the age of 20, Elizabeth married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. They both lived in a spiritual marriage, as they both took a secret vow to remain virgins for life.

The husband was a very religious person, and the princess supported him in this. Being a Protestant, Elizabeth firmly decided to convert to Orthodoxy, and sent a telegram to her father with the hope of his blessing. However, the father sent his daughter a letter back with lines about pain and suffering about her thoughts. Despite her father’s refusal, Elizabeth, showing courage, secretly converted to Orthodoxy.

On April 13 (25), on Lazarus Saturday, the sacrament of confirmation of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna was performed, leaving her former name, but in honor of the holy righteous Elizabeth - the mother of St. John the Baptist

During the Russo-Japanese War, Elizaveta Fedorovna organized assistance to the front.

In 1905, having buried her husband from a terrorist bomb, the Saint visited her husband’s killer in prison, where she forgave him. The Gospel is what Righteous Elizabeth left behind. The icon and image of which are reflected in the center next to the Royal Passion-Bearers.

Soon, Elizabeth, having collected her jewels, used them to create the monastery of mercy. And in 1909 she herself was dressed in monastic robes. Elizabeth and her sisters raised many adopted children in their monastery.

After the First World War and the 1917 Revolution, the entire royal family was arrested and soon thrown into an iron mine shaft. Local peasants heard the singing of prayers coming from the mine for several days. Her body, untouched by decay, was transferred to the Church of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem several years later.

The Russian Orthodox Church canonized Saint Elizabeth and Sister Barbara in 1992, and the royal martyrs in 2000.

Symbol of faith

Elizaveta Feodorovna (at birth Elisabeth Alexandra Luise Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, German Elisabeth Alexandra Luise Alice von Hessen-Darmstadt und bei Rhein, her family name was Ella, officially in Russia - Elisaveta Feodorovna; November 1, 1864, Darmstadt - July 18, 1918, Perm Governorate) - Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt; in marriage (to the Russian Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich) the Grand Duchess of the reigning house of Romanov. Founder of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent in Moscow. Honorary member of the Imperial Kazan Theological Academy (the title was Supremely approved on June 6, 1913).

She was canonized as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992.

Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse with his daughters Ella (right) and Alix (left). 1881

She was called the most beautiful princess in Europe - the second daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt Ludwig IV and Princess Alice, whose mother was Queen Victoria of England. The august poet Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov dedicated the following poem to the beautiful German princess:

I look at you, admiring you every hour: You are so inexpressibly beautiful! Oh, that’s right, underneath such a beautiful exterior there’s an equally beautiful soul! Some kind of meekness and hidden sadness lurks in your eyes; Like an angel you are quiet, pure and perfect; Like a woman, shy and tender. May nothing on earth, amid the evils and much sorrow of Yours, sully your purity. And everyone, seeing you, will glorify God, who created such beauty!

However, Elizabeth's real life was very far from our ideas of how princesses live. Brought up in strict English traditions, the girl was accustomed to work from childhood; she and her sister did housework, and clothing and food were simple. In addition, from a very early age, the children in this family were involved in charity work: together with their mother, they visited hospitals, shelters, and homes for the disabled, trying to the best of their ability, if not to alleviate, at least to brighten up the stay of those suffering in them. Elizabeth’s life example was her relative, the German saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, after whom this sad and beautiful girl was named.

The biography of this amazing woman, who made her life’s journey during the Crusades, is surprising to us in many ways. At the age of four, she was married to her future husband, Landgrave Ludwig IV of Thuringia, who was not much older than her. In 1222, at the age of 15, she gave birth to her first child, and in 1227 she was widowed. And she was only 20 years old and had three children in her arms. Elizabeth took a monastic vow and retired to Marburg, where she devoted herself to serving God and people. On her initiative, a hospital for the poor was built here, where Elizabeth worked selflessly, personally caring for patients. Backbreaking work and grueling asceticism quickly undermined the strength of the young, fragile woman. At the age of 24 she died. Elizabeth lived in a world where brute force and class prejudices reigned. Her activities seemed absurd and harmful to many, but she was not afraid of ridicule and anger, was not afraid of being different from others and acting contrary to established views. She perceived each person, first of all, as the image and likeness of God, and therefore caring for him acquired a higher, sacred meaning for her. How consonant is this with the life and work of her holy successor, who became the Orthodox Martyr Elizabeth!

Second daughter of Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse-Darmstadt and Princess Alice, granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England. Her younger sister Alice later became Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in November 1894, marrying Russian Emperor Nicholas II.

From childhood she was religiously inclined and participated in charity work with her mother, Grand Duchess Alice, who died in 1878. The image of Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, after whom Ella was named, played a large role in the spiritual life of the family: this saint, the ancestor of the Dukes of Hesse, became famous for her deeds of mercy.

Living in solitude, the German princess apparently had no desire to get married. In any case, all applicants for the hand and heart of the beautiful Elizabeth were refused. That was until she met Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov, the fifth son of Emperor Alexander II, brother of Emperor Alexander III. At the age of twenty, Elizabeth became the bride of the Grand Duke, and then his wife.

On June 3 (15), 1884, in the Court Cathedral of the Winter Palace, she married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, brother of the Russian Emperor Alexander III, as announced by the Highest Manifesto. The Orthodox wedding was performed by the court protopresbyter John Yanyshev; the crowns were held by Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse, Grand Dukes Alexei and Pavel Alexandrovich, Dmitry Konstantinovich, Peter Nikolaevich, Mikhail and Georgy Mikhailovich; then, in the Alexander Hall, the pastor of St. Anne’s Church also performed a service according to the Lutheran rite.

The couple settled in the Beloselsky-Belozersky palace purchased by Sergei Alexandrovich (the palace became known as Sergievsky), spending their honeymoon on the Ilyinskoye estate near Moscow, where they also lived subsequently. At her insistence, a hospital was established in Ilyinsky, and fairs were periodically held in favor of the peasants.

She mastered the Russian language perfectly and spoke it with almost no accent. While still professing Protestantism, she attended Orthodox services. In 1888, together with her husband, she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In 1891, she converted to Orthodoxy, writing before this to her father: “I thought and read and prayed to God all the time to show me the right path - and came to the conclusion that only in this religion can I find a real and strong faith in God, which a person must have to be a good Christian."

Thus began the “Russian” era of the German princess’s life. A woman’s homeland is where her family is, says a popular proverb. Elizabeth tried to learn the language and traditions of Russia as best as possible. And soon she mastered them perfectly. She, as a Grand Duchess, did not have to convert to Orthodoxy. However, Sergei Alexandrovich was a sincere believer. He regularly attended church, often confessed and partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, observed fasts and tried to live in harmony with God. At the same time, he did not put any pressure on his wife, who remained a devout Protestant. The example of her husband influenced Elizabeth’s spiritual life so much that she decided to convert to Orthodoxy, despite the protest of her father and family who remained in Darmstadt. Attending all services with her beloved husband, she had long since become Orthodox in her soul. After the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Grand Duchess was left with her former name, but in honor of the holy righteous Elizabeth - the mother of the holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John. Only one letter has changed. And all life. Emperor Alexander III blessed his daughter-in-law with the precious icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, with which Elisaveta Feodorovna did not part with her entire life and accepted a martyr’s death with it on her chest.

It is characteristic that while visiting the Holy Land in 1888, examining the Church of St. Mary Magdalene Equal-to-the-Apostles on the Mount of Olives, the Grand Duchess said: “How I would like to be buried here.” She did not know then that she had uttered a prophecy that was destined to be fulfilled.

As the wife of the Moscow governor-general (Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was appointed to this post in 1891), she organized the Elizabethan Charitable Society in 1892, established in order to “look after the legitimate babies of the poorest mothers, hitherto placed, although without any right, in the Moscow Educational house, under the guise of illegal.” The activities of the society first took place in Moscow, and then spread to the entire Moscow province. Elizabethan committees were formed at all Moscow church parishes and in all district cities of the Moscow province. In addition, Elizaveta Fedorovna headed the Ladies' Committee of the Red Cross, and after the death of her husband, she was appointed chairman of the Moscow Office of the Red Cross.

Elizaveta Fedorovna and Sergei Alexandrovich

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna 1892 - 1896

As you know, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was the Moscow governor-general. This was the time of spiritual growth for the Grand Duchess. The residents of Moscow appreciated her mercy. Elisaveta Feodorovna visited hospitals for the poor, almshouses, and shelters for street children. And everywhere she tried to alleviate the suffering of people: she distributed food, clothing, money, and improved the living conditions of the unfortunate. But the Grand Duchess’s talents for mercy were especially evident during the Russo-Japanese and First World Wars. Help for the front, the wounded and disabled, as well as their wives, children and widows was organized in an unprecedented way.

Elizaveta Fedorovna and Sergei Alexandrovich

With the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, Elizaveta Fedorovna organized the Special Committee for Assistance to Soldiers, under which a donation warehouse was created in the Grand Kremlin Palace for the benefit of soldiers: bandages were prepared there, clothes were sewn, parcels were collected, and camp churches were formed.

In the recently published letters of Elizabeth Feodorovna to Nicholas II, the Grand Duchess appears as a supporter of the most stringent and decisive measures against any freethinking in general and revolutionary terrorism in particular. “Is it really impossible to judge these animals in a field court?” - she asked the emperor in a letter written in 1902, shortly after the murder of Sipyagin, and she herself answered the question: “Everything must be done to prevent them from becoming heroes ... to kill in them the desire to risk their lives and commit such crimes (I think it would be better if he paid with his life and thus disappeared!). But who he is and what he is, let no one know... and there is no need to feel sorry for those who themselves do not feel sorry for anyone.”

Elizaveta Fedorovna and Sergei Alexandrovich in national Russian costumes for a costume ball in the Winter Palace

However, the country was overwhelmed by terrorist attacks, rallies, and strikes. The state and social order was falling apart, a revolution was approaching. Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich believed that it was necessary to take tougher measures against the revolutionaries, and reported this to the Emperor, saying that given the current situation he could no longer hold the position of Governor-General of Moscow. The Emperor accepted the resignation. Nevertheless, the fighting organization of the Social Revolutionaries sentenced Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich to death. Its agents watched him, waiting for an opportunity to carry out their plan. Elizaveta Fedorovna knew that her husband was in mortal danger. She received anonymous letters warning her not to accompany her husband if she did not want to share his fate. The Grand Duchess especially tried not to leave him alone and, if possible, accompanied her husband everywhere. On February 18, 1905, Sergei Alexandrovich was killed by a bomb thrown by terrorist Ivan Kalyaev. When Elizaveta Feodorovna arrived at the scene of the explosion, a crowd had already gathered there. And with her own hands she collected the pieces of her husband’s body scattered by the explosion onto a stretcher. Then, after the first funeral service, I changed into all black. On the third day after the death of her husband, Elizaveta Fedorovna went to the prison where the murderer was kept. The Grand Duchess brought him forgiveness from Sergei Alexandrovich and asked Kalyaev to repent. She held the Gospel in her hands and asked to read it, but he refused both it and repentance. Nevertheless, Elizaveta Fedorovna left the Gospel and a small icon in the cell, hoping for a miracle that did not happen. After this, the Grand Duchess asked Emperor Nicholas II to pardon Kalyaev, but this request was rejected. At the site of her husband’s murder, Elizaveta Feodorovna erected a monument - a cross made according to the design of the artist Vasnetsov with the words of the Savior spoken by Him on the Cross: “Father, let them go, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). These words became the last in her life - on July 18, 1918, when agents of the new godless government threw the Grand Duchess alive into the Alapaevsk mine. But until this day there were still several years left, filled with the ascetic work of the sister of the cross of mercy Elizabeth in the Marfo-Mariinsky monastery founded by the Grand Duchess. Without becoming a nun in the proper sense of the word, she was not afraid to be different from others, like her German ancestor, devoting herself entirely to serving people and God...

Elizaveta Fedorovna in mourning after the death of her husband

Soon after the death of her husband, she sold her jewelry (giving to the treasury that part of it that belonged to the Romanov dynasty), and with the proceeds she bought an estate on Bolshaya Ordynka with four houses and a vast garden, where the Marfo-Mariinskaya Convent of Mercy, founded by her in 1909, is located (this was not a monastery in the exact sense of the word, the charter of the monastery allowed the sisters to leave it under certain conditions, the sisters of the monastery were engaged in charitable and medical work).

Elizaveta Fedorovna in the clothes of a sister of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent

She was a supporter of the revival of the rank of deaconesses - ministers of the church of the first centuries, who in the first centuries of Christianity were appointed through ordination, participated in the celebration of the Liturgy, approximately in the role in which subdeacons now serve, were engaged in catechesis of women, helped with the baptism of women, and served the sick. She received the support of the majority of members of the Holy Synod on the issue of conferring this title on the sisters of the monastery, however, in accordance with the opinion of Nicholas II, the decision was never made.

When creating the monastery, both Russian Orthodox and European experience were used. The sisters who lived in the monastery took vows of chastity, non-covetousness and obedience, however, unlike the nuns, after a certain period of time they could leave the monastery, start a family and be free from the previously given vows. The sisters received serious psychological, methodological, spiritual and medical training at the monastery. The best doctors in Moscow gave lectures to them, conversations with them were conducted by the confessor of the monastery, Fr. Mitrofan of Srebryansky (later Archimandrite Sergius; canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church) and the second priest of the monastery, Fr. Evgeny Sinadsky.

According to Elizaveta Fedorovna’s plan, the monastery was supposed to provide comprehensive, spiritual, educational and medical assistance to those in need, who were often not just given food and clothing, but helped in finding employment and placed in hospitals. Often the sisters persuaded families who could not give their children a normal upbringing (for example, professional beggars, drunkards, etc.) to send their children to an orphanage, where they were given an education, good care and a profession.

A hospital, an excellent outpatient clinic, a pharmacy where some medications were provided free of charge, a shelter, a free canteen and many other institutions were created in the monastery. Educational lectures and conversations, meetings of the Palestine Society, Geographical Society, spiritual readings and other events were held in the Intercession Church of the monastery.

Having settled in the monastery, Elizaveta Fedorovna led an ascetic life: at night caring for the seriously ill or reading the Psalter over the dead, and during the day she worked, along with her sisters, bypassing the poorest neighborhoods, she herself visited the Khitrov market - the most crime-prone place in Moscow at that time, rescuing young children from there. There she was highly respected for the dignity with which she carried herself and her complete lack of superiority over the inhabitants of the slums.

She maintained relations with a number of famous elders of that time: Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel (Zyryanov) (Eleazar Hermitage), Schema-Abbot Herman (Gomzin) and Hieroschemamonk Alexy (Solovyov) (Elders of Zosimova Hermitage). Elizaveta Fedorovna did not take monastic vows.

During the First World War, she actively took care of helping the Russian army, including wounded soldiers. At the same time, she tried to help prisoners of war, with whom the hospitals were overcrowded and, as a result, was accused of collaborating with the Germans. She had a sharply negative attitude towards Grigory Rasputin, although she had never met him. The murder of Rasputin was regarded as a “patriotic act.”

Elizaveta Fedorovna was an honorary member of the Berlin Orthodox Holy Prince Vladimir Brotherhood. In 1910, she, together with Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, took under her protection the fraternal church in Bad Nauheim (Germany).

Glazunova V.I. Great Martyr Elizaveta Feodorovna. Graduate work. 1997

She refused to leave Russia after the Bolsheviks came to power. In the spring of 1918, she was taken into custody and deported from Moscow to Perm. In May 1918, she, along with other representatives of the Romanov house, was transported to Yekaterinburg and placed in the Atamanov Rooms hotel (currently the building houses the FSB and the Main Internal Affairs Directorate for the Sverdlovsk Region, the current address is the intersection of Lenin and Vainer streets), and then, two months later, they were sent to the city of Alapaevsk. She did not lose her presence of mind, and in letters she instructed the remaining sisters, bequeathing them to maintain love for God and their neighbors. With her was a sister from the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent, Varvara Yakovleva. In Alapaevsk, Elizaveta Fedorovna was imprisoned in the building of the Floor School. To this day, an apple tree grows near this school, according to legend, planted by the Grand Duchess (12 trips to the Middle Urals, 2008).

On the night of July 5 (18), 1918, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna was killed by the Bolsheviks: she was thrown into the Novaya Selimskaya mine, 18 km from Alapaevsk. The following died with her:

Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich; Prince John Konstantinovich; Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich (junior); Prince Igor Konstantinovich; Prince Vladimir Pavlovich Paley; Fyodor Semyonovich Remez, manager of the affairs of Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich; sister of the Marfo-Mariinsky monastery Varvara (Yakovleva).

All of them, except for the shot Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, were thrown into the mine alive. When the bodies were recovered from the mine, it was discovered that some of the victims lived on after the fall, dying of hunger and wounds. At the same time, the wound of Prince John, who fell on the ledge of the mine near the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, was bandaged with part of her apostle. The surrounding peasants said that for several days the singing of prayers could be heard from the mine.

On October 31, 1918, the White Army occupied Alapaevsk. The remains of the dead were removed from the mine, placed in coffins and placed for funeral services in the city cemetery church. However, with the advance of the Red Army, the bodies were transported further to the East several times. In April 1920, they were met in Beijing by the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, Archbishop Innokenty (Figurovsky). From there, two coffins - Grand Duchess Elizabeth and sister Varvara - were transported to Shanghai and then by steamship to Port Said. Finally the coffins arrived in Jerusalem. The burial in January 1921 under the Church of Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene in Gethsemane was performed by Patriarch Damian of Jerusalem.

Thus, the desire of Grand Duchess Elizabeth herself to be buried in the Holy Land, expressed by her during a pilgrimage in 1888, was fulfilled.

Russian Church of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem and the shrine with the relics of the Martyr Elizabeth

In 1992, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Grand Duchess Elizabeth and sister Varvara and included them in the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia (previously, in 1981, they were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia).

In 2004-2005, the relics of the new martyrs were in Russia, the CIS and Baltic countries, where more than 7 million people venerated them. According to Patriarch Alexy II, “long lines of believers to the relics of the holy new martyrs are another symbol of Russia’s repentance for the sins of hard times, the country’s return to its original historical path.” The relics were then returned to Jerusalem.

The monument to this merciful and virtuous woman was erected more than 70 years after her martyrdom. Elizaveta Feodorovna, being a member of the imperial family, was distinguished by rare piety and mercy. And after the death of her husband, who died as a result of a terrorist attack by the Social Revolutionaries, she completely devoted herself to serving God and helping the suffering. The sculpture depicted the princess in monastic clothing. Opened in August 1990 in the courtyard of the Marfo-Mariinsky monastery. Sculptor V. M. Klykov.

Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna. Sculpture. Westminster Abbey, London

Literature

Materials for the life of the Venerable Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth. Letters, diaries, memories, documents. M., 1995. GARF. F. 601. Op.1. L. 145-148 vol. Mayerova V. Elizaveta Fedorovna: Biography. M.: Publishing house. “Zakharov”, 2001. ISBN 5-8159-0185-7 Maksimova L. B. Elisaveta Feodorovna // Orthodox Encyclopedia. Volume XVIII. - M.: Church-scientific, 2009. - P. 389-399. — 752 p. — 39,000 copies. — ISBN 978-5-89572-032-5 Miller, L.P. Holy Russian martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. M.: “Capital”, 1994. ISBN 5-7055-1155-8 Kuchmaeva I.K. Life and feat of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. M.: ANO IC "Moskvovedenie", OJSC "Moscow Textbooks", 2004. ISBN 5-7853-0376-0 Rychkov A.V. 12 travels in the Middle Urals. - Malysh and Carlson, 2008. - 50 p. — 5000 copies. — ISBN 978-5-9900756-1-0 Rychkov A. Holy Venerable Martyr Elizabeth Feodorovna. - Publishing house "MiK", 2007.

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Prayer to the Martyr and Celebration

The patroness of the Sisters of Charity department at the Nizhny Novgorod Medical Institute is Elisaveta. The Icon of the Great Saint provides gracious assistance to all believers in need.

The Great Saint is addressed with the following words:

Oh, holy venerable martyr Elizabeth, chosen from the line of the sovereign beauty of the Russian Church, who served well with her abundant love for God and mercy for her neighbors, who laid down her soul for faith in Christ our Lord, adorned with the crown of the glory of Christ and honored to be the bride of Christ!

You shone like a God-bearing star in the lands of Russia, the holy martyr Elizabeth, when you counted wealth and glory as dust, you gave up your life in the hand of God, so that you served Him with fasting and prayer, and you showed love and great mercy to the suffering.

Filled with grace, your venerable relics appeared, the holy venerable martyr Elizabeth, who wanted to save them from reproach and dishonor, pious people brought to the holy city of Jerusalem and buried them in the weight of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, to whom those who fall find relief, consolation and healing.

Likewise, heal us sinners with your prayer and illuminate the path of our life with the light of your virtues. Pray, O our mother, that the Lord may grant us the gift of healing our passions, that He may transform our infirmities into strength for salvation, that we may not perish in the abyss of the cares of life, but may we be able to escape eternal torment and be heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven with all the saints who have pleased God from all eternity .

O Grand Duchess Elizabeth, the women of Russia are our adornment and joy, accept the sighing of our hearts offered to you with love, and through your intercession to the Lord strengthen the spirit of right faith and piety in us, strengthen us in virtue and mercy, help us cross the cross of sorrows with patience and hope bear, in love and harmony preserve our holy temple, so that we may be worthy to hear the Lord in joy, with the Angels and all the saints to glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages!

Below we see one of the images of the Grand Duchess - Elizabeth the Wonderworker - an icon of the Holy Martyr.

The Orthodox Church honors the memory of the Holy Great Martyr Elizabeth Feodorovna Romanova on July 18 - the only one of the Romanovs whose holiness is perfect.

Life of Saint Elizabeth Feodorovna

At the end of the 20th century, the name of Princess Elizabeth Feodorovna was added to the list of Orthodox saints. The sister of the last Russian empress was canonized by the church in 1992. Adherents of Christianity revere Saint Elizabeth because of her tragic death and the social activities she was involved in during her lifetime.

Origin and childhood

Elizaveta Romanova was born on October 20, 1864 in the German city of Darmstadt. The parents of the future princess were Duke Ludwig IV and the daughter of the Queen of Great Britain, Princess Alice. The girl was brought up according to classical traditions, which implied a strict attitude, instilling modesty and simplicity in decoration, food and behavior. From early childhood, Elizabeth was independent: she cleaned the room, made the bed, and lit the fireplace. The girl’s parents taught her to love others, so the girl’s mother went with her to shelters, hospitals and homes for the disabled, taking with her flowers and useful things for the suffering.

Iconography

Icons with the image of the holy great martyr began to appear in 1992, when she was glorified by the Christian Church. The external characteristics of the iconographic images are as follows:

• the princess is depicted as an apostle;
• in the left hand there is a small copy of the monastery of mercy, and in the right hand there is a cross;
• On some icons, together with the holy princess, the nun Varvara stands.

In any image, the great martyr is easily recognizable. The presence of a white apostle and the breast cross of a martyr are associated with the fact that during her lifetime she and her monastery took a vow of renunciation of carnal relations.

What do they ask for in front of the image of the great martyr?

They turn to the image of the holy great martyr with prayers, asking for help and intercession before the Almighty. The Grand Duchess also helps in the following life situations:

• difficult childbirth;
• the birth of a premature baby and difficulties in subsequent care;
• cancer diseases;
• suffering, agony and pain.

Since the Great Martyr stands very close to the throne of the Heavenly King, like any Orthodox saint, turning to her can be of great help. Performing prayers and chants helps to understand problems, find the right path and get rid of difficult life adversities.

Kontakion, tone 5

From royal glory, having taken up the Cross of Christ, you passed to the glory of Heaven, praying for your enemies, and you found eternal joy, holy martyr Princess Elizabeth, with Varvara chenitsa. Moreover, we pray to you: pray for our souls.

Translation: From royal glory (earthly), having raised the Cross of Christ, you passed on to Heavenly glory, praying for your enemies, and you found eternal joy, holy martyr Princess Elizabeth, with the martyr Barbara. Therefore we pray to you: “Pray for our souls.”

Prayer text

“O holy new martyrs of Russia, Grand Duchess Elisaveto and her sister of the cross, the venerable nun Varvaro, who passed away her path in many torments, fulfilled the Gospel commandments with deeds in the monastery of Mercy, for the sake of the Orthodox faith, struggling until death in these last times, and good fruit in the patience of the passions brought to Christ! Pray to Him, as the Conqueror of death, that He may establish the Russian Orthodox Church and our Fatherland, redeemed by the blood and suffering of the new martyrs, and not allow our property to be plundered by the enemy of Russia. Behold, the crafty enemy has armed himself against us, although he will destroy us in internecine battles, sorrows, unbearable sorrows, illnesses, needs and fierce misfortunes. Pray to the Lord to cast down all their feeble insolence; Strengthen faith in the hearts of the Russian people, so that when the hour of testing comes upon us, we will receive the gift of courage through your prayers, having rejected ourselves and taken up our cross, we will follow Christ, crucifying our flesh with passions and lusts. Save us from all evil, sanctify the paths of our life, grant unfeigned repentance, silence and peace to our souls, ask the Lord for all of us to be delivered from bitter ordeals and eternal torment and to be heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven with all the saints who have pleased God from the ages, so that we joyfully give praise , honor and worship of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen".

Prayer 2**

Oh, holy new martyrs of the Russian Church, Grand Duchess Elisaveto and the most honorable nun Varvaro, who carried out the Gospel commandments in deeds in the monastery of mercy, for the sake of the Orthodox faith to the point of death who bore good fruit in the patience of the passions of Christ! Pray to Him, as the conqueror of death, that He may establish the Russian Orthodox Church and our Fatherland. Behold, the crafty enemy is arming himself against us, although he will destroy us in internecine battles, sorrows, sorrows, illnesses, severe needs and troubles. Beg the Lord to cast down all his weak insolence; Strengthen faith in the hearts of Orthodox people, and bestow upon us the gift of courage, so that, having denied ourselves and taken up our cross, let us follow Christ, crucifying our flesh with passions and lusts. Save us from all evil, sanctify the paths of our lives, grant unhypocritical repentance, silence and peace to our souls, ask the Lord for all of us to be free from bitter ordeals and eternal torment and Heaven to be an heir to the sleepy Kingdom with all the saints who have pleased God from time immemorial, so that we may joyfully give praise , honor and worship to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Service to the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth.

Akathist to the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth (new edition).