Press Release On the Visit to Moscow of His Imperial Highness, the Heir, Tsesarevich, and Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovich October 16 – 21, 2011
On October 16 – 21, 2011, His Imperial Highness, the Heir, Tsesarevich, and Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovich, who is the son and heir of H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Wladimirovna, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, was in Moscow.
His Imperial Highness’s visit to Russia occurred on the eve of the 20-th anniversary of the first visit to Russia since the 1917 Revolution of the Head of the House of Romanoff, H.I.H. Grand Duke Wladimir Kirillovich (1917 – 1992) and his wife, H.I.H. Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna (1914 – 2010). The main purpose of the trip was to attend a series of work-related meetings.
On October 16, the Grand Duke arrived in Moscow.
On October 17, Tsesarevich Georgii Mikhailovich attended services at the Church of St. Martin the Confessor in Alekseevskaia Sloboda, where His Eminence, Archbishop Arsenii of Istrinsk, the vicar bishop of His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, served a thanksgiving intercessory prayer service [moleben], according to the royal rubrics, for the health of the Most Pious Grand Duchess Maria Wladimirovna and of her son and Heir, Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovich, as well as a commemorative service [litya] for the souls of the departed Most Pious Empress Anna Ioannovna,1 Emperor Kirill I Wladimirovich, and Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna. Serving along with His Eminence was the rector of the Church of St. Martin the Confessor, Mitred Archpriest Alexander Abramov; Mitred Archpriest Nicholas Inozemtsev of the Our Lady of Kazan Cathedral on Red Square, and an assembly of other clergy. Archbishop Arsenii of Istrinsk gave a heartfelt sermon before His Imperial Highness and all those present. His Eminence stressed the spiritual significance of the return of the Russian Imperial House to the social life of modern Russia and praised the unbroken historical bond between the Dynasty and the Holy Church.
The Grand Duke venerated the principal shrine in the church—the Georgian miracle-working icon of the Mother of God—and the Holy Altar in the church, and spoke warmly with all the worshippers who had come to participate in these commemorative prayers. After the services, a luncheon [trapeza] took place in the parish house. His Eminence, Archbishop Arsenii, congratulated the Tsesarevich on his 30-th birthday, which occurred on March 13, and gave His Imperial Highness an icon of the Mother of God, which had been made, or “written,” in the icon studies of the Grebennikovs. Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovich thanked His Eminence, all the clergy and people, and all those present for their expressions of affection and kindness, for their prayers, and for the warm reception given him.
After the luncheon, Archbishop Arsenii of Istrinsk invited the Grand Duke and those accompanying His Imperial Highness, to his residence for a private meeting, during which His Eminence spoke by phone with the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Wladimirovna. Before departing, His Imperial Highness presented to Archbishop Arsenii and to Fr. Alexander copies of his most august grandparent’s memoir entitled Russia in Our Hearts.
On October 18 – 20, the Grand Duke held a series of business meetings with the management of GMK “Noril’sk Nickel (His Imperial Highness is an advisor to the General Director of the company, V. I. Strzhalkovskii), with members of H.I.H.’s Chancellery, with representatives of various civic organizations, with representatives of the Russian Nobility Association, and with the management of the literary websites “proza.ru” and “stikhi.ru.”
On the morning of October 21, H.I.H. the Heir, Tsesarevich, and Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovich departed Moscow via Kiev to Bucharest to participate in the official celebrations of the 90-th birthday of King Michael of Romania.
1Empress Anna Ioannovna died on October 17, 1740, according to the Julian Calendar, on the feast day of the Holy Prophet Hosea, which, according to the Gregorian Calendar, falls on October 30. But considering the dates of His Imperial Highness’s stay in Russia, the clergy decided to serve the commemorative litya service in the empress’s honor earlier than prescribed, so that the Grand Duke could be present at the service.
