Romanov Christenings Over the Generations

Grand Duchess Maria holding her grandson Prince Alexander at home before his christening.

Two weeks ago, on 6 December 2022, Prince Alexander Georgievich Romanoff was christened at the Transfiguration Church within the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour complex in Moscow. He is the first of his family line to be baptized in Russia (or a territory that formerly comprised the Russian Empire) since his great-grandfather Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich in 1917. 

The Christening of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, 1981

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia was baptised on Wednesday, 6 May 1981, at Madrid. Archbishop Antony Sinkevitch of Los Angeles officiated over the service. Grand Duke George received as his godparents King Constantine II of Greece (represented by Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich) and Helene Kirby, Countess Dvinskaya.

The baptism of the eventual heir of the Imperial House of Russia was attended by King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía of Spain, King Simeon II of Bulgaria, Princess Magdalena of Prussia (widow of Prince Hubertus), Infante Luís Alfonso of Spain, Princess Marisol of Bavaria, Prince Bagrat Bagration-Mukhransky, and Prince Georg-Dietrich von Schoenaich-Carolath.

The Christening of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, 1954

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna was baptised on Wednesday, 3 February 1954, at Madrid, Spain. The Confessor of Grand Duke Vladimir and Grand Duchess Leonida, Father Hegumen Panteleimon, officiated over the service. Grand Duchess Maria received as her godparents Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia (represented by Prince Nicholas of Romania) and Queen Ioanna of Bulgaria (née Princess Giovanna of Savoy). 

Among the family members who were present for the christening of the grand duchess were the following: Helene Kirby, Prince Louis Ferdinand and Princess Kira of Prussia, Prince George and Princess Elena Bagration, Prince Irakly Bagration, Infante Fernando of Spain, Infante Luis of Spain, Infante Jose Eugenio of Spain and his wife (née Marisol Mesia y de Lesseps), the Dowager Duchess of Montpensier (née Maria Isabel González de Olañeta y Ibarreta Marquesa de Valdeterrazo), Princess Nicholas of Romania (née Dumitrescu-Doletti), Archduchess Ileana of Austria, and Princess Maria Luisa of Bulgaria. 

Several representatives of the Spanish government were also in attendance: don Fernando Suárez de Tangil y Angulo, Conde de Vallellano, Minister of Public Works; Señora de Martín-Artajo, wife of Foreign Minister don Alberto Martín-Artajo Álvarez; and doña Maria del Carmen Casanueva Navarro, wife of don Raimundo Fernández-Cuesta y Merelo, Secretary General of Movimiento Nacional. 

The diplomatic corps were also well represented: the Prince de Ligne, Belgian Ambassador to Spain, and the Princess de Ligne (née Philippine de Noailles); Mr Rubens Ferreira de Mello, Brazilian Ambassador to Spain, with Senhora Ferreira de Mello; Georgi Kyosievanov, former Bulgarian Prime Minister, and Madame Kyosievanov; Mr Collin, Danish Ambassador to Spain; Graaf Willem van Rechteren-Limpurg, Dutch Ambassador to Spain, with Gravin Fay Esmé van Rechteren-Limpurg (née Baroness van Heemstra); Jacques Meyrier, French Ambassador to Spain, with Madame Meyrier; Prince Adalbert of Bavaria, German Ambassador to Spain, with Princess Adalbert of Bavaria (née Gräfin Augusta von Seefried auf Buttenheim); Mr Kimon Diamantopoulos, Greek Ambassador to Spain, with Mrs Diamantopoulos (née Alberta Kirchhof); Ferenc Marosi, Representative of the Hungarian Government-in-Exile, with Mrs Marosi; don Francesco Maria Marchese Taliani de Marchio, Italian Ambassador to Spain, with the Marchesa Taliani di Marchio (née Archduchess Maria Margarethe of Austria); Mr Winter, Swedish Ambassador to Spain, with Mrs Winter; and Mr Lucovic, Representative of King Peter of Yugoslavia.

The Christening of Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, 1917

Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich was christened on Tuesday, 18 September 1917, at Haikko near Borgo, Finland. Protopresbyter Alexander Dernoff, Head of the Court Clergy and Dean of the Cathedrals of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg and of the Annunciation in the Kremlin of Moscow, officiated over the service. Grand Duke Vladimir received as his godparents Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia (his paternal uncle) and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (née Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; his paternal grandmother). 

In his memoirs, In the Service of the Imperial House of Russia 1917-1941, Commander H.G. Graf, a loyal aide to Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich and Grand Duchess Victoria Feodovorna, recalled the events surrounding their only son's christening: 

"The baptism of Prince Vladimir Kirillovich took place on September 18, 1917, at Haiko. The parents wanted all the customary christening formalities of the Imperial family to be observed. They considered this precaution to be important so as to avoid future complications relative to the rights of Vladimir Kirillovich to the throne. With great difficulties, the Archpresbyter Father Alexander Dernov, head of the Court's clergy, was invited from Petrograd. He was also the father superior of the cathedral of the Winter Palace in Petrograd and the further superior of the 'Blagovestshenskii' (Annunciation) Cathedral in the Kremlin. He arrived with the cantor of the Peter and Paul Cathedral in Petrograd. They brought everything that was needed for the christening ceremony. The christening was recorded in the Book of Births of Members of the Imperial House which Archpresbyter Dernov had also brought with him."

Godmother of Prince Alexander Romanoff Shares Her Memories of His Christening

 

Two weeks ago today on 6 October, HSH Prince Alexander Georgievich Romanoff was christened at the Transfiguration Church within the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour complex in Moscow. Prince Alexander is the first child of HIH Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and HSH Princess Victoria Romanovna Romanoff. Madame Oxana Girko, one of the godmothers of Prince Alexander, was kind enough to share with me her recollections of her godson's christening, as well as what the Romanoff dynasty means to her on a personal level.

I feel very honoured and blessed to have been chosen as a godmother of HSH Prince Alexander Romanoff. The Imperial Family of Russia has been always an example of dignity, and the highest personal qualities are exhibited by each member of the family. I hope that the imperial family will continue to carry out charitable works and good deeds within the former Empire, which included Russia, Ukraine, and many other nowadays independent countries, bringing peace, prosperity, stability, spirituality, and positive values for the people, regardless of whether the imperial family is on the throne or not. 

 

Oxana Girko and Grand Duchess Maria.

 

The imperial family has steadfastly been an example of important family values for the nation. And this is what I feel is truly vital, especially in our modern times. My ancestors were very close to the Romanoff dynasty during the time of the Russian Empire. And I believe that it is very significant that after the 1917 Revolution, after a few generations, our life paths have come together again. It is a sign of a healing and reconciliation for our world in many ways. I am very grateful to HIH Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, who decided to return with her family to Russia, in spite of the political difficulties of the 1990s. She is a strong, wise person who exhibits the best qualities of the Romanoff dynasty's DNA.

 

A proud grandmother: Grand Duchess Maria and her grandson Prince Alexander.

 

I personally admire HIH Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna as a person who finds a kind word for every human being that she meets, who connects with and brings together amazing people around her, and who is beautiful and sage. I believe that even her name is a sign from God: the same name as the Holy Mother... The Romanoff dynasty made the Russian Empire one of strongest countries in the world in many aspects: science, culture, etc.

 

 

Grand Duke George of Russia and Princess Victoria Romanoff together with Oxana Girko and her husband Oleg Novachuk attend a soirée for the Assembly of the Russian Nobility in France (ANFR), Paris, 10 December 2021.
Photo (c) Alamy / David Nivière.

 

Today, the Romanoff dynasty helps to foster the traditions of the Orthodox religious institutions of the countries comprising the former Russian Empire, giving aid at different levels. HIH Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna raised her son, the HIH Grand Duke George Michailovich, in the same traditions in which she herself was raised: with love for the Russian Empire and all those peoples who comprised it, with a dedication of following historic traditions, and with a strong desire to care for and assist its peoples. HIH Grand Duke George Mikhailovich has been blessed by God: he met his love match in HSH Princess Victoria Romanovna, who is not only a beautiful and intelligent woman, but Princess Victoria has also been interested in Russian history and culture from her early childhood.

 

Princess Olga of Savoy, Duchess of Aosta, and Oxana Girko share an amusing moment during the christening of their godson, Prince Alexander.

 

Now the imperial family helps people through their charitable foundations. The Romanoff dynasty's goals are to help the sick and those suffering from food shortages, to encourage the endeavors of the creative intelligentsia, and to support many other projects of a spiritual and creative nature. I am blessed by God to have His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Georgievich as my godson. All my prayers are directed to the blessings of God on our planet, to all the peoples of the world, and, in particular, the peoples of the former Russian Empire, for the healing of all historical painful periods, for the restoration of peace and health, the well-being of people and creative processes in the entire global society.

Grand Duke George and Princess Victoria witness the christening of their son.

By becoming parents to our own children, God helps us understand the importance of building a healthy and sustainable future for our descendants, and by allowing us to be godparents, God blesses us with an even higher level of love and responsibility to the generation of our relatives and godchildren. At his christening ceremony, HSH Prince Alexander was very calm: all the godmothers and godfathers emphasized and noted this quality of the newborn Prince Alexander.

 

Prince Alexander at the baptismal font.

 

All of us, Prince Alexander's godparents and his family, rejoiced in the health and peace of mind that manifested itself through this calm behavior of the Prince, despite his baptism into holy water on a cold Winter day. Little Prince Alexander has been blessed by God, and all believers could see and rejoice at this miracle. As Father Michael from Australia, who led the baptism ceremony in English for foreign guests attending the ceremony, said: "Baptism is an opportunity for a person to become a Saint. Prince Alexander Georgievich has been blessed by God with this great opportunity. Let us rejoice and always help to do the will of God on our Planet through our earthly deeds and thoughts."

My upmost thanks to Oxana Girko for her generosity in giving her remembrances about this special and happy event in the life of her godson Prince Alexander Romanoff.

 

May God Bless Prince Alexander and the Imperial House of Russia!

The First Picture of Prince Alexander Romanoff!

Grand Duke George, Princess Victoria, and Prince Alexander. Photo courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

Yesterday, Grand Duke George of Russia and Princess Victoria Romanoff released the first picture of their baby Prince Alexander. The happy father gave the following message:

H.S.H. Princess Victoria and I are back home with our newborn baby.

We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the medical staff of the hospital ZKB of Moscow for their highly skilled medical care, and also for their empathy and support.

We are extremely touched by the thousands of blessing and good will messages we have received upon the birth of our little Alexander, from people worldwide.

To each and every one of you: an heartfelt thank you!

Prince Alexander Georgievich Romanoff was born in Moscow on Friday, 21 October 2022. Alexander is the first member of the Imperial House to be born in the territory of the former Russian Empire since his great-grandfather, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich. Grand Duke Vladimir was born on 30 August 1917 at Porvoo in the then Grand Duchy of Finland.

Grand Duke Kirill and Grand Duchess Victoria with their daughters Maria and Kira as well as their infant son Vladimir.

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia's Jewels at Auction in Geneva

 

 

The jewels with an imperial provenance.
Photo (c) Sotheby's.

On 10 November, a brooch and a pair of ear clips that belonged to Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia will be sold at auction by Sotheby's in Geneva. Born Duchess Marie of Mecklenberg-Schwerin, Marie married Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, a son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. The jewels are estimated to sell for anywhere between $300,000 and $520,000. Given their history, it would not be surprising if they fetch much more.

 

Sotheby's offers the following description of this fascinating lot:

From a European Princely Family, Formerly from a European Imperial Family

Historically Important sapphire and diamond brooch and a pair ear clips

circa 1900

Comprising : a brooch of plaque design, set at the centre with an oval sapphire weighing 26.80 carats, the border set with cushion-shaped and rose diamonds, maker's marks for Sophia Schwan, probably for Bolin, St Petersburg, 1899-1908 and Russian assay marks, the pair of ear clips en suite, set with step-cut sapphires weighing 6.69 and 9.36 carats respectively, within a border of rose-cut and cushion-shaped diamonds, to a later fitted case by Cartier stamped with the crown of the Royal House of Greece, King of the Hellenes.

The auction house also notes that this set of a brooch and ear clips was firstly owned by Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, who then left them to her only daughter Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna (Princess Nicholas of Greece). The catalogue entry for this lot gives further insight into how these jewels with a Russian imperial heritage were retrieved from Russia following the Revolution:

A ROMANOV INHERITANCE

From the Collection of HIH Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna

Two shabby Gladstone bags were chosen by Albert Stopford to secretly collect Maria Pavlovna's jewels from the closed but as yet unpillaged Vladimir Palace in St Petersburg. The jewels were stored in a safe in her Moorish style suite of rooms. Access was obtained with the cooperation of Maria Pavlovna's eldest son Boris [author's note: Kirill was Maria's eldest son] and trusted servant who let in Stopford, dressed in workman clothes, through a side door. He carefully dismantled the jewels, folding the pieces into old newspaper to protect them. In the safe was also money which Stopford changed into new Revolutionary notes andd the on 30th July set out for a train journey of three nights to Kislovodsk in Caucasus where Maria Pavlovna had a house. In his diary he records his arrival: “KISLOVODSK. The grand Duchess received me in her cabinet de travail and we counted the money which I had bought her in my boots form Petrograd. It was in revolutionary thousand rouble notes, which she had never seen before.” This was the last visit he made to see her before setting out for London with her jewels though he did receive a letter form her telling him “ that the night before - September 13-14 - the the Committee of Workmen and Soldiers came to the house at 2.30 am and stayed until 6, opening, searching and turning everything topsy-turvy”. The pressure was ever increasing. This dramatic story is graphically retold in William Clarke’s recent book “Hidden Treasures of the Romanovs, saving the Royal jewels”.

Albert Henry Stopford, who was at the time, aged fifty five and so not eligible for war service, was very much part of the social scene in St Petersburg (then called Petrograd). He was a witness from the Revolution from July 1915 to October 1917 and published his diary and letters anonymously in 1919. From these it is clear that he was on very familiar terms with Grand Duchess Vladimir, seeing her almost every day when both in Petrograd. He was also in constant touch with the British Ambassador and the embassy staff passing back information and acting as a semi official courier on his journeys between Petrograd and London.

Grand Duchess Vladimir must have trusted him implicitly to put her extraordinary collection of jewels into his care. He had an advantage because on his journeys to and from England as the English Foreign Office and the War Office as well as the French and the Russian Embassies, used him to carry confidential papers which they feared might be in intercepted in the mail. Trustworthy travelers were a rarity so they took advantage of his travel for direct communication. It these circumstances he was effectively carrying their Diplomatic bags as he said “as a matter of courtesy and not in an official capacity”. He made full use of this privileged position and in those years he made four visits to England which he recalls in his diary. For instance on 22nd October 1916 he had “No bother with customs”. On another occasion the border officials wanted to examine his bags but he insisted he was carrying official papers and eventually they climbed down, no search was made and he was allowed to proceed on his journey.

During the war the safest way from Petrograd to England or France was by train first north through Finland, which at that time was in Russian hands, and so into Sweden and then on to either Bergen or Arendal in Norway. As German U-boats patrolled the North Sea and the coastal water were mined, the voyage from southern Sweden to Newcastle or Scotland was chosen as the shortest and safest journey for the steamer. The reality of these dangers is recalled in Stopford’s diary of 14th January 1916 “Not too bad a crossing. As we neared Arendal, in Norway we nearly ran into a mine. The sudden veering of the steamer threw us all off our seats. All along the south coast of Norway, where there are many currents, loose mines are constantly being washed up.” Later the same year on the way back from Petrograd he recalls in his diary for Thursday August 10th 1916 in rather telegraphic style, “before leaving the fjords for the open sea, was sent for by the captain. He expected the steamer to be stopped by German submarines, and said the F.O. bags ought to be weighted. The ships carpenter put iron into the coulisses of the bags and deposited them on the deck handy to be thrown overboard. Ship stopped suddenly in the night. Rushed on deck and found only a sea-frog. Arrived at Newcastle-on-Typne.”

Stopford left Petrograd on 26th September 1917 carrying Maria Pavlovna’s fabulous collection of jewels including the sensational sapphire brooch and earrings in this sale to embark on what must have been a very anxious ten day journey. Behind him the Provisional Government of Alexander Kerensky tottering and ahead lay the prospect of the hazardous journey across the North Sea which by this stage in the war was heavily mined. As it turned out he was able to follow his usual route via Finland and Sweden without encountering any difficulties, finally arriving safely by boat at Aberdeen on 6th October and professed himself “delighted to see policemen again”.

Meanwhile in the Caucasus the situation became so bad that Maria Pavlovna put her affairs in order and made arrangements for the cigarette boxes and cufflinks in the Vladimir Palace to be taken to Swedish Legation in Petrograd (these quite remarkably have only recently been discovered, safe and sound, in the Swedish Foreign Office in Stockholm and are now to be sold at Sotheby’s in London on 30thNovember 2009). She also made her own plans to leave Russia. The only route open to her was to make her way from Caucasus to the White Russian stronghold at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, a journey of 800 kilometers through a war-torn country. Despite the deteriorating situation and the fact that it was late autumn it is reported that she set off in style for the fifty mile journey to the nearest railway situation in an open carriage with her maid of honor at her side.

The next first hand report of Grand Duchess Vladimir’s escape from Russia is by her niece Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna who also left her departure to the last minute. She was already at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk which at the time was the principle center of Denekin’s White Army and waiting for a passage when she heard at her Aunt Michen, the formidable Grand Duchess Vladimir, had arrived after a harrowing escape from Caucasus. She is quoted in her biography as recalling “I went to see her. I was duchess. There had never been much love between Aunt Michen and my own family, but I felt proud of her. Disregarding peril and hardship, the stubbornly had kept all the trimmings of bygone splendor and glory. And somehow carried it off. When even generals found themselves lucky to find a horse-cart and an old nag to bring them into safety, Aunt Michen made a long journey in her own train. It was battered all right – but it was hers. For the first time in my life I found it was a pleasure to kiss her”.

Even though the situation was very dangerous and time short it is said that the Grand Duchess, acting very much in character, is said to have refused passage on a ship which required a change ta Istanbul as she could have had to submit to the ignominy of being deloused. Instead, she obtained a later passage in February 1920 and within a month of her departure Novorossiysk fell to the Bolsheviks. Her passage was on an Italian vessel and it is recorded at once again “the good Stopford received us in Venice with money to pay for our passage”. From there she went to Switzerland and then to Paris.

On his return to England Albert Stopford put the jewels in a safety deposit box in a bank in London where they remained for rather more then two years by which time Maria Pavlovna had reached Europe. They then had discussions about who would provide the best professional advice. Cartier in Paris seemed to be the best choice as many of the jewels had come from them and they had offered to make no charge for the valuation. In mid-June 1920, Stopford received what was probably his last letter form “his Grand Duchess” where she said that “the offer is very tempting” but sadly in July her health had been severely affected by the ordeal of the previous four years and on 6th September she died. Her tomb is in the Russian Orthodox church Contrexeville in north eastern France which she had had build in memory of her husband in 1909.

The division of jewels therefore became the main matter for her will and the were placed in the hands of Cartier for valuation. Thereafter the division was by no means simple.

As is made clear by the provenance provided by Sotheby's, these particular items were inherited by Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, who married Prince Nicholas of Greece. Nicholas and Elena had three daughters: Princess Olga (married Prince Paul of Yugoslavia), Princess Elisabeth (married Count Carl Theodor zu Toerring-Jettenbach), and Princess Marina (married Prince George, Duke of Kent). Therefore, it is possible that these jewels are being sold by one of Elena's descendants. No doubt, this gorgeous sapphire brooch and accompanying ear clips will make an historic addition to anyone's collection.

Source: Historically important sapphire and diamond brooch and a pair ear clips, circa 1900