RUSSIA: A EKATERINBURG PRONTO L’ALTARE IN MEMORIA DEL MARTIRIO DEI ROMANOV

La diocesi ortodossa di Ekaterinburg, in Russia, ha annunciato la conclusione dei lavori per la realizzazione della cosiddetta “Stanza reale”, un altare speciale, costruito all’interno della chiesa “Sul sangue” nella città in cui, nel 1918, lo zar Nicola II, la sua famiglia e alcuni componenti del seguito furono uccisi per mano dei bolscevichi. Ne ha dato notizia il sito Internet orthochristian.com, dal quale abbiamo ripreso il testo in lingua inglese e la relativa documentazione fotografica.

The altar for the chapel in honor of the holy Royal Passion-Bearers in the church on the Blood, built on the site of their martyrdom in Ekaterinburg, has been reconstructed in time for the celebrations surrounding the 100th anniversary of their brutal murders, reports the site of the Ekaterinburg Diocese. The altar, known as the “Royal Room,” has its own architectural style. “Today, the architecture of the altar has completely changed. Like the edicule in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, one church stands inside another. Inside the Church on the Blood there is another small church, which has its own architectural form, its own vaulting, and its own structure,” explained Archpriest Maxim Minyailo, a senior cleric of the church.

“We must understand that this is the main sacred place of our city. And this room is the holy of holies in this church,” Fr. Maxim said. “This place inspires us today to move ahead and create such unique architectural and religious monuments, which attract our people, guests, and pilgrimages, because in creating such a variety of national architecture, we lay the foundation for future generations to be proud of our country, including our cultural, religious, and architectural heritage.” Decorative elements in the altar were crafted by masters from Moscow and Belarus. The mosaics were made by specialists from the St. Elisabeth Convent in Minsk, and the work was supervised by nuns from the New Tikhvin Monastery in Ekaterinburg, renowned for their skills in the restoration and decoration of Orthodox churches. The central part of the renovated altar is occupied by a mosaic panel depicting the members of the Royal Family and their entourage. The mosaic reflects the position of the Passion-Bearers at the moment of their deaths, standing with their faces to the west. Above them overlooks the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God—the Heavenly protectress of the House of Romanov. Nearly a year was spent on the icons in the altar.

The walls and floor around the altar table are lined with red onyx, symbolizing both royalty and the martyrs’ blood. “This color very well shows the podvig of the Royal Passion-Bearers, who in their royal grandeur and in humiliation showed a rare piety and extraordinary spiritual height.” Fragments of the Ipatiev House, where Tsar Nicholas and his family were martyred, will be kept in a special reliquary to the right of the altar.