The Romanov Sisters

The Romanovs RIP #Romanovs100

And on the threshold of the grave, breathe power divine into our clay, that we, thy children, may find strength, in meekness for our foes to pray. #Romanovs100 (5/5)

Lord of the world, God of Creation, Give us thy blessing through our prayer, give us peace of heart O master, this hour of utmost dread to bear. #Romanovs100 (4/5)

When we are plundered and insulted, in days of mutinous unrest, we turn for help to thee, Christ Saviour, that we may stand the bitter test. #Romanovs100 (3/5)

Give us strength, just God to us who need it, the persecutors to forgive, our heavy painful cross to carry, and thy great meekness to achieve. #Romanovs100 (2/5)

Give us Patience, Lord to us thy children, In these dark stormy days to bear, The persecution of our people, The tortures falling to our shores. #Romanovs100 (1/5)

They told us to dress up and go downstairs. Alexei is still unable to walk so I’m afraid I’ll have to carry him in my arms #Romanovs100

We’ve played bezique with Nicky as usual until 10:30pm, then I went to sleep. Now they say we have to get up and go downstairs. Is this an evacuation? #Romanovs100

Commandant Yurovsky personally invites us all to go downstairs. I believe they realized Ipatiev House is no longer safe to keep high-ranking prisoners in here. Car with working engine in the yard must be waiting for us #Romanovs100

This afternoon when the others go into the garden, Tatiana stays indoors with mama reading from the prophets while she sits making lace #Romanovs100

Alexei also plays endless games of draughts, bezique and chess with mama and papa. His leg is getting better, but very slowly #Romanovs100

Alexei is coping with his intense boredom by playing with his tin soldiers & paper boats & filling his pockets with all kinds of junk: coins, nails, stones and buttons, bits of string and scraps of paper #Romanovs100 twitter.com/Botkin_1917/st…

Several rain showers have brought a welcome coolness to our stuffy rooms. Today Yurovsky returned a watch in a leather case belonging to papa that one of guards had helped himself to, as well as a silver spoon with Imperial crest that had been found hidden in garden #Romanovs100

We are sorry to lose Avdeev, for all his drinking and his sometimes crass behaviour he was fundamentally kind & considerate. We don’t know what to make of Yakov Yurovsky. He seems dignified but somewhat enigmatic. Papa calls him the ‘Dark Gentleman’. #Romanovs100 twitter.com/NicholasII_191…

Sometimes when we sit with mama @EmpressAlix1917 mending our increasingly threadbare clothes, knitting or sewing, we sing sacred songs. Our favourite is the Cherubim’s song, the song of the angels from the Orthodox liturgy, which we find so consoling #Romanovs100

We are so grateful for a chance to walk outside with our dogs Joy, Jimmy and Ortipo in the sun and breathe the summer air. The scent of Ekaterinburg’s parks and gardens is so tantalisingly close. If only we could see them! #Romanovs100

⚡️ “'Maria is a fearless girl': Rare photos of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna” twitter.com/i/moments/1011… #Romanovs100 @OTMA_1917

Our dear Maria turned 19! The weather yesterday was positively tropical: 26C in the shade and it is so stuffy that being inside is almost intolerable #Romanovs100 twitter.com/NicholasII_191…

Vladimir & Dimitri Storozhev, sons of priest Ivan Storozhev who has been allowed to conduct a liturgy for our family, fly their kite from the roof of their nearby house & catch sight of us in garden of Ipatiev House. They communicate with us by gestures #Romanovs100