On August 28/September 10, 2017, the talented historian, writer, and journalist—one of the most successful biographers of the House of Romanoff, an ardent advocate of the Russian monarchist movement, and a member of the Knights’ Council of the Imperial Order of St. Anna—Alexander Nikolaevich Krylov-Tolstikovich unexpectedly passed away in Moscow at the age of 67.
Alexander Nikolaevich was born in Moscow on March 26/April 6, 1951, into a family of a senior engineer in the Ministry of Machinery Manufacturing of the USSR. His parents were Nicholas Sergeevich Krylov and Nadezhda Evgenievna Krylova, née Tolstikovich-Sozonovich-Grebko, who descended from a very old and distinguished noble family from Mogilev province. He held dear the traditions of his ancestors and used a hyphenated surname as his nom de plume—Krylov-Tolstikovich—which was later officially recognized as his surname by a decree of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia.
In 1975, Alexander Krylov graduated from the N. A. Semashko Dental School in Moscow and soon after completed his medical residency. Between 1980 and 1987, he chaired the Department of Anesthesiology and Emergency Life Support at the Centrosoyuz Hospital. Beginning in 1987, he was a journalist for a number of prominent publications (and was the associate editor of the Medical Gazette [Meditsinskaia gazeta], the editor-in-chief of the journal Moscow Health Care [Moskovskoe zdravookhranenie], the technical consultant for Russian News [Rossiiskie vesti], and had other positions as well at other journals). From 2002 to 2007, he was a member of the editorial board of the journal New Youth (Novaia Iunost’). A. N. Krylov-Tolstikovich wrote 18 books for both specialist and non-specialist audiences, and a multitude of articles on the history of Russia and the House of Romanoff. He was particularly dedicated to researching and writing about the rehabilitation of members of the Imperial House of Russia and their faithful servants who had been executed in 1918.
Alexander Nikolaevich studied and brought to light in his writings many little-known facts about the history of Russian medicine, including the history of the Botkin family (about which he wrote more than 40 scholarly articles in professional and popular journals). In 1987, he began a campaign to provide assistance to former child detainees of Nazi concentration camps, which culminated in the Presidential Decree of July 25, 1991 “On the Granting of Benefits to Former Child Prisoners of Concentration Camps, Ghettos, and Other Places of Forced Confinement Created by the Fascists and Their Allies during the Second World War.”
A.N. Krylov-Tolstikovich participated actively in the reestablishment of productive and fruitful relations between Russia’s medical institutions and the Russian Orthodox Church.
For his many significant accomplishments in the fields of education and philanthropy, A. N. Krylov-Tolstikovich was made by the Head of the Imperial House of Russia, H.I.H. the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, a hereditary nobleman and was awarded the Imperial Order of St. Anna II Class, the Imperial Order of St. Vladimir IV Class, and the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stanislas I Class. He was also awarded the Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Having successfully undergone a very serious operation on the Feast Day of the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Alexander Nikolaevich came to consider this day as his second birthday, and he venerated with special devotion St. John the Baptist the rest of his life. It is Providential that our Lord should call unto Himself Alexander Nikolaevich on the eve of this very Feast Day.
The funeral for Alexander Nikolaevich Krylov-Tolstikovich took place in the Church of the Intercession in Izmailovo on August 30/September 12, on the Feast Day of the Translation from the city of Vladimir to St. Petersburg of the Holy Relics of his Heavenly Patron, St. Alexander Nevsky.
Attending the funeral were members of his family, former classmates, and friends, including members of the Chancellery of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia (the Chancellery’s Director, Alexander N. Zakatov; the head of the Office of Heraldry, Stanislav V. Dumin, and his wife, Natalia S. Dumina; the head of the Legal Department of the Chancellery, German Iu. Lukianov; and the head of the office for public relations and communications, David G. Mepurishvili); members of Russian Nobility Association and of several monarchist organizations; the Co-Chairman of the Union of Writers of Russia and Chairman of the Moscow city organization Union of Writers of Russia, V. G. Boyarinov; the editor-in-chief of the Federal weekly journal Rossiiskie vesti, D. V. Klimov; and representatives of a number of other social organizations.
The Head of the Imperial House of Russia, H.I.H. the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, sent the following letter of condolence to Alexander Nikolaevich’s widow, Elena Akhmetovna:
FROM THE HEAD OF THE IMPERIAL HOUSE OF RUSSIA
To Elena Akhmetovna Krylova
Dear Elena Akhmetovna,
It was with great shock and sadness that I learned of the unexpected and untimely death of your husband, Alexander Nikolaevich Krylov-Tolstikovich.
I and my son and heir, Grand Duke George of Russia, send our deepest condolences to you, your children and grandchildren.
You husband will remain in the hearts and minds of all who knew him as a kind, wise, deeply honest, and talented man with firm and resolute convictions. His books and articles helped countless of his countrymen to understand the truth of their nation’s history. He was active in a range of philanthropic and educational projects, supported the Holy Church, and worked tirelessly to revive and promote the historical heritage of Russia. For Our House, Alexander Nikolaevich Krylov-Tolstikovich was a faithful and reliable friend and supporter, a true Knight of the monarchist ideal, who served that ideal loyally and staunchly with all the strength of his loving heart and sharp mind.
I pray that the Lord will grant peaceful repose to the soul of His newly-departed servant Alexander in a place where there is no sickness, sorrow, or sighing.
H.I.H. the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia
Madrid,
August 29/September 11, 2017
Feast Day of the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John
Many of the historical and creative works by Alexander Nikolaevich are published on www.proza.ru.
For further biographical details, see Alexander Nikolaevich’s Wikipedia page.