MOSCOW, September 17A museum cluster dedicated to the educational and charitable activities of the Romanov dynasty was created in the Moscow region, and included three museums, said Anna Gromova, chairman of the supervisory board of the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational Society (ESPO) foundation for promoting the revival of traditions of mercy and charity.
On Sunday, the XII Elizabethan religious procession, dedicated to Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (uncle Nicholas II), ended in the Moscow region. Many historical buildings of the estate, associated with the charitable activities of the grand ducal couple, have survived to this day. The route of the religious procession runs past three historical buildings on the territory of the Imperial estate «Ilyinskoye-Usovo», in which the Grand Duchess lived: the Maternity Hospital in Ilyinskoye, where the only «Museum of Motherhood and Infancy» in Russia is now located; the infirmary building, where the «Museum of the Most August» is equipped owners of the Ilinskoye-Usovo estate, patrons of the Russian Red Cross Society,” and the school of Empress Maria Alexandrovna in Usovo, where the “Museum of School and Childhood” was opened. All three museums became part of the federal historical and cultural tourism project «Imperial Route».
«»This year we are celebrating in a special way the completion of the restoration and museumification of three memorial objects. One of them in Usovo is the public school of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, built for peasants, where the Museum of School and Childhood is located, dedicated to public education from Nicholas I to Nicholas II Two more objects are located in Ilyinsky, that is, on the other side of the Moscow River: the Maternity Hospital (the “Museum of Motherhood and Infancy” is located there — ed.), as well as the Infirmary of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna for crippled soldiers of the Russo-Japanese War, in which «The Museum of the Russian Red Cross Society and its august patrons is located. Three museums form a museum cluster — the only one in the Moscow region on the «Imperial Route». We managed to complete the formation of the cluster, we have been doing this for almost ten years, a lot of work has been completed,» Gromova said.
She noted that the Krasnogorsk and Odintsovo administrations and a number of businessmen helped in the restoration of the facilities. “We are glad that in this shelter there is a Museum of Maternity and Infancy Protection, which is very important now. Events of the Patriarchal Commission on the Family are already taking place there, mothers with children come there. In general, issues of the fight against abortion, obstetrics, demography, protection of mothers and children — Today they are especially relevant,” concluded the agency’s interlocutor.
The Ilyinskoye-Usovo estate was acquired by Emperor Alexander II for his wife, Empress Maria Alexandrovna in 1864. She organized a hospital, pharmacy and school here for the peasants. After the death of the Empress, the estate was inherited by her son, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, who was the Governor-General of Moscow in 1891-1905. In 1884, he brought his wife, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, née Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, to the estate. It was here (in Ilyinsky and Usovo) that the Grand Duchess became acquainted with Russian culture, studied the Russian language and Orthodox doctrine.
The Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth was born on November 1, 1864 in Darmstadt (Germany). After marrying Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov (son of Alexander II and uncle of Nicholas II), she moved to Russia, where she was actively involved in charity work. Together with Sergei Alexandrovich, she headed over 150 charitable organizations in Russia. The Grand Duchess was the chairman of the Petrovsky Charitable Society in St. Petersburg, the St. Petersburg Ladies' Committee of the Russian Red Cross Society, and the Shelter for Weak and Convalescent Children. In 1896 she founded the Elizabethan community of Sisters of Mercy in St. Petersburg. She was also a trustee of the Philharmonic Society, the Stroganov School and established a shelter for elderly theater workers.
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In 1909, four years after the murder of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich by terrorists, Elizaveta Feodorovna founded the Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy in Moscow to help the poor, sick and all those in need. During the Russo-Japanese War and the First World War, the Grand Duchess organized comprehensive assistance to the front and the families of soldiers. She was killed by the Bolsheviks in 1918 near Alapaevsk. Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992 as a venerable martyr.
The Foundation for Promoting the Revival of the Traditions of Mercy and Charity «Elizabeth-Sergius Educational Society», created in 2011, according to its website, implements programs «in the field of education and charity, support of national culture, and the study of historical heritage.» As noted, the ESPO Foundation pays special attention to the charitable, educational and missionary activities of such outstanding representatives of the Romanov Imperial House as the Moscow Governor General Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (1857-1905) and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna (1864-1918).