History of Russia: The archive of relatives of the Imperial family to be granted to the Museum-Preserve “Tsarskoy Selo”

More than 100 photographs, dozens of books, pictures, letters and portraits of close relatives of the Imperial family would soon return to Russia: New York hosted the ceremony of transfer of the family archive of princes Romanov-Ilyinsky to the Museum-Preserve “Tsarskoye Selo”. These and other items make up the exhibition “The Romanovs. From Tsarskoye Selo - to Cincinnati”, which is opening in the Catherine Palace on July 16. The act of giving was signed by the Consul General of the Russian Federation in New York Igor Golubovsky and Michael Romanov-Ilyinsky, who lives in America.

The archive and personal belongings of the Imperial dynasty return to Russia in the 400^th anniversary of the House of Romanov. Over the past few years, Michael Romanov Ilyinsky - grandson of Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich Romanov - gave the Museum-Preserve “Tsarskoye Selo” many personal belongings of his grandfather. Thanks to this fact the museum’s collection has been enriched with authentic items directly related to the history of the imperial residence of Tsarskoye Selo, and the Museum-Preserve became the owner of Russia’s biggest collection of items related to the name Dmitri Pavlovich (1891-1942) - the grandson of Alexander II, the cousin of Nicholas II.

Among the gifts that will soon arrive in the State Museum-Preserve “Tsarskoye Selo” are portraits of the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna.

- I bring to the Museum, especially personal items and materials related to the life of my grandfather, the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich Romanov. For the time being this is only a part of the family archive. It will gradually be returned to Russia. This is a general solution of descendants of Dmitri Pavlovich, - says Michael Romanov-Ilyinsky.

The central figure of the forthcoming exhibition will be the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich. It is known that after the murder of Rasputin in December 1916, he had to leave Russia and go to Persia, where he was in the military service, and where he met the revolutionary events of 1917. Subsequently, the Grand Duke was living in London, Paris, Davos, where he died in 1942. On this phase of his life the exhibition will depict many photos taken by great prince, as well as “home video” of 1920-1930s - all this is granted in recent years in the museum’s collection by his descendants.