The Last Days of the RomanovsSokolov, N. (Nikolai)
History
The Last Days of the Romanovs
Sokolov, N. (Nikolai)
Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, 1868-1918; Romanov, House of
The divine service was performed in the house, but during the whole time
I was there divine service was performed only three times. Twice the
clergyman Storogeff officiated at the service and once the clergyman
Meledin. But there were services also before our arrival. I know this
because I had to get a priest to officiate at the service. The first
time I was sent to get a priest by Avdeieff he named the church from
which the clergyman was to be asked. He did not give me the name of the
priest. At the church I learned that it was Meledin who officiated. I
wanted to get him but at this time he was busy. After that I called up
Storogeff. I called him also later a second time. When I was looking for
a priest I used to address myself to the churchwarden who stood near the
candle-box. I can not tell who he was. But once he asked me if he
couldn’t officiate instead of a deacon, saying: “I would like so much to
see the czar.” In the time of Avdeieff, when I was in the house, two
services were held. While Iourovsky was there, only one. Personally I
was never present at divine service. We were not allowed in the room.
Avdeieff and Iourovsky were present at the service. From the distance I
heard men’s and women’s voices during the service; probably they sung
themselves. I saw all the members of the imperial family, as well as all
the people who lived with them.
I saw them in the house when they passed to the toilet room, or went for
a walk in the garden, as well as during the walk itself. They passed
near the commandant’s room and close to post number one as they went to
the toilet room. They could also go to the toilet room through the
kitchen. I don’t know the reason, but they never did it. If the heir was
not with them, they used to go for their walk by the staircase that led
down from the toilet room, through the lobby that led into the yard and
from the yard to the garden. Sometimes when the heir went with them to
walk they all went through the main entrance of the house to the street,
then through the gate (and not the wicket) to the yard, and then to the
garden. He was probably ill and he was carried out to his roller chair,
which was brought up to the main entrance. The czar used to carry him
personally. I never saw him carried by anyone else.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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