The mysteries of history have always worried people. And at all times there were researchers who wanted to shed light on certain dark pages of the past of their country. Especially many secrets are connected with the last years of the Russian Empire. In particular, it has still not been precisely established where Rasputin Grigory is buried and what happened to his remains.
Brief curriculum vitae
Before finding out where the grave of Grigory Rasputin, it is worth recalling some pages of his biography. The future “elder”, who, despite his peasant origin, was able to become a close associate of the imperial family and a personal friend of the emperor and empress, was born in 1869 in a coachman's family. Being very painful by nature, in his youth Gregory made a pilgrimage to the Verkhotursky Monastery with the aim of recovering from his many ailments. On his return from this journey, he developed an interest in religion. And in 1893, Rasputin went on a pilgrimage to the holy places. After visiting the holy mountain Athos and Jerusalem, he returned to his native village and married the peasant Praskovya Dubinina, who later gave birth to three children.
In Petersburg
In 1903, Rasputin came to St. Petersburg and met with some spiritual dignitaries, including Bishop Hermogenes and Archimandrite Theophanes. The latter spoke about the “wanderer” to two Montenegrin princesses who were married to the Russian Grand Dukes, and they shared this information with the Empress. Due to her son’s illness, Alexandra Fedorovna was constantly in a state of religious exaltation and was ready to believe anything, if only it would help save her boy. In 1905, the first meeting of Rasputin and Nicholas II took place, and later he himself became a frequent guest in the Winter Palace. Over the next decade, his behavior often gave rise to gossip, and the name often appeared in police reports. To top it off, Rasputin quarreled with many important clergymen, including those who had once patronized him.
last years of life
In early 1912, the State Duma officially announced its negative attitude towards Grigory Rasputin, and Nikolai II was forced to sign an order to begin an investigation, which was to establish whether this old man was related to the Khlyst sect. It must be said that before Grigory Rasputin died on December 30, 1916, he was repeatedly under investigation on charges of heresy, but each time the cases were terminated due to insufficient evidence. In addition, the elder allowed himself to give the emperor advice on the foreign and domestic policies of the state. In particular, in 1912 he dissuaded the emperor from interfering in the Balkan war.
Attempt and murder
By the summer of 1914, a plot against Rasputin had matured at court. At its origins stood the grandson of Nicholas I and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of all the land and naval forces of the empire, N. N. Romanov. The conspirators decided to take advantage of the fact that the elder was at this time in his homeland - in the village of Pokrovskoye, and on June 29 they sent a murderer to him - Khioniy Gusev. The woman wounded Rasputin in the stomach, but he survived, and she was declared insane and sent to a psychiatric hospital.
Two years later, a group of conspirators decided to commit another attempt on Rasputin. Princes F. F. Yusupov and D. P. Romanov, V. M. Purishkevich took part in it. In addition, there is information that the group also included British intelligence officer Oswald Reiner. They lured the elder into the Yusupov palace and first tried to poison. When it became obvious that the poison had no effect, Prince Yusupov shot Rasputin, he tried to escape, but fell. The prince went for a cloak, but, returning, saw that Rasputin was alive. Then the conspirators began to shoot him, and when he died, they drove him to the Petrovsky Bridge in a car. The fact is that they pre-chose the place where they were going to drown the body of the old man. Thus, if the plan of Yusupov and his comrades worked, then the question of where the grave of Grigory Rasputin should be answered would be: “on the bottom of the Neva”. However, things did not go as the conspirators expected.
Investigation of the circumstances of the death of Rasputin
After the “disappearance” of Rasputin, an investigation was launched, led by the director of the Police Department himself. He very quickly managed to find out that on the eve of the old man went to the palace to Yusupov. In addition, the policeman, who was on duty at night from December 16 to December 17 near the place where the murder was committed, heard shots. The Yusupovs mansion was searched and found in his basement bloody traces. Thus, it became apparent that it was a murder. A few hours later, there was also a report of blood stains on the parapet of the Petrovsky Bridge, in the place under which the wormwood was. The police suspected that it was a secret "grave" of Grigory Rasputin. They called divers, who lifted the body of an old man out of the water.
The funeral
On the night of December 21 in the Chesme Chapel, the funeral service of Rasputin took place, which was performed by the old man’s old bishop Isidore. According to rumors, Empress Alexandra Fedorovna was present at the ceremony, but there is no documentary evidence of this fact. Initially, the body was going to be transported to the elder’s homeland. If this intention would be realized, then in response to the question "where is Rasputin Grigory buried", one should answer that in the village of Pokrovsky, located near Tyumen. However, the transportation of the remains across the country could cause unrest. And so they chose a place for the grave closer to St. Petersburg.
Grigory Rasputin: burial in the Alexander Park
In 1916, the elder’s closest girlfriend, maid of honor Anna Vyrubova, decided to organize a hospital in Tsarskoye Selo and build the church of Seraphim of Sarovsky with him. It was on the territory of this building temple that Grigory Rasputin was originally buried. According to legend, an icon was placed in a coffin with the body of an old man, on which were the signatures of Alexandra Fedorovna, her daughters and Vyrubova. However, the secret grave of Grigory Rasputin in the Alexander Park was discovered after the February Revolution. Having received the appropriate report, Kerensky ordered General Kornilov to take care of the burning of the remains.
Was there a cremation?
For many years, many historians believed that the question "where is Rasputin Grigory buried" has no answer, since there was an act on the burning of his remains in the furnace of the Polytechnic Institute on March 11, 1917. However, today there are versions according to which, in 1917, a coffin with the body of a completely different person was discovered, and the elder is still resting in the territory of Alexander Park. In addition, some researchers believe that during the cremation part of the bones could not turn into coal and ash, and they were scattered in the Piskarevsky forest. It is also believed that on the way to the campus of the Polytechnic Institute, the car with the remains of Rasputin stopped and they were burned right in the forest. This version is supported by eyewitness accounts claiming that on one of the trees near the site of a possible cremation at the end of the winter of 1917, a sign appeared in German saying that “a dog was buried” there. Further, one could read the following: “Here on the night of March 10-11, 1917, the corpse of Rasputin Grigory was burned.”
Historical figures and everything connected with them have always been of great interest at all times. There are even many cases when cemeteries of celebrities became objects of worship. Rasputin Grigory Efimovich is no exception. However, in his biography there are many dark pages. In particular, it is still impossible to say exactly where Rasputin Grigory is buried. And the only place where his fans can bring flowers is a worship cross on the site of the chapel of Seraphim of Sarov, where the remains of this extraordinary person originally rested.