On the night of 16-17 July 1918, the Romanov family, faithful attendants, and pet dogs were murdered in a small basement in Ipatiev House, Ekaterinburg.
The Tsar, Tsarina, and their five children, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei were killed alongside their attendants, chef Ivan Kharitonov, doctor Yevgeny Botkin, maid Anna Demidova, and footman Aloise ‘Alexei’ Trupp. Tatiana and Anastasia’s beloved dogs, Ortipo and Jimmy, were also killed.
Another member of the entourage who volunteered to join the Romanovs at the Ipatiev House was Alexei’s sailor nanny Klimenty Nagorny, who, after protesting against guards confiscating the thirteen-year-old boy’s chain which held religious icons, was removed from the house and executed. His arrest was observed by Alexei’s foreign tutors, who had been separated from the family. Rather than give them up, Klimenty remained quiet. Other attendants were arrested and later murdered after arriving in Yekaterinburg; Ekaterina Schneider, Anastasia Hendrikova, Ilya Tatishchev, Vasily Dolgorukov, and Ivan Sednev.
The only survivor of the murders at Ipatiev House was Alexei’s dog Joy. The dog, who was referred to in letters as being blind, was found running around the abandoned house and street days later, hungry, thirsty, and confused. Joy was rescued and taken to England.
Weeks later, the children’s languages tutors Pierre Gilliard and Sydney Gibbes entered the basement to find torn up floorboards and blood-splattered walls. The pair contributed to the Sokolov Investigation into the murders, providing and also protecting key evidence.
The Romanov family, alongside their attendants, have been canonised as Martyrs and Holy Passion Bearers in the Orthodox faith. 106 years later, we remember.
All background photographs show the interiors of the Ipatiev House taken for the Sokolov Investigation: the basement, family bedrooms, Demidova’s room, backyard door, and exterior.