Church of All Saints, Yekaterinburg (must see)

The Church of All Saints was built as a memorial on the site of the former Ipatiev House, where Emperor Nicholas II and his family were executed in July 1918. During the Soviet period, the house was demolished, and the topic was not openly discussed for many years. The church was consecrated in 2003, after the Romanov family was canonized. Today it works both as a functioning Orthodox church and as a place connected to this key moment in Russian history.

The building is designed in the Russian Revival style. It has white walls, gilded domes, and a tall structure built in clear vertical levels. A staircase of 23 steps links the lower and upper churches. The number refers to the 23 years of Nicholas II’s reign, from 1894 to 1917, and also recalls the steps the imperial family walked down to the basement of the Ipatiev House. The main altar stands directly above the place identified as the execution site.

Inside, the church is filled with icons and memorial objects. Among the most important are relics connected to the imperial family, including a tooth attributed to Tsarevich Alexei, as well as relics of Saint Seraphim of Sarov. The interior also contains the “Three-Handed” Mother of God icon, believed to have belonged to the Romanovs and to have been with them during their last days.

The church plays an active role in public remembrance. Every year, during the night of July 16–17, it serves as the starting point for a large cross procession to the Ganina Yama Monastery. The surrounding grounds continue to change, and in 2025 a new monument was added that introduces modern military themes, showing how ideas of memory and commemoration around the site continue to evolve.