Convent of Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna

The main church was completely preserved - but with some damage from time and a bad roof.  The original lighting fixtures, the ikonostasis, paintings, etc. all there. The famous painting by Nesterov of the way of Martha and Mary was in pretty bad shape when I was there due to water damage, but I imagine it has been repaired since.

The other buildings are there in various states of preservation.   In Ella's original rooms stands her original grand piano with "ELLA", scatched by the Grand Duchess in the surface.  I've been in her cell and the cells of the nuns....

I've been in most of the other buildings, the hospital church is there and I attended services there.  The gardens were overgrown.  The statue of Elizabeth was there - most impressive.  You can really feel her presence there.

Bob

Last summer they were working in the convent´s restoration. Will send some photographs for posting.
Antonio.

Here they are, again, our thanks to dear Antonio!

We just had word this morning from Christopher Warwick concerning the Mary & Martha Convent in Moscow!

"Since my article was published, an encouraging and highly significant change has occurred at the Convent of Saints Martha and Mary. The icon restoration centre, housed for so long in the Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God, has finally moved out and, under the aegis of the Moscow City Council, the church is currently undergoing full restoration, with a view to it becoming a functioning church once more.'

I hope you'll agree this is news worth sharing!"

We certainly do. Thanks Christopher.

Is the order of nuns that Ella founded still extant? i.e. the one's in Jerusalem that tend her grave, are they a continuation or a rivival of the original order  or even a seperate order altogether ?
The same with the original convent in Moscow, who will maintain the complex when it is finished with restoration? I seem to recall the original order of nuns was ordered disbanded, or am I mistaken there?
And:
With whom are they  affiliated, the Patriarch or the ROCOR ?
Esoteric details perhaps, but I am curious.
Cheers,
Robert

Thanks so much For. Adm. for the wonderful news!!! I long to see its full restored interior, it must be so beautiful!!!!

I love Nesterov´s paintings, especially because of his opal(?) hues. This is the only photo i´ve ever seen of the interior. It´s not very good, i know...but you can see some of his work there.

Is this portrait of Ella by Nesterov in her convent? It's a sketch for the picture called "The Bride of the Christ "

Here is a recent article related to Ella's Convent concerning the return of relics.

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/ennews/050227210100

And here is one more with a few more details....

http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=5445279&startrow=1&date=2005-02-28&do_alert=0

http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/01newstucture/pagesen/news04/kovchepics.html

I have enclosed a link to see close-up photos of the traveling reliquaries with portions of Ella's relics. The upper photo is of the reliquary that will be returned to Ella's convent at the end of restoration. It is made of boards from the coffins that held the bodies of Ella and Varvara during their journey to Jerusalem.

The reliquary as shown is empty, but it currently holds relics, soil from Darmstadt, Gethsemane, and Alapaevsk. The medallion in the center of the interior lid is the Image of the Savior Not-Made-By-Hands that was presented to Ella by the Emperor on her conversion to Orthodoxy.

The second reliquary is the designed to hold portions of Ella's right hand. It has been returned to Jerusalem and I have seen reports that it will journey to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign in New York.

I hope this is of interest and pertinent to the future history of the Martha and Mary Covent.

Thank you for posting this new link, rgt9w, the pictures are wonderfully clear! But how did they come to this decision to remove her hand  :-/ I know a body...is just a body...is just a body (like a shell of a soul); & I also revere relics...but to remove her hand?? It seems so awful really  :-/ ...and yet when Ella herself was given the relic of St. Elizabeth of Hungary's finger she was so pleased & saw it as a blessing on her work  :-/

Mmm...it's a strange thing, isn't it? (I so want a relic of Ella...but not like a hand or finger or anything...just a prayer bead or grain of dust or something - not chopping off people's hands!)

The relics of Ella's right hand were originally sent to the Syndodal Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign in New York in 1981 when Ella and Varvara were canonised by the Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia. I am not sure what prompted the selection of Ella's right hand as the relics to be housed in New York. I have seen it noted on the web that a section of one of Varvara's forearms was also included in the reliquary. If you look closely at the picture of the reliquary, you can see a small window located on the sculpture of the arm that allows you to see the relics underneath. It is my understanding that this reliquary will ultimately return to New York.

I do not know which specific relics were placed in the reliquary made of the coffin boards, but relics of both Ella and Varvara are in it. Perhaps more specifics will be known once they are permanently placed in Ella's Moscow Convent.

rgt9w, I add my thanks to those given by bluetoria for the wonderful information and pictures you have provided for us.  I think this is the first time I have been able to see the relics up close.  Thank you again, and a hearty welcome to the Forum!

The second reliquary is the designed to hold portions of Ella's right hand. It has been returned to Jerusalem and I have seen reports that it will journey to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign in New York.

Do you think there is ANY possibility that any of the relics will be brought to/through England? (I mean it's a long way to America...it's as far as it would be to England.)

Thank you for posting this new link, rgt9w, the pictures are wonderfully clear! But how did they come to this decision to remove her hand  :-/

 

What I'm about to say is pure speculation, but the decision to use Ella's right hand may be based on how her body was found.  According to Hugo Mager's "Elizabeth: Grand Duchess of Russia", Ella was found at the bottom of the mine at Alapaevsk with the fingers of her right hand stiffened in the sign of the cross.  Perhaps her right hand was viewed as being important because of this sign. This is just a thought....