Church-Chapel of the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna at Rublyovskoye Cemetery
Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna was born on November 1, 1864, into the Protestant family of Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse-Darmstadt and Princess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria of England. In 1884, she married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, the brother of Emperor Alexander III. The Princess sincerely prayed for God’s guidance, and on April 13, 1891, on Lazarus Saturday, she converted to Orthodoxy. In the same year, her husband was appointed Governor-General of Moscow. The Grand Duchess was actively involved in charity work, visiting hospitals, orphanages, prisons and helping those in need. During the Russian-Japanese War of 1904 she worked selflessly to help the front. On February 5, 1905, her life changed: her husband was killed in a terrorist attack. At the time of the tragedy, Elisaveta Feodorovna, without losing her composure, collected her husband’s remains and, overcoming grief, found the strength to visit the prison of his murderer, hoping for his repentance. After the death of her husband, she decided to devote herself to God and her neighbors, founding the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery of Mercy in Moscow. She purchased a plot on Bolshaya Ordynka Street, where she built two churches, a hospital, a pharmacy, an orphanage and a school. February 10, 1909 The monastery began its ministry, and on April 9, 1910, the nuns took a vow of a virgin life in labor and prayer. The Grand Duchess became the abbess of the monastery, leading an ascetic life: she slept on a simple bed, fasted strictly, prayed at night and cared for the sick. With the outbreak of the First World War, she organized assistance to the front, creating ambulance trains, medicine warehouses and field churches. After the abdication of Nicholas II, she painfully perceived what was happening in the country and mourned her fate. 3 days after Easter 1918 The princess was arrested and sent to Alapaevsk along with other representatives of the royal family. On July 5 (18), 1918, they were executed by throwing them into a mine. Nun Varvara, one of the first sisters of the Martha and Mary Monastery, voluntarily shared the fate of her abbess. The memory of the Holy Martyrs Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Nun Barbara is celebrated on July 5 (18) and on the day of the Council of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. A church has been erected in Moscow in memory of the Venerable Martyr Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna.
Address: Moscow, Rublevskoe shosse, 2nd km, vl. 1
