Category Archives: Former Monarchies

First Cousins: Louis XV, King of France

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Louis XV, King of France (1710 – 1774)

(All media credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Louis XV reigned as King of France from 1715 until 1774, succeeding his great-grandfather, King Louis XIV. He was born on February 15, 1710, at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France, the third son of Prince Louis, Duke of Burgundy and Princess Marie Adélaïde of Savoy. At birth, he was created Duke of Anjou. His paternal grandparents were Louis, Le Grand Dauphin and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. Louise XV’s maternal grandparents were Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria and Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy.

At the time of Louis XV’s birth in 1710, his great grandfather Louis XIV was King of France. The succession to the throne of France was:

  1. Louis, Le Grand Dauphin (1661 – 1711) – Louis XV’s grandfather, the only one of the six legitimate children of Louis XIV who did not die in infancy
  2. Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petit Dauphin (1682 – 1712) – Louis XV’s father, eldest son of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin
  3. Louis, Duke of Brittany (1707 – 1712) – Louis XV’s brother, the second but the eldest surviving son of Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petit Dauphin
  4. Louis, Duke of Anjou (1710 – 1774) – the future King Louis XV

In the spring of 1711, Louis, Le Grand Dauphin caught smallpox, apparently from a priest who was distributing Holy Communion after he had visited a smallpox victim, and died on April 14, 1711, at the age of 49. His son Louis, Duke of Burgundy who had been styled Le Petit Dauphin, became Dauphin of France, the heir to the French throne, but in less than a year, he too was dead. On February 12, 1712, the wife of Louis, Duke of Burgundy, 26-year-old wife Marie Adélaïde died from measles. Louis, Duke of Burgundy dearly loved his wife and had stayed by her side throughout her illness. He caught the disease and died six days after her death, on February 18, 1712, aged 29.

The five-year-old elder surviving son of Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Louis, Duke of Brittany, then became Dauphin but he also developed measles. He died three weeks later on March 8, 1712, apparently from being bled to death by the doctors. Louis, Duke of Burgundy’s younger son, the future King Louis XV, also developed measles but he survived because of his governess Charlotte de La Motte Houdancourt, Duchess of Ventadour. Deciding that she would not allow her younger charge to be bled by the doctors, Madame de Ventadour locked herself up with three nursery maids and refused to allow the doctors near the boy. The two-year-old survived and became King of France upon the death of his great-grandfather, King Louis XIV, three years later.

In 1725, Louis XV married Maria Leszczyńska, the daughter of the deposed King Stanisław I of Poland, and they had ten children. Unfortunately, like several other Dauphins that preceded him, Louis XV’s eldest son Louis, Dauphin of France died prematurely of tuberculosis, and never became King of France. When Louis XV died from smallpox in 1774, he was succeeded by his grandson, the ill-fated King Louis XVI.

King Louis XV had twenty-one paternal first cousins and twelve maternal first cousins.

********************

Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin and his first wife Princess Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria

********************

Maternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria and his second wife Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy

********************

Paternal First Cousins

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Felipe V, King of Spain (born Prince Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou) and his first wife Maria Luisa of Savoy

Luis I, King of Spain (1707 – 1724)

In 1722, Luis married Louise Élisabeth d’Orléans, daughter of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, a first cousin of Luis’ father. The couple had no children. Two years later, Felipe V, King of Spain abdicated in favor of his seventeen-year-old Luis, for reasons still subject to debate. Luis reigned for only seven months as he died from smallpox. After his son’s death, Felipe V returned to the Spanish throne.

********************

Infante Felipe of Spain (born and died 1709)

Felipe was born on July 2, 1709, and died sixteen days later, on July 18, 1709.

********************

Infante Felipe Pedro of Spain (1712 – 1719)

Seven-year-old Felipe Pedro became very ill on December 24, 1719,  and died on December 28, 1719.

********************

Fernando VI, King of Spain (1713 – 1759)

Fernando’s reign was peaceful as he kept Spain out of European conflicts. In1729, he married Infanta Barbara of Portugal, daughter of João V, King of Portugal. The marriage was childless. The last years of Fernando’s reign were marked by mental instability, much like the mental condition of his father Felipe V. Upon his death, Fernando was succeeded by his half-brother Carlos III, King of Spain.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Felipe V, King of Spain (born Prince Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou) and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese

Carlos III, King of Spain (1716 – 1788)

In 1731, 15-year-old Carlos became the Duke of Parma and Piacenza following the death of his childless great-uncle Antonio Farnese. He also became King of Naples and King of Sicily in 1734. Carlos married Maria Amalia of Saxony in 1738, and they had thirteen children. In 1759, upon the death of his childless half-brother King Ferdinand VI of Spain, Carlos succeeded him as King Carlos III of Spain. Because of treaties, Carlos could not be the sovereign of all three kingdoms. His eldest son Felipe was excluded from the succession because of intellectual disability and his second son Carlos was the heir apparent to the Spanish throne. That left the third son Ferdinando to become King of Naples and King of Sicily.

********************

Infanta Mariana Victoria of Spain, Queen of Portugal (1718 – 1781)

Mariana Victoria of Spain was the wife of José I, King of Portugal, and they had four daughters. In 1776, after José I suffered a series of strokes, Mariana Victoria was created Regent of Portugal and remained Regent until José’s death in 1777, when her eldest daughter became the first queen regnant of Portugal, reigning as Maria I. Portugal and Spain were in conflict over territorial possessions in the Americas. Maria Victoria tried to improve relations with Spain, which was ruled by her brother Carlos III, King of Spain. She left Portugal and traveled to Spain, where she stayed for just over a year. With Mariana Victoria’s influence, the Treaty of El Pardo, which resolved many longtime disputes between Portugal and Spain, was signed on October 1, 1778.

********************

Infante Felipe of Spain, Duke of Parma (1720 – 1765)

In 1748, after a period of ten years being in the hands of the House of Habsburg, the Duchy of Parma was ceded back to the Bourbons, and Infante Felipe of Spain became Duke of Parma and was the founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma, a cadet branch of the Spanish House of Bourbon. He married Princess Louise Élisabeth of France and the couple had three children.

********************

Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain, Dauphine of France (1726 – 1746)

Maria Teresa Rafaela married her first cousin once removed, Louis, Dauphin of France, the elder son and heir apparent of his father Louis XV, King of France. Louis and Maria Teresa Rafaela had one daughter but sadly, Maria Teresa Rafaela died three days later, on July 22, 1746, at the age of twenty. Louis’ sorrow was so intense that his father Louis XV had to physically drag his son away from Maria Teresa Rafaela’s deathbed. Louis and Maria Teresa Rafaela’s daughter died three months before her second birthday. Louis, Dauphin of France did marry again and had children but he never succeeded to the throne. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 36.

********************

Infante Luis of Spain (1727 – 1785)

At the age of eight, Luis was ordained Archbishop of Toledo and Primate of Spain and shortly thereafter was named Cardinal-Priest of the Church of Santa Maria della Scala in Rome. He was the youngest ever Cardinal. When he was twenty-seven, Luis renounced his ecclesiastical titles for lack of vocation and assumed the title 13th Count of Chinchón. Luis married morganatically to Spanish aristocrat María Teresa de Vallabriga. They had four children who did not have royal titles because their parents’ marriage was morganatic.

********************

Infanta Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain, Queen of Sardinia (1729 – 1785)

Maria Antonia Ferdinanda was the wife of Vittorio Amedeo III, King of Sardinia with whom she had twelve children. Three of their children died in childhood, and only two of their children had children.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Charles of France, Duke of Berry and Marie Louise Élisabeth d’Orléans

Prince Charles of France, Duke of Alençon (born and died 1713)

Charles lived for twenty-one days. He was born on March 26, 1713, and died on April 16, 1713.

********************

Princess Marie Louise Élisabeth of France (born and died 1714)

Marie Louise Élisabeth was born at the Palace of Versailles on J, and died the next day.

********************

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria and his first wife Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria

Prince Leopold Ferdinand of Bavaria (born and died 1689)

Leopold Ferdinand was born in Munich, then in the Electorate of Bavaria on May 22, 1689, and died three days later.

********************

Prince Anton of Bavaria (born and died 1690)

Anton was born on November 28, 1690, in Munich, then in the Electorate of Bavaria, and died the same day.

********************

Joseph Ferdinand, Electoral Prince of Bavaria (1692 – 1699)

Besides being the heir to the Electorate of Bavaria, for the last three years of his short life, Joseph Ferdinand was also the heir to the Spanish throne and a footnote in European history. His death would ultimately lead to the War of the Spanish Succession. Joseph Ferdinand’s mother Maria Antonia of Austria, the daughter of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, was the maternal granddaughter of Felipe IV, King of Spain. Felipe IV’s son and heir Carlos II, King of Spain had been married twice but had no children. Unlike many other European thrones, the Spanish succession could go through a female line, and so Carlos II named Joseph Ferdinand as his heir.

On February 3, 1699, six-year-old Joseph Ferdinand died suddenly after suffering seizures, vomiting, and loss of consciousness. He was rumored to have been poisoned, but nothing has been ever been proven. Carlos II, King of Spain then named Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou as his heir. Philippe’s father Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, son of King Louis XV of France, had the strongest genealogical claim to the throne of Spain because his mother Maria Teresa, Infanta of Spain had been the half-sister of Carlos II. However, neither Philippe’s father nor his elder brother, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, could be displaced from their place in the succession to the French throne. When Carlos II, King of Spain died in 1700, Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou became the first King of Spain from the House of Bourbon as Felipe V.

However, many European countries took issue with this. Disputes over the separation of the Spanish and French crowns, division of territories, and commercial rights led to the War of the Spanish Succession (1701 – 1714) between the Bourbons, who now ruled in France and Spain, and the Grand Alliance (Holy Roman Empire, Great Britain, the Dutch Republic, and Habsburg Spain). Peace was finally made in 1714. In return for his confirmation as King of Spain, Felipe V renounced succession rights to the French throne for both himself and his descendants. Any union of the French and Spanish crowns was forbidden.

********************

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria and his second wife Princess Theresa Kunegunda Sobieska of Poland

Princess Maria Anna Karoline of Bavaria (1696 – 1750)

Deeply religious from an early age, Maria Anna Karoline, the only daughter of her parents,  decided to become a nun despite the strong objections from her parents. On July 3, 1719, she declared her final decision to enter the Order of Saint Clare. She would be required to live a strict life that would require strict prayer, fasting, weekly flagellations, regular sleep deprivation, and no contact whatsoever outside the monastery walls. On October 28, 1719, the day she entered the convent, Maria Anna Karoline saw her parents for the last time. Her religious name, Sister Theresa Emanuela, came from the first names of her parents. In 1747, Maria Anna Karoline suffered a stroke and remained partially paralyzed for the last three years of her life.

********************

Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Elector of Bavaria, King of Bohemia (1697 – 1745)

The election of Karl, from the House of Wittelsbach, as Holy Roman Emperor, marked the end of three centuries of uninterrupted Habsburg imperial rule although he was related to the Habsburgs by both blood and marriage. Karl married Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria and they had seven children.

********************

Prince Philipp Moritz of Bavaria (1698 – 1719)

In 1717, Philipp Moritz went with his younger brother Clemens August to study theology in Rome, where he died from measles, aged 20, on March 12, 1719.

********************

Prince Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria (1699 – 1738)

Ferdinand Maria served in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire. His highest rank was Field Marshal. He married Maria Anna Carolina of Neuburg and they had three children.

********************

Prince Clemens August of Bavaria, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne (1700 – 1761)

Clemens August’s uncle Joseph Clemens, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne ensured that his nephew received several appointments. He was not considered to have talent or intelligence for any of his positions. Clement August was seen as brainless, incompetent, and not in the least interested in governing anything.

********************

Prince Wilhelm of Bavaria (1701 – 1704)

Wilhelm was born on July 12, 1701, in Schlessheim Palace Oberschleißheim, a suburb of Munich, then in the Electorate of Bavaria. He died on February 12, 1704, in Munich, then in the Electorate of Bavaria

********************

Prince Alois Johann Adolf of Bavaria (1702 – 1705)

Alois Johann Adolf was born in Munich, then in the Electorate of Bavaria, on born June 21, 1702, and died on June 18, 1705, in Munich.

********************

Prince Johann Theodor of Bavaria, Cardinal, Prince-Bishop of Regensburg, Freising and Liege (1703 – 1763)

In addition to his clerical duties, Johann Theodor loved to hunt, played the cello, and was a patron of music and theater. He had affairs with several women, had at least two illegitimate children, and was liked by the people of his bishopric.

********************

Prince Maximilian Emanuel Thomas of Bavaria (1704 – 1709)

Maximilian Emanuel Thomas was born on December 21, 1704, in Munich, then in the Electorate of Bavaria, and died February 18, 1709, in Munich.

********************

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Lundy, D. (2022). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2022). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2022 Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

Dresden Cathedral (Katholische Hofkirche) in Dresden, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Dresden Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Dresden Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Dresden in the German state of Saxony. During the time of the Electorate of Saxony and the Kingdom of Saxony, it was called the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony (in German: Katholische Hofkirche). Always the most important Catholic church in Dresden, in 1964, Dresden Cathedral was elevated to the status of co-cathedral, a cathedral church that shares the function of being a bishop’s seat with another cathedral. Dresden Cathedral is a co-cathedral of the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen with St. Peter’s Cathedral in Bautzen, Germany. It also serves as a parish church.

********************

History of Dresden Cathedral

Dresden Cathedral, circa 1840; Credit – Wikipedia

The House of Wettin split into two ruling branches in 1485: the Ernestine branch and the Albertine branch. The Albertine branch, while less prominent, ruled most of Saxony and briefly ruled Poland. In 1697, Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony converted to Roman Catholicism to obtain the Polish crown. From 1697 to 1706, and again from 1709 until his death in 1733, he reigned as King of Poland as Augustus II while remaining Elector of Saxony. This conversion to Roman Catholicism caused concern in Protestant Saxony, which increased when his grandson the future Friedrich August II, Elector of Saxony (who also reigned as Augustus III, King of Poland), also converted in 1712.

Upon his conversion in 1697, Friedrich August I had guaranteed religious freedom for the people of the Electorate of Saxony. However, he did not dare to displease his mostly Protestant subjects by building a Catholic church in Dresden. Instead, he discreetly practiced his Catholic faith in the Dresden Castle chapel. In 1708, Friedrich August I had a ballroom the Opera House at the Taschenberg in Dresden, converted into a Catholic church. He supported the rebuilding of the Frauenkirche, originally a Catholic church until the Reformation, when it became a Protestant church. This gave further assurance to the people of Saxony that Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony would not force upon them the principle of cuius regio, eius religio – whose realm, their religion – meaning that the religion of the ruler was to dictate the religion of those ruled.

It was not until Friedrich August I’s son Friedrich August II succeeded him as Elector of Saxony in 1733 that the Catholic Court Church (Katholische Hofkirche) was commissioned in 1736, initially under strict secrecy. At first, it was referred to as “a certain building”. Because of the conversion of the ruling family of Saxony, it was necessary to build a Roman Catholic church in Dresden to provide a Roman Catholic burial site for members of the Albertine branch. Friedrich August II’s father, Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony who had converted to Roman Catholicism to become King of Poland, had been buried at the Roman Catholic Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland. His wife Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth remained Lutheran and was buried in a Lutheran church. Christiane Eberhardine was called Sachsens Betsäule (Saxony’s pillar of prayer) by the Protestant people of Saxony for her refusal to convert to Catholicism and her loyalty to the Protestant faith.

The church was designed by Italian architect Gaetano Chiaveri and construction was carried out from 1739 to 1755. Initially, the Catholic Court Church was for the use of the Elector of Saxony, his family, and high-ranking officials and it was connected with a walkway to Dresden Castle, the residence of the family of the Elector of Saxony, and later, the King of Saxony. The Catholic Court Church was consecrated as the Court Church of the Most Holy Trinity on June 29, 1751, four years before the church was entirely completed, by Archbishop Alberico Archinto, Apostolic Nuncio to Poland.

Dresden Cathedral’s destroyed roof after the 1945 bombing; Credit – Wikipedia

During the joint British and American bombing of Dresden during World War II, from February 13 – February 15, 1945, the church was hit by bombs and badly damaged. As early as June 1945, mass was celebrated in the Benno Chapel and later in the left aisle. In 1962, the nave could be used again and the restoration was completed by 1965.

From March 2020 to February 2021 the cathedral was closed for extensive renovation work including the rebuilding of the walkway from the church to Dresden Castle. The nave was temporarily scaffolded up to the ceiling to repair damage and dirt on the ceiling and walls. The sacristy was completely redesigned and the cathedral received new lighting and a new speaker system.

********************

The Exterior of Dresden Cathedral

An aerial view of Dresden Cathedral; Credit – Von Carsten Pietzsch – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31879551

The cathedral was built in the late Baroque style. The structure of the free-standing, high central nave and the lower ambulatory aisle which completely surrounds the nave, are clearly visible from the outside. The ambulatory aisle served as a procession area. Any form of outdoor Catholic worship was forbidden in Protestant Saxony, and Catholic processions were banned.

Statues of saints; Credit – By Ad Meskens – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41602816

A striking feature of Dresden Cathedral is the seventy-eight larger-than-life statues of saints on the façade and the balustrades designed by the Italian sculptor Lorenzo Mattielli and the Dresden sculptors Paul and Jakob Mayer. The saints were chosen by Maria Josepha of Austria, Electress of Saxony, Queen of Poland, the Italian Jesuit and court confessor Ignatius Guarini (link in German), and the church architect Gaetano Chiaveri. Male and female saints are depicted and include apostles, evangelists, church fathers, founders of religious orders, important Jesuits, patron saints from the Saxon, Bohemian, Habsburg, and Polish regions, and allegorical figures.

During the bombing of Dresden in February 1945, sixteen statues were completely destroyed, eighteen were severely damaged, and numerous others had minor damage. From 1961 to 1972, the damaged statues were restored. The destroyed figures were replaced with copies from 1968 to 2002. Since 2002, unstable statues have been replaced with copies.

********************

The Interior of Dresden Cathedral

The nave looking toward the high altar; Credit – Von Jörg Blobelt – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62227414

The interior is divided into a nave, two aisles, and four corner chapels. A feature unique to Dresden Cathedral is the procession ambulatory, which runs around the entire nave. It was integrated into the church, at the time of construction, because Dresden was a Protestant city and the Catholic processional services had to take place inside.

The High Altar

The High Altar; Credit – Von Jörg Blobelt – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62227415

The high altar, made from marble and gilded bronze ornaments, was created by the Italian sculptor Andrea Salvatore di Antonio Aglio. The altarpiece, the large painting above the high altar, depicts the Ascension of Jesus Christ by Dresden court painter Anton Raphael Mengs.

The Left Aisle

The Martyrs Altar; Credit – By Ricardalovesmonuments – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110287469

At the end of the left aisle was originally an altar dedicated to Saint Francis Xavier but it was destroyed in the 1945 Dresden bombing. It was replaced by the Martyrs’ Altar commemorating three World War II martyrs whose ashes were originally interred in the Old Catholic Cemetery in Dresden (link in German). The three urns with their ashes were transferred on February 5, 2011, in a procession from the Old Catholic Cemetery to Dresden Cathedral where they are kept permanently on the Martyrs’ Altar.

  • Blessed Alois Andritzki (1914 – 1943), a German Roman Catholic priest who was a vocal critic of the Nazi regime and was killed by lethal injection in the Dachau concentration camp, beatified (the last step before sainthood) in 2011 at Dresden Cathedral
  • Bernhard Wensch (link in German) (1908 – 1942), a German Roman Catholic priest who was a vocal critic of the Nazi regime, died in the Dachau concentration camp
  • Aloys Scholze (link in German) (1893 – 1942), a German Roman Catholic priest who was a vocal critic of the Nazi regime, died in the Dachau concentration camp

Tje baptismal font by sculptor Balthasar Permoser; Credit – By SchiDD – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=111691972

Also in the left aisle is the baptismal font with a gilded metal lid created by sculptor Balthasar Permoser in 1721.

The Right Aisle

Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Infant Jesus, surrounded by angels by German sculptor Herman Leitherer; Credit – By Ricardalovesmonuments – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110287485

At the end of the right aisle was originally an altar dedicated to Saint Ignatius of Loyola but it was destroyed in the 1945 Dresden bombing. An altar dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary replaced the original altar. In the wall niche above the altar is a statue of Mary holding the Infant Jesus, surrounded by angels created, by German sculptor Herman Leitherer (link in German) in 1987, inspired by the Mühlhausen altar in Bamberg Cathedral.

The Four Corner Chapels

Four chapels are located at the four corners of Dresden Cathedral. All four chapels suffered damage during the Dresden bombing in February 1945. Three of the corner chapels have been restored close to their original. An exception is the Memorial Chapel commemorating the victims of World War II which is an entirely new chapel.

The Sacrament Chapel

The Sacrament Chapel; Credit – By Mogadir – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43707533

The Sacrament Chapel, dedicated to the Eucharist (Holy Communion), is located at the southwest corner and is used for silent worship. The Founder’s Crypt, where the Electors and Kings of Saxony from 1694 to 1827 and some family members are interred, is located under the Sacrament Chapel.

The reproduction of The Institution of the Eucharist by the German painter Gerhard Keil; Credit – By Jörg Blobelt – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=98058798

The original altarpiece, the painting over the altar, The Institution of the Eucharist (by French painter Louis de Silvestre, 1752), was destroyed in the Dresden bombing. It was replaced in 1984 with a reproduction by the German painter Gerhard Keil (link in German).

The reproduction of the ceiling fresco Adoration of the Eucharistic; Credit – By Jörg Blobelt – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77116515

The ceiling fresco Adoration of the Eucharistic (by Italian painter Stefano Torelli, 1755) was also destroyed and was recreated.

The Cross Chapel

The Cross Chapel; Credit – By Ad Meskens – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41624986

The Cross Chapel is located at the northwest corner. It is where weekday masses for the cathedral parish are celebrated. The Royal Crypt, where the two Kings of Saxony from 1830 to 1873 and their wives are interred is located under the Cross Chapel.

The altarpiece, Crucifixion of Christ (by French painter Charles François Hutin, 1753), was restored after the Dresden bombing but the ceiling fresco painted by Benjamin Theil in 1787 was damaged and was only partly restored.

The Benno Chapel

The Benno Chapel; Credit – By Ricardalovesmonuments – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110287472

The Benno Chapel is located at the southeast corner. It is dedicated to Saint Benno of Meissen (circa 1010 – 1106) who was named Bishop of Meissen in 1066. Benno, venerated since the 13th century, was canonized as a saint in 1523. Saint Benno is the patron saint of the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen and also the city of Munich in Bavaria, Germany.

Reproduction of Bishop Benno Proclaiming the Christian Faith to the Sorbs; Credit – By Jörg Blobelt – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=98058793

The original altarpiece Bishop Benno Proclaiming the Christian Faith to the Sorbs, a West Slavic ethnic group who lived in Saxony and Brandenburg (by Stefano Torelli, 1752), and the ceiling fresco (by Austrian painter Franz Anton Maulbertsch, 1770 ) were destroyed in the Dresden bombing and reproductions were made.

Reliquary made by German sculptor Paul Brandenburg containing Saint Benno of Meissen’s miter; Credit – Bistum Dresden-Meissen (Diocese of Dresden-Meissen)

On the altar is a reliquary made by German sculptor Paul Brandenburg (link in German) in 1997 containing Saint Benno of Meissen’s miter, the traditional headdress of a bishop, which is venerated as a relic.

The Memorial Chapel

Friedrich Press’ Pietà and altar in the Memorial Chapel; Credit – Bistum Dresden-Meissen (Diocese of Dresden-Meissen)

The Memorial Chapel is located on the northeast corner and is the new chapel that was built to replace the one that was destroyed in the Dresden bombing. The original chapel was dedicated to Saint Johann Nepomuk (circa 1345 – 1393) who was tortured and drowned after being thrown into the Vltava River (Moldau River in German) from Charles Bridge in Prague, then in the Kingdom of Bohemia, by order of King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia after a dispute.  Johann Nepomuk was the confessor of King Wenceslaus IV’s second wife Sophia of Bavaria, Queen of Bohemia and apparently, he refused to reveal her confession.

Since 1976, the chapel has been a memorial for the victims of the Dresden bombing in February 1945 that killed up to 25,000 people. Displayed in the Memorial Chapel is a modern Pietà, a work of art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. Sculpted by German sculptor Friedrich Press (link in German) (1904 – 1990), the Pietà in the Memorial Chapel is the largest sculpture ever made from Meissen porcelain. The altar in the Memorial Chapel is also the work of Friedrich Press. During the Nazi regime, Press’ works were officially considered “degenerate art.” After World War II, nearly all of his works were religious-related art.

High up on the walls of the Memorial Chapel are the words of the sermon during the last mass before the bombing. Also on the walls are the names of 52 priests from the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen who were killed by the Nazis.

********************

Burials in the Founders Crypt

The Founders Crypt; Credit – By Mogadir – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43489343

The Founders Crypt is located under the Sacrament Chapel in the south of the cathedral. The Electors and Kings of Saxony from 1694 to 1827 are interred here. The crypt contains nine coffins including the coffins of three children of Friedrich August II, Elector of Saxony, during whose reign the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony was built. The three coffins are the oldest in the entire burial crypt and were moved from their original burial site in 1751.

The heart of Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony, who reigned also as Augustus II (the Strong), King of Poland in a niche in the Founders Crypt; Credit – By Mogadir – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43489045

In addition, the heart of Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony, who reigned also as Augustus II (the Strong), King of Poland rests in a niche in the Founders Crypt. His body was buried in Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland.

Burials in the Royal Crypt

The Royal Crypt; Credit – By User:Kolossos – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2452678

The two Kings of Saxony from 1830 to 1873 and their wives are interred in the Royal Crypt under the Cross Chapel of the cathedral. The Royal Crypt is the smallest burial place in the church but the sarcophagi are the most ornate. The bronze sarcophagi were decorated in the Neo-Baroque style and each weigh five tons. King Johann’s sarcophagus is decorated with the owl of the Greek goddess Athena in honor of his knowledgable and studious nature. King Johann was an avid student of literature, and under a pseudonym, published numerous translations into German, including Dante’s Divine Comedy.

Burials in the New Crypt

The New Crypt; Credit – By Mogadir – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43488502

The two Kings of Saxony from 1873 to 1918, along with some of their relatives are interred in the New Crypt under the southeast aisle of the cathedral. The most recent burial in the cathedral is that of Georg, Crown Prince of Saxony son of Friedrich August III, King of Saxony, who became a Roman Catholic priest and renounced his succession rights.

Burials in the Great Crypt

The Great Crypt; Credit – royaltyguide.nl

Twenty-five coffins of members of the electoral and royal families of Saxony from 1763 to 1898 are interred in the Great Crypt under the northwest aisle of the cathedral.

  • Joseph of Saxony (1754 – 1763), son of Friedrich Christian, Elector of Saxony
  • Karl Maximilian of Saxony (1752 – 1781), son of Friedrich Christian, Elector of Saxony
  • Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony (1764 – 1782), 1st wife of Anton, King of Saxony
  • Friedrich August of Saxony (born and died 1796), son of Anton, King of Saxony
  • Maria Ludovica of Saxony (1795 – 1798), daughter of Anton, King of Saxony
  • Maria Johanna of Saxony (1798 – 1799), daughter of Anton, King of Saxony
  • Maria Theresa of Saxony (born and died 1799), daughter of Anton, King of Saxony
  • Carolina of Bourbon-Parma, Hereditary Princess of Saxony (1770 – 1804), wife of Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Saxony
  • Franz Xaver of Poland and Saxony (1730 – 1806), son of Friedrich August II, Elector of Saxony/Augustus III, King of Poland
  • Maria Elisabeth of Poland and Saxony (1736 – 1818), daughter of Friedrich August II, Elector of Saxony/Augustus III, King of Poland
  • Maria Anna of Saxony (1761 – 1820), daughter of Friedrich Christian, Elector of Saxony
  • Maria Kunigunde of Poland and Saxony (1740 – 1826), daughter of Friedrich August II, Elector of Saxony/Augustus III, King of Poland
  • Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of Saxony (1767 – 1827) 2nd wife of Anton, King of Saxony
  • Maria Karoline of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony (1801 – 1832), 1st wife of Friedrich August II, King of Saxony
  • Anton, King of Saxony (1755 – 1836), son of Friedrich Christian, Elector of Saxony
  • Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Saxony (1759 – 1838), son of Friedrich Christian, Elector of Saxony, renounced his succession to the throne in favor of his son Friedrich August II
  • Ernst of Saxony (1831 – 1847), son of Johann I, King of Saxony
  • Maria Augusta of Saxony (1827 – 1857), daughter of Johann I, King of Saxony
  • Marie Johanna Amalie of Saxony (1860 – 1861), daughter of Georg, King of Saxony
  • Sidonia of Saxony (1834 – 1862), daughter of Johann I, King of Saxony
  • Maria Augusta of Saxony (1782 – 1863), daughter of Friedrich Augustus I, King of Saxony
  • Elisabeth of Saxony (1862 – 1863), daughter of Georg, King of Saxony
  • Amalie of Saxony (1794 – 1870), daughter of Prince Maximilian of Saxony, granddaughter of Friedrich Christian, Elector of Saxony
  • Maria Anna of Portugal, Princess of Saxony (1843 – 1884), wife of Georg, King of Saxony
  • Maria Alix Carola of Saxony (born and died 1898), daughter of Friedrich August III, King of Saxony

*******************

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Bistum-dresden-meissen.de. 2022. Geschichte der Kathedrale. [online] Available at: <https://www.bistum-dresden-meissen.de/wir-sind/kathedrale/geschichte/geschichte-der-kathedrale> [Accessed 13 May 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Katholische Hofkirche – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katholische_Hofkirche> [Accessed 13 May 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Liste der Bestatteten in der Wettiner-Gruft der Katholischen Hofkirche – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Bestatteten_in_der_Wettiner-Gruft_der_Katholischen_Hofkirche> [Accessed 13 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Dresden Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Cathedral> [Accessed 13 May 2022].

Basilica of Superga in Turin, Italy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Basilica of Superga; Credit – Di Antoniors81 – Opera propria, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26674899

The Basilica of Superga is a Roman Catholic church located in Turin (Torino in Italian), Italy. The Royal Crypt, built under the Basilica of Superga, is one of the traditional burial places of the members of the House of Savoy. Two Kings of Italy (who came from the House of Savoy), Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I, were interred in the Pantheon in Rome. The earlier generations of the House of Savoy as well as Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia and Umberto II, the last King of Italy, are buried in Hautecombe Abbey, the ancestral burial site of the House of Savoy, now in Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille near Aix-les-Bains in Savoy, France.

The House of Savoy had been Counts and then Dukes of Savoy, since the 11th century and ruled from the city of Turin, now in northern Italy. Vittorio Amedeo II, Duke of Savoy became King of Sicily in 1713 as a result of his participation in the War of the Spanish Succession. However, in 1720, Vittorio Amedeo II was forced to exchange the Kingdom of Sicily for the less important Kingdom of Sardinia after objections from the Quadruple Alliance (Great Britain, France, Habsburg Austria, and the Dutch Republic).

Sardinia, now in Italy, is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea after Sicily but the Kings of Sardinia of the House of Savoy ruled from Turin, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy. They styled themselves as Kings of Sardinia because the title was superior to their original lesser title as Dukes of Savoy. However, they retained the regnal numerical order of the Dukes of Savoy. The children of the Kings of Sardinia were styled “of Savoy.”

Vittorio Emanuele II became the last King of Sardinia upon the abdication of his father in 1849. He then became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. Garibaldi conquered Naples and Sicily, the territories of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, while the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

*********************

History of the Basilica of Superga

Photo taken by Italian photographer Giacomo Brogi, circa 1850 – 1851; Credit – Wikipedia

The Basilica of Superga, now in Turin, Italy, is located at the top of the Superga, a 2,205 ft/672-meter hill. During the 117-day 1706 Siege of Turin in the War of the Spanish Succession, over 44,000 French soldiers surrounded the fortified citadel of Turin defended by about 10,500 Savoy soldiers. On August 28, 1706, Vittorio Amedeo II, Duke of Savoy (later the first King of Sardinia) and his cousin Prince Eugenio of Savoy-Carignano climbed the Superga hill to better examine the position of troops so they could develop battle strategies. On September 2, 1706, Vittorio Amedeo II and Eugenio once again climbed the Superga. They entered a small church on the hill where Vittorio Amedeo II prostrated himself in front of a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary as Madonna delle Grazie, Our Lady of Grace, and vowed that if the Virgin Mary allowed him to be victorious in, the Siege of Turin, he would build a magnificent church at the top of the hill dedicated to her. On September 7, 1706, the forces of Vittoria Amadeo II and Eugenio won a victory.

 

Vittorio Amedeo II kept his vow and commissioned Italian architect Filippo Juvarra to design the magnificent church at the top of the Superga. The Basilica of Superga, designed in the Rococo and Neoclassical styles, was constructed from 1717 to 1731. On November 1, 1731, the Basilica of Superga was consecrated and dedicated to Our Lady of Grace whose original wooden statue that Vittorio Amadeo II had prostrated himself before is kept in the Chapel of the Vow on the left side of the main altar of the Basilica of Superga.

The memorial to the victims of the Superga air disaster at the Basilica of Superga; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 4, 1949, an airplane carrying the Italian football (soccer) team Torino Football Club nicknamed Il Grande Torino, was returning to Turin, Italy after traveling to Lisbon, Portugal where the team had played the Portuguese football (soccer) team Benfica. At around 5:00 PM, the airplane was flying over the outskirts of Turin and was preparing for landing, when pilot Pierluigi Meroni, a World War II flying veteran, was warned that the weather in Turin was poor with fog, showers, and strong wind gusts. Minutes later, the airplane crashed into the retaining wall at the back of the Basilica of Superga. All thirty-one passengers which included players, coaching staff, team officials, journalists, and the flight crew were killed. Only three players who did not travel with the team because of injury or illness escaped the disaster. The walls damaged by the impact of the airplane are still visible, as it was decided not to rebuild them. This tragic event is commemorated by a museum and a plaque on the rear building, and a solemn mass is celebrated at the basilica every May 4 in memory of the victims.

*********************

The Exterior of the Basilica of Superga

The Basilica of Superga; Credit – Wikipedia

During the construction, building materials were carried up the hill by donkeys. The hill was leveled by about 131 feet/40 meters to create a flat area for the basilica’s construction. A staircase leads to a large portico supported by eight Corinthian columns inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. Atop the basilica is a 213-foot/65-meter high Baroque-style dome with two symmetrical bell towers on either side.

*********************

The Interior of the Basilica of Superga

The interior of the Basilica of Superga; Credit – Di Paris Orlando – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74180912

The interior was designed with a Greek cross plan, a church plan in the form of a Greek cross, with a square central mass and four arms of equal length. The diagram below shows the difference between the Greek cross plan and the more widely used Latin cross plan.

Greek cross (Church of Saint Sava) and Latin cross (St. Paul’s Cathedral) in church floorplans; Credit – Wikipedia

The Main Altar; Credit – Di Incola – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32157514

The interior has six chapels, four altars, and the main altar which is decorated with sculptures and monuments in Carrara marble. In the Vow Chapel is the original wooden statue of the Madonna delle Grazie, Our Lady of Grace, the statue Vittorio Amedeo II knelt in front of, and asked for the grace to defeat the French army.

The wooden statue of the Madonna delle Grazie; Credit – Wikipedia

*********************

Burials at the Basilica of Superga

The Hall of the Queens – Notice the burial niches; Credit – Basilica of Superga

The original plans for the Basilica of Superga included a burial crypt but the plans were temporarily shelved because of funding issues. In 1774, forty-three years after the consecration of the Basilica of Superga, Vittorio Amedeo III, King of Sardinia commissioned architect Francesco Martinez, grandson of the original architect Filippo Juvara, to build a burial crypt. In 1778, the burial crypt was consecrated and arrangements began for the reburial of some royal remains that had been interred in other burial sites.

The Royal Crypt is divided into five rooms, including the Hall of Kings, the Hall of the Queens, and the Hall of Children, where children and princes and princesses who never reigned were interred. While there are some tombs, most burials are in niches along the walls of the rooms as seen in the above photo.

Traditionally, at the death of the sovereign, his remains were placed in the center of the Hall of Kings. Upon the death of the next sovereign, the previous sovereign’s remains were then moved to one of the niches. The last sovereign buried at the Basilica of Superga was Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia. He died in 1849 and his tomb remains in the center of the Hall of Kings because his successors became Kings of Italy and were buried elsewhere.

Hall of the Kings (First Room)

Tomb of Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia in the Hall of Kings; Credit – Wikipedia

Second Room

Hall of the Queens (Third Room)

The funeral of Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta, 5th Duke of Aosta on July 1, 2021 at the Basilica of Superga

Fourth Room

Hall of the Children (Fifth Room)

  • Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy (born and died 1705), son of Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia
  • Vittorio Amadeo, Prince of Piedmont (1699 – 1715), son and heir of Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia, died in his teens from smallpox, first buried in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, moved to the Basilica of Superga
  • Vittorio Amedeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta (1723 – 1725), son of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia, moved from his original burial site in 1790
  • Carlo Francesco Romualdo of Savoy, Duke of Chablais (born and died 1733), son of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia, moved from his original burial site in 1790
  • Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Duke of Aosta (1731 – 1735), son of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia, moved from his original burial site in 1790
  • Maria Vittoria of Savoy (1740 – 1742), daughter of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia
  • Carlo Francesco of Savoy, Duke of Aosta (1738 – 1745), son of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia, moved from his original burial site in 1790
  • Maria Elisabetta Carlotta of Savoy (1752 – 1753), daughter of Vittorio Amedeo III, King of Sardinia, moved from her original burial site in 1790
  • Amedeo Alessandro of Savoy (1754 – 1755), son of Vittorio Amedeo III, King of Sardinia,
  • Maria Anna Vittoria of Savoy (1683 – 1763), daughter of Luigi Tommaso of Savoy-Soissons, Count of Soissons, wife of Prince Joseph of Saxe-Hildburghausen, marriage dissolved, moved from her original burial site in 1921
  • Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy (1729 – 1767), daughter of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia, first buried at the convent of St. Andrew in Chieri, Kingdom of Sardinia, moved to the chapel in the cemetery at the church of St. George in Chieri in 1811, and then moved to the Basilica of Superga in 1823
  • Maria Cristina of Savoy (1760 – 1768), daughter of Vittorio Amedeo III, King of Sardinia
  • Eleonora Maria Teresa of Savoy (1728 – 1781), daughter of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia
  • Maria Adelaide of Savoy (1794 – 1795), daughter of Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia
  • Maria Felicita of Savoy (1730 – 1801), daughter of Carlo Emanuele III, first buried in the Basilica of the Holy Apostles in Rome, moved to the Royal Basilica of Superga in 1858
  • A daughter (1800 – 1801), daughter of Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia, moved from her original burial site in 1939
  • Benedetto of Savoy, Duke of Chablais (1741 – 1808), son of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia, first buried at the Church of San Nicolo dei Cesarini in Rome, moved to the Royal Basilica of Superga in 1926
  • Maria Anna of Savoy, Duchess of Chablais (1757 – 1824), daughter of Vittorio Amedeo III, King of Sardinia, wife and niece of Benedetto of Savoy, Duke of Chablais
  • Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy (born and died 1852), son of Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, King of Italy
  • Carlo Alberto of Savoy, Duke of Chablais (1851 – 1854), son of Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, King of Italy
  • Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy (born and died 1855), son of Vittorio Emanuele II
  • Prince Napoléon-Jérôme Bonaparte (1822 – 1891), husband of Maria Clotilde of Savoy, a daughter of Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, King of Italy
  • Maria Clotilde of Savoy, Princess Napoleon (1843 – 1911), daughter of Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, King of Italy, wife of Prince Napoléon-Jérôme Bonaparte
  • Prince Louis Bonaparte (1864 – 1932), son of Napoléon-Jérôme Bonaparte and Maria Clotilde of Savoy, grandson of Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, King of Italy
  • Lydia di Arenberg, Duchess of Genoa (1905 – 1977), wife of Prince Filiberto of Savoy, 4th Duke of Genoa
  • Adalberto of Savoy-Genoa, Duke of Bergamo (1898 – 1982), son of Tommaso, 2nd Duke of Genoa
  • Filiberto of Savoy, 4th Duke of Genoa (1895 – 1990), son of Tommaso, 2nd Duke of Genoa

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Basilicadisuperga.com. 2022. The Basilica – Basilica di Superga. [online] Available at: <http://www.basilicadisuperga.com/en/places/the-basilica/> [Accessed 3 May 2022].
  • Basilicadisuperga.com. 2022. The Royal Tombs – Basilica di Superga. [online] Available at: <http://www.basilicadisuperga.com/en/places/the-royal-tombs/> [Accessed 3 May 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Superga – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superga> [Accessed 3 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Basilica of Superga – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Superga> [Accessed 3 May 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Kingdom of Sardinia Royal Burial Sites. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/kingdom-of-sardinia-royal-burial-sites/> [Accessed 3 May 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Basilique de Superga — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilique_de_Superga> [Accessed 3 May 2022].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2022. Basilica di Superga – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_Superga> [Accessed 3 May 2022].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2022. Cripta Reale di Superga – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cripta_Reale_di_Superga#Elenco_dei_Savoia_attualmente_tumulati_a_Superga> [Accessed 3 May 2022].

First Cousins: Louis XIV, King of France

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Louis XIV, King of France (1638 – 1715)

(All media credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Louis XIV, King of France was the longest-reigning French monarch, reigning for 72 years from 1643 until his death in 1715. He was born on September 5, 1638, at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, the elder of the two sons of Louis XIII, King of France and Anne of Austria, Infanta of Spain. His paternal grandparents were Henri IV, the first King of France from the House of Bourbon, and his second wife Marie de’ Medici. Louis XIV’s maternal grandparents were Felipe III, King of Spain and Margaret of Austria. In 1660, Louis XIV married his double first cousin Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain, daughter of King Felipe IV of Spain and Elisabeth of France. The couple had six children but only the eldest, Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, survived infancy or childhood, but he predeceased his father. Louis XIV had at least thirteen illegitimate children with his mistresses. Many of his children by his mistresses were legitimized and given titles.

Louis XIV was a firm believer in the divine right of kings. He became one of France’s most powerful sovereigns and established France as one of the leading powers in Europe. After the death of his wife in 1683, King Louis XIV married his mistress Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon. Because the marriage was morganatic, she was never publicly acknowledged as his wife or as Queen.

After reigning for 72 years and 100 days, King Louis XIV died on September 1, 1715. He had outlived most of his immediate legitimate family. His only legitimate son to survive infancy, Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, had died in 1711. Barely a year later, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin, the eldest of Le Grand Dauphin’s three sons and then heir to Louis XIV, followed his father in death. The Duke of Burgundy’s elder surviving son Louis, Duke of Brittany joined them a few weeks later. Thus, on his deathbed, Louis XIV’s heir was his five-year-old great-grandson, Louis, Duke of Anjou, the Duke of Burgundy’s younger son, who succeeded his great-grandfather as King Louis XV.

Louis XIV, King of France had 30 paternal first cousins and 19 maternal first cousins which he shared with his only sibling Philippe I, Duke of Orléans.

********************

Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Henri IV, King of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici

Maternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Felipe III, King of Spain and Archduke Margaret of Austria

Note: Felipe III’s children were known as “of Austria” because the Spanish monarchs at the time were members of the House of Habsburg

********************

Paternal First Cousins

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Elisabeth of France and Felipe IV, King of Spain

Maria Margarita of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1621)

Maria Margarita was born on August 14, 1621, and died the next day.

********************

Margarita Maria Caterina of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1623)

Margarita Maria Caterina was born on November 25,  1623, and died on December 22, 1623.

********************

Maria Eugenia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1625 – 1627)

Maria Eugenia was born on November 21, 1625, and died on August 21, 1627.

********************

Isabella Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1627)

Isabella Maria Theresa was born on October 31, 1627, and died the next day.

********************

Balthasar Carlos of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias (1629 – 1646)

Balthasar Carlos was the heir apparent to the Spanish throne until his death. He died from smallpox at the age of sixteen on October  9, 1646.

********************

Francisco Fernando of Austria, Infante of Spain (born and died 1634)

Francisco Fernando died on the day of his birth, March 12, 1634.

********************

Maria Anna Antonia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1636)

Maria Anna Antonia was born on January 17, 1636, and died on December 5, 1636.

********************

Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain, Queen of France (1638 – 1683)

Maria Theresa married her double first cousin, Louis XIV, King of France. The youngest of eight children, she was the only one of her siblings to reach adulthood. Maria Theresa and Louis XIV had six children but only the eldest, Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, survived to adulthood, but he predeceased his father. Maria Theresa was very devout, often inviting members of the King’s court to come and pray with her. Intensely private, she was humiliated by her husband’s numerous, and very public, affairs and his man illegitimate children.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Christine Marie of France and Vittorio Amedeo I, Duke of Savoy

Prince Luigi Amadeo of Savoy (1622 – 1628)

Luigi Amedeo died in childhood.

********************

Princess Luisa Cristina of Savoy (1629 – 1692)

Upon the death of her father in 1637 a dispute arose between Luisa Cristina’s mother Christine Maria and paternal uncles Prince Tommaso of Savoy and Cardinal-Prince Maurizio of Savoy over the appointment of a regent and the inheritance of the duchy. The two brothers conspired against Christine Marie as regent, claiming the regency between the two of them. Eventually, with the help of her brother King Louis XIII of France,  Luisa Cristina’s mother Christine Marie became Regent for her five-year-old son Francesco Giacinto, Duke of Savoy and when he died in 1638, she became Regent for her other son Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy. Luisa Cristina was soon engaged to Maurice as part of a reconciliation with Christine Marie. To appease her 49-year-old uncle Maurizio, 13-year-old Luisa Cristina was married to him in 1642. Maurizio had left the clergy earlier that year. Luisa Cristina and Maurizio had no children. Maurizio died in 1657 from a stroke leaving Luisa Cristina a widow at the age of twenty-seven.

********************

Francesco Giacinto, Duke of Savoy (1632 – 1638)

Upon the death of his father, Francesco Giacinto was Duke of Savoy from 1637 to 1638 under the regency of his mother Christine Marie. On October 4, 1638, six-year-old Francesco Giacinto died from a fever.

********************

Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy (1634 – 1675)

In 1638 at the death of his older brother six-year-old brother Francesco Giacinto, Duke of Savoy, four-year-old Carlo Emanuele became the Duke of Savoy under the regency of his mother Christine Marie. Even after he reached the age of majority, he allowed his mother to continue ruling for him. Carlo Emanuele preferred a life of pleasure. Only upon the death of his mother in 1663, did Carlo Emanuele, at the age of 29, assume power. He wanted to marry Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours but his mother disagreed and encouraged him to marry his cousin Françoise Madeleine d’Orléans, daughter of his maternal uncle Gaston, Duke of Orléans.  He did so in 1663. Later that year, Christine Marie died and then Françoise Madeleine died in 1664. In 1665, Carlo Emanuele married Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours, and they had one son, Vittorio Amedeo II, who became the first King of Sardinia.

********************

Princess Margherita Yolande of Savoy, Duchess of Parma (1635 – 1663)

Margherita Yolande’s mother Christine Marie began a correspondence with the French court to secure a marriage between Margherita Yolande and her first cousin King Louis XIV of France. However, Cardinal Mazarin, the chief minister to Louis XIII and Louis XIV, convinced Louis XIV to marry another first cousin Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain, for political reasons. Instead, Margherita Yolande married Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma in 1660. The couple had two children who both died: the first was a stillborn daughter and the second was a son who live only one day. Sadly, Margherita Yolande died while giving birth to her second child.

********************

Princess Enrichetta Adelaide of Savoy, Electress of Bavaria (1636 – 1676)

Enrichetta Adelaide and her sister Caterina Beatrice were twins but Caterina Beatrice died when she was nine months old. In 1650, fourteen-year-old Enrichetta Adelaide married fourteen-year-old Ferdinand Maria, Hereditary Prince of the Electorate of Bavaria. The following year, Ferdinand Maria became Elector of Bavaria upon the death of his father. Enrichetta Adelaide and Ferdinand Maria had seven children including Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria who married her second cousin Louis, Le Grand Dauphin of France, the only surviving child of Louis XIV, King of France and Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain.

********************

Princess Caterina Beatrice of Savoy (1636 – 1637)

Caterina Beatrice was the twin of Enrichetta Adelaide. She was born on November 6, 1636, and died on August 26, 1637.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Gaston of France, Duke of Orléans and his first wife Marie de Bourbon, Duchess de Montpensier

Princess Anne Marie Louise d’Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier (1627 – 1693)

In 1626, Prince Gaston of France, Duke of Orléans was married against his will to the immensely wealthy Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier in her own right. On May 29, 1627, Marie gave birth to a daughter and then died a few days later due to childbirth complications. Her infant daughter Anne Marie Louise inherited her mother’s fortune and titles. Known as the Grande Mademoiselle, Anne Marie Louise never married and when she died in 1693, she left her fortune to her first cousin Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, King Louis XIV’s only sibling.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Gaston of France, Duke of Orléans and his second wife Marguerite of Lorraine

Princess Marguerite Louise d’Orléans, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (1645 – 1721)

In 1661, Marguerite Louise married Cosimo III de’ Medici, the future Grand Duke of Tuscany. The couple had three children but the marriage was not a happy one. In June 1675, Marguerite Louise and her husband separated and she retired with a pension to a convent on the outskirts of Paris that housed noble ladies separated from their husbands. She died in 1721 without ever again seeing her husband, who died two years later.

********************

Princess Élisabeth Marguerite d’Orléans, Duchess of Guise (1646 – 1696)

In 1667, Élisabeth Marguerite married Louis Joseph de Lorraine, Duke of Guise and the couple had one son who died at the age of four. In 1671, returning from a visit to the court of Charles II, King of England, Louis Joseph fell ill with smallpox and died. Élisabeth Marguerite never remarried.

********************

Princess Françoise Madeleine d’Orléans, Duchess of Savoy (1648 – 1664)

In 1663, influenced by her paternal aunt Christine Marie, Dowager Duchess of Savoy, Françoise Madeleine was married to her first cousin Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy. Françoise Madeleine died unexpectedly on  January 14, 1664, aged fifteen.

********************

Prince Jean Gaston d’Orléans, Duke of Valois (1650 – 1652)

The only son in the family, Jean Gaston had very frail health and was never able to walk or speak. He died from diarrhea a week short of his second birthday.

********************

Princess Marie Anne d’Orléans (1652 – 1656)

Born on November 9, 1652, Marie Anne died at the age of three on August 17, 1656.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Henrietta Maria of France and Charles I, King of England

Prince Charles James of England, Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay (born and died 1629)

Charles James was born prematurely on May 13, 1629, after his mother had been frightened by a large dog jumping at her. He died the same day as his birth.

********************

Charles II, King of England (1630 – 1685)

Charles II was still young when the English Civil War broke out between his father King Charles I and the Parliamentarian and Puritan forces. The execution of King Charles I on January 30, 1649, made Charles the de jure King. Charles lived in exile until 1660, when Parliament formally invited him as King Charles II, to be the English monarch in what has become known as the Restoration. In 1662, Charles married Catherine of Braganza, the daughter of King João IV of Portugal. Despite fathering many illegitimate children with his mistresses, Charles had no children with Catherine. It is thought that Catherine did have at least three miscarriages.

********************

Mary, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange (1631 – 1660)

Mary was the first Princess Royal. Her mother Queen Henrietta Maria, daughter of King Henri IV of France, wanted to imitate the way the eldest daughter of the King of France was styled Madame Royale. In 1641, nine-year-old Mary married Willem, Hereditary Prince of Orange, who would have his 15th birthday in a couple of weeks. In 1647, Mary’s husband became Willem II, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, upon the death of his father. In 1650, Mary was pregnant with her first child when her husband Willem II died at the age of 24. Eight days later, on November 14, 1650, Mary gave birth to her only child Willem who was Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands at birth. In 1660, on a visit to England, 29-year-old Mary fell ill with smallpox. Her son Willem was just ten years old and had lost both parents to smallpox. Willem would later marry his first cousin Mary, the daughter of King James II of England. After James II was deposed in 1688, Willem and Mary would jointly reign in England as King William III and Queen Mary II. Sadly, Mary would also die of smallpox at the age of 32.

********************

James II, King of England (1633 – 1701)

James’ first wife was Lady Anne Hyde, the daughter of one of his brother’s strongest supporters, Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon. James and Anne had eight children, but only two survived childhood, and both were Queen Regnants: Queen Mary II and Queen Anne. Anne and James secretly converted to Roman Catholicism. King Charles II insisted that James’ surviving daughters Mary and Anne be raised in the Church of England. In 1671, Anne died of breast cancer at the age of 34. King Charles II allowed his brother James to make a second marriage with the fifteen-year-old Catholic Mary Beatrice of Modena in 1673. Mary Beatrice had several miscarriages and stillbirths and had seven live births, but only two of these children survived childhood. King Charles II died in 1685, and having no legitimate children, he was succeeded by his brother James. King James II set on a course of restoring Catholicism to England. This ultimately resulted in James II being removed from the throne during the Glorious Revolution of 1688. James, his second wife, and their son settled at the Palace of St. Germain-en-Laye near Paris, France where a court in exile was established. James spent the rest of his life in France.

********************

Princess Elizabeth of England (1635 – 1650)

Elizabeth was only seven-years-old when the English Civil War broke out. From that time until her death in 1650, Elizabeth and her brother Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester were basically held as prisoners of the English Parliament. Over the coming years, Parliament assigned their guardianships to several nobles. Elizabeth spent her time studying languages and theology. On  January 29, 1649, Elizabeth and Henry met with their father for the last time. King Charles I was beheaded the next day. Elizabeth wrote a moving account of her last meeting with her father. In 1650, Elizabeth’s eldest brother, the titular King Charles II, traveled to Scotland to be crowned. In response, Parliament moved Elizabeth to the Isle of Wight despite Elizabeth complaining that she was not well enough to travel. During the move to the Isle of Wight, Elizabeth caught a cold that quickly developed into pneumonia, causing her death at the age of fifteen.

********************

Princess Anne of England (1637 – 1640)

From her birth, Anne was not healthy. It is likely that she developed tuberculosis, causing her death when she was only three years old. Apparently, Anne was a precocious child. As she lay dying, her nurse told her to say her prayers. Anne replied that she could not say her long prayer, meaning the Lord’s Prayer, but that she could say her short prayer, “Lighten mine eyes, O Lord, lest I sleep the sleep of death.”

********************

Princess Catherine of England (born and died 1639)

Catherine was born on June 29, 1639, and died the same day, an hour after her christening.

********************

Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1640 – 1660)

Henry was only two years old when the English Civil War broke out. Along with his elder sister Elizabeth, he was basically held as a prisoner of the English Parliament. Over the coming years, Parliament assigned their guardianships to several nobles. On  January 29, 1649, Elizabeth and Henry met with their father for the last time. King Charles I was beheaded the next day. In 1652, two years after the death of his sister Elizabeth, Henry was released and sent to his sister Mary in the Dutch Republic. Following the restoration of the monarchy in England in 1660, Henry accompanied his brother Charles II to England. However, in September 1660, Henry contracted smallpox during a London epidemic and died before Charles II’s coronation.

********************

Princess Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans (1644 – 1670)

About a month after Henrietta’s birth, her mother Henrietta Maria went to France to ask her nephew, King Louis XIV, for assistance for the Royalist side in the English Civil War. Henrietta was left in the care of Lady Dalkeith (born Anne Villiers, the daughter of Sir Edward Villiers). In 1646, Lady Dalkeith disguised herself and Henrietta as peasants and fled to France, reuniting Henrietta with her mother. Henrietta was brought up at the French court. In 1661, she married her first cousin Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the only sibling of King Louis XVI of France. Philippe had homosexual affairs, but apparently, he was intent on fulfilling his dynastic responsibility of having children, and the couple had three children.

On June 29, 1670, Henriette-Anne drank a glass of iced chicory water and immediately felt severe pain in her side. She thought she had been poisoned and asked to be given an antidote. Henrietta died the next day at the age of twenty-six. There were rumors that her husband’s lover Philippe, Chevalier de Lorraine had poisoned her. An autopsy showed that she died from “cholera morbus caused by heated bile” which was a medical diagnosis at the time for acute gastroenteritis occurring in summer and autumn with severe cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. Many of the autopsy observers disagreed with this diagnosis.

Henrietta is an ancestor of the royal families of Belgium, Luxembourg, and Spain. When the line of her brother King James II of England died out, the Jacobite claims to the British throne descended from her daughter Anne Marie d’Orléans, Queen of Sardinia. The Orléanist pretenders to the French throne and the Savoy pretenders to the Italian throne descend from Henrietta.

********************

Maternal First Cousins

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Felipe IV, King of Spain and his first wife Princess Elisabeth of France

See above – Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Elisabeth of France and Felipe IV, King of Spain

********************

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Felipe IV, King of Spain and his second wife Archduchess Mariana of Austria

Margarita Teresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain, Holy Roman Empress (1651 – 1673)

Margarita Teresa was the first child of Felipe IV, King of Spain from his second marriage with his niece Archduchess Mariana of Austria, the daughter of his sister Maria Anna of Spain and Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor. In 1666, fifteen-year-old Margarita Teresa married Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor who was her maternal uncle and paternal cousin. During her six years of marriage, Margarita Teresa gave birth to four children but only one survived infancy. Weakened by six pregnancies in six years (four living births and two miscarriages), 21-year-old Margarita Teresa died four months into her seventh pregnancy.

********************

Maria Ambrosia de la Concepción of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1655)

Maria Ambrosia lived for only two weeks. She was born on December 7, 1655, and died on December 21, 1655.

********************

Felipe Prospero of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias (1657 – 1661)

Felipe Prospero’s father Felipe IV, King of Spain, had no male heir since the death of Balthasar Charles, his son by his first wife, Elisabeth of France, eleven years earlier, and so the birth of Felipe Prospero was a joyous event. However, it soon became evident that Felipe Prospero had health issues and was frequently ill, possibly from a defective immune system from generations of inbreeding.  On November 1, 1661, he died following a severe epileptic attack, four weeks before his fourth birthday.

********************

Fernando of Austria, Infante of Spain (1658 – 1659)

Fernando was born on December 23, 1658, and died ten months later on October 22, 1659.

********************

Carlos II, King of Spain (1661 – 1700)

With the birth of Carlos, his father Felipe IV, King of Spain, had a male heir. However, due to inbreeding, Carlos had many problems. Of eleven marriages made by Spanish monarchs between 1450 and 1661, the vast majority were between close relatives. Carlos had the “Habsburg jaw”, and this was so pronounced in Carlos that he swallowed his food nearly whole because he could not thoroughly chew it. In 1665, the not-quite four-year-old Carlos became King of Spain upon the death of his father. His mother Archduchess Mariana of Austria served as regent.

Carlos was educated by priests, but because of his poor health, it was expected that he would not live long and so his education in government tasks was neglected. When Carlos was twenty, the papal nuncio described him: “He can’t straighten his body except when he walks, unless he leans against a wall, a table or something else. His body is as weak as his mind. From time to time he shows signs of intelligence, memory, and a certain liveliness, but usually, he has a slow and indifferent look, clumsy and indolent, seeming dumbstruck.” Carlos II married twice but both marriages were childless.

Carlos lived to be thirty-eight years old, the last King of Spain from the House of Habsburg. King Louis XIV of France’s son Louis, Le Grand Dauphin had the strongest genealogical claim to the throne of Spain because his mother Maria Teresa, Infanta of Spain had been the half-sister of Carlos II. However, neither Louis, Le Grand Dauphin nor his eldest son Louis, Duke of Burgundy, could be displaced from their place in the succession to the French throne. Therefore, Carlos II, King of Spain, in his will, named Louis, Le Grand Dauphin’s second son, 16-year-old Philippe, Duke of Anjou, as his successor. He reigned as Felipe V, the first of the Bourbon kings of Spain.

********************

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Maria Anna of Austria, Infanta of Spain and Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor

Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans (1633 – 1654)

In 1653, Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor had his eldest son Ferdinand crowned as King of the Romans as the de facto heir to the Holy Roman Empire, despite Holy Roman Emperor being an elected position.  A year later, the younger Ferdinand died from smallpox.

********************

Archduchess Mariana of Austria, Queen of Spain (1634 – 1696)

In 1649, 14-year-old Mariana married her 44-year-old uncle Felipe IV, King of Spain as his second wife in hopes of producing a male heir. Their children (listed above under Maternal First Cousins: Children of Felipe IV, King of Spain and his second wife Archduchess Mariana of Austria) were also first cousins of King Louis XIV through their father. Felipe IV was succeeded by his nearly four-year-old son Carlos II (see above). Because of Carlos II’s mental and physical condition, Mariana was regent for the rest of her life except for 1677 – 1679.

********************

Archduke Philipp August of Austria (1637 – 1639)

Philipp August was born on July 15, 1637, and died nearly two years later, on June 22, 1639.

********************

Archduke Maximilian Thomas of Austria (1638 – 1639)

Maximilian Thomas was born on December 21, 1638, and died six months later on June 29, 1639.

********************

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (1640 – 1705)

Leopold I was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. Elected in 1658, Leopold ruled the Holy Roman Empire until his death in 1705, becoming the longest-ruling Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor (46 years and 9 months). He married three times and had a total of sixteen children including Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, and Archduchess Maria of Austria who married her first cousin of João V, King of Portugal.

********************

Archduchess Maria of Austria (born and died 1646)

Maria was born and died on May 13, 1646.

********************

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Lundy, D. (2022). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2022). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2022 Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

First Cousins: Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia (1868 – 1917)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia was born May 18, 1868, at Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, Russia. He was the eldest son of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and Princess Dagmar of Denmark (Empress Maria Feodorovna). His paternal grandparents were Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia and his first wife Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (Empress Maria Alexandrovna). His maternal grandparents were Christian IX, King of Denmark and Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Nicholas II married Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and had four daughters and one son.

Nicholas II had 22 paternal first cousins and 33  maternal first cousins for a total of 55 first cousins. He shares his first cousins with his siblings Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich (died young of meningitis), Grand Duke George Alexandrovich, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, and Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna.

********************

Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia and his first wife Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine

********************

Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia and his morganatic second wife Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova, Princess Yurievskaya

********************

Maternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Christian IX, King of Denmark and Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel

********************

PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia and Princess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Grand Duke Alexander Vladimirovich of Russia (1875 – 1877)

Grand Duke Alexander Vladimirovich was born on August 31, 1875, and died nineteen months later on March 16, 1877.

********************

Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia (1876 – 1938)

Kirill married his first cousin Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and had three children. Following the abdication of Nicholas II in 1917, Kirill and his family left Russia. They settled first in Finland, before moving on to Munich and then Zurich. Eventually, they settled permanently in Saint-Briac, France, in the mid-1920s. In addition, they had inherited property in Coburg from his wife’s mother, which they retained until their deaths. Bolstered by a group of supporters, and the laws of the former Imperial Family (under which Kirill was the rightful heir to the throne), on August 31, 1924, Kirill declared himself Emperor of all the Russias. This claim was later taken by his son, Vladimir, and then Vladimir’s daughter, Maria Vladimirovna, who declared herself Head of the Imperial House in 1992.

********************

Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia (1877 – 1943)

Boris had a military career and was known as a notorious playboy. After the Russian Revolution, he left Russia with his longtime mistress, Zinaida Rashevskaya, whom he married in exile. The couple had no children Eventually, he settled in France where he spent the rest of his life.

********************

Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia (1879 – 1956)

In 1921, Andrei married his mistress Matilde Kschessinskaya, one of the most famous ballerinas of the Maryinsky Ballet (now the Kirov Ballet) in St. Petersburg, Russia, known as Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya after her marriage. Mathilde had an affair with Nicholas II before he married. While she was having an affair with Andrei, she was also involved with his cousin Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich. Mathilde’s son Prince Vladimir Romanovsky-Krasinsky could be the son of either Andrei or Sergei but Andrei officially adopted Vladimir. Andrei and Mathilde lived in the south of France until 1929 when they moved permanently to Paris, where Mathilde opened a ballet school.

********************

Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, Princess of Greece (1882 – 1957)

In 1902, Elena married her second cousin, Prince Nicholas of Greece, the son of King George I of Greece and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. They had three daughters including Princess Marina of Greece who married Prince George, Duke of Kent, son of King George V of the United Kingdom. Elena is the maternal grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousins Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra of Kent, and Prince Michael of Kent.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Child of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia and his (probable) morganatic wife Alexandra Vasilievna Zhukovskaya

Count Alexei Alexandrovich Belevsky-Zhukovsky (1871 – circa 1931)

Alexei married twice: to Princess Maria Petrovna Troubetskaya with whom he had four children and later divorced, and then to Baroness Natalia von Schoeppingk, with who, he had no children. After the Russian Revolution, Alexei remained in the Soviet Union while his wife and children emigrated. He was killed by the Soviets in the Caucasus sometime in 1930, 1931, or 1932.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia and Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Edinburgh

Prince Alfred of Edinburgh, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1874 – 1899)

In August 1893, Alfred’s father succeeded to the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and young Alfred became the Hereditary Prince. In January 1899, he was noticeably absent from the celebrations for his parents’ 25th wedding anniversary. The details surrounding his death were never formally given, and vary from source to source. Some say he was suffering from a breakdown, others a tumor, others tuberculosis. More than likely, he was suffering serious effects of syphilis he had contracted some years earlier. It is generally accepted that Alfred shot himself while the rest of the family was gathered for the anniversary celebrations. He survived the gunshot and was cared for at Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, before being moved, against the doctors’ recommendation, to the Martinnsbrunn Sanatorium in Gratsch, near Meran, Austria, where 24-year-old Alfred died.

********************

Princess Marie of Edinburgh, Queen of Romania (1875 – 1938)

In 1893, Marie married Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania. The couple officially had six children. The two youngest children are believed to have been fathered by Marie’s lover but were formally acknowledged by Ferdinand as his own. Being very free-spirited, Marie found the strict Romanian court to be stifling. Her husband’s uncle King Carol controlled every aspect of the couple’s lives. In 1914, Ferdinand became King of Romania upon the death of his uncle and reigned until his death in 1927. Marie spent her remaining years enjoying the company of her grandchildren and enjoying her homes at Bran Castle and Balchik Palace. Throughout the years, she had written her memoirs, which were published in several volumes.

********************

Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia (1876 – 1936)

In 1894, Victoria Melita married her first cousin Ernst II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. They were both grandchildren of Queen Victoria. The couple had one surviving child Princess Elisabeth who sadly died of typhoid at age 8. Victoria Melita and Ernst were terribly mismatched but waited until after the death of their grandmother Queen Victoria to divorce. In 1905, Victoria Melita married another first cousin Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia, also a first cousin of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia (see above). The couple had two daughters and one son. Following the abdication of Nicholas II in 1917, the family left Russia. They settled first in Finland, before moving on to Munich and then Zurich. Eventually, they settled permanently in Saint-Briac, France, in the mid-1920s. In addition, they had inherited property in Coburg from Victoria Melita’s mother, which they retained until their deaths.

********************

Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1878 – 1942)

In 1896, that Alexandra married Prince Ernst of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Alexandra and Ernst were second cousins – their grandmothers, Queen Victoria and Princess Feodora of Leiningen were half-sisters. The couple had two sons and three daughters. After her mother’s death in 1920, Alexandra inherited Palais Edinburg in Coburg, and, along with her sisters and leased Schloss Rosenau from the state until the late 1930s. In 1937, Alexandra joined her husband, and some of her children, as a member of the Nazi Party.

********************

Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Galliera (1884-1966)

In 1906, Beatrice’s cousin, Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, married King Alfonso XIII of Spain in Madrid, Spain. It was at the wedding that Beatrice met her future husband, Alfonso XIII’s first cousin Infante Alfonso of Spain. The couple married in 1909, in Coburg. A civil ceremony was held at Schloss Rosenau, followed by a Catholic ceremony at St. Augustine’s Church, and a Lutheran ceremony at Schloss Callenberg. Unlike her cousin, Victoria Eugenie, Beatrice chose not to convert to Catholicism prior to her marriage. She did later convert in 1913. Beatrice and Alfonso had three sons.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia and his first wife Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Princess of Sweden,
Princess Sergei Mikhailovich Putyatin (1890 – 1958)

Maria Pavlovna was a first cousin of both Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. When Maria Pavlovna was only seventeen months old, her mother died shortly after giving premature birth to her second child, Maria Pavlovna’s brother. In 1908, Maria Pavlovna married Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, son of King Gustav V of Sweden. The couple had one son Lennart but the marriage was not a happy one. In 1913, Maria left her husband and son and returned to Russia which caused a great scandal in Sweden. Her marriage was officially dissolved and then confirmed by an edict issued by Nicholas II. In 1917, Maria Pavlovna married Prince Sergei Mikhailovich Putyatin and the couple had one son who died in 1919. Maria Pavlovna and Sergei Mikhailovich were able to leave Russia and they settled in Paris, France but they divorced in 1923. In 1929, Maria emigrated to the United States where she wrote her two best-selling- memoirs, The Education of a Princess and A Princess in Exile. She also worked for the department store Bergdorf Goodman in New York City purchasing fashionable clothing from France. Maria’s interest in photography got her jobs with Hearst and Vogue as a photojournalist. In 1937, Maria Pavlovna was reunited with her son Lennart at his estate on the island of Mainau in Lake Constance, Germany.

********************

Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia  (1891–1942)

Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia was one of the conspirators in the murder of Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin and also a first cousin of both Nicholas II, the last Emperor of All Russia and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Shortly after Dmitri’s birth, his 21-year-old mother died from childbirth complications. Dmitri and his sister were brought up by English nannies and mostly lived with their paternal uncle and aunt, Grand Duke Sergei and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia. Dmitri participated in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm in the Equestrian Individual and Team Jumping events. After the murder of Rasputin, Dmitri was exiled to Persia (now Iran), a move that most likely saved his life during the Russian Revolution. In 1926, in the Russian Orthodox Church in Biarritz, France, Dmitri married the rich American heiress Audrey Emery, and the couple had one son.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich and his morganatic second wife Olga Karnovich

Prince Vladimir Pavlovich Paley (1897 – 1918)

Vladimir grew up in Paris and then attended the Corps des Pages, a military academy in Saint Petersburg, Russia. During World War I, he fought with the Emperor’s Hussars and was a decorated war hero. A talented poet from an early age, Vladimir published two volumes of poetry and wrote several plays and essays. Vladimir was one of the five Romanovs executed on July 18, 1918, with Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, the sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

********************

Princess Irina Pavlovna Paley (1903 – 1990)

Both Irina’s father Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich and her brother Prince Vladimir Pavlovich Paley, were killed by the Bolsheviks. Irina, her mother, and her sister Natalia later escaped to France in 1920. In 1923, Irina married her first cousin once removed, Prince Feodor Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia, and the couple had one son. in Paris. During her marriage to Feodor, Irina began an affair with Count Hubert de Monbrison and gave birth to Hubert’s daughter. Irina and Feodor were divorced in 1936, and she married Hubert in 1950,

********************

Princess Natalia Pavlovna Paley (1905–1981)

After the Russian Revolution, Natalia first lived in France and later in the United States where she became a naturalized American citizen. She became a fashion model and briefly pursued a career as a film actress. In 1927, Natalia married Lucien Lelong, a French fashion designer. The couple had no children and divorced in 1937. Soon after the divorce, Natalia married John Chapman Wilson, an American theatre director and producer.  The couple had no children and the marriage lasted until Wilson’s death in 1961.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince George Alexandrovich Yurievsky and Countess Alexandra von Zarnekau

Alexander Georgiyevich Yuryevsky, Prince Yuryevsky (1900 – 1988)

Alexander was the paternal grandson of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia and his morganatic second wife Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova, Princess Yurievskaya. After the divorce of his parents, Alexander went to live with his paternal grandmother Princess Yurievskaya who had moved to Nice, France after the assassination of her husband Alexander II.  Alexander married Ursule Anne Marie Beer de Grüneck and the couple had one son.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Olga Alexandrovna Yurievskaya and Count Georg-Nikolaus von Merenberg

The surviving two children of Princess Olga Alexandrovna Yurievskaya and Count Georg-Nikolaus von Merenberg: Countess Olga Ekaterina Adda von Merenberg and Count Georg-Michael von Merenberg, circa 1900

The children of Princess Olga Alexandrovna Yurievskaya are the paternal grandchildren of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia and his morganatic second wife Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova, Princess Yurievskaya. Their father Count Georg-Nikolaus von Merenberg was the son of Prince Nicholas Wilhelm of Nassau (brother of the Grand Duke Adolph of Luxembourg) and Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina), daughter of the Russian writer Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

Count Alexander-Adolf von Merenberg (1897 – 1898)

Alexander-Adolf was the twin of Count Georg-Michael von Merenberg but he died when he was six months old.

********************

Count Georg-Michael von Merenberg (1897 – 1965)

In 1926, Georg-Michael married Baroness Paulette von Koever de Györgys-Saint-Miklós. The marriage was childless and the marriage ended in divorce after two years. Georg-Michael married Elisabeth Müller-Ury in 1940 and the couple had one daughter. In 1941, Georg-Michael was drafted into the German Army and sent to the Eastern Front. He was an opponent of the Nazi Party and was tried twice by a military tribunal: the first time, for refusing to do the Nazi Party salute, the second time, for desecrating the Nazi Party symbol.

********************

Countess Olga Ekaterina Adda von Merenberg (1898 – 1983)

Olga married Count Mikhail Tarielovich Loris-Melikov and they had one son.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Ekaterina Alexandrovna Yurievskaya and Prince Alexander Vladimirovich Baryatinsky

The children of Princess Ekaterina Alexandrovna Yurievskaya are the paternal grandchildren of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia and his morganatic second wife Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova, Princess Yurievskaya.

Prince Andrei Baryatinsky (1902 – 1944)

Andrei Alexandrovich was born in Paris, France and after the death of his father and grandfather, he inherited one of the richest fortunes in Russia. In 1925, he married  Marie Paule Jedlinski and they had one daughter.

********************

Prince Alexander Baryatinsky (1905 – 1992)

Alexander Alexandrovich was born in Paris, France. He was married twice but had no children

*****************

MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Frederick VIII, King of Denmark and Princess Louise of Sweden

Christian X, King of Denmark of Denmark (1870 – 1947)

Christian X married Princess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1898 and had two sons including Frederik IX, King of Denmark. In 1940, during World War II, Germany occupied Denmark. Unlike King Haakon VII of Norway (Christian’s brother, born Prince Carl of Denmark) and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, both of whom went into exile during the German occupation of their countries, King Christian X remained in Denmark. He is remembered for his daily horse ride without a guard through the streets of Copenhagen during the Nazi occupation of Denmark, a symbol of Danish sovereignty.

*****************

Haakon VII, King of Norway (1872 – 1957)

A Danish prince who became King Haakon VII of Norway and one of a few elected monarchs, he was born Prince Carl of Denmark. In 1896, Carl married his first cousin Princess Maud of Wales (who was also a first cousin of Nicholas II). The couple had one son, born Prince Alexander of Denmark, later King Olav V of Norway.

In 1905, upon the dissolution of the Union between Sweden and Norway, the Norwegian government began searching for candidates to become King of Norway. Because of his descent from prior Norwegian monarchs, as well as his wife’s British connections, Carl was the overwhelming favorite. Before accepting, Carl insisted that the voices of the Norwegian people be heard in regards to retaining a monarchy. Following a referendum with a 79% majority in favor, Prince Carl was formally offered and then accepted the throne.  He took the name Haakon VII and his two-year-old son was renamed Olav and became Crown Prince of Norway.

*****************

Princess Louise of Denmark, Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe (1875 – 1906)

In 1896, Louise married Prince Frederick of Schaumburg-Lippe and the couple had three children. Louise suffered from depression and homesickness and spent much time visiting her family in Denmark, staying for two to three months at a time. Her father also came and visited with her each year. She died at the age of 31, and although the official cause of her death was meningitis, it is suspected that Louise drowned herself in a lake. She had tried this before but had been saved by the palace gardener.

*****************

Prince Harald of Denmark (1876 – 1949)

Harald served in the Royal Danish Army for most of his life and reached the rank of Lieutenant General. In 1909,  Harald married his second cousin Princess Helena of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Harald and Helena had five children.

*****************

Princess Ingeborg of Denmark, Princess of Sweden ( 1878 – 1958)

In 1897, Ingeborg married Prince Carl of Sweden. Carl and Ingeborg had four children including Märtha who married her first cousin the future King Olav V of Norway (Märtha died before her husband became king) and Astrid who married King Leopold III of Belgium. The current royal families of Belgium, Luxembourg, and Norway descend from Carl and Ingeborg. Belgian Kings Baudouin and Albert II, Norwegian King Harald V, and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, the wife of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg are all grandchildren of Carl and Ingeborg.

*****************

Princess Thyra of Denmark (1880 – 1945)

Thyra never married and lived her entire adult life in an apartment on Amaliegade, a street in Copenhagen, Denmark, close to Amalienborg Palace, where the Danish royal family lived. She was considered very friendly and understanding, and her apartment was a popular meeting place for her siblings and her relatives.

*****************

Prince Gustav of Denmark (1887 – 1944)

As a child, Gustav suffered from an illness that made him severely overweight. He had a brief career in the military. Gustav never married and he spent much of his life with his unmarried sister, Princess Thyra. Together, they often visited their brother King Haakon VII of Norway.

*****************

Princess Dagmar Of Denmark, Mrs. Castenskiold (1890 – 1961)

In 1922, Dagmar married Jørgen Castenskjold, the son of Anton Castenskiold, the Royal Danish Court Chamberlain. Dagmar and Jørgen had five children.

*****************

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Alexandra of Denmark, Queen of the United Kingdom and Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom

Prince Albert Victor of the United Kingdom, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (1864 – 1892)

Prince Albert Victor, known as Eddy, was the eldest child of the then Prince and Princess of Wales, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Queen Alexandra, born Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Eddy, who was inattentive and lazy, never excelled in his studies. Perhaps this was due to his premature birth which can be associated with learning disabilities. On December 3, 1891, Eddy and Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (Mary or May) became engaged. The wedding was set for February 27, 1892, but on  January 14, 1892, Eddy died from pneumonia. The following year, Princess Victoria Mary of Teck married Eddy’s brother George, and they eventually became the beloved King George V and Queen Mary.

*****************

George V, King of the United Kingdom (1865 – 1936)

After the death of George’s elder brother Prince Eddy (above), George, now second in the line of succession to the British throne, and Eddy’s fiancee Mary spent much time together. As time passed and their common grief eased, there was hope that a marriage might take place between them. The couple married on July 6, 1893, and eventually became the beloved King George V and Queen Mary. George and Mary had six children. During World War I, on July 17, 1917, King George V issued a proclamation changing the name of the British Royal Family from the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor, due to the anti-German sentiment.

*****************

Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife (1867 – 1931)

In 1889, Louise married a husband from the British nobility. Seventeen years older than his bride, Alexander William George Duff was the only son of James Duff, 5th Earl Fife and Lady Agnes Hay, daughter of the 18th Earl of Erroll and Lady Elizabeth FitzClarence who was an illegitimate daughter of King William IV. Louise and her husband had two daughters. As the eldest daughter of King Edward VII, Louise was created Princess Royal during her father’s reign, in 1905.

*****************

Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom (1868 – 1935)

Victoria’s elder sisters Louise and Maud escaped into marriage, leaving her at home as her mother’s constant companion. She had several suitors but her mother actively discouraged her from marrying anyone. Instead, Victoria remained a companion to her mother, Queen Alexandra, whom she lived with until the Queen’s death in 1925. Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, Toria’s first cousin, described her as little more than “a glorified maid.” When her mother died, Victoria was 57 and was able to live her own life at last. She purchased a country home, Coppins, in Iver, Buckinghamshire, England. Toria became active in the village life of Iver and was the honorary president of the Iver Horticultural Society.

*****************

Princess Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway

In 1896, Maud married her first cousin Prince Carl of Denmark (later King Haakon VII of Norway), who was also a first cousin of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. The couple had one son, born Prince Alexander of Denmark, later King Olav V of Norway. In 1905, upon the dissolution of the Union between Sweden and Norway, the Norwegian government began searching for candidates to become King of Norway. Because of his descent from prior Norwegian monarchs, as well as his wife’s British connections, Carl was the overwhelming favorite.  He took the name Haakon VII and his two-year-old son was renamed Olav and became Crown Prince of Norway. Maud and her husband made certain that their son was raised as a Norwegian, although Maud never became fluent in Norwegian. Maud never gave up her love for her native country and visited often. However, she did fulfill her duties as Queen of Norway. Maud became active in women’s rights and in the welfare of unmarried women.

*****************

Prince Alexander John of Wales (born and died 1871)

Prince Alexander John of Wales was born prematurely at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England on April 6, 1872, at 2:45 p.m., and died the next day. He was christened privately in the evening after his birth. The christening was attended by his parents, The Prince and Princess of Wales, a lady-in-waiting, and a doctor who had been at the birth.

*****************

Maternal First Cousins: Children of George I, King of Greece and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia

Note: George I, King of Greece was born Prince Vilhelm of Denmark, the brother of Princess Dagmar of Denmark (Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia), Nicholas II’s mother.

 

Constantine I, King of Greece (1868 – 1923)

In 1889, Constantine married Princess Sophie of Prussia, daughter of Friedrich III, German Emperor and Victoria, Princess Royal, the eldest child of Queen Victoria. Sophie and Constantine had six children and there is a 23-year age gap between their eldest and youngest child. In 1913, Constantine’s father King George I was assassinated and he acceded to the Greek throne as King Constantine I. Constantine reigned until 1917 when he was forced to abdicate. He reigned for a second time, from 1920 – to 1922 when he was again forced to abdicate.

*****************

Prince George of Greece and Denmark (1869 – 1957)

In 1907, George married Princess Marie Bonaparte, daughter of Prince Roland Bonaparte, a grandson of Lucien Bonaparte, Emperor Napoleon I’s brother. Marie was quite wealthy in her own right, having been left a vast fortune by her mother, Marie-Félix Blanc, the daughter of François Blanc who was the principal developer of Monte Carlo and the Monte Carlo Casino. George and Marie had a son and a daughter.

*****************

Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia (1870 – 1891)

Alexandra’s family usually spent their vacations in Russia or Denmark with their British, Danish, and Russian relatives and so Alexandra had early contact with the family of Alexander II, Emperor of all Russia, including her future husband Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich who was the youngest child of Alexander II and his wife Empress Maria Alexandrovna, born Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. In 1888, Alexandra and Grand Duke Paul married and Alexandra became Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia. The couple had two children: Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, who were also first cousins (through their father) of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. Alexandra gave birth prematurely to her son, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and then she lapsed into a coma. She did not recover consciousness and died six days later on September 24, 1891, at the age of 21.

*****************

Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark (1872 – 1938)

In 1902, Nicholas married his second cousin Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia. Elena was the only daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia (a son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia) and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Elena was also a first cousin of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. Nicholas and Elena had three daughters including Princess Marina of Greece who married Prince George, Duke of Kent, son of King George V of the United Kingdom. Nicholas and Elena are the maternal grandparents of Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousins Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra of Kent, and Prince Michael of Kent.

*****************

Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna of Russia (1876–1940)

In 1900, Maria married Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia. Maria and her husband had two daughters. When World War I began, Maria was living in Harrogate, England with her two daughters and chose to remain there and not return to Russia.  Her husband, like many in the Russian Imperial Family, was murdered by the Bolsheviks with three other Grand Dukes of Russia in January 1919, leaving Maria a widow. In 1920, Maria was able to return to Greece when her eldest brother, King Constantine I, was brought back to power. She traveled aboard a Greek destroyer commanded by Admiral Pericles Ioannidis, and a romance developed. The couple married two years later, on December 16, 1922, in Wiesbaden, Germany. They had no children.

*****************

Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark (born and died 1870)

Olga died at the age of seven months.

*****************

 

Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (1882 – 1944)

At the coronation of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom in August 1902, Andreas first met Princess Alice of Battenberg. She was the eldest daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The couple married in 1903, and over the next 18 years, they had five children including Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. By the early 1930s, Andreas had less and less contact with his family. His wife suffered a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized, his four daughters had all married into former German royal families, and his son was attending school first in Germany and then in the United Kingdom. Somewhat at a loss, having been basically forced into a life of retirement, Andreas moved to the French Riviera. There, he enjoyed a life of leisure, spending much of his time living aboard the yacht of his mistress Countess Andrée de La Bigne.

*****************

Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark (1888 – 1940)

In 1920, Christopher married Nancy Stewart Worthington Leeds, an American widow of a Cleveland tin manufacturer. The bride, who was a divorcee as well as a widow, was fifteen years older than Christopher. During her marriage to Christopher, Nancy was known as Princess Anastasia after she joined the Greek Orthodox Church. Sadly, Anastasia was diagnosed with cancer not long after the wedding and died in London in 1923. Six years later, Christopher made a more acceptable dynastic marriage to French Princess Francoise of Orleans, and the couple had one son.

*****************

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Thyra of Denmark, Crown Princess of Hanover and Ernst August II, Crown Prince of Hanover and 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale

Princess Marie Louise of Hanover and Cumberland, Margravine of Baden (1879 – 1948)

In 1900, Marie Louise married Prince Maximilian of Baden, later titular Margrave of Baden and they had a son and a daughter. Their son Prince Berthold of Baden married Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, a daughter of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. Prince Berthold was the brother-in-law of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

*****************

Georg Wilhelm, Hereditary Prince of Hanover (1880 – 1912)

Georg Wilhelm was an enthusiastic fan of automobile racing and took part in races several times. He was killed in a car accident after skidding on a newly laid road surface and hitting a tree while driving to the funeral of his uncle King Frederik VIII of Denmark. His valet was also killed in the accident.

*****************

Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1882 – 1963)

In 1904, Alexandra married Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and they had five children. Following her husband’s abdication on November 14, 1918, after World War I, the family was forced to leave the Grand Duchy. They traveled to Denmark at the invitation of Queen Alexandrine, Friedrich Franz’s sister, and stayed for a year at Sorgenfri Palace. The following year, they were permitted to return to Mecklenburg and recovered several of their properties.

*****************

Princess Olga of Hanover and Cumberland (1884 – 1958)

Olga never married and lived with her family in Gmunden, Austria. She was a companion to her parents until their respective deaths in 1923 and 1933. Shortly before Olga’s death in 1958, her nephew Prince Ernest August IV of Hanover and his wife Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg named their daughter after her.

*****************

Prince Christian of Hanover and Cumberland (1885 – 1901)

Prince Christian fell ill with appendicitis which was not recognized and treated. He died at the age of 16 from the peritonitis caused by the appendicitis being untreated.

*****************

Ernst August III, Prince of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick (1887 – 1953)

Ernst August was the last reigning Duke of Brunswick and the pretender to the throne of Hanover. In 1913, he married Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, the only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia. Their wedding was one of the last large gatherings of European royalty before World War I began the following year. Ernst August and Viktoria Luise had five children. Following his father’s death in 1923, Ernst August became head of the House of Hanover. However, he was unable to inherit his father’s British title, Duke of Cumberland, as that title had been suspended by the British government under the Titles Deprivation Act of 1917.

*****************

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Valdemar of Denmark and Princess Marie of Orléans

Prince Aage, Count of Rosenborg (1887 – 1940)

In 1914, Aage married Matilda Calvi dei conti di Bergolo. Due to the unequal marriage, he renounced his place in the line of succession to the Danish throne, forfeited the title Prince of Denmark, and assumed the style of Prince Aage, Count of Rosenborg. Aage and Matilda had one son, and they divorced in 1939. In 1922, Aage received permission from King Christian X of Denmark to leave the Danish army in order to join the French Foreign Legion.

*****************

Prince Axel of Denmark (1888 – 1964)

Axel was a popular patron of sports. He was a longtime and active member of the  International Olympic Committee. In 1919, Axel married Princess Margaretha of Sweden, his first cousin once removed, and the couple had two sons. Axel and his wife often officially represented King Christian X and King Frederik IX at events abroad.

********************

Prince Erik, Count of Rosenborg (1890 – 1950)

In 1924, Erik married Lois Frances Booth, a Canadian. Due to the unequal marriage, he renounced his place in the line of succession to the Danish throne, forfeited the title Prince of Denmark, and was styled Prince Erik, Count of Rosenborg. Erik and his wife had one son and one daughter and divorced in 1937.

********************

Prince Viggo, Count of Rosenborg (1893 – 1970)

In 1924, Viggo married American Eleonor Green. Due to the unequal marriage, he renounced his place in the line of succession to the Danish throne, forfeited the title Prince of Denmark, and was styled Prince Viggo, Count of Rosenborg. Viggo and Eleanor had no children.

********************

Princess Margrethe of Denmark, Princess of Bourbon-Parma (1895 – 1992)

Margrethe’s parents Prince Valdemar of Denmark and Princess Marie of Orléans had agreed that all their sons would be raised Lutheran, their father’s religion, and all their daughters Roman Catholic, their mother’s religion. Margrethe was the first Danish princess since the Reformation raised a Roman Catholic. In 1921, she married Prince René of Bourbon-Parma, and the couple had three sons and one daughter including Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma who married King Michael I of Romania.

********************

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Lundy, D. (2022). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2022). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2022 Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

Grand Church of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Grand Church of the Winter Palace by Edward Petrovich Hau, 1866; Credit

The most important church in the lives of the Romanovs was the Grand Church located in the Winter Palace. The Winter Palace, on the banks of the Neva River in Saint Petersburg, served as the official residence of the Russian Emperors and Empresses from 1732 to 1917. This writer has visited the Winter Palace and it is truly awe-inspiring. Today, part of the Winter Palace houses the State Hermitage Museum, one of the world’s premier art museums. The Winter Palace’s monumental scale was intended to reflect the might and power of Imperial Russia and it is still a mighty and powerful building. It is said to contain 1,786 doors, 1,945 windows, 1,500 rooms, and 117 staircases.

The Winter Palace from the Neva River. The golden cupola of the Grand Church can be seen on the left side; Credit – By Alex ‘Florstein’ Fedorov, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49250446

Aerial view of the Winter Palace; The golden cupola of the Grand Church can be seen on the left side; Credit – By Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51992181

The Grand Church, a Russian Orthodox church that had cathedral status, was the site of most christenings, weddings, conversions of foreign princesses marrying into the family, and memorial services. Funerals were usually held at the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, the burial site of the Romanovs from Peter I (the Great) to Nicholas II, (with the exception of Peter II and Ivan VI) located in the Peter and Paul Fortress across the Neva River from the Winter Palace.

Before the founding of St. Petersburg by Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia in 1703, the seat of power and the important churches were in the Moscow Kremlin. Male rulers of the Rurik dynasty and the early Romanov dynasty along with close male relatives and some Russian noblemen were interred at the Archangel Cathedral. Women of the Rurik dynasty and women of the early Romanov dynasty along with some Russian noblewomen were interred at the Ascension Cathedral of the Ascension Convent. Assumption Cathedral was the site of the coronations of the sovereign Tsars, Emperors, and Empresses of Russia, and some consorts from 1547 to 1896. It remained the coronation cathedral after the founding of St. Petersburg.

View of the Small Church in the Winter Palace by Eduard Hau, 1862; Credit – Wikipedia

A second smaller church, the Sretenskaya Church or Small Church of the Winter Palace, was conveniently located near the residential wing of the Winter Palace and was used by the Imperial Family for private worship. Today the former church displays Russian Orthodox church vestments of the 17th – early 20th centuries from the State Hermitage Museum collection.

The display of Orthodox church vestments in the former Sretenskaya Church; Credit – Автор: Netelo – собственная работа, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=106021534

********************

History of the Grand Church of the Winter Palace

View of the Grand Church of the Winter Palace by Alexey Vasilievich Tyranov, 1829 before the fire of 1837; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1753, Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia ordered the construction of a new (and the present) Winter Palace with a large church. Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, an Italian architect who worked mainly in Russia, was responsible for the design of the palace and the church. He designed the Grand Church in the Baroque style with an interior similar to a palace hall. Construction on the church began in 1753 and was completed in 1762. On July 12, 1763, Archbishop Gavriil Kremenetsky of St Petersburg consecrated the Grand Church. In 1807, Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia issued a decree giving the Grand Church the status of a Court Cathedral.

Fire in the Winter Palace by Pierre Marie Joseph Vernet, 1838; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 29, 1837, a fire broke out after smoke from an unswept chimney spread through a vent in a partition between the wooden and main walls in the Field Marshal’s Hall. The wall began to smolder and a fire broke out in the ceiling of the Small Throne Room. The fire lasted about 30 hours, and the Winter Palace smoldered for almost three days. Most of the second and third floors of the Winter Palace were severely damaged. The two-year restoration was led by Russian architect Vasily Petrovich Stasov. Some of the decorations of the Grand Church were able to be saved and Stasov was able to recreate the style of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli’s original plans. The Grand Church was reconsecrated on March 25, 1839, in a ceremony conducted by Metropolitan Filaret Drozdov of Moscow in the presence of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia and his family,

After the Russian Revolution, in May 1918, the Grand Church was officially closed for worship. In 1938, the iconostasis, the pulpit, the lantern, and the altar canopy were removed and the former church became one of the State Hermitage Museum’s exhibition spaces.

Restoration work done from 2012 until 2014 was described by the State Hermitage Museum as a “recreation of the original design of the Court Cathedral” with “the icons, the candelabra, the standard lamps and pieces of the iconostasis, the pulpit, the lantern, and the altar canopy returned to their original place.”

********************

The Interior of the Grand Church of the Winter Palace

Orthodox churches are set up differently than other Christian churches. They are divided into three main parts: the narthex, the nave, and the sanctuary. The narthex is the connection between the church and the outside world. It used to be the practice that non-Orthodox people had to remain in the narthex but this practice has mostly fallen into disuse. The congregation stands in the nave during services. Traditionally there is no sitting during Orthodox services and so Orthodox churches usually do not have pews or chairs.

The iconostasis after the fire of 1837; Credit – By Januarius-zick – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42460200

In Orthodox Christianity, an iconostasis is a wall of icons, religious paintings, that divides the sanctuary from the nave. The sanctuary is where the Eucharist or Divine Liturgy is performed behind the iconostasis. The iconostasis usually has three doors, one in the middle and one on either side. The middle doors are traditionally called the Royal Doors and are only used by the clergy.

The gilded stucco walls; Credit – By Januarius-zick – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42460204

The Grand Church is divided by Corinthian columns into three sections and is brightly lit by large windows on opposite sides. Above the central area is a dome. The walls are richly embellished with gilded stucco in a Rococo design.

The pulpit; Credit – By Januarius-zick – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42460653

After the fire of 1837, architect Vasily Petrovich Stasov made every effort to restore the church as it was before the fire although there were few drawings to guide him. The gilded iconostasis, canopy, and pulpit were carved according to the original drawings. Some of the icons saved during the fire were returned to their places. The Royal Doors had survived the fire and were placed in the new iconstasis. After being repaired, the original silver chandelier was returned to its place in the dome.

The ceiling painting Ascension of Christ by Pyotr Vasilievich Basin; Credit – By Januarius-zick – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42460199

The new ceiling, painted by Russian painter Pyotr Vasilievich Basin depicts the Ascension of Christ and the lunettes, half-moon-shaped architectural spaces below the dome, depict the Four Evangelists, Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, by Russian painter Fyodor Antonovich Bruni.

********************

Wedding of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia and Alix of Hesse and by Rhine by Laurits Tuxen, 1895; Credit – Wikipedia (Among those depicted in this painting against the wall and to the right of the window, from left to right: King Christian IX of Denmark, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna,  Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Queen Olga Konstantinovna of Greece, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, Grand Duke George Alexandrovich and Prince Heinrich of Prussia)

The Grand Church of the Winter Palace was the family church of the Romanovs and was where most important religious rites of passage were held including christenings, weddings, and the conversions to Russian Orthodoxy of the foreign princesses marrying into the Romanov family.

The many weddings held at the Grand Church include:

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

********************

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Grand Church of the Winter Palace – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Church_of_the_Winter_Palace> [Accessed 26 April 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Winter Palace – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Palace> [Accessed 26 April 2022].
  • Encspb.ru. 2022. Энциклопедия Санкт-Петербурга. [online] Available at: <http://encspb.ru/object/2805467476> [Accessed 26 April 2022].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Большая церковь Зимнего дворца — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%88%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D1%86%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8C_%D0%97%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%86%D0%B0> [Accessed 26 April 2022].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Сретенская церковь (Зимний дворец) — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D1%86%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8C_(%D0%97%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%86)> [Accessed 26 April 2022].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Пожар в Зимнем дворце — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%B0%D1%80_%D0%B2_%D0%97%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%BC_%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%86%D0%B5> [Accessed 26 April 2022].

Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in St. Petersburg, Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia; Photo Credit – By Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51961358

On an island in the Neva River that flows through St. Petersburg, Russia is the Peter and Paul Fortress, the original citadel of the city established by Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia in 1703. Inside the fortress is a Russian Orthodox cathedral, the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, which this writer has visited. The cathedral was built during the reign of Peter I (the Great) and designed by Domenico Trezzini, a Swiss architect who designed many of the first buildings in St. Petersburg. The Peter and Paul Cathedral is the burial place of all but two of the Russian sovereign emperors and empresses from Peter the Great to Nicholas II, who was finally laid to rest in July 1998. Only Peter II and Ivan VI are not buried at the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

********************

History of the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in St. Petersburg, Russia

View of the Peter and Paul Fortress from the Neva River in the 1870s; Credit – Wikipedia

From 1703 to 1704, Peter I (the Great) had a wooden church, used for military purposes, built in the Peter and Paul Fortress. To strengthen the position of his new capital city of St. Petersburg among the cities of Russia, Peter the Great wanted to build a church that would be taller than the Ivan the Great Bell Tower (the tallest structure in the Moscow Kremlin) and the Menshikov Tower of the Church of Archangel Gabriel in Moscow. He wanted the new church to become the most significant building in St. Petersburg and be located in the heart of the Peter and Paul Fortress. Swiss architect Domenico Trezzini was commissioned to design a church that was intended to be the main cathedral of the Russian Empire and the burial place of the House of Romanov. Construction work began in 1712. When Peter the Great died in 1725, only the foundations and the tower were standing. The cathedral was completed in 1733 after twenty-one years of construction. A cathedral in Russia could mean the seat of a bishop or a large or important church. Peter and Paul Cathedral, an important church, was the cathedral church of St. Petersburg until 1858 when St. Isaac Cathedral became St. Petersburg’s cathedral. At that time, Peter and Paul Cathedral came under the jurisdiction of the Russian imperial court.

The original wooden spire was rebuilt after a lightning strike in 1756. In 1773, the Chapel of Saint Catherine, dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, now the burial site of Nicholas II, his family, their doctor, and their three servants, was completed. In 1777, the spire was damaged by a storm. Restoration work was carried out by the architect Peter Paton and a new angel and cross was made by Antonio Rinaldi. In 1830, roofer Pyotr Teluschkin became famous when he used a rope ladder to climb the spire to replace the angel and cross which had been that had been damaged by lightning. The spire was rebuilt in metal in 1858 and covered with gilded copper plates.

In 1919, the Soviet regime closed the Peter and Paul Cathedral, and then in 1924, it was turned into a museum. Most of the valuable items of the late 17th – early 18th centuries such as silver items, books, vestments, and icons were given to museums. During World War II, the Peter and Paul Cathedral was badly damaged. In 1952, the facades were restored, and then from 1956 to 1957, the interior was restored. Peter and Paul Cathedral is still officially a museum, and in 1954, the cathedral came under the jurisdiction of the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg.

Since the 1990s, memorial services for Russian emperors and empresses have been held on the date of their deaths. Other religious services resumed in 2000. The first Easter service since 1917 was held in 2008. For the 300th anniversary in 2012, the cathedral was extensively restored.

********************

The Exterior of the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul

Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul; Credit – Автор: Никонико962 – собственная работа, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81987560

The Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Pau is rectangular in shape, with a dome on the eastern end and a bell tower with a spire on the western entrance. The exterior of the Peter and Paul Cathedral does not have the five typical domes representing Jesus Christ and the Four Evangelists as do most other Orthodox churches. Instead, the dominant part of the cathedral’s exterior is the bell tower. The first three tiers of the bell tower provide a smooth transition from the main part of the cathedral to the spire. The base of the spire is an octagonal structure with narrow vertical openings topped by an octagonal golden crown.

The angel on the spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral; Credit – Автор: Ad Meskens – собственная работа, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77086740

Atop the 131-foot/40-meter spire is a weather vane in the shape of an angel (height: 10.4 feet/3.2 meters, wingspan: 12.4 feet/3.8 meters) revolving around a 21-foot/6.4-meter-tall cross on its gilded spire. The 402-foot/122.5 meter Peter and Paul Cathedral remained St. Petersburg’s tallest building, as ordered by Peter the Great, until the Construction of the municipal television tower in 1962. However, the Peter and Paul Cathedral still has the world’s tallest Orthodox bell tower.

********************

The Interior of the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul

The nave of the Peter and Paul Cathedral looking toward the iconostasis; Credit – By Deror avi – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8367790

Orthodox churches are set up differently than other Christian churches. They are divided into three main parts: the narthex, the nave, and the sanctuary. The narthex is the connection between the church and the outside world. It used to be the practice that non-Orthodox people had to remain in the narthex but this practice has mostly fallen into disuse. The congregation stands in the nave during services. Traditionally there is no sitting during Orthodox services and so Orthodox churches usually do not have pews or chairs.

Ceiling fresco paintings; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The Peter and Paul Cathedral is a hall church, with a nave and side aisles. The interior of the cathedral is divided into three parts by pillars, painted to imitate marble. The ceiling vaults are decorated with multicolored fresco paintings and gilded moldings. The cathedral is lit by twelve large windows. Although a cathedral because of its importance, the Peter and Paul Cathedral is nowhere near the size of other cathedrals this writer has visited. There are no pews in the nave but the pillars and tombs combined with lots of people made moving around (and not losing your tour guide) difficult.

There’s our tour guide with the pulpit and lots of people in the background; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

In Orthodox Christianity, an iconostasis is a wall of icons, religious paintings, that divides the sanctuary from the nave. The sanctuary is where the Eucharist or Divine Liturgy is performed behind the iconostasis. The iconostasis usually has three doors, one in the middle and one on either side. The middle doors are traditionally called the Royal Doors and are only used by the clergy.

The iconostasis; Credit – By Poudou99 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57887255

The carved, gilded 65-foot/20-meter high iconostasis was made from 1722 to 1726 in the Kremlin Armory in Moscow, then brought in parts to St. Petersburg, and mounted in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. All decorative details and sculptural elements of the iconostasis were carved from linden wood and the frame of the iconostasis was made from larch wood.

Some of the icons on the iconostasis

Forty-three icons for the iconostasis were painted from 1726 to 1729 by Moscow icon painters and include images of the patron saints of St. Petersburg: St. Alexander Nevsky, the Apostles Peter and Paul, holy princes and princesses from the Rurik dynasty: Prince Vladimir I (the Great), Princess Olga, and the brothers and martyrs Prince Boris of Rostov and Prince Gleb of Murom.

The iconostasis rising into the cathedral’s dome; Credit – CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=136587

The central part of the iconostasis is designed in the form of the triumphal arch that spans the Royal Doors and rises into the space beneath the dome to a height of 66 feet/20 meters. Near the iconostasis is a pulpit to the left, and the Tsar’s Place to the right, a special spot where the Emperor stood when there was a service.

The Tsar’s Place; Credit – By Perfektangelll – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21354345

********************

Burials in the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul

The burial service for Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia in 1894

Before the building of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, male rulers of the Rurik dynasty and the early Romanov dynasty along with close male relatives and some Russian noblemen were interred at the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. Likewise, women of the Rurik dynasty and women of the early Romanov dynasty along with some Russian noblewomen were interred at the Ascension Cathedral of the Ascension Convent in the Moscow Kremlin.

Several members of the Romanov family who died before the Peter and Paul Cathedral was completed were interred in the unfinished cathedral under the bell tower or in the entrance to the cathedral. After the death of Peter I (the Great) in 1725, his coffin was placed in a temporary chapel in the unfinished cathedral. He was interred in his final resting place on May 29, 1731. In 1831, Nicholas I ordered that his brother Grand Duke Konstantine Pavlovich be buried in the cathedral. Since that time, close relatives of the emperors began to be buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Graves of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, his wife Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Tsarevna of Russia, and his aunt Tsarevna Maria Alexeievna – They died before the cathedral was finished and were interred at the entrance to the cathedral. The original white marble tombstones still mark their graves; Credit – Wikipedia

Originally, graves were marked by white marble tombstones as seen in the above photo. In 1865, all the tombstones were replaced with the white marble sarcophagi with a large bronze cross coated in gold as seen in the photo below.

Sarcophagi in the Peter and Paul Cathedral; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The sarcophagi of emperors and empresses have four bronze emblems of the Russian Empire at four corners as seen in the photo below of the sarcophagus of Peter I (the Great).

Sarcophagus of Peter I (the Great); Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

By order of Alexander III, new sarcophagi were made for his parents: the sarcophagus of Alexander II from green Altai jasper and the sarcophagus of Empress Maria Alexandrovna from pink Urals rhodonite as seen in the photo below.

Sarcophagi of Alexander II (left) and his first wife Maria Feodorovna (right); Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Interred in the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul

Peter and Paul Cathedral – Row 1 left to right: Tombs of Elizabeth I, Catherine I, Peter I; Row 2 left to right: Tombs of Catherine II, Peter III, Anna I; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

********************

Reburials at the Peter and Paul Cathedral

St. Catherine Chapel, the burial site of Nicholas II, his family and his servants; Credit – By Dr Graham Beards – Own work, Public Domain, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13260852

Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, born Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and their five children, along with three of their most loyal servants and the court doctor, were shot to death by a firing squad on July 17, 1918, at the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Siberia, Russia. The bodies were taken to a remote site north of Yekaterinburg. The initial plan was to burn the bodies but when this took longer than expected, the bodies were buried in an unmarked pit. After acid was poured on the bodies, they were covered with railroad ties, and the pit was smoothed over with dirt and ash.

In 1934, Yakov Yurovsky, the commandant of the Ipatiev House, produced an account of the execution and disposal of the bodies. His account later matched the remains of nine bodies found north of Yekaterinburg in 1991. In 1994, when the bodies of the Romanovs were exhumed, two were missing – one daughter, either Maria or Anastasia, and Alexei, the hemophiliac son. The remains of the nine bodies recovered were confirmed as those of the three servants, Dr. Botkin, Nicholas, Alexandra, and three of their daughters. The remains of Olga and Tatiana were definitely identified based on the expected skeletal structure of young women of their age. The remains of the third daughter were either Maria or Anastasia.

The family and their servants were canonized as new martyrs in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia in 1981, and as passion bearers in the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000. The formal burial of Nicholas, Alexandra, Olga, Tatiana, Anastasia, Dr. Botkin, and the three servants took place on July 17, 1998, the 80th anniversary of their deaths, in St. Catherine Chapel at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg. Boris Yeltsin, President of Russia, many Romanov family members, and family members of Dr. Botkin and the servants attended the ceremony. Prince Michael of Kent represented his first cousin Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Three of his grandparents were first cousins of Nicholas II.

Until 2009, it was not entirely clear whether the remains of Maria or Anastasia were missing. On August 24, 2007, a Russian team of archaeologists announced that they had found the remains of Alexei and his missing sister in July 2007. In 2009, DNA and skeletal analysis identified the remains found in 2007 as Alexei and his sister Maria. In addition, it determined that the royal hemophilia was the rare, severe form of hemophilia, known as Hemophilia B or Christmas disease. The results showed that Alexei had Hemophilia B and that his mother Empress Alexandra and his sister Anastasia were carriers of the disease. The remains of Alexei and Maria have not yet been buried. The Russian Orthodox Church has questioned whether the remains are authentic and blocked the burial.

Sarcophagus of Empress Maria Feodorovna; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Maria Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia, born Princess Dagmar of Denmark, wife of Alexander III and mother of Nicholas II, died on October 13, 1928, at Hvidøre, the holiday villa she had purchased with her sister Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom in 1906, near Copenhagen, Denmark. Following services in Copenhagen’s Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Church, Maria Feodorovna was interred in the crypt of the Christian IX Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral, the traditional burial place of the Danish royal family in Roskilde, Denmark. She had wished that at some point in time she could be buried with her husband.

The coffin of Maria Feodorovna being lowered into the crypt

In 2005, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed, along with their governments, that Maria Feodorovna’s wish should be fulfilled. Her remains were transported to St. Petersburg. Following a service at Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, she was interred next to her husband Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia in the Peter and Paul Cathedral on September 28, 2006.

********************

Originally Buried at the Peter and Paul Cathedral

Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna was the first wife of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich. While pregnant with her second child, Alexandra collapsed in the middle of a ball with violent labor pains, gave birth prematurely to a son, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and then lapsed into a coma. Alexandra did not recover consciousness and died six days later on September 24, 1891, at the age of 21. Originally, it was thought that a fall caused her premature labor. However, an autopsy showed that Alexandra’s premature labor was caused by eclampsia, a condition that causes a pregnant woman, usually previously diagnosed with preeclampsia (high blood pressure and protein in the urine), to develop seizures or coma. Nephritis, a kidney disorder, and heart damage were also detected.

In 1939, at the request of Alexandra’s nephew King George II of Greece and the Greek government, the Soviet government allowed Alexandra’s remains to be transferred to Greece. Her coffin was removed from the Peter and Paul Cathedral, put aboard a Greek ship, and brought back to Greece where it was reinterred at the traditional burial site of the Greek royal family, the Royal Cemetery on the grounds of Tatoi Palace. Alexandra’s original marble tomb in the Peter and Paul Cathedral remains at its original site and is the only tomb in the cathedral over an empty grave.

********************

The Grand Ducal Mausoleum

The Grand Ducal Mausoleum; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The Grand Ducal Mausoleum is located on the left side of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. There is a corridor between the mausoleum and the cathedral. Because of decreasing room for burials at the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Grand Ducal Mausoleum was constructed. It was designed by architect David Ivanovich Grimm in 1896. After Grimm’s death in 1898, architects Antony Tomishko and Leon Benois took over the project. The mausoleum, completed in 1908, was expected to hold up to sixty burials but by the time of the Russian Revolution, there had been only thirteen burials. For each burial, a marble slab was placed in the floor, on which was inscribed the title, name, date of birth and death, and date of burial.

Graves of Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna (left) and Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich (right) in the Grand Ducal Mausoleum; Credit – www.pointurier.org

After the Russian Revolution, much of the interior of the mausoleum was damaged due to plans to turn it into a museum and also during World War II due to the German Siege of Leningrad, as St. Petersburg was called during the Soviet regime. Major restoration work occurred in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1980s. In 2006, the stained glass window depicting the resurrection of Jesus was recreated. In 2008, the restoration of the facade and roof was carried out. The Grand Ducal Mausoleum opened to the public in September 2016.

Interior of the Grand Ducal Mausoleum with several burial slabs; Credit – By Poudou99 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57886041

The remains of those who died before the completion of the Grand Ducal Mausoleum in 1908 were transferred from the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The remains of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich and his wife Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna (Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria) were transferred from Coburg, Germany in 1995. Their only son Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich was interred in the Grand Ducal Mausoleum after his death in 1992 as was his wife Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Mukhranskaya, Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna after her death in 2010.

********************

Interred in the Grand Ducal Mausoleum

The funeral of Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna in 2010 in the Peter and Paul Cathedral before the burial in the Grand Ducal Mausoleum

********************

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Peter-und-Paul-Kathedrale (Sankt Petersburg) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter-und-Paul-Kathedrale_(Sankt_Petersburg)> [Accessed 20 April 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saints_Peter_and_Paul_Cathedral,_Saint_Petersburg> [Accessed 20 April 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2017. Romanov Burial Sites. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/romanov-burial-sites/> [Accessed 20 April 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Mausolée grand-ducal de Saint-Pétersbourg — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausol%C3%A9e_grand-ducal_de_Saint-P%C3%A9tersbourg> [Accessed 20 April 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Jazigo dos Grão-Duques – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazigo_dos_Gr%C3%A3o-Duques> [Accessed 20 April 2022].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Петропавловский собор — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80> [Accessed 20 April 2022].
  • Spbmuseum.ru. 2022. Петропавловский собор и Великокняжеская усыпальница. [online] Available at: <https://www.spbmuseum.ru/exhibits_and_exhibitions/92/1316/> [Accessed 20 April 2022].

Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin; Credit – By Petar Milošević – Transferred from sr.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:PetarM using CommonsHelper., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12820131

The coronation cathedral of Russian rulers, the Assumption Cathedral, also known as the Dormition Cathedral and Uspensky Cathedral in Russian, is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God, the Orthodox feast celebrated on August 15, of the “falling asleep” (death) of Mary the Theotokos (Mother of God, literally translated as God-Bearer), and her being taken bodily up into heaven (Assumption of Mary in the Roman Catholic religion). The cathedral is located in the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. The Moscow Kremlin is a fortified complex founded by the Rurik dynasty in the late 15th century. It includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall. Before the founding of St. Petersburg by Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia in 1703, the Moscow Kremlin was the seat of power for the Rurik and early Romanov rulers of Russia. The Moscow Kremlin now serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

Since 1382, Assumption Cathedral has been the burial site of most Metropolitans of Moscow (similar to an archbishop) and Patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, the head of the Russian Old-Orthodox Church. Assumption Cathedral was the site of the coronations of the sovereign Tsars, Emperors, and Empresses of Russia, and some consorts from 1547 to 1896.

********************

History of the Assumption Cathedral

Worshippers at the Assumption Cathedral in the mid-19th century

A wooden church was built on the site in the 12th century and was replaced by a limestone church around 1326. In the 14th century, (Saint) Peter, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus persuaded Ivan I Kalita, Grand Prince of Moscow to build a cathedral to the Theotokos (Blessed Virgin Mary) in the Moscow Kremlin. Construction of the cathedral began on August 4, 1326, and the cathedral was finished and consecrated on August 4, 1327.

However, by the end of the 15th century, the Assumption Cathedral had deteriorated and it was suggested that a new cathedral should be built. The design and the construction of the new cathedral were entrusted to Moscow architects Ivan Myschkin and <unknown first name > Kriwzow. Construction began in April 1472 but two years later, in May 1474, when the new Assumption Cathedral was nearly completed, it collapsed due to an earthquake.

Following the disaster, Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow decided to give Aristotele Fioravanti, a renowned architect and engineer from Bologna, then part of the Papal States, now in Italy, the task of designing the cathedral in the traditions of Russian architecture and supervising the construction. Aristotele Fioravanti made a careful study of Russian architecture and then designed a light and spacious masterpiece that combined the spirit of the Renaissance with Russian traditions. Construction began in 1475, and in 1479, the new Assumption Cathedral was consecrated.

In 1918, after the Russian Revolution, the Assumption Cathedral and the other churches in the Kremlin were closed as houses of worship. The new Bolshevik government moved its headquarters from St. Petersburg to the Moscow Kremlin. The Assumption Cathedral was converted into a museum. The museum staff made every effort to retain the interior. During restoration work, almost all the original paintings of the icons and murals were uncovered from under the later paintings. With the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Assumption Cathedral once again became a Russian Orthodox church.

********************

The Exterior and Interior of the Assumption Cathedral

Assumption Cathedral; Credit – By Don-vip – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83068810

Italian architect Aristotele Fioravanti followed the style of the 1160 Assumption Cathedral in the city of Vladimir and designed the Assumption Cathedral in the style of a traditional Russian cross-domed church, with five domes representing Jesus Christ and the Four Evangelists, Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Exterior frescoes; By Skif-Kerch – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62603284

The Renaissance-style exterior has white-stone walls, columned friezes, and semicircles of blind arches. Fresco paintings in the upper part of the walls in semicircular vaults depict the Virgin Mary, Archangels Michael and Gabriel, and saints.

Fioravanti’s architectural originality was more visible in the interior. All the areas of the cathedral were larger than in the past. Pillars were placed further apart which created an impression of an immense palatial room. People of the time were astonished by the cathedral’s “unusual majesty and height, luminosity and spaciousness”.

Orthodox churches are set up differently than other Christian churches. They are divided into three main parts: the narthex, the nave, and the sanctuary. The narthex is the connection between the church and the outside world. It used to be the practice that non-Orthodox people had to remain in the narthex but this practice has mostly fallen into disuse. The congregation stands in the nave during services. Traditionally there is no sitting during Orthodox services and so Orthodox churches usually do not have pews or chairs. In Orthodox Christianity, an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings that divides the sanctuary from the nave. The sanctuary behind the Royal Doors is where the Eucharist or Divine Liturgy is performed, behind the iconostasis. Only priests and servers may enter through the Royal Doors.

Frescoes in the interior of the Assumption Cathedral; Credit – By Shakko – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86775440

The interior of the Assumption Cathedral is richly decorated with fresco paintings from 1642 -1643 and the huge, magnificent 53 feet/16-meter iconostasis of 1653.

Looking toward the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral

Originally, a three-tiered iconostasis, the Assumption Cathedral’s iconostasis gained two additional tiers in 1626 and 1653 – 1654.

Part of the iconostasis; Credit – Von Schoschi, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14625675

In addition to its religious function, the Assumption Cathedral iconostasis also served as a sort of trophy wall. The Russian rulers would add the most important icons from cities they had conquered to the iconostasis. The Mother of God, the Archangel Gabriel, and the Four Evangelists are depicted on the Royal Doors of the Assumption Cathedral.

The Royal Doors; Credit – By shakko – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7078552

********************

Coronations at Assumption Cathedral

Anointing of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia in front of the iconostasis and the Royal Doors by Vasili Fedorovich  Timm, 1856; Credit – Wikipedia

The seat of the Grand Princes of Moscow from the Rurik dynasty was in the Moscow Kremlin. It was therefore obvious that the Tsars of the Tsardom of Russia which followed the Grand Principality of Moscow and then the Emperors of the Russian Empire would have themselves crowned there. In addition to the Tsars, all the crowned Emperors and Empresses from Catherine I to Nicholas II were anointed and crowned in the Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. Many of the wives of the Tsars and Emperors were crowned at the same time as their husbands.

Coronation of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia Laurits Tuxen; Credit – Wikipedia

The Russian coronation emphasized that the secular ruler of Russia was closely connected with the Russian Orthodox Church. No layperson was ever permitted to pass through the Royal Doors, however, during the Russian rulers’ coronation, they were permitted to do so. They received both parts of Communion (bread and wine) in the sanctuary behind the Royal Doors of the iconostasis. The Russian rulers used their hands to take the bread and the chalice of wine, symbolizing their spiritual equality among Russia’s clergy just this once in their lives.

When Peter I (the Great) moved the seat of power from Moscow to his new city St. Petersburg, the coronations continued to take place at the Assumption Cathedral. Moscow remained the spiritual center of Russia, and tradition required that coronations continue to be held there.

Coronations held at the Assumption Cathedral:

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

********************

Works Cited

  • Assumption-cathedral.kreml.ru. 2022. Museums of the Moscow Kremlin: ASSUMPTION CATHEDRAL. [online] Available at: <https://assumption-cathedral.kreml.ru/en-Us/museum-assumption-cathedral/> [Accessed 2 April 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Krönung der russischen Zaren und Kaiser – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kr%C3%B6nung_der_russischen_Zaren_und_Kaiser> [Accessed 2 April 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Mariä-Entschlafens-Kathedrale (Moskau) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mari%C3%A4-Entschlafens-Kathedrale_(Moskau)> [Accessed 2 April 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Coronation of the Russian monarch – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_the_Russian_monarch> [Accessed 2 April 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Dormition Cathedral, Moscow – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormition_Cathedral,_Moscow> [Accessed 2 April 2022].
  • Jenkins, Simon, 2021. Europe’s 100 Best Cathedrals. Dublin: Penguin Random House.
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Успенский собор (Московский Кремль) — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A3%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80_(%D0%9C%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%9A%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%BB%D1%8C)> [Accessed 2 April 2022].
  • Православие.RU. 2022. Crowned, anointed, and communed as clergy: On the coronations of Russian empresses regnant. [online] Available at: <https://www.pravoslavie.ru/80559.html> [Accessed 2 April 2022].

Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Archangel Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

The Archangel Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Archangel Michael in the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. The Moscow Kremlin is a fortified complex founded by the Rurik dynasty in the late 15th century. It includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall. Before the founding of St. Petersburg by Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia in 1703, the Moscow Kremlin was the seat of power for the Rurik and early Romanov rulers of Russia. The Moscow Kremlin now serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

Male rulers of the Rurik dynasty and the early Romanov dynasty along with close male relatives and some Russian noblemen were interred at the Archangel Cathedral. When Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia, moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to the new city of St. Petersburg, the new Peter and Paul Cathedral became the Romanov burial site for both men and women. In 1730, Peter II, Emperor of All Russia, the grandson of Peter I (the Great), died in Moscow from smallpox, aged fourteen, and was the last ruler to be interred in the Archangel Cathedral.

Previously women had been interred at the Ascension Cathedral of the Ascension Convent in the Moscow Kremlin. In 1929, the Ascension Convent and its cathedral were destroyed by the Soviets to make room for the Red Army School. At that time, the remains of those buried there were moved to the crypt of the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.

********************

History of the Archangel Cathedral

Panorama of the Kremlin in Moscow by Eduard Gaertner, 1839, showing the  Archangel Cathedral on the right; Credit – Wikipedia

Prior to the current cathedral built from 1505 – 1508, there was a wooden church built in 1250 that was replaced with a stone church in 1333. The stone church was crowded with burials of earlier Rurik rulers and needed renovation, so Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow decided to build a new cathedral on the site. Just as he had done twenty years earlier when the Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin was built, Ivan III invited an Italian architect, Lamberti Aloisio da Mantagnana, known in Russia as Aloisio the New, to design and oversee the construction of the new cathedral. The groundbreaking occurred on May 21, 1505. However, Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow did not live to see the new cathedral completed. He died on October 27, 1505, and was interred in the unfinished cathedral. Work on the cathedral was completed by the end of 1508, but it was not formally consecrated until November 8, 1509.

In 1918, during the Russian Revolution, the Archangel Cathedral and the other churches in the Kremlin were closed as houses of worship. The new Bolshevik government moved its headquarters from St. Petersburg to the Moscow Kremlin. With the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Archangel Cathedral once again became a Russian Orthodox church.

********************

The Exterior and Interior

Four of the five domes of the Archangel Cathedral; Credit – By Elenak1211 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28337196

The Archangel Cathedral has the five typical domes representing Jesus Christ and the Four Evangelists but it was more Italian in style than the other churches in the Moscow Kremlin. With the renovations over the centuries, some of these Italian aspects have disappeared.

Looking up at the dome; Credit – By Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65150

The interior of the Archangel Cathedral is typical of Russian churches with the vault of the central chancel extending below the central dome supported by a total of six columns. As is typical for the other Kremlin churches, the walls are painted with frescoes.

Orthodox churches are set up differently than other Christian churches. They are divided into three main parts: the narthex, the nave, and the sanctuary. The narthex is the connection between the church and the outside world. It used to be the practice that non-Orthodox people had to remain in the narthex but this practice has mostly fallen into disuse. The congregation stands in the nave during services. Traditionally there is no sitting during Orthodox services and so Orthodox churches usually do not have pews or chairs. In Orthodox Christianity, an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings that divides the sanctuary from the nave. The sanctuary is where the Eucharist or Divine Liturgy is performed behind the iconostasis.

Some of the icons of the Iconostasis; Credit – By Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65147

The iconostasis of the Archangel Cathedral is a four-tiered, 42 feet / 13-meter tall wooden iconostasis with gilded carvings made 1678 – 1681. The mostly 17th-century icons depict the Archangel Michael, the Blessed Mother, John the Baptist, and other venerated saints. Atop the iconostasis is a crucifix.

********************

The Burials

Graves of three Grand Princes of Moscow, Vasily III, Ivan III and Vasily II in the Archangel Cathedral; Credit – By shakko – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15196587

There are a total of 46 tombs inside the cathedral, located in the chancel and the former sacristy behind the altar, in which 53 people – grand princes, tsars, one emperor, and some of their male relatives – are interred. All the burial sites have a similar structure. The remains are in sarcophagi interred 5 feet / 1.5 meters underground. Above each burial site is a large block of white stone with engraved names and biographical data in Old Church Slavonic writing. During the 20th century, the blocks of stone were encased in special bronze cases to protect them. Above the burial sites are frescoes on the wall with a representation of who is buried there.

Frescoes depicting Grand Princes of Moscow over their graves in the Archangel Cathedral; Credit – By shakko – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7078668

Listed below are Grand Princes of Moscow, Tsars of Russia, and Emperors of Russia and their male relatives who were interred at the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.

  • Grand Prince (Великий князь Velikiy Knyaz: literally great prince, sometimes translated as grand duke) was the title of the male ruler of the Russian principalities before they were united into the Tsardom of Russia. A Grand Prince’s wife was titled Grand Princess.
  • Tsar was used 1547 – 1721 to denote the male ruler of Russia. Tsar comes from Caesar, the Latin title of a Roman emperor. Tsar remained the popular designation of the Russian ruler despite the official change of style to Emperor in 1721.
  • Tsaritsa or Tsarina was the title of the female ruler of Russia or the title of a Tsar’s wife. It was officially used from 1547 – 1721 when the title changed to Empress although Tsaritsa or Tsarina was sometimes still used.
  • Tsarevich was the title given to Tsars’ sons before the 18th century.
  • Tsarevna was used before the 18th century as the title for the daughter of a Tsar or the wife of a Tsarevich.

Patronymic: In Russian, a patronymic is the second name derived from the father’s first name: the suffix -vich means “son of” and the suffixes -eva, -evna, -ova, and -ovna mean “daughter of”

Burials Moved from the Ascension Cathedral to the Archangel Cathedral

Removing the sarcophagi before the destruction of the Ascension Monastery; Credit – Wikipedia

Women of the Rurik dynasty and women of the early Romanov dynasty along with some Russian noblewomen were interred at the Ascension Cathedral of the Ascension Convent in the Moscow Kremlin. In 1929, the Ascension Convent and its cathedral were destroyed by the Soviets to make room for the Red Army School. At that time, the remains of those buried there were moved to the crypt of the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.

The list of those originally interred at Ascension Cathedral and moved to the crypt in the Archangel Cathedral in 1929 can be seen at Unofficial Royalty: Ascension Convent and Cathedral.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

********************

Works Cited

  • Archangel-cathedral.kreml.ru. 2022. Archangel Cathedral. [online] Available at: <https://archangel-cathedral.kreml.ru/en-Us/museum-archangel-cathedral/?utm_source=kreml.ru&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=kreml.ru&utm_referrer=kreml.ru> [Accessed 24 March 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Erzengel-Michael-Kathedrale (Moskau) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erzengel-Michael-Kathedrale_(Moskau)> [Accessed 24 March 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Cathedral of the Archangel – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_the_Archangel> [Accessed 24 March 2022].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Архангельский собор (Московский Кремль) — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D1%80%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80_(%D0%9C%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%9A%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%BB%D1%8C)> [Accessed 24 March 2022].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Некрополь Архангельского собора — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9D%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C_%D0%90%D1%80%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0> [Accessed 24 March 2022].

Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony was the first wife of the future Anton, King of Saxony. Maria Carolina Antonietta Adelaide was born on January 17, 1764, at the Royal Palace of Turin in the Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy. She was the tenth of the twelve children and the youngest of the six daughters of Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy and Infanta Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain. Maria Carolina’s paternal grandparents were Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy and the second of his three wives Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg. Her maternal grandparents were Felipe V, King of Spain and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese of Parma.

Maria Carolina’s parents and some of their older children in 1760; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Carolina had eleven siblings:

Maria Carolina was raised with her two younger siblings, the future Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia and Prince Giuseppe of Savoy, Count of Asti. In 1781, Maria Carolina’s father decided she would marry Anton, Electoral Prince of Saxony, who was the heir to his elder brother Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony. Despite her protests, seventeen-year-old Maria Carolina was married by proxy on September 29, 1781, in the chapel of Moncalieri Castle near Turin. The eldest brother of the bride, the future Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia, stood in for the groom. Wedding celebrations were held throughout Turin and official balls were held at the Royal Palace in Turin and Moncalieri Castle.

Shortly after the proxy marriage, Maria Carolina reluctantly left Turin for Dresden, the capital of Saxony. Her family accompanied her as far as Vercelli, eighty miles from Turin, where she boarded a carriage that would take her to Saxony. Her sister Maria Giuseppina wrote about the trip: “We accompanied Maria Carolina to Vercelli. She was afraid. She didn’t want to get married, but the matters of state require that a princess usually get married. Maria Carolina must understand that. She has a certain tendency to shyness. I hope she will correct it so that both she and Prince Antonio can get along. Our sister Maria Teresa and I had to push her out of the carriage. She was crying, I hope she is well in Saxony.” Both Maria Carolina’s elder sisters understood the duties of a princess very well. Previously, Maria Teresa had married the future King Charles X of France and Maria Giuseppina the future King Louis XVIII of France. However, both sisters died before their husbands became King of France.

Anton and Maria Carolina; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Carolina arrived in Dresden in the Electorate of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, on October 24, 1781, and she saw her husband for the first time. Their in-person wedding took place that evening. Maria Carolina’s husband Anton and his brother Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony did their best to make her feel welcome in Saxony but she remained sad and homesick.

Tomb of Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Around December 14, 1782, Maria Carolina became ill with smallpox, and died on December 28, 1782, at the age of 18. She was buried in the Great Crypt of the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony (in German: Katholische Hofkirche) in Dresden, now known as Dresden Cathedral. Popular in her homeland, Maria Carolina was remembered in a folk song, “The Beautiful Mademoiselle,” composed in her honor after her early death. Maria Carolina’s husband married a second time to Maria Theresa of Austria. They had four children who all died in infancy. Anton became King of Saxony at the age of 72. He reigned for nine years, dying on June 6, 1836, fifty-four years after the death of his first wife Maria Carolina.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Maria Carolina von Savoyen – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Carolina_von_Savoyen> [Accessed 14 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Princess Maria Carolina of Savoy – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Maria_Carolina_of_Savoy> [Accessed 14 May 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/vittorio-amadeo-iii-king-of-sardinia-duke-of-savoy/> [Accessed 14 May 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2017. Anton, King of Saxony. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/anton-king-of-saxony/> [Accessed 14 May 2022].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Мария Каролина Савойская — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F> [Accessed 14 May 2022].