The Church on Blood in Honour of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land (Russian: Храм-на-Крови́ во и́мя Всех святы́х, в земле́ Росси́йской просия́вших) is a Russian Orthodox church in Yekaterinburg built in 2000-2003 on the site where the former Emperor Nicholas II of Russia and several members of his family and household were executed by the Bolsheviks following the October Revolution during the Russian Civil War. The church commemorates the Romanov sainthood.
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After the February Revolution, the former Tsar Nicholas II and his family were taken captive and held as prisoners during the Russian Civil War.[1] Tsar Nicholas and his family were at first kept at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoe Selo outside St. Petersburg. Alexander Kerensky, leader of the provisional government feared for their safety and moved them to the former Governor's mansion in Tobolsk. Later they were transferred to the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg. With the advance of the White Russian forces towards Ekaterinburg, and fears of a potential attempt to liberate them grew, the local Bolshevik leaders after consulting with the Kremlin in Moscow decided to execute the former imperial family.[1] In the early hours of July 17, 1918, the former imperial family, Tsar Nicholas Alexandrovich, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, Grand Duchess Olga, Grand Duchess Tatiana, Grand DuchessMaria, Grand Duchess Anastasia and Tsarevich Alexei were taken to the cellar of the Ipatiev House and executed.[2]
The Ipatiev House, built in the 1880s, was a spacious and modern residence owned by Nicholas Ipatiev.[3] The Ural Soviet gave him two days notice to leave. Once the building was vacated, the Soviet built high wooden walls around the house.[3] First to arrive among the Romanovs were Nicholas, Alexandra Feodorovna and their daughter Marie. Later they would be joined by Olga, Tatiana and Alexei. The Romanovs would be held prisoner in their final residence for 78 days. In 1974, the mansion was designated a "national monument"; but three years later, on September 22, 1977, the Soviet government under the direction of Boris Yeltin demolished the house.
On September 20 [O.S. September 7] 1990, the Sverdlovsk Soviet handed the plot to the Russian Orthodox Church for construction of a memorial chapel. After the former Tsar and his family's canonisation as Passion Bearers, the Church planned to build an impressive memorial complex dedicated to the Romanov family.[4] A state commission was gathered and architectural as well as funding plans were developed. Construction began in 2000.
The completed complex comprises two churches, a belfry, a patriarchal annex, and a museum dedicated to the former imperial family;[4] the altar of the main church is directly over the site of the Romanovs' execution. The complex covers a total of 29,700 square feet (2,760 m2). On June 16 [O.S. June 3] 2003, 85 years after the execution of the former imperial family, the main church was consecrated by Metropolitan Yuvenaly, delegated by Patriarch Alexy II who was ill at the time, [5] assisted by Russian Orthodox clergy from all over the Russian Federation [4]