u/Canard-jaune

Just fell upon this monument. You can spot the Romanovs' / Empire of Russia double eagle sigil at the top.

Happened the 13th March 1814, some time after the Russian campaign (and the Bérézina episode). On 15 000 Prussian and Russian men, 3 000 got killed and 5 000 imprisoned. The Rheims battle was a win for Napoléon. But three weeks later, Paris fell and Tsar Alexander the First was given the keys of the capital city of the French Empire (soon to be French Kingdom, because Napoléon had to leave... before trying a come-back in 1815, so tsar Alexander I was going to pay Paris a soon-to-be new visit).

I added a drawing of the moment Tsar Alexander I was given Paris' keys.

Saw the picture in the little fascicle inserted into Pierre Gilliard movie/documentary (by Patrick Cabouat) DVD. Had some trouble to retrieve the big picture online. The legend says Belovezh in 1913, though here, on another view (way more popular/findable, very beautiful with three smiles including Olga's one), George is saying it's actually in 1912 (and that people often confuses with Finland).

Picture is stored in beloved Pierre Gilliard's fund at Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire de Lausanne or Musée de l'Élysée, Switzerland.

I might be able to snatch a big golden framed portrait of Louis XV when he was a kid but I don't know how I would move it and I would need a very big wall. :D A smaller Renoir (or Monet, but not a famous one) might be available, though!

Additionally, I got sad when Zosia asked Carol if she want them to protect the museum(s), meaning they don't care about them and so some paintings are doomed without the appropriate moisture, temperature... which are cut if the power is out.

(I don't think a buffalo would scratch Mona Lisa, though)

A very nice portrait from painter Friedrich August von Kaulbach.

Source > https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elizaveta_Feodorovna.jpg

Sister of Alexandra, Elizabeth Feodorovna became a very devoted nun after the assassination of Grand Duke Sergeï in 1905. She even pardonned the murderer (didn't work though).

Lenin didn't want a living royal who was devoted for the poor. He specifically said that kind of royals was more dangerous than the tsar. And wanted her death (with one another non-noble nun and some princes). It was maybe more gruesome than the imperial family one, can't tell which one I would "prefer". What happened in Alapaïevsk was almost as botched as the events of Ekaterinbourg.

She could be retrieved thereafter, and lies nowadays in Jérusalem. Like the family, she was canonized and is held very higly in the Orthodoxy..

Another nice painting of her homonym (same author), the ill-fated princess Elizabeth of Hesse-Darmstadt > https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princess_Elisabeth_of_Hesse_by_Friedrich_August_von_Kaulbach_(cropped).jpg

Pastel of Olga, same style (1903) > https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olga_Nikolaevna_by_Kaulbach.jpg

Pastel (B&W) of Tatiana, same sauthor (1903, now lost after it was sold by the Soviets) > https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tatiana_Nikolaevna_by_Kaulbach.jpg

Martyrs of Alapaïevesk :

1. GD Elizabeth Feodorovna
2. Sister Varvara Yakovleva
3. GD Sergeï Mikhaïlovitch
4. P Ioann Konstantinovitch
5. P Konstantin Konstantinovitch
6. P Igor Konstantinovitch
7. P Vladimir Pavlovitch Paley
8. Serge's secretary Fiodor Semionovitch Remez

Picture might have been taken in 1910, but I don't have a lot of details, as I had saved it in my computer more than 10 years ago. Despites its flaws, and its lack of smiles, I very like it.

Somebody here told, most of the times, we should remember the family by their happy moments instead of their gruesome end. And it's very fitting for that 18th July.

As I told here, the candles first lit in Saint-Alexander Nevsky Cathedral of Paris could be lit again at home, as an hommage from everyone here on this Subreddit for the family and their household. So I made this small... altar? While I was working remotely, in front of it.

Sadly, I should have taken a proper candle jar and not a glass... because it exploded and threw hot shards to my table and bookcases and almost started a fire... I had to blow the candles (even if not advised in orthodoxy, sorry) and mend to the mess created.

I lit them again, in a better jar, and soon after, one by one, the candles started to dim off and die out, I could almost picture the last moment. The candle doesn't actually burn as a whole, so I don't know what I will do with the remaining parts, maybe put them in a nice box or on my Romanov shelves. There's a small odor of... bee wax, I think?

I hope you appreciated this little shared memory moment. May we never forget what happened to all of them.

17th July 1918 - 17th July 2026.

After the Saint-Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (previous post), I could walk on this iconic bridge (I always do it while in Paris), symbol of the French-Russian Entente for which Tsar Nicholas II was so engaged. He and his wife Alexandra set its first stone in 1896. It was opened in 1900 for the Exposition universelle. The avenue leading to it, on the Seine right bank, was briefly named Tsar Nicholas II avenue before switching to Bridge Alexander III Avenue, and then Winston Churchill Avenue.

Sorry if the two pictures depicting Paris and Imperial Russia/Romanov coats of arms are blurry, I had to zoom on/cut of the statues of women because it got flagged as indecent content. -_-

You can also see the Grand Palais, where in the 1997 Anastasia animated movie, Dowager Empress Marie launchs a ball before she found her granddaughter...

> music depicted during that scene : https://youtu.be/NI5xpc_FmBk?si=R93ky6q1WXG3QZ67&t=51

It's also where Anastasia gives her finale battle (with Dimitri too).

Here are some pictures for you, hope you enjoy them despite they were taken during canicule/I couldn't see what I was shooting. <3

After the Saint-Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (previous post), I could walk on this iconic bridge (I always do it while in Paris), symbol of the French-Russian Entente for which Tsar Nicholas II was so engaged. He and his wife Alexandra set its first stone in 1896. It was opened in 1900 for the Exposition universelle. The avenue leading to it, on the Seine right bank, was briefly named Tsar Nicholas II avenue before switching to Bridge Alexander III Avenue, and then Winston Churchill Avenue.

You can also see the Grand Palais, where in the 1997 Anastasia animated movie, Dowager Empress Marie launchs a ball before she found her granddaughter... It's also where Anastasia gives her finale battle (with Dimitri too).

Here are some pictures for you, hope you enjoy them. <3

Hello people,

Last Sunday, I've gone to Saint-Alexander Nevsky orthodox cathedral in the northern west of Paris. It's an interesting and beautiful monument, paid by orthodoxs, protestants, and catholics... and Tsar Alexander II. It was attended by Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra during their 1896 state visit in Paris, when they laid off the first stone of Alexandre III bridge (coming in my next post).

I had planned to come at a time when there was no office (I thought it was happening during closing times). I screwed up and appeared during a big mass, with a lot of people often very well dressed (the women were many to have veils), as a big number of kids and babies where handled by the bishops. I squizzed myself in a corner, nobody seemed disturbed by my presence. It was very hot and cramped, big sents of incense, couldn't understand what was said of course. I didn't take any picture inside but I bought two postcards so I could show you how it looks inside (and to fund some important work on the stones; the welcome attendant looked pleased). My clothes were decent, though (you can't have your shoulders appearing). A woman taught me some traditions : the fact you can drink holy water, without having eating, before telling your prayers each morning (you can even come and fill your bottle), buying a bit of holy bread to eat it during the mass...

As I couldn't put a candle here, I still tried to imitate the orthodox sign of the cross (it wasn't really good, though) and made four sets of prayers (Lord's prayer and Hail Mary, sadly on the catholic way) : one set for the Romanovs and their household slaughtered in Ekaterinburg/Alapaïevsk/Perm/Saint-Petersburg (from me), one set for the same ones (from all the people of this kind Subreddit), one set for Alexandra Tegleva and Pierre Gilliard (from a friend I met on this Subreddit as she knows a lot of things about them), and one last set for one of the Great Duchesses (from somebody else from this Subreddit too, not a friend but who is very keen).

I finally left, and went to the crypt underneath, on the right of the church. It's a bit "separated", a holy place for the French speaking orthodox community (the slavic speaking ones go to the main place, above). You can go there even if you are not orthodox, but you must not communiate (eat bread/drink wine) if you're not. The kind lady at the entrance of the crypt welcomed me. During that time, as the French office had just finished (contrary to the three hours-long one above), they were switching off all the candles which were in many places.

Despite being late, the lady authorized me to do my original candles project for a few minutes. But she asked me if it were for alive or dead people (the dead ones altar is only located on a place of the crypt, I would have screwed up if I did it without telling anything). And if it were for orthodox people : I said yes (I was nervous and I briefly forgot Pierre Gilliard wasn't orthodox, sorry, I didn't wish to make a trick!). I didn't dare to say if was for martyres/passion bearers/Romanovs and household as I was a bit scared to look weird. She lit me a small candle (so I could light my four ones). I thought of the names and groups linked to each candle (from each people/group I mentionned before), that I lit and placed in the holders, and made a final set of prayers, as I did above.

Last part was a bit special. The lady told me in Orthodoxy, it's not okay to blow the candles with your mouth. Because your blow is a part of God's life which was given to you (if I understood well). So I had to humidify my thumb and my index, to switch off each of them. I spectacullary failed and suffered a very little burning, but the Romanovs and their household suffered far worse, so I guess it's okay. The lady told me to take back the candles : it's a great symbol to light on the candles here, but I could take them back and light them in my house (which I will do soon, as the 17th of July is coming). I made a small money gift after buying the candles, so the crypt would benefit from my coming too.

After this, it was time to leave. The cathedral is located on Daru street, at the crossing of Petrograd restaurant, Peter the Great street, and near Neva street.

After I left, near Notre-Dame de Paris (the main catholic Parisian cathedral), I saw a surprising and not intended Nicholas and Olga dual-reference in a souvenir shop, on a unkept named plates stand. Like a wink.

Saint-Alexander Nevsky orthodox cathedral (old, not linked with he Moscow patriarcate) is not to be confused with the big new/golden/white/official Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral (the "most recent Parisian monument"), on the Seine banks and inaugurated by patriarch Kirill and visited thereafter by president Vladimir Putin. I've been here too, but it was somewhat... disappointing after Saint-Alexander Nevsky. Big nice golden husk, but the inside (where there were ongoing renovation works) was a bit... neglected? White walls show the stand of time, despite it's only 10 years old. Officially, I had to wear a veil (but I didn't have one in my bag), per the entrance rules... But a lot of women didn't and had appearing shoulders/knees so I think I was still respectful. The place is still interesting to visit, there are stunning icons, and you can put candles here too.

I hope I didn't write (or do) anything stupid or offending. And I hope you'll have liked this little distant trip from wherever you are, and this thought "for/from you", despite you didn't actually tell me "do it, it's okay". And I wish you a peaceful and heartful Romanovs remembrance incoming 17th July.