The main Orthodox holy sites of the Ekaterinburg Diocese are closely related to the martyrdom of the Royal Family.
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| House of Engineer Ipatev |
The family of Russia’s last Emperor and their faithful servants were held prisoner in the house of Ipatev, a Ekaterinburg engineer, from April 30, 1918 through July 16, 1918. By God’s will, it was the sisterhood of our Convent, who were among the last to express their love to the Royal Family. The nuns of our Convent brought food to the Ipatev House helping all of the inmates, and most of all, the ailing Cesarevich Alexei.
During the night of 16/17 of July, 1918 all the prisoners were brutally killed.
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| Church on the Blood |
Now at the site of their martyrdom there is a new church dedicated to the All Saints of Russia. This "Church on the Blood", just as the Church of Christ Savior in Moscow, serves as a symbol of Russia's repentance and spiritual rebirth.
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| Shaft at the Ganina Yama |
The bodies of the Holy Royal Passionbearers Czar Nicholas, Czaritsa Alexandra, Grand Prince Alexis, and Grand Princesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia, as well as their servants, Dr. Botkin, chambermaid Demidova, cook Kharitonov, and man-servant Trupp had been brought here, to the Tract of Four Brothers, immediately after the murder. In order to conceal this crime committed not only against the truth of this world, but also against the truth of God, the bodies were cast off into one of the abandoned shafts at an old mine at Ganina Yama. However, what was done in secret in the middle of the night very soon became clear as noonday.
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| Veneration Cross |
A Cross for veneration has been erected over the shaft in the recent years, and the earth richly bedewed with the blood of the martyrs is now decorated by numerous churches. An Orthodox monastery was founded here with the blessing of His Holiness, Most Holy Patriarch Alexius II of Moscow and all of Russia. The first monastery church dedicated to the Holy Royal Passionbearers was founded here on October 1, 2000. By now there are seven churches in this area dedicated to the Holy Royal Passionbearers, Derzhavnaia and the Iveron Icons of the Mother of God, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Sergius of Radonezh, and Job the Long-Suffering. The monastery hosts pilgrims from all over Russia and from abroad.
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