Church of the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth in Shcherbinka
Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna was born on November 1, 1864 in the family of Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse-Darmstadt and Princess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria of England. Raised in the Protestant faith, in 1884 she married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, the brother of Emperor Alexander III. After deep spiritual search, on April 13, 1891, on Lazarus Saturday, Elisaveta Feodorovna converted to Orthodoxy. In the same year, her husband was appointed to the post of Governor-General of Moscow. The Princess was actively involved in charity work, visiting hospitals, orphanages, prisons and helping those in need. During the Russian-Japanese War of 1904 she selflessly organized assistance to the front. However, on February 5, 1905, her life changed forever: her husband was killed in a terrorist attack. At this tragic moment, Elisaveta Feodorovna showed incredible fortitude by collecting the remains of her husband and visiting the prison of his murderer, hoping for his repentance. After her husband`s death, she decided to devote herself entirely to serving God and people. In Moscow, she founded the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery of Mercy, acquiring a plot in Bolshaya Ordynka Street. Two temples, a hospital, a pharmacy, an orphanage and a school were built there. On February 10, 1909, the monastery began its activities, and on April 9, 1910, its inhabitants took a vow of virginity, devoting themselves to prayer and work. Elisaveta Feodorovna became the abbess of the monastery, leading an ascetic lifestyle: she slept on a simple bed, strictly observed fasting, prayed at night and personally cared for the sick. With the outbreak of the First World War, she organized large-scale assistance to the front, creating ambulance trains, medical supplies warehouses and field churches. After the abdication of Nicholas II, she perceived with deep sorrow what was happening in the country. In 1918, three days after Easter, Elisaveta Feodorovna 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 Convent, voluntarily followed her abbess and shared her fate. The memory of the Holy Martyrs Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Nun Barbara is celebrated on July 5 (18), as well as on the day of the Council of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. Their life and feat remain an example of faith, mercy and devotion to God.
Address: Shcherbinka, Zheleznodorozhnaya str., 15
