Cathedral of Ekaterinburg Saints: October 11 – discovery of the relics of the Venerable Martyr Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovnatranslated

Today, October 11, 2026, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the day of the discovery of the relics of the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna Romanova in 1918. 108 years ago, the remains of the Alapaevsk martyrs were recovered from an abandoned mine near Alapaevsk: the Venerable Martyrs Elizabeth and the nun Varvara, the Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich and his secretary Feodor Mikhailovich Remez, the Grand Dukes John, Konstantin and Igor Konstantinovich and Prince Vladimir Paley.

The celebration of the discovery of the relics of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna was established with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'. The memorable date – October 11 – has been included in the church calendar since 2017. That same year, the first church-wide celebration took place.

The Reverend Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth was born on October 20, 1864 into the Protestant family of the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt Ludwig IV and Princess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria of England.

In 1884, she married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, brother of Emperor Alexander III of Russia. Seeing the deep faith of her husband, the Grand Duchess with all her heart sought the answer to the question: “What kind of...