Smiling Bolsheviks at the Scene of the Brutal Murder of Tsar Nicholas and his Family

In the late 1920s and 1930s, it was common for the Communist Party apparatchiks (obedient executives who held various state positions) to go to the Ipatiev House in Sverdlovsk (Ekaterinburg) in large tour groups.

The Authenticity of the Conversation Between St. Seraphim of Sarov and Nicholas Motovilov

Though it is without doubt St. Seraphim of Sarov was a holy figure, a model of piety and is an intercessor in time of need, his canonization in July of 1903 was the result of strange circumstances. On July 18, 1903 about 300,000 people together with Tsar Nicholas II and the royal family attended the canonization at the Cathedral of the Dormition in Sarov. The climax of the event was the opening of the coffin, and the veneration of the relics which took all day and night. The crowd was so pressed that a woman gave birth at the emperor's feet, who promptly offered to be the child's godfather. The degree of access to the emperor's person remained impressive and novel.

Tsar Nicholas II had to twist the arm of the reluctant Church authorities to secure the decree of canonization for Seraphim of Sarov, which was difficult to get approved in light of the fact that in the two previous centuries there had only been five canonizations until Nicholas II took up the cause. Seraphim of Sarov was not very popular at the time outside the local area, so the tsar had to campaign, and eventually it was approved. However, there were setbacks. When the coffin was opened, the Saint's relics had been decomposed. Though incorruption is not necessary for canonization, the poor condition of the relics was exploited by the tsar's political opponents and the Old Believers. Popular enthusiasm was not dampened however.