Ganina Yama
Encyclopedia
Ganina Yama was a 9' deep pit in the Four Brothers mine near the village of Koptyaki, 15 km north from Yekaterinburg
. On the night of 17 July 1918 the bodies of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia
and his family (who had been murdered at the Ipatiev House
) were secretly transported to Ganina Yama and thrown into the pit.
A week later, the White Army drove the Bolsheviks from the area and launched an investigation into the fate of the royal family. An extensive report concluded that the royal family's remains had been cremated at the mine, since evidence of fire was found and charred bones, but no bodies. But the Bolsheviks, realizing that the burial site was no longer a secret, had returned to the site the night after the first burial to relocate the bodies to another area. The secret Bolshevik report on the execution and burial did not give the location of the second burial site, but the description provided clues.
The second burial site, a field known as Porosenkov Ravine (Поросёнков лог) four and a half miles from Ganina Yama (56.9113628°N 60.4954326°E), was discovered in the late 1970s through clandestine research but kept secret until the political climate changed in 1989. In 1995, the remains found at the Porosenkov Ravine were identified as Romanovs using DNA
from living relatives of Nicholas and Alexandra's parents. The Porosenkov Ravine burial pit is marked by a cross and simple landscaping of the burial pit. A second, smaller pit was located at the Porosenkov Ravine in 2007 containing the remains of two Romanov children missing from the larger grave. Further excavation is planned for the summer of 2009.
The Russian Orthodox Church, relying on the White Army's reports in preference to Bolshevik reports, and doubting the DNA identification, declared the Ganina Yama site holy ground. (Romanov family descendants likewise have doubts about the DNA identification.) The royal family and their retinue had been canonized
in 1981 by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. The grounds were therefore dedicated to honor the family's humility during capture and their status as political martyrs. With financial assistance from the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, the Church constructed the Monastery of the Holy Tsarist Passion-Bearers at the site in 2001. A tall cross marks the edge of the mine shaft, visible as a depression in the ground.
Seven chapels were later constructed at the site, one for each member of the royal family. Each chapel is dedicated to a particular saint or relic. The katholikon
is dedicated to the Theotokos Derzhavnaya, an icon particularly revered by the monarchists; it burnt to the ground on 14 September 2010 but is slated to be restored. On the anniversary of the murder, a night-long service is held at the Church of All Saints (Church on the Blood)
on the site of the Ipatiev House
. At daybreak, a procession walks four hours to Ganina Yama for another ceremony. The former mine pit is covered with lily plants for the ceremony.
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
. On the night of 17 July 1918 the bodies of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
and his family (who had been murdered at the Ipatiev House
Ipatiev House
Ipatiev House was a merchant's house in Yekaterinburg where the former Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, his family and members of his household were executed following the Bolshevik Revolution...
) were secretly transported to Ganina Yama and thrown into the pit.
A week later, the White Army drove the Bolsheviks from the area and launched an investigation into the fate of the royal family. An extensive report concluded that the royal family's remains had been cremated at the mine, since evidence of fire was found and charred bones, but no bodies. But the Bolsheviks, realizing that the burial site was no longer a secret, had returned to the site the night after the first burial to relocate the bodies to another area. The secret Bolshevik report on the execution and burial did not give the location of the second burial site, but the description provided clues.
The second burial site, a field known as Porosenkov Ravine (Поросёнков лог) four and a half miles from Ganina Yama (56.9113628°N 60.4954326°E), was discovered in the late 1970s through clandestine research but kept secret until the political climate changed in 1989. In 1995, the remains found at the Porosenkov Ravine were identified as Romanovs using DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
from living relatives of Nicholas and Alexandra's parents. The Porosenkov Ravine burial pit is marked by a cross and simple landscaping of the burial pit. A second, smaller pit was located at the Porosenkov Ravine in 2007 containing the remains of two Romanov children missing from the larger grave. Further excavation is planned for the summer of 2009.
The Russian Orthodox Church, relying on the White Army's reports in preference to Bolshevik reports, and doubting the DNA identification, declared the Ganina Yama site holy ground. (Romanov family descendants likewise have doubts about the DNA identification.) The royal family and their retinue had been canonized
Romanov sainthood
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, his wife Tsarina Alexandra, and their five children Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei are saints of the Orthodox Church...
in 1981 by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. The grounds were therefore dedicated to honor the family's humility during capture and their status as political martyrs. With financial assistance from the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, the Church constructed the Monastery of the Holy Tsarist Passion-Bearers at the site in 2001. A tall cross marks the edge of the mine shaft, visible as a depression in the ground.
Seven chapels were later constructed at the site, one for each member of the royal family. Each chapel is dedicated to a particular saint or relic. The katholikon
Katholikon
A Katholikon or Catholicon is the major temple of a monastery, or diocese in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The name derives from the fact that it is the largest temple where all gather together to celebrate the major feast days of the liturgical year. At other times, the smaller temples or...
is dedicated to the Theotokos Derzhavnaya, an icon particularly revered by the monarchists; it burnt to the ground on 14 September 2010 but is slated to be restored. On the anniversary of the murder, a night-long service is held at the Church of All Saints (Church on the Blood)
Church of All Saints, Yekaterinburg
The Church on Blood in Honour of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land is a Russian Orthodox church in Yekaterinburg built in 2000-2003 on the site where the former Emperor Nicholas II of Russia and several members of his family and household were executed by the Bolsheviks following the...
on the site of the Ipatiev House
Ipatiev House
Ipatiev House was a merchant's house in Yekaterinburg where the former Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, his family and members of his household were executed following the Bolshevik Revolution...
. At daybreak, a procession walks four hours to Ganina Yama for another ceremony. The former mine pit is covered with lily plants for the ceremony.
External links
- The Monastery complex in the name of Saint Regal Martyrs Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company website.
- Rappaport, HelenHelen RappaportHelen Rappaport is a British historian, author, and former actress. As a historian, she specialises in the Victorian era and revolutionary Russia.-Biography:...
. The Last Days of the Romanovs. St. Martin's Press (2009) - Reynolds, Maura. A Tale of Two Royal Gravesites, Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, June 18, 2002 - Search Foundation, Inc., Organization to search for the remains of the two missing Romanov children, searchfoundationinc.org
- Zolotov, Andrei. Russia's Royal Bones of Contention, The St. Petersburg Times, timohaapanen.net