Author Archives: Susan

Elizabeth: The Firstborn Windsor

by The Laird o’ Thistle (Special Edition)
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Queen Elizabeth II, official photo for the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne; Credit – The Royal Family Facebook page

I hope that many who read this were able to see the BBC’s The Unseen Queen on May 29, 2022 or subsequently online. I found it an amazing and moving record of Her Majesty’s life, mostly based on the family’s own home movies, with narration mostly from written and recorded comments by Her Majesty, including some reflections recorded as recently as the last month. I found some of the earliest clips of the Queen with her grandparents, George V and Queen Mary, and with her uncles, the Dukes of Windsor and Kent, particularly fascinating.

It occurred to me some time ago that Elizabeth II is now the last living person who can be said to have known several members of the royal family (and some other historical figures as well). First and foremost on that list is King George V, the founder of the House of Windsor, who died in January 1936, about three months before Elizabeth’s 10th birthday.

Elizabeth knew the old King and was a great favorite of his. As a tiny child, not yet 3 years old, Princess Elizabeth was brought to Bognor (Regis) in early 1929 to keep the King and Queen Mary company as George recuperated from surgery and a nearly fatal bout of septicemia. Accounts say that the princess and the King would chat away… as best she could at that age… while she played in the sand. Later accounts by Marion Crawford, Elizabeth and Margaret’s governess, tell of the King’s expressed desire that she learn to write in “a decent hand.” Various photos show young Princess Elizabeth riding to church with her grandparents at Crathie Kirk (Balmoral), and the two princesses participating in King George’s Silver Jubilee events in 1935, including the procession, thanksgiving service, and balcony appearance. I have mentioned previously here that there is also newsreel footage of Princess Elizabeth and her parents following the old king’s coffin into St. George’s Chapel on the day of his funeral… a clip not included in The Unseen Queen. (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgJJbq8FvvQ, look at the 9:30 minute mark.) Elizabeth was the youngest royal attendee, and the only one now living.

A well-known story tells that George V… given his testy relationship with his eldest son and heir… bluntly attested his hope at the end of his life that “nothing come between Bertie (George VI), Elizabeth, and the throne.” He saw in her the future. Providence, in due course, granted his wish.

In point of fact, Queen Elizabeth II is the actual firstborn member of the House of Windsor, the first member of the royal family born with the Windsor surname. (Her two elder cousins, the sons of her aunt, Princess Mary, were Lascelles, not Windsors. All of the other elder family members had their surname changed to Windsor in 1917.) That seems both a simple happenstance and incredibly significant.

As well as George V, the Queen is also the only living member of the current royal family who can remember several others, such as her grandfather’s sisters Princess Victoria (d. 1935), and Queen Maud of Norway (d. 1938). [She might, or might not, remember Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife, who died in January 1931.] There are several other senior royals, who died in the first half of the 1940s, that HM remembers along with her cousins Prince Edward (the Duke of Kent, b. 1935) and his sister Princess Alexandra (b. 1936). First and foremost of these is the Kents’ father, Prince George, who was killed in 1942 on active duty in WWII. The others are the last three surviving children of Queen Victoria: Princess Louise (Duchess of Argyll, d. December 1939); Prince Arthur (Duke of Connaught, d. 1942); and Princess Beatrice (widow of Prince Henry of Battenberg, d. 1944.)

In her comments in The Unseen Queen, HM notes that “looking back” is a way of also looking toward the future. It’s a matter of perspective. This week Britain, the Commonwealth, and the world celebrate the unprecedented Platinum Jubilee of the little princess who waved so enthusiastically from carriage and balcony at the 1935 Silver Jubilee, and who grew up around those to whom Queen Victoria was “Grandmama” and even “Mama”, and so on. She’s also the 96-year-old “Gan-gan” of little ones who will remember her as she remembers those others, especially Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis… the family future. The firstborn Windsor will be standing in a unique spot on Thursday as she (hopefully) appears on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with the currently “working” family and the Cambridge children. She will be standing as much at a point in time, as in a physical place. She will be looking “onward” as well as outward. Hopefully someday in the future… God and the British People willing… Prince George will himself stand there in turn, thinking back to a June day in 2022 with his Gan-gan, and also ahead into a then still unfolding future. That, I think, is clearly what HM is hoping.

Yours Aye,
Ken Cuthbertson – the Laird o’ Thistle
May 30, 2022

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Honoré V, Prince of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Honoré V, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Honoré Gabriel Grimaldi was born on May 13, 1778, in Paris, France. He was the elder of the two sons of Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco and Louise d’Aumont, Duchess of Mazarin, Duchess of Mayenne, Duchess of Meilleraye in her own right. Honoré V’s paternal grandparents were Honoré III, Prince of Monaco and Maria Caterina Brignole, who came from a Republic of Genoa (now in Italy) noble family. His maternal grandparents were Louis Marie Guy d’Aumont, Duke of Aumont (link in French) and Louise Jeanne de Durfort, Duchess of Mazarin, Duchess of Mayenne, Duchess of Meilleraye (link in French).

Honoré V’s parents Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco and Louise, d’Aumont; Credit – Wikipedia

Honoré V’s mother Louise, d’Aumont was the great-great-great-granddaughter of Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin, Duchess of Mayenne, Duchess of Meilleraye, the mistress of King Charles II of England, and one of the two heirs of her uncle, Cardinal Jules Mazarin, the First Minister of King Louis XIV of France. Louise was the heir of Hortense Mancini’s titles and the Mazarin family wealth.

Honoré V had one younger brother:

Florestan, Prince of Monaco (1785 – 1856), married Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz, had one son and one daughter

In 1641, during the reign of Honoré II, Monaco became a French protectorate, and the Princes of Monaco became vassals of the Kings of France while remaining sovereign princes. Many successive Princes of Monaco and their families spent most of their lives in France and intermarried with French and Italian noble families. Honoré and his brother Florestan spent much of their time in France.

Honoré V’s grandfather, Honoré III, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

The French Revolution had dire consequences for the princely family of Monaco. In January 1793, Honoré V’s grandfather, Honoré III, Prince of Monaco, was officially declared deposed, and France annexed the Principality of Monaco. The members of the former ruling Grimaldi dynasty lost all aristocratic privileges in France, were dispossessed of their French property, and became French citizens. During the Reign of Terror, in September 1793, Honoré V’s parents, Honoré IV and Louise, his eight-year-old brother Florestan, and his grandfather Honoré III were arrested and imprisoned in Paris as enemies of the people. Fifteen-year-old Honoré V somehow escaped imprisonment.

Heads of aristocrats on pikes during the Reign of Terror; Credit -Wikipedia

Honoré V’s mother Louise and his brother Florestan were rescued by a family doctor who forged release papers and hid them in his home until the Reign of Terror was over. The wife of Honoré V’s paternal uncle Prince Joseph of Monaco was not as lucky. Joseph spent most of his time abroad negotiating foreign loans, which made him a suspect of counter-revolutionary activities. When Joseph did become involved in a counter-revolution, his wife Marie Thérèse de Choiseul was arrested in the absence of her husband, condemned to death, and guillotined in 1794, one of the last victims before the end of the Reign of Terror.

In October 1794, Honoré V’s grandfather Honoré III and father Honoré IV were released from prison. Honoré III never recovered from his imprisonment and died in Paris on March 21, 1795, at the age of 74. Honoré IV, whose chronic ill health had been worsened by imprisonment, would have become Prince of Monaco, but Monaco was no longer a sovereign monarchy. However, Honoré IV’s family properties in France, which had been confiscated, were returned to him, but they were in poor condition, and all of the contents were gone.

In 1794, Honoré V’s mother Louise had given birth to an illegitimate daughter Amélie Céleste Erodore d’Aumont, while her husband Honoré IV was still imprisoned. The father of the child is believed to have been Antoine de Montazet, Archbishop of Lyon. After Honoré IV’s release from prison, Louise and Honoré IV’s marriage became unhappy, and the couple separated. In 1798, Louise divorced Honoré IV, giving Louise sole access to her fortune. Louise married René François Tirnand-d’Arcis on February 6, 1801, and divorced him in 1803. When Honoré V’s mother Louise died in Paris, France, on December 13, 1826, aged 67, she left her entire fortune to her younger son Florestan because Honoré V had an illegitimate child. (Explained below.)

Embed from Getty Images

Murat leading a cavalry charge during the Battle of Jena. Presumably, Honoré V is one of the officers following him

During the latter part of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte rose to prominence, and in 1799, he became the First Consul of France. Later, Napoleon was Emperor of the French (1804–1814 and 1815). In 1798, Honoré V joined the French army and served as an officer under General Emmanuel de Grouchy, 2nd Marquis of Grouchy in the French Revolutionary Wars. Honoré V’s courage in battle was noted many times. He was wounded during the Battle of Hohenlinden. Honoré V fought in the Battle of Jena in the ranks of the cavalry corps led by the brother-in-law of Napoleon, Joachim Murat, with whom he forced an entire enemy battalion to surrender. Because of his heroic deeds, Honoré V received the Legion of Honor and the title Baron of Monaco of the Napoleonic Empire.

After Napoleon’s defeat in 1814 and the Bourbon Restoration, which saw Louis XVIII, a younger brother of the beheaded King Louis XVI, become King of France, Honoré V’s uncle Joseph petitioned King Louis XVIII to restore the Principality of Monaco to the Grimaldi family. Honoré V’s father Honoré IV finally became Sovereign Prince of Monaco in 1814. However, Honoré IV’s physical condition had worsened, and he was now paralyzed on one side of his body. Because of Honoré IV’s condition, a regency was established to rule in his name. Honoré IV’s brother Joseph was regent from 1814 -1815, and then Honoré V served as regent until his father died in 1819, when he succeeded him as Honoré V, Prince of Monaco.

The powers in Europe were determined to eliminate the French interest in Monaco because of the role Monaco had played in the rise of Napoleon. Monaco was designated a protectorate of the Kingdom of Sardinia (which included the island of Sardinia, Piedmont, Savoy, Aosta, and Nice) by the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Monaco remained a protectorate of the Kingdom of Sardinia until 1860, during the reign of Honoré V’s nephew Charles III, Prince of Monaco, when, by the Treaty of Turin, the Sardinian forces pulled out of Monaco and it became a French protectorate once again.

However, the immediate result of becoming a protectorate of the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1815 was an economic one. The Sardinian government closed the tobacco plantations that Honoré III had planted in Piedmont and blocked an important source of income for Monaco. Honoré V made a trip to Turin, Savoy to try to persuade Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy to reopen the tobacco plantations, but was unsuccessful. Honoré V was forced to increase the taxes in Monaco, which increased his unpopularity. The economic situation in Monaco caused the population to rebel, necessitating army troops from Savoy to quell the rebellion.

Honoré V never married. With his mistress Félicité de Gamaches (1781 – 1819), Honoré V had one son, Louis Gabriel Oscar Grimaldi, called Oscar, born on June 9, 1814, in Paris, France. At the time of his birth, it was noted that Oscar was “born to an unknown father and mother”. A few months after his birth, on November 28, 1814, Honoré V came before Paris notary Alexandre Toussaint Delacour and declared that Oscar was his son. However, officially, his mother remained undetermined for the rest of his life. Oscar was legitimized and given the title Marquis of Baux, which was not recognized in France. Oscar had a career as a lawyer and a French government official. When his father Honoré V died in 1841, Oscar received his personal property. He never married and died in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France on July 15, 1894, aged 80.

Entrance to the common vault where the Grimaldi family members, originally buried at the Church of St. Nicholas are buried; Credit – www.findagrave.com

After a reign of twenty-two years, Honoré V, Prince of Monaco, died on October 2, 1841, in Paris, France, aged 63, and was succeeded by his brother Florestan. He was buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Monaco. During the late 19th century, a new and larger church, the Cathedral of Monaco, was built on the site of the Church of Saint Nicholas. The original church was demolished in 1874, but the current cathedral was built over the areas of the previous church and the old burial site, so that the sovereign princes and consorts originally buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas are now buried in the Cathedral of Monaco.

Works Cited

Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Honoré V, Prince of Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_V,_Prince_of_Monaco> [Accessed 3 April 2022].
Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/honore-iv-prince-of-monaco/> [Accessed 3 April 2022].
Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Louise d’Aumont, Hereditary Princess of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/louise-daumont-hereditary-princess-of-monaco/> [Accessed 3 April 2022].
Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Honoré V (prince de Monaco) — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_V_(prince_de_Monaco)> [Accessed 3 April 2022].
Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Oscar Grimaldi — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Grimaldi> [Accessed 3 April 2022].
It.wikipedia.org. 2022. Onorato V di Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onorato_V_di_Monaco> [Accessed 3 April 2022].

Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin; Credit – By Petar Milošević – Transferred from sr.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:PetarM using CommonsHelper., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12820131

The coronation cathedral of Russian rulers, the Assumption Cathedral, also known as the Dormition Cathedral and Uspensky Cathedral in Russian, is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God, the Orthodox feast celebrated on August 15, of the “falling asleep” (death) of Mary the Theotokos (Mother of God, literally translated as God-Bearer), and her being taken bodily up into heaven (Assumption of Mary in the Roman Catholic religion). The cathedral is located in the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. The Moscow Kremlin is a fortified complex founded by the Rurik dynasty in the late 15th century. It includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall. Before the founding of St. Petersburg by Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia in 1703, the Moscow Kremlin was the seat of power for the Rurik and early Romanov rulers of Russia. The Moscow Kremlin now serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

Since 1382, Assumption Cathedral has been the burial site of most Metropolitans of Moscow (similar to an archbishop) and Patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, the head of the Russian Old-Orthodox Church. Assumption Cathedral was the site of the coronations of the sovereign Tsars, Emperors, and Empresses of Russia, and some consorts from 1547 to 1896.

********************

History of the Assumption Cathedral

Embed from Getty Images

Worshippers at the Assumption Cathedral in the mid-19th century

A wooden church was built on the site in the 12th century and was replaced by a limestone church around 1326. In the 14th century, (Saint) Peter, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus persuaded Ivan I Kalita, Grand Prince of Moscow to build a cathedral to the Theotokos (Blessed Virgin Mary) in the Moscow Kremlin. Construction of the cathedral began on August 4, 1326, and the cathedral was finished and consecrated on August 4, 1327.

However, by the end of the 15th century, the Assumption Cathedral had deteriorated and it was suggested that a new cathedral should be built. The design and the construction of the new cathedral were entrusted to Moscow architects Ivan Myschkin and <unknown first name > Kriwzow. Construction began in April 1472 but two years later, in May 1474, when the new Assumption Cathedral was nearly completed, it collapsed due to an earthquake.

Following the disaster, Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow decided to give Aristotele Fioravanti, a renowned architect and engineer from Bologna, then part of the Papal States, now in Italy, the task of designing the cathedral in the traditions of Russian architecture and supervising the construction. Aristotele Fioravanti made a careful study of Russian architecture and then designed a light and spacious masterpiece that combined the spirit of the Renaissance with Russian traditions. Construction began in 1475, and in 1479, the new Assumption Cathedral was consecrated.

In 1918, after the Russian Revolution, the Assumption Cathedral and the other churches in the Kremlin were closed as houses of worship. The new Bolshevik government moved its headquarters from St. Petersburg to the Moscow Kremlin. The Assumption Cathedral was converted into a museum. The museum staff made every effort to retain the interior. During restoration work, almost all the original paintings of the icons and murals were uncovered from under the later paintings. With the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Assumption Cathedral once again became a Russian Orthodox church.

********************

The Exterior and Interior of the Assumption Cathedral

Assumption Cathedral; Credit – By Don-vip – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83068810

Italian architect Aristotele Fioravanti followed the style of the 1160 Assumption Cathedral in the city of Vladimir and designed the Assumption Cathedral in the style of a traditional Russian cross-domed church, with five domes representing Jesus Christ and the Four Evangelists, Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Exterior frescoes; By Skif-Kerch – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62603284

The Renaissance-style exterior has white-stone walls, columned friezes, and semicircles of blind arches. Fresco paintings in the upper part of the walls in semicircular vaults depict the Virgin Mary, Archangels Michael and Gabriel, and saints.

Fioravanti’s architectural originality was more visible in the interior. All the areas of the cathedral were larger than in the past. Pillars were placed further apart which created an impression of an immense palatial room. People of the time were astonished by the cathedral’s “unusual majesty and height, luminosity and spaciousness”.

Orthodox churches are set up differently than other Christian churches. They are divided into three main parts: the narthex, the nave, and the sanctuary. The narthex is the connection between the church and the outside world. It used to be the practice that non-Orthodox people had to remain in the narthex but this practice has mostly fallen into disuse. The congregation stands in the nave during services. Traditionally there is no sitting during Orthodox services and so Orthodox churches usually do not have pews or chairs. In Orthodox Christianity, an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings that divides the sanctuary from the nave. The sanctuary behind the Royal Doors is where the Eucharist or Divine Liturgy is performed, behind the iconostasis. Only priests and servers may enter through the Royal Doors.

Frescoes in the interior of the Assumption Cathedral; Credit – By Shakko – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86775440

The interior of the Assumption Cathedral is richly decorated with fresco paintings from 1642 -1643 and the huge, magnificent 53 feet/16-meter iconostasis of 1653.

Embed from Getty Images

Looking toward the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral

Originally, a three-tiered iconostasis, the Assumption Cathedral’s iconostasis gained two additional tiers in 1626 and 1653 – 1654.

Part of the iconostasis; Credit – Von Schoschi, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14625675

In addition to its religious function, the Assumption Cathedral iconostasis also served as a sort of trophy wall. The Russian rulers would add the most important icons from cities they had conquered to the iconostasis. The Mother of God, the Archangel Gabriel, and the Four Evangelists are depicted on the Royal Doors of the Assumption Cathedral.

The Royal Doors; Credit – By shakko – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7078552

********************

Coronations at Assumption Cathedral

Anointing of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia in front of the iconostasis and the Royal Doors by Vasili Fedorovich Timm, 1856; Credit – Wikipedia

The seat of the Grand Princes of Moscow from the Rurik dynasty was in the Moscow Kremlin. It was therefore obvious that the Tsars of the Tsardom of Russia which followed the Grand Principality of Moscow and then the Emperors of the Russian Empire would have themselves crowned there. In addition to the Tsars, all the crowned Emperors and Empresses from Catherine I to Nicholas II were anointed and crowned in the Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. Many of the wives of the Tsars and Emperors were crowned at the same time as their husbands.

Coronation of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia Laurits Tuxen; Credit – Wikipedia

The Russian coronation emphasized that the secular ruler of Russia was closely connected with the Russian Orthodox Church. No layperson was ever permitted to pass through the Royal Doors, however, during the Russian rulers’ coronation, they were permitted to do so. They received both parts of Communion (bread and wine) in the sanctuary behind the Royal Doors of the iconostasis. The Russian rulers used their hands to take the bread and the chalice of wine, symbolizing their spiritual equality among Russia’s clergy just this once in their lives.

When Peter I (the Great) moved the seat of power from Moscow to his new city St. Petersburg, the coronations continued to take place at the Assumption Cathedral. Moscow remained the spiritual center of Russia, and tradition required that coronations continue to be held there.

Coronations held at the Assumption Cathedral:

January 16, 1547 – Ivan IV (the Terrible), Grand Prince of Moscow (1533 – 1547), Tsar of All Russia (1547 – 1575), wives uncrowned
May 31, 1584 – Feodor I, Tsar of All Russia, wife uncrowned
February 21, 1598 – Boris Godunov, Tsar of All Russia, wives uncrowned
July 21, 1605 – Dmitriy I the False, Tsar of All Russia, unmarried at the time of his coronation
May 8, 1606 – Marina Mniszech, Tsaritsa of All Russia, wife of Dmitriy I the False, Tsar of All Russia,
July 22, 1613 – Michael I, Tsar of All Russia, the first ruler of the House of Romanov, wives uncrowned
September 28, 1645 – Alexei I, Tsar of All of Russia, wives uncrowned
June 18, 1676 – Feodor III, Tsar of All Russia, wives uncrowned
June 25, 1682 – Peter I (the Great), Tsar of All Russia (1682 – 1721), Emperor of All Russia (1721 – 1725), jointly reigned with his half-brother Ivan V, Tsar of All Russia from 1682 until Ivan’s death in 1696, first wife uncrowned, second wife Catherine I crowned in 1724 as Peter’s co-ruler
June 25, 1682 – Ivan V, Tsar of All Russia, jointly reigned with his half-brother Peter I, Tsar of All Russia from 1682 until Ivan’s death in 1696, wives uncrowned
May 7, 1724 – Catherine I, Empress of All Russia, second wife of Peter I, crowned as his co-ruler, reigned alone after his death without remarrying
February 25, 1728 – Peter II, Emperor of All Russia, unmarried
April 28, 1730 – Anna I, Empress of All Russia, unmarried
March 6, 1742 – Elizabeth I, Empress of All Russia, unmarried
September 22, 1762 – Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia, born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, no consort
April 5, 1797 – Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, his second wife Maria Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia (born Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg) was crowned with him
September 15, 1801 – Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, his wife Elizabeth Alexeievna, Empress of All Russia (born Louise of Baden) was crowned with him
September 3, 1826 – Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia (born Charlotte of Prussia) was crowned with him
September 7, 1856 – Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, his wife Maria Alexandrovna, Empress of All Russia (born Marie of Hesse and by Rhine) was crowned with him
May 15, 1883 – Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia, his wife Maria Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia (born Dagmar of Denmark) was crowned with him
May 26, 1896 –Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia (born Alix of Hesse and by Rhine) was crowned with him

********************

Works Cited

Assumption-cathedral.kreml.ru. 2022. Museums of the Moscow Kremlin: ASSUMPTION CATHEDRAL. [online] Available at: <https://assumption-cathedral.kreml.ru/en-Us/museum-assumption-cathedral/> [Accessed 2 April 2022].
De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Krönung der russischen Zaren und Kaiser – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kr%C3%B6nung_der_russischen_Zaren_und_Kaiser> [Accessed 2 April 2022].
De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Mariä-Entschlafens-Kathedrale (Moskau) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mari%C3%A4-Entschlafens-Kathedrale_(Moskau)> [Accessed 2 April 2022].
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Coronation of the Russian monarch – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_the_Russian_monarch> [Accessed 2 April 2022].
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Dormition Cathedral, Moscow – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormition_Cathedral,_Moscow> [Accessed 2 April 2022].
Jenkins, Simon, 2021. Europe’s 100 Best Cathedrals. Dublin: Penguin Random House.
Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Успенский собор (Московский Кремль) — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A3%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80_(%D0%9C%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%9A%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%BB%D1%8C)> [Accessed 2 April 2022].
Православие.RU. 2022. Crowned, anointed, and communed as clergy: On the coronations of Russian empresses regnant. [online] Available at: <https://www.pravoslavie.ru/80559.html> [Accessed 2 April 2022].

Louise d’Aumont, Hereditary Princess of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Louise d’Aumont, Hereditary Princess of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise d’Aumont was the wife of Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco. However, Louise divorced Honoré before he became Prince of Monaco, and so the title she held during their marriage was Hereditary Princess of Monaco. Louise Félicité Victoire d’Aumont, Duchess of Mazarin, Duchess of Mayenne, Duchess of Meilleraye was born on October 22, 1759, at the Hôtel d’Aumont in Paris, France. She was the only child of Louis Marie Guy d’Aumont, Duke of Aumont (link in French) (1732 – 1799), and Louise Jeanne de Durfort, Duchess of Mazarin, Duchess of Mayenne, Duchess of Meilleraye (link in French) (1735 – 1781). Her paternal grandparents were Louis Marie Augustin d’Aumont de Rochebaron, Duke of Aumont (1709 – 1782) and Victoire Felicite de Durfort. Her maternal grandparents were Emmanuel Félicité de Durfort, Duke of Duras (1715 – 1789) and his first wife Charlotte Antoinette de La Porte (1719 – 1735).

Louise’s mother Louise Jeanne de Durfort, Duchess of Mazarin, Duchess of Mayenne, Duchess of Meilleraye; Credit – Wikipedia

Through her mother, Louise was the great-great-great-granddaughter of Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin, Duchess of Mayenne, Duchess of Meilleraye, the mistress of King Charles II of England, and one of the two heirs of her uncle Cardinal Jules Mazarin, the First Minister of King Louis XIV of France. Louise was the heir of Hortense Mancini’s titles and the Mazarin family wealth.

Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Noting the family wealth and the large dowry that would come with marriage, Honoré III, Prince of Monaco arranged a marriage for his son and heir Honoré (IV) to Louise. The couple married on July 15, 1777.

Louise and Honoré (IV) had two sons, both Sovereign Princes of Monaco:

Honoré V, Prince of Monaco (1778 – 1841), unmarried
Florestan, Prince of Monaco (1785 – 1856), married Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz, had one son and one daughter

The French Revolution had dire consequences for the princely family of Monaco. In January 1793, Honoré III, Prince of Monaco was officially declared deposed and the Principality of Monaco was annexed by France. The members of the former ruling Grimaldi dynasty lost all aristocratic privileges in France, were dispossessed of their French property, and became French citizens. During the Reign of Terror, in September 1793, Honoré (IV), Louise, their son Florestan, and Honoré (IV)’s father Honoré III were arrested and imprisoned in Paris as enemies of the people. Louise and her son Florestan were rescued by a family doctor who forged release papers and hid them in his home until the Reign of Terror was over. The wife of Honoré IV’s brother Joseph was not as lucky. Joseph spent most of his time abroad negotiating foreign loans, making him a suspect of counter-revolutionary activities. When Joseph did become involved in a counter-revolution, his wife Marie Thérèse de Choiseul was arrested in the absence of her husband, condemned to death, and guillotined in 1794, one of the last victims before the end of the Reign of Terror.

In October 1794, Honoré III and Honoré (IV) were released from prison. Honoré III never recovered from his imprisonment and died in Paris on March 21, 1795, at the age of 74, but his burial place is unknown. Honoré IV, whose chronic ill health had been worsened by imprisonment, would have become Prince of Monaco but Monaco was no longer a sovereign monarchy. However, Honoré IV’s family properties in France were returned to him but they were in poor condition and all of the contents were gone.

Louise on a Monaco postage stamp; Credit – The Peerage

In 1794, while Honoré IV was still in prison, Louise gave birth to an illegitimate daughter Amélie Céleste Erodore d’Aumont. The father of the child is believed to have been Antoine de Montazet, Archbishop of Lyon. After Honoré IV’s release from prison, Louise and Honoré IV’s marriage became unhappy and the couple separated. In 1798, Louise divorced Honoré IV, giving Louise sole access to her fortune. Louise married René François Tirnand-d’Arcis on February 6, 1801, and divorced him in 1803.

After Napoleon’s defeat in 1814 and the Bourbon Restoration which saw Louis XVIII, a younger brother of the beheaded King Louis XVI, become King of France, Honoré IV’s brother Joseph petitioned King Louis XVIII to restore the Principality of Monaco to the Grimaldi family. Louise’s former husband Honoré IV finally became Sovereign Prince of Monaco in 1814. However, his physical condition had worsened and he was now paralyzed on one side of his body. Because of Honoré IV’s condition, a regency was established to rule in his name. Honoré IV’s brother Joseph was regent from 1814 -1815, and then Louise and Honoré IV’s elder son Honoré served as regent until his father died in 1819 when he succeeded him as Honoré V, Prince of Monaco. In a somewhat hypocritical move, Louise removed her elder son Honoré V, Prince of Monaco from her will because he had an illegitimate child, and left her entire fortune to her younger son Florestan who became Sovereign Prince of Monaco upon his unmarried elder brother’s death in 1841.

Louise’s first burial site at Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris; Credit – CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22545708

Louise died in Paris, France on December 13, 1826, aged 67. She was initially interred in a mausoleum at Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris but in 1885, her grandson Charles III, Prince of Monaco ordered her remains transferred to the new Cathedral of Monaco.

Louise’s grave at the Cathedral of Monaco; Credit – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7832648/louise-d_aumont_mazarin#view-photo=2562563

Works Cited

Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Louise d’Aumont – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_d%27Aumont> [Accessed 22 March 2022].
Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/honore-iv-prince-of-monaco/> [Accessed 23 March 2022].
Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Louise d’Aumont — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_d%27Aumont> [Accessed 22 March 2022].
geni_family_tree. 2022. Louise d’Aumont, duchesse d’Aumont. [online] Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Louise-d-Aumont-duchesse-d-Aumont/5294681026870107703> [Accessed 23 March 2022].

Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Archangel Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

The Archangel Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Archangel Michael in the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. The Moscow Kremlin is a fortified complex founded by the Rurik dynasty in the late 15th century. It includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall. Before the founding of St. Petersburg by Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia in 1703, the Moscow Kremlin was the seat of power for the Rurik and early Romanov rulers of Russia. The Moscow Kremlin now serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

Male rulers of the Rurik dynasty and the early Romanov dynasty along with close male relatives and some Russian noblemen were interred at the Archangel Cathedral. When Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia, moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to the new city of St. Petersburg, the new Peter and Paul Cathedral became the Romanov burial site for both men and women. In 1730, Peter II, Emperor of All Russia, the grandson of Peter I (the Great), died in Moscow from smallpox, aged fourteen, and was the last ruler to be interred in the Archangel Cathedral.

Previously women had been interred at the Ascension Cathedral of the Ascension Convent in the Moscow Kremlin. In 1929, the Ascension Convent and its cathedral were destroyed by the Soviets to make room for the Red Army School. At that time, the remains of those buried there were moved to the crypt of the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.

********************

History of the Archangel Cathedral

Panorama of the Kremlin in Moscow by Eduard Gaertner, 1839, showing the Archangel Cathedral on the right; Credit – Wikipedia

Prior to the current cathedral built from 1505 – 1508, there was a wooden church built in 1250 that was replaced with a stone church in 1333. The stone church was crowded with burials of earlier Rurik rulers and needed renovation, so Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow decided to build a new cathedral on the site. Just as he had done twenty years earlier when the Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin was built, Ivan III invited an Italian architect, Lamberti Aloisio da Mantagnana, known in Russia as Aloisio the New, to design and oversee the construction of the new cathedral. The groundbreaking occurred on May 21, 1505. However, Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow did not live to see the new cathedral completed. He died on October 27, 1505, and was interred in the unfinished cathedral. Work on the cathedral was completed by the end of 1508, but it was not formally consecrated until November 8, 1509.

In 1918, during the Russian Revolution, the Archangel Cathedral and the other churches in the Kremlin were closed as houses of worship. The new Bolshevik government moved its headquarters from St. Petersburg to the Moscow Kremlin. With the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Archangel Cathedral once again became a Russian Orthodox church.

********************

The Exterior and Interior

Four of the five domes of the Archangel Cathedral; Credit – By Elenak1211 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28337196

The Archangel Cathedral has the five typical domes representing Jesus Christ and the Four Evangelists but it was more Italian in style than the other churches in the Moscow Kremlin. With the renovations over the centuries, some of these Italian aspects have disappeared.

Looking up at the dome; Credit – By Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65150

The interior of the Archangel Cathedral is typical of Russian churches with the vault of the central chancel extending below the central dome supported by a total of six columns. As is typical for the other Kremlin churches, the walls are painted with frescoes.

Orthodox churches are set up differently than other Christian churches. They are divided into three main parts: the narthex, the nave, and the sanctuary. The narthex is the connection between the church and the outside world. It used to be the practice that non-Orthodox people had to remain in the narthex but this practice has mostly fallen into disuse. The congregation stands in the nave during services. Traditionally there is no sitting during Orthodox services and so Orthodox churches usually do not have pews or chairs. In Orthodox Christianity, an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings that divides the sanctuary from the nave. The sanctuary is where the Eucharist or Divine Liturgy is performed behind the iconostasis.

Some of the icons of the Iconostasis; Credit – By Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65147

The iconostasis of the Archangel Cathedral is a four-tiered, 42 feet / 13-meter tall wooden iconostasis with gilded carvings made 1678 – 1681. The mostly 17th-century icons depict the Archangel Michael, the Blessed Mother, John the Baptist, and other venerated saints. Atop the iconostasis is a crucifix.

********************

The Burials

Graves of three Grand Princes of Moscow, Vasily III, Ivan III and Vasily II in the Archangel Cathedral; Credit – By shakko – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15196587

There are a total of 46 tombs inside the cathedral, located in the chancel and the former sacristy behind the altar, in which 53 people – grand princes, tsars, one emperor, and some of their male relatives – are interred. All the burial sites have a similar structure. The remains are in sarcophagi interred 5 feet / 1.5 meters underground. Above each burial site is a large block of white stone with engraved names and biographical data in Old Church Slavonic writing. During the 20th century, the blocks of stone were encased in special bronze cases to protect them. Above the burial sites are frescoes on the wall with a representation of who is buried there.

Frescoes depicting Grand Princes of Moscow over their graves in the Archangel Cathedral; Credit – By shakko – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7078668

Listed below are Grand Princes of Moscow, Tsars of Russia, and Emperors of Russia and their male relatives who were interred at the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.

Grand Prince (Великий князь Velikiy Knyaz: literally great prince, sometimes translated as grand duke) was the title of the male ruler of the Russian principalities before they were united into the Tsardom of Russia. A Grand Prince’s wife was titled Grand Princess.
Tsar was used 1547 – 1721 to denote the male ruler of Russia. Tsar comes from Caesar, the Latin title of a Roman emperor. Tsar remained the popular designation of the Russian ruler despite the official change of style to Emperor in 1721.
Tsaritsa or Tsarina was the title of the female ruler of Russia or the title of a Tsar’s wife. It was officially used from 1547 – 1721 when the title changed to Empress although Tsaritsa or Tsarina was sometimes still used.
Tsarevich was the title given to Tsars’ sons before the 18th century.
Tsarevna was used before the 18th century as the title for the daughter of a Tsar or the wife of a Tsarevich.

Patronymic: In Russian, a patronymic is the second name derived from the father’s first name: the suffix -vich means “son of” and the suffixes -eva, -evna, -ova, and -ovna mean “daughter of”

Ivan I Kalita, Grand Prince of Moscow (1288 – 1340)
Andrei Ivanovich, Prince of Serpukhov (1327 – 1353), son of Ivan I Kalita, Grand Prince of Moscow
Simeon Ivanovich, Grand Prince of Moscow (1316 – 1353), son of Ivan I Kalita, Grand Prince of Moscow
Ivan II Ivanovich, Grand Prince of Moscow (1326 – 1359), son of Ivan I Kalita, Grand Prince of Moscow
Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, Grand Prince of Moscow (1350 – 1389), son of Ivan II Ivanovich, Grand Prince of Moscow
Vladimir Andreevich, Prince of Serpukhov (1353 – 1410), grandson of Ivan I Kalita, Grand Prince of Moscow
Ivan Vasilyevich, Prince of Moscow (1396 – 1417 ), son of Vasily I, Grand Prince of Moscow
Ivan Vladimirovich, Prince of Serpukhov (1410 – 1422), son of Vladimir Andreevich, Prince of Serpukhov
Vasily I, Grand Prince of Moscow (1371 – 1425)
Yaroslav Vladimirovich, Prince of Borovsko-Yaroslavetsky (1388 – 1426 ), son of Vladimir Andreevich, Prince of Serpukhov
Andrei Vladimirovich, Prince of Serpukhov (circa 1380s – 1426), son of Vladimir Andreevich, Prince of Serpukhov
Pyotr Dmitrievich, Prince of Dmitrovsky (1385 – 1428 ), son of Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, Grand Prince of Moscow
Andrei Dmitrievich, Prince of Mozhaisky (1382 – 1432 ), son of Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, Grand Prince of Moscow
Yury Dmitrievich, Grand Prince of Moscow (1374 – 1434), son of Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, Grand Prince of Moscow
Dmitry Yuryevich, Prince of Mozhaisky (1382 – 1432), son of Yury Dmitrievich, Grand Prince of Moscow
Vasily Yuryevich, Prince of Zvenigorodsky (circa 1401–1448), son of Yury Dmitrievich, Grand Prince of Moscow
Vasily II, Grand Prince of Moscow (1415 – 1462), son of Vasily I, Grand Prince of Moscow
Yuri Vasilyevich, Prince of Dmitrovsky (1441 – 1473), son of Vasily II, Grand Prince of Moscow
Andrei Vasilievich Menshoi, Prince of Vologda (1452 – 1481 ), son of Vasily II, Grand Prince of Moscow
Ivan Ivanovich, Grand Prince of Moscow (1458 – 1490), son of Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow
Boris Vasilievich, Prince of Volotsky (1449 – 1494), son of Vasily II, Grand Prince of Moscow
Andrei Vasilievich Bolshoy, Prince of Uglich (1446 – 1493), son of Vasily II, Grand Prince of Moscow
Ivan III (the Great), Grand Prince of Moscow (1440 – 1505)
Dmitry Ivanovich, Grand Prince of Moscow (1483 – 1509), grandson of Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow
Simeon Ivanovich, Prince of Kaluga (1487 – 1518), son of Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow
Dmitry Ivanovich Zhilka, Prince of Uglitsky (1481 – 1521), son of Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow
Vasily III, Grand Prince of Moscow (1479 – 1533)
Andrei Ivanovich, Prince Staritsky (1490 – 1537), son of Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow
Yuri Ivanovich, Prince of Dmitrovsky (1480 – 1536), son of Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow
Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich of Russia (1552 – 1553) – Tsarevich, son of Ivan IV the Terrible, Tsar of Russia
Yuri Vasilyevich, Prince of Uglich (1532 – 1563), son of Vasily III, Grand Prince of Moscow
Vladimir Andreevich, Prince of Staritsa (1533 – 1569), grandson of Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow
Vasily Vladimirovich Prince of Staritsa (1552 – 1573), son of Vladimir Andreevich, Prince of Staritsa
Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich of Russia (1554 – 1581), son of Ivan IV the Terrible, Tsar of Russia
Ivan IV the Terrible, Tsar of Russia (1530 – 1584), son of Vasily III, Grand Prince of Moscow
Feodor I, Tsar of Russia (1557 – 1598), son of Ivan IV the Terrible, Tsar of Russia
Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich (1582 – 1591), son of Ivan IV the Terrible, Tsar of Russia
Vasily IV Shuisky, Tsar of Russia (1552 – 1612)
Tsarevich Vasily Mikhailovich of Russia (born and died 1639), son of Michael I, Tsar of All Russia
Tsarevich Ivan Mikhailovich of Russia (1633 – 1639), son of Michael I, Tsar of All Russia
Michael I, Tsar of All Russia (1596 – 1645), the first Romanov ruler
Tsarevich Dmitry Alekseevich of Russia (1648 – 1649), son of Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia
Tsarevich Simeon Alekseevich of Russia (1665 -1669), son of Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia
Tsarevich Alexei Alekseevich of Russia (1654 – 1670), son of Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia
Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia (1629 – 1676)
Tsarevich Ilya Fedorovich of Russia (born and died 1681), Feodor III, Tsar of All Russia
Feodor III, Tsar of All Russia (1661 – 1682)
Tsarevich Alexander Petrovich of Russia (1691 – 1692), son of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia
Ivan V, Tsar of All Russia(1666 – 1696)
Peter II, Emperor of All Russia (1715 – 1730), son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich of Russia and grandson of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia

Burials Moved from the Ascension Cathedral to the Archangel Cathedral

Removing the sarcophagi before the destruction of the Ascension Monastery; Credit – Wikipedia

Women of the Rurik dynasty and women of the early Romanov dynasty along with some Russian noblewomen were interred at the Ascension Cathedral of the Ascension Convent in the Moscow Kremlin. In 1929, the Ascension Convent and its cathedral were destroyed by the Soviets to make room for the Red Army School. At that time, the remains of those buried there were moved to the crypt of the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.

The list of those originally interred at Ascension Cathedral and moved to the crypt in the Archangel Cathedral in 1929 can be seen at Unofficial Royalty: Ascension Convent and Cathedral.

********************

Works Cited

Archangel-cathedral.kreml.ru. 2022. Archangel Cathedral. [online] Available at: <https://archangel-cathedral.kreml.ru/en-Us/museum-archangel-cathedral/?utm_source=kreml.ru&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=kreml.ru&utm_referrer=kreml.ru> [Accessed 24 March 2022].
De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Erzengel-Michael-Kathedrale (Moskau) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erzengel-Michael-Kathedrale_(Moskau)> [Accessed 24 March 2022].
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Cathedral of the Archangel – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_the_Archangel> [Accessed 24 March 2022].
Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Архангельский собор (Московский Кремль) — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D1%80%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80_(%D0%9C%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%9A%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%BB%D1%8C)> [Accessed 24 March 2022].
Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Некрополь Архангельского собора — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9D%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C_%D0%90%D1%80%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0> [Accessed 24 March 2022].

Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony was the first wife of the future Anton, King of Saxony. Maria Carolina Antonietta Adelaide was born on January 17, 1764, at the Royal Palace of Turin in the Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy. She was the tenth of the twelve children and the youngest of the six daughters of Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy and Infanta Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain. Maria Carolina’s paternal grandparents were Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy and the second of his three wives Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg. Her maternal grandparents were Felipe V, King of Spain and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese of Parma.

Maria Carolina’s parents and some of their older children in 1760; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Carolina had eleven siblings:

Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia (1751 – 1819), married Princess Marie Clotilde of France, no children
Maria Elisabetta Carlotta of Savoy (1752 – 1755), died in childhood
Maria Giuseppina of Savoy (1753 – 1810) married Louis Stanislas, Count of Provence, the future King Louis XVIII of France, no children, died before her husband became King of France
Amedeo Alessandro of Savoy (1754 – 1755), died in infancy
Maria Teresa of Savoy (1756 – 1805), married Charles, Count of Artois, the future King Charles X of France, had four children, died before her husband became King of France
Maria Anna of Savoy (1757 – 1824), married her uncle Prince Benedetto of Savoy, no children
Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia (1759 – 1824), married Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, had six daughters and one son who died at age three from smallpox
Maria Cristina Ferdinanda of Savoy (1760 – 1768), died in childhood
Maurizio of Savoy, Duke of Montferrat (1762 – 1799) died unmarried from malaria
Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia (1765 – 1831), married Princess Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily, no children
Giuseppe of Savoy, Count of Asti (1766 – 1802), died unmarried from malaria

Maria Carolina was raised with her two younger siblings, the future Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia and Prince Giuseppe of Savoy, Count of Asti. In 1781, Maria Carolina’s father decided she would marry Anton, Electoral Prince of Saxony, who was the heir to his elder brother Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony. Despite her protests, seventeen-year-old Maria Carolina was married by proxy on September 29, 1781, in the chapel of Moncalieri Castle near Turin. The eldest brother of the bride, the future Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia, stood in for the groom. Wedding celebrations were held throughout Turin and official balls were held at the Royal Palace in Turin and Moncalieri Castle.

Shortly after the proxy marriage, Maria Carolina reluctantly left Turin for Dresden, the capital of Saxony. Her family accompanied her as far as Vercelli, eighty miles from Turin, where she boarded a carriage that would take her to Saxony. Her sister Maria Giuseppina wrote about the trip: “We accompanied Maria Carolina to Vercelli. She was afraid. She didn’t want to get married, but the matters of state require that a princess usually get married. Maria Carolina must understand that. She has a certain tendency to shyness. I hope she will correct it so that both she and Prince Antonio can get along. Our sister Maria Teresa and I had to push her out of the carriage. She was crying, I hope she is well in Saxony.” Both Maria Carolina’s elder sisters understood the duties of a princess very well. Previously, Maria Teresa had married the future King Charles X of France and Maria Giuseppina the future King Louis XVIII of France. However, both sisters died before their husbands became King of France.

Anton and Maria Carolina; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Carolina arrived in Dresden in the Electorate of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, on October 24, 1781, and she saw her husband for the first time. Their in-person wedding took place that evening. Maria Carolina’s husband Anton and his brother Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony did their best to make her feel welcome in Saxony but she remained sad and homesick.

Tomb of Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Around December 14, 1782, Maria Carolina became ill with smallpox, and died on December 28, 1782, at the age of 18. She was buried in the Great Crypt of the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony (in German: Katholische Hofkirche) in Dresden, now known as Dresden Cathedral. Popular in her homeland, Maria Carolina was remembered in a folk song, “The Beautiful Mademoiselle,” composed in her honor after her early death. Maria Carolina’s husband married a second time to Maria Theresa of Austria. They had four children who all died in infancy. Anton became King of Saxony at the age of 72. He reigned for nine years, dying on June 6, 1836, fifty-four years after the death of his first wife Maria Carolina.

Works Cited

De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Maria Carolina von Savoyen – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Carolina_von_Savoyen> [Accessed 14 May 2022].
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Princess Maria Carolina of Savoy – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Maria_Carolina_of_Savoy> [Accessed 14 May 2022].
Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/vittorio-amadeo-iii-king-of-sardinia-duke-of-savoy/> [Accessed 14 May 2022].
Mehl, Scott, 2017. Anton, King of Saxony. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/anton-king-of-saxony/> [Accessed 14 May 2022].
Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Мария Каролина Савойская — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F> [Accessed 14 May 2022].

Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Honoré Charles Anne Grimaldi was born in Paris, France, on May 17, 1758. He was the elder of the two sons of Honoré III, Prince of Monaco and Maria Caterina Brignole, from a Republic of Genoa (now in Italy) noble family. Honoré’s paternal grandparents were Louise-Hippolyte, Sovereign Princess of Monaco for ten months before her death from smallpox, and Jacques I, briefly the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, born Jacques François Leonor Goyon de Matignon. His maternal grandparents were Giuseppe Brignole, Marquis di Groppoli, the Ambassador to France from the Republic of Genoa, now in Italy, and Maria Anna Balbi.

Honoré IV had one younger brother:

Prince Joseph of Monaco, Regent of Monaco (1763 – 1816), married (1) Marie Thérèse de Choiseul, had three children, Marie Thérèse was guillotined during the French Revolution (2) Frances Margaret Powell, no children

Honoré IV’s parents had issues with their marriage. Honoré III and Maria Caterina initially lived in Monaco, but by 1760, Honoré III was dissatisfied with his life there and returned to France without his wife, spending time with his mistresses at his French homes. Eventually, Maria Caterina was allowed to come to France. However, Honoré III continued his affairs, and Maria Caterina began a long-term affair with Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Condé. In 1770, Louis Joseph used his influence to obtain a legal separation for Maria Caterina from Honoré III and the right to manage her own finances. Honoré III finally realized his relationship with Maria Caterina was over and eventually accepted Maria Caterina’s relationship with Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Condé. Three years after Honoré III died in 1798, Maria Caterina and Louis Joseph were married, but their marriage was kept secret for ten years.

The Hôtel de Matignon, the Grimaldis’ Paris residence, now the official residence of the Prime Minister of France; Credit – Wikipedia by ScareCriterion12 – Own work

Honoré IV and his brother Joseph grew up mostly in France, living in homes inherited from their paternal grandfather Jacques III Goyon de Matignon, Count of Thorigny: a Paris mansion, the Hôtel de Matignon, now the official residence of the Prime Minister of France, and the Château des Matignon (link in French) in Torigni-sur-Vire in Normandy, France. In 1641, during the reign of Honoré II, Monaco became a French protectorate, and the Princes of Monaco became vassals of the Kings of France while remaining sovereign princes. Many successive Princes of Monaco and their families spent most of their lives in France and intermarried with French and Italian noble families.

Louise d’Aumont, Duchess of Mazarin; Credit – Wikipedia

Honoré III arranged a marriage for his son Honoré (IV) to Louise d’Aumont, Duchess of Mazarin, Duchess of Mayenne, Duchess of Meilleraye, the only child of Louis Marie Guy d’Aumont de Rochebaron, Duke of Aumont (1732 – 1799) and Louise-Jeanne de Durfort, Duchess of Mazarin, Duchess of Mayenne, Duchess of Meilleraye (1735 – 1781). Through her mother, Louise was the great-great-great-granddaughter of Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin, Duchess of Mayenne, Duchess of Meilleraye, the mistress of King Charles II of England, and one of the two heirs of her uncle Cardinal Jules Mazarin, the First Minister of King Louis XIV of France. Louise was the heir of Hortense Mancini’s titles and the Mazarin family wealth. Therefore, a marriage to Louise came with a large dowry and the prospect of a fortune. Honoré (IV) and Louise were married on July 15, 1777.

Honoré V, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage did produce two sons, both Sovereign Princes of Monaco:

Honoré V, Prince of Monaco (1778 – 1841), unmarried
Florestan, Prince of Monaco (1785 – 1856), married Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz, had one son and one daughter

Heads of aristocrats on pikes during the French Revolution; Credit – Wikipedia

The French Revolution had dire consequences for the Grimaldi family. In January 1793, Honoré III, Prince of Monaco was declared officially deposed, and France annexed the Principality of Monaco. Members of the former ruling Grimaldi dynasty lost all aristocratic privileges in France, were dispossessed of their French property, and became French citizens. During the Reign of Terror, in September 1793, Honoré (IV), his wife Louise, their son Florestan, and Honoré (IV)’s father Honoré III were arrested and imprisoned in Paris as enemies of the people. Louise and her son Florestan were rescued by a family doctor who forged release papers and hid them in his home until the Reign of Terror was over. The wife of Honoré IV’s brother Joseph was not as lucky. Joseph spent most of his time abroad negotiating foreign loans, making him a suspect of counter-revolutionary activities. When Joseph did become involved in a counter-revolution, his wife Marie Thérèse was arrested in the absence of her husband, condemned to death, and guillotined in 1794, one of the last victims before the end of the Reign of Terror.

In October 1794, Honoré III and Honoré (IV) were released from prison. Honoré III never recovered from his imprisonment and died in Paris on March 21, 1795, at the age of 74, but his burial place is unknown. Honoré IV, whose chronic ill health had been worsened by imprisonment, would have become Prince of Monaco, but Monaco was no longer a sovereign monarchy. However, Honoré IV’s family properties in France were returned to him, but they were in poor condition, and all of the contents were gone.

In 1794, while Honoré IV was still in prison, his wife Louise had given birth to an illegitimate daughter, Amélie Céleste Erodore d’Aumont. The child’s father is believed to have been Antoine de Montazet, Archbishop of Lyon. After Honoré IV’s release from prison, Louise and Honoré IV’s marriage became unhappy, and the couple separated. In 1798, Louise divorced Honoré IV, giving Louise sole access to her fortune.

The French Army during the Russian Campaign, 1812; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French. Honoré IV could not adapt to the new French society and remained an outsider. Because he lacked money, he needed to sell his family’s Paris and Normandy homes. Surprisingly, Honoré IV’s health improved, and he joined the French Army. He was wounded during Napoleon’s Russian Campaign, lost the use of one arm, and was sent back to Paris.

After Napoleon’s defeat in 1814 and the Bourbon Restoration, which saw Louis XVIII, a younger brother of the beheaded King Louis XVI, become King of France, Honore IV’s brother Joseph petitioned King Louis XVIII to restore the Principality of Monaco to the Grimaldi family. Honoré IV finally became Sovereign Prince of Monaco in 1814. The independence of Monaco lasted for only one year. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna, an international diplomatic conference that reconstituted the European political order after the downfall of Napoleon I, declared that Monaco would be a protectorate of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

By the time Honoré IV became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, his physical condition had worsened, and he was now paralyzed on one side of his body. Because of his condition, a regency was established to rule in his name. Honoré IV’s brother Joseph was regent from 1814 -1815, and then his son Honoré served as regent until his father died in 1819, when he succeeded him as Honoré V, Prince of Monaco.

Entrance to the common vault where members of the Grimaldi family, originally buried at the Church of St. Nicholas, are buried; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco died in Paris, France, on February 16, 1819, aged 60. He was buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Monaco. During the late 19th century, a new and larger church, the Cathedral of Monaco, was built on the site of the Church of Saint Nicholas. The original church was demolished in 1874, but the current cathedral was built over the areas of the previous church and the old burial site, so the sovereign princes and consorts originally buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas are now buried in the Cathedral of Monaco.

Works Cited

Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_IV,_Prince_of_Monaco> [Accessed 22 March 2022].
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Louise d’Aumont – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_d%27Aumont> [Accessed 22 March 2022].
Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Honoré III, Prince of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/honore-iii-prince-of-monaco/> [Accessed 22 March 2022].
Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Maria Caterina Brignole, Princess of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/maria-caterina-brignole-princess-of-monaco/> [Accessed 22 March 2022].
Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Honoré IV (prince de Monaco) — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_IV_(prince_de_Monaco)> [Accessed 22 March 2022].
Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Louise d’Aumont — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_d%27Aumont> [Accessed 22 March 2022].

Ascension Convent and Cathedral at the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Ascension Monastery in 1900; Ascension Cathedral, with four of the five towers showing, is in the middle of the photo; Credit – Wikipedia

The Ascension Convent was a Russian Orthodox nunnery in the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. The Moscow Kremlin is a fortified complex founded by the Rurik dynasty in the late 15th century. It includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall. Before the founding of St. Petersburg by Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia in 1703, the Moscow Kremlin was the seat of power for the Rurik and early Romanov rulers of Russia. The Moscow Kremlin now serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

Women of the Rurik dynasty and women of the early Romanov dynasty along with some Russian noblewomen were interred at the Ascension Cathedral of the Ascension Convent. When Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia, moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to the new city of St. Petersburg, the new Peter and Paul Cathedral became the Romanov burial site.

In 1929, the Ascension Convent and its cathedral were destroyed by the Soviets to make room for the Red Army School. At that time, the remains of those buried there were moved to the crypt of the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.

********************

History of the Church

The Ascension Cathedral in the 1800s; Credit – Wikipedia

Around 1386, the first wooden church of the nunnery was founded by Evdokia Dmitrievna of Suzdal, Grand Princess of Moscow, wife of Dmitry Donskoy, Grand Prince of Moscow. The church was dedicated to the Ascension of Jesus, the Christian teaching that Jesus physically departed from Earth by rising into Heaven. After the death of her husband, Evdokia Dmitrievna became a nun under the name Euphrosyne at the nunnery and was buried in the church upon her death. She was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church and is known as St. Euphrosyne of Moscow.

Shrine of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow in the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin; Credit – By Иерей Максим Массалитин – originally posted to Flickr as Святая Евфросиния Московская, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12193132

In 1415, the church was mostly destroyed by fire and was rebuilt in 1467 by Maria Yaroslavna of Borovsk, Grand Princess of Moscow, wife of Vasily II, Grand Prince of Moscow. Another fire in 1483 resulted in another restoration. From 1587 – 1588, the church was completely rebuilt as a cathedral with five domes, mirroring the Archangel Cathedral which had been built nearby in the Moscow Kremlin in 1508.

Ascension Cathedral in 1907; Credit – Wikipedia

********************

Destruction of the Convent and Cathedral

Nuns at the Ascension Convent in 1904; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1907, the nunnery had a mother superior, 62 nuns, and 45 lay sisters. Ten years later, during the Russian Revolution, the nunnery and its buildings suffered much damage and the nuns were ordered to leave. In 1918, the Kremlin Commission was established to restore and preserve the Kremlin buildings. However, due to insufficient funding, the plans were not fully implemented and work stopped in 1920. In 1924, the ground on which the Ascension Convent sat began to sink and some walls of the buildings started to collapse.

The iconostasis, the wall of icons and religious paintings separating the nave from the sanctuary in an Orthodox church, of the Ascension Cathedral which was saved and is now in the Church of the Twelve Apostles; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1929, it was announced that plans were being prepared for the construction of the Red Army School on the land occupied by the Ascension Cathedral and other historical buildings. A plea was made to change the location to preserve the historical buildings but it was ignored. In December 1929, on the orders of Joseph Stalin, the dismantling and demolition work began. The work was done in a hurry and archaeologists were not allowed to remove valuable frescoes in the churches and only a few church decorations were saved.

Removing the sarcophagi before the destruction of the Ascension Monastery; Credit – Wikipedia

Thanks to Nikolai Nikolaevich Pomerantsev, an art restorer and art curator, the sarcophagi in the Ascension Cathedral were saved. Pomerantsev organized architectural measurements and photographing of the monastery, a survey of the burials, and the removal of the sarcophagi to the crypt in the Archangel Cathedral. In January 1934, Pomerantsev was arrested and accused of trying to discredit the Soviet government by opposing the demolition of unnecessary monuments of antiquity. In May 1934, he was sentenced to three years of exile.

Nikolai Nikolaevich Pomerantsev, who is responsible for saving the sarcophagi at the Ascension Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

********************

Burials

Tsarevna Praskovia Ivanovna of Russia, daughter of Ivan V, Tsar of All Russia, was the last person interred at Ascension Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Listed below are relatives of Grand Princes of Moscow, Tsars of Russia, and Emperors of Russia who were interred at the Ascension Convent and were moved in 1929 to the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. Relatives of Russian nobles were also buried there but are not included in the list below.

Grand Prince (Великий князь Velikiy Knyaz: literally great prince, sometimes translated as grand duke) was the title of the male ruler of the Russian principalities before they were united into the Tsardom of Russia. A Grand Prince’s wife was titled a Grand Princess.
Tsar was used 1547 – 1721 to denote the male ruler of Russia. Tsar comes from Caesar, the Latin title of a Roman emperor. Tsar remained the popular designation of the Russian ruler despite the official change of style to Emperor in 1721.
Tsaritsa or Tsarina was the title of the female ruler of Russia or the title of a Tsar’s wife. It was officially used from 1547 – 1721 when the title changed to Empress although Tsaritsa or Tsarina was sometimes still used.
Tsarevich was the title given to Tsars’ sons before the 18th century.
Tsarevna was used before the 18th century as the title for the daughter of a Tsar or the wife of a Tsarevich.

Patronymic: In Russian, a patronymic is the second name derived from the father’s first name: the suffix -vich means “son of” and the suffixes -eva, -evna, -ova, and -ovna mean “daughter of”.

Evdokia Dmitrievna of Suzdal, Grand Princess of Moscow (1353 – 1407), wife of Dmitry Donskoy, Grand Prince of Moscow
Sophia of Lithuania, Grand Princess of Moscow (1371 – 1453), wife of Vasily I Dmitriyevich, Grand Prince of Moscow
Maria Borisovna of Tver, Grand Princess of Moscow (1442 – 1467), first wife of Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow
Maria Yaroslavna of Borovsk, Grand Princess of Moscow (1418 – 1484) wife of Vasily II, Grand Prince of Moscow
Sophia Palaiologos, Grand Princess of Moscow (circa 1449 – 1503), wife of Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow
Elena Stefanovna of Moldavia, Crown Princess of Moscow (1465 – 1505) wife of the son of Ivan the Young, Crown Prince of Moscow
Princess Eudoxia Ivanovna of Moscow (1492 – 1513), daughter of Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow, wife of Peter (born Kudaikul) of Kazan
Elena Vasilievna Glinskaya, Grand Princess of Moscow (circa 1510 – 1538) , second wife of Vasily II, Grand Prince of Moscow
Princess Anastasia Petrovna of Moscow (died 1541), niece of Vasily III, Grand Prince of Moscow,
Tsarevna Maria Ivanovna (1551 – 1552), daughter of Ivan IV (the Terrible), Tsar of Russia
Tsarevna Evdokia Ivanovna (1556 – 1558), daughter of Ivan IV (the Terrible), Tsar of Russia, among the nameless sarcophagi
Anastasia Romanovna, Tsaritsa of Russia (1530 – 1560), first wife of Ivan IV (the Terrible), Tsar of Russia, great-aunt of Michael I of Russia, the first Tsar of the Romanov dynasty
Maria Temryukovna, Tsaritsa of Russia (circa 1544 – 1569), second wife of Ivan IV (the Terrible), Tsar of Russia
Marfa Vasilievna Sobakina, Tsaritsa of Russia (1552 – 1571) third wife of Ivan IV (the Terrible), Tsar of Russia
Tsarevna Feodosia Feodorovna of Russia (1592 – 1594), daughter of Feodor I, Tsar of Russia
Irina Fyodorovna Godunova, Tsaritsa of Russia (1557–1603) wife of Feodor I, Tsar of Russia, sister of Boris Godunov, Tsar of Russia
Maria Fedorovna Nagaya, Tsaritsa of Russia (died 1608), eighth wife of Ivan IV (the Terrible), Tsar of Russia
Tsarevna Anna Vasilievna of Russia (born and died 1609), daughter of Tsar Vasily IV, Tsar of Russia
Praskovia Mikhailovna Solovaya, Tsarevna of Russia (died 1621), second wife of Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich of Russia
Maria Vladimirovna Dolgorukova, Tsaritsa of Russia (1601 – 1625), first wife of Michael I, Tsar of All Russia, the first reigning member of the Romanov dynasty
Ekaterina Petrovna, Tsaritsa of Russia ( born Maria Buynosova-Rostovskaya) (died 1626), second wife of Vasily IV, Tsar of Russia
Tsarevna Pelageya Mikhailovna of Russia (1628 – 1629), daughter of Michael I, Tsar of All Russia
Tsarevna Marfa Mikhailovna of Russia (1631 – 1631), daughter of Michael I, Tsar of All Russia
Tsarevna Sofya Mikhailovna of Russia (1634 – 1636), daughter of Michael I, Tsar of All Russia
Tsarevna Evdokia Mikhailovna (born and died 1637), daughter of Michael I, Tsar of All Russia
Eudoxia Lukyanovna Streshneva, Tsaritsa of Russia (1608 – 1645), second wife of Michael I, Tsar of All Russia
Tsarevna Anna Alekseevna of Russia (1655 – 1659), daughter of Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia
Tsarevna Evdokia Alekeevna (born and died 1669), daughter of Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia
Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya, Tsaritsa of All Russia (1624 – 1669), second wife of Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia
Tsarevna Feodora Alekseevna of Russia (1674 – 1677), daughter of Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia
Agaphia Semenovna Grushevskaya, Tsaritsa of All Russia (1663 – 1681), first wife of Feodor III, Tsar of All Russia,
Tsarevna Feodosia Ivanovna of Russia (1690 – 1691), daughter of Ivan V, Tsar of All Russia
Tsarevna Anna Mikhailovna of Russia (1630 – 1692), daughter of Michael I, Tsar of All Russia
Tsarevna Maria Ivanovna of Russia (1689 – 1692), daughter of Ivan V, Tsar of All Russia
Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, Tsaritsa of All Russia (1651 – 1694), second wife of Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia and the mother of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia
Tsarevna Tatyana Mikhailovna of Russia (1636 – 1706), daughter of Michael I, Tsar of All Russia
Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna of Russia (1714 – 1728), daughter of Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia and granddaughter of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia
Tsarevna Praskovia Ivanovna of Russia (1694 – 1731), daughter of Ivan V, Tsar of All Russia, wife of Ivan Ilich Dmitriev-Mamonov

Works Cited

En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Ascension Convent – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascension_Convent> [Accessed 21 March 2022].
Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Вознесенский монастырь (Москва) — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%80%D1%8C_(%D0%9C%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B2%D0%B0)> [Accessed 21 March 2022].
Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Некрополь Вознесенского монастыря — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9D%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C_%D0%92%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%80%D1%8F> [Accessed 21 March 2022].

Maria Caterina Brignole, Princess of Monaco

Maria Caterina Brignole, Princess of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of Honoré III, Prince of Monaco, Maria Caterina Brignole, was born on October 7, 1737, at the Palazzo Rosso in the Republic of Genoa, now in Italy. She was the only child of Giuseppe Brignole Sale, 7th Marquis di Groppoli, an Ambassador of the Republic of Genoa to France, and Maria Anna Balbi. After the death of his brother Gian Giacomo Brignole Sale (1696 – 1734), Giuseppe married his brother’s wife Maria Anna Balbi. Maria Caterina’s parents came from two of the most powerful and wealthy families in the Republic of Genoa. Her paternal grandparents were cousins Anton Giulio II Brignole Sale, 5th Marquis of Groppoli (1673 – 1710 ), an Ambassador of the Republic of Genoa to France, and Isabella Brignole. Two of Maria Caterina’s paternal uncles had been the Doge (ruler) of the Republic of Genoa. Maria Caterina’s maternal grandparents were Francesco Maria Balbi (1671 – 1747), a Doge of the Republic of Genoa and Maria Clarice Durazzo, who also had Doges of the Republic of Genoa in her family.

Because her father was the ambassador to the French court, Maria Caterina and her mother Maria Anna took part in French high society, frequenting the salons in Paris and the Palace of Versailles. Maria Anna had several affairs including one with Honoré III, Prince of Monaco, her daughter’s future husband, and another with Louis François Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu.

Honoré III, Prince of Monaco, first husband of Maria Caterina; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1755, a marriage was proposed between 18-year-old Maria Caterina and 35-year-old Honoré III, Prince of Monaco who was eager to marry to provide Monaco with an heir and to obtain Maria Caterina’s large dowry. However, Maria Caterina’s father opposed the marriage because of Honoré’s bad reputation and because of his fear that Honoré might inherit his fortune. In 1756, only after the intervention of King Louis XV of France and his mistress Madame de Pompadour did Maria Caternina’s father consent to the marriage.

The wedding of Honoré III and Maria Caterina was to occur on July 5, 1757, in Monaco, and it got off on a bad foot. Maria Caterina and her mother traveled to Monaco by boat accompanied by a contingent of Genovese nobility. When they arrived, Honoré did not come aboard the ship to welcome his bride. He said his status as a monarch demanded that Maria Caterina come to him. The Genovese contingent refused, saying that Maria Caterina was a member of a ruling family of the Republic of Genoa. The ship was stranded offshore for several days while a bridge was built between the port and Maria Caterina’s ship. Honoré and Maria Caterina walked towards each other at the same distance and met each other over the sea.

Honoré III and Maria Caterina had two sons:

Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco (1758 – 1819), married Louise d’Aumont, had two sons Honoré V, Prince of Monaco and Florestan, Prince of Monaco, divorced 1798
Prince Joseph of Monaco, Regent of Monaco (1763 – 1816), married (1) Marie Thérèse de Choiseul, had three children, Marie Thérèse was guillotined during the French Revolution (2) Frances Margaret Powell, no children

The Hôtel de Matignon, Honoré III’s Paris home; Credit – By ScareCriterion12 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62918157

Honoré III and Maria Caterina initially lived in Monaco but by 1760, Honoré was dissatisfied with his life there, and returned to France without his wife, spending time with his mistresses at his French homes. Eventually, Maria Caterina was allowed to come to France. She lived at the Hôtel Matignon, Honoré’s home in Paris. However, she rarely participated in social events. She spent time with Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, a great-grandson of Louis XIV, King of France and his mistress Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan. Louis Joseph’s wife Charlotte de Rohan had died in 1760. During the reigns of King Louis XV and his grandson King Louis XVI, Louis Joseph held the position of Grand Maître de France, the head of the King’s household.

Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Condé; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1765, rumors reached Honoré III that Louis Joseph was courting Maria Caterina. Being somewhat hypocritical, he left his mistress at his home in Normandy and went to Paris to scold Maria Caterina. Initially, Maria Caterina regarded Louis Joseph as just a friend, but she returned Louis Joseph’s feelings, and the two became involved in a love affair. After that, Honoré III and Maria Caterina lived separate lives with their lovers. Eventually, Maria Caterina set up a home in the Hôtel de Lassay, an annex of the Palais-Bourbon, Louis Joseph’s residence in Paris, now the meeting place of the National Assembly, the lower legislative chamber of the French Parliament.

However, in 1770, Honoré III made one last attempt to keep a hold on Maria Caterina. He planned to send Maria Caterina to Monaco and close the borders to prevent her from escaping. Before this could happen Maria Caterina left Paris to seek asylum at the Convent of the Visitation in Le Mans, France. Louis Joseph used his influence to obtain a legal separation for Maria Caterina from Honoré and the right to manage her own finances. Honoré finally realized his relationship with Maria Caterina was over and eventually accepted Maria Caterina’s relationship with Louis Joseph. There was never a divorce or annulment. Honoré continued with his mistresses and he allowed Maria Caterina to see her two sons.

Maria Caterina; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1774, Marie Antoinette, the wife of the new King of France, Louis XVI, offended Louis Joseph, who was Grand Maître de France, the head of the King’s household, by refusing to receive Maria Caterina at court due to her status as a Louis Joseph’s mistress and as a separated woman. Maria Catarina and Louis Joseph lived in France until the French Revolution. After the Storming of the Bastille in 1789, Louis Joseph fled France, before the Reign of Terror, with Maria Caterina, and his son and grandson from his first marriage.

The French Revolution had dire consequences for Honoré III and the two sons he shared with Maria Caterina. They lost all aristocratic privileges in France and were dispossessed of their French property. In January 1793, Honoré III was officially declared deposed and France annexed the Principality of Monaco. During the Reign of Terror, in September 1793, Honoré III was arrested and imprisoned in Paris. Maria Catarina and Honoré III’s son Honoré (IV) was also arrested as were Honoré (IV)’s wife Louise d’Aumont and his son Florestan. Honoré (IV) was released after fifteen months in prison and his wife and son were saved by their family doctor.

However, Maria Catarina’s daughter-in-law, the wife of her son Joseph, was not as lucky. Joseph spent most of his time abroad negotiating foreign loans, making him a suspect of counter-revolutionary activities. Joseph did become involved in a counter-revolution in Vendée. His wife Marie Thérèse was arrested in the absence of her husband, condemned to death, and guillotined in 1794, one of the last victims before the end of the Reign of Terror.

Honoré III was eventually released from prison. He died soon afterward in Paris on March 21, 1795, at the age of 74, but his burial place is unknown. Following the defeat of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French in 1814, Maria Catarina’s son Honoré IV, aged 56 and in ill health since his imprisonment during the Reign of Terror, returned to Monaco where he reigned as Sovereign Prince until he died in 1819.

The Army of Condé; Credit – Wikipedia

As for, Maria Caterina and Louis Joseph, after they fled France, they settled in Koblenz in the Electorate of Saxony, now in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Koblenz became the home of many royalist émigrés who had fled France. Louis Joseph helped to organize and lead a counter-revolutionary army of émigrés called the Army of Condé. Maria Caterina used her fortune to help finance the exiled French community’s armed resistance. In 1792, the émigrée court at Koblenz was dissolved and Maria Caterina and Louis Joseph left for Great Britain.

Saint Aloysius Catholic Church in London, England where Maria Caterina is buried; Credit – https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol24/pt4/plate-86

Three years after the death of Honoré III, Maria Caterina and Louis Joseph were married on October 24, 1798, in London, England. Their marriage was kept secret for ten years and was not revealed until December 26, 1808. Maria Caterina, aged 76, died in Wimbledon, England on March 18, 1813, and was buried at Saint Aloysius Catholic Church in London, England, founded by Guy-Toussaint-Julien Carron, a French priest who had settled in England having fled the French Revolution.

Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Condé; Credit – Wikipedia

After the defeat of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French in 1814, the Bourbon Restoration saw a younger brother of the beheaded King Louis XVI become King Louis XVIII of France. Louis Joseph returned to France and at the age of 78, resumed his duties as Grand Maître de France, in the household of King Louis XVIII. Louis Joseph survived Maria Caterina by five years, dying on May 13, 1818, at the Palais-Bourbon in Paris, France, aged 81. He was buried at the Basilica of St. Denis in St. Denis, France, near Paris.

Works Cited

Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Joseph,_Prince_of_Cond%C3%A9> [Accessed 13 March 2022].
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Maria Caterina Brignole – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Caterina_Brignole> [Accessed 8 March 2022].
Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Honoré III, Prince of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/honore-iii-prince-of-monaco/> [Accessed 13 March 2022].
geni_family_tree. 2022. Marie-Catherine Brignole, Princesse de Monaco. [online] Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Marie-Catherine-Brignole-Princesse-de-Monaco/5294696734550123378> [Accessed 13 March 2022].

Monastery of Curtea de Argeș in Curtea de Argeș, Romania

The 16th-century Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș; Credit – By Alexandru Baboş Albabos – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10304987

The Monastery of Curtea de Argeș is a Romanian Orthodox monastery in Curtea de Argeș, Romania built between 1515 – 1517, during the reign of Neagoe Basarab V, Prince of Wallachia. On the grounds of the monastery is the 16th-century Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș. The cathedral served as a burial site for Neagoe Basarab V and his family and as the seat for the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Argeș and Muscel. During the reign (1881 – 1914) of Carol I, King of Romania, a burial site for the Royal Family of Romania was established at the cathedral.

The 21st-century New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeș; Credit – By Rereader1996 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84735309

The New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeș was built on the monastery grounds from 2009 – 2018. It serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Argeș and Muscel and as a new burial site for members of the Royal Family of Romania

********************

The Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș

Credit – By Florin – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28662047

The 16th-century cathedral was built during the reign of Neagoe Basarab V, Prince of Wallachia. Wallachia, a historical and geographical region of Romania, was founded as a principality in the early 14th century. One of the earlier Princes of Wallachia was Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler (Romanian: Vlad Țepeș) or Vlad Dracula (reigned 1428 – 1431 and 1476 – 1477). Neagoe Basarab made major donations to Orthodox churches and monasteries in Wallachia and throughout what is known today as Eastern Europe and also in the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Land. He used the religious and political traditions from the defunct Byzantine Empire in his style of ruling. Neagoe Basarab also established diplomatic contacts with the Pope, taking steps to resolve the conflict between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. On July 8, 2008, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church canonized Neagoe Basarab as a saint. His feast day is celebrated on September 26.

Part of the ceiling; Credit – By Pudelek – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64976936

Neagoe Basarab had direct involvement in the planning and building of the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș. The cathedral was consecrated on August 15, 1517, and was dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God, the Orthodox feast celebrated on August 15, of the “falling asleep” (death) of Mary the Theotokos (Mother of God, literally translated as God-Bearer), and her being taken bodily up into heaven (Assumption of Mary in the Roman Catholic religion).

View from the back showing the annex; Credit – By Daria Virbanescu – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72885130

The oblong cathedral, in the Byzantine style with Moorish arabesques, sits upon a raised platform above the ground with a many-sided annex at the back. The two smaller cupolas sit in front of the central dome and another dome is above the annex. Atop each dome is the triple cross, representing the Trinity.

The iconostasis – the wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in an Orthodox church; Credit – Wikipedia By Pudelek – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64976937

In the narthex of the cathedral, a lobby area typical of early Christian and Byzantine churches, are the tombs of the cathedral’s founder Neagoe Basarab V, Prince of Wallachia, his wife Milița Despina, and several other family members. Also in the narthex, members of the recent Royal Family of Romania were buried although several have been re-interred at the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral.

********************

The New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeş

By Rereader1996 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84735313

The New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral was a joint project of the Archdiocese of Argeș and Muscel and the Royal House of Romania. The Romanian royal family wanted a new burial site because the 16th-century Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș had no more room for burials while the new cathedral would serve the Archdiocese of Argeş and Muscel as the seat of the archdiocese. The expenses for the construction were shared by the Royal House of Romania and the Archdiocese of Argeş and Muscel.

Dr. Augustin Ioan, a Romanian architect, writer, and professor at the Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urban Planning in Bucharest, Romania was chosen to design the new cathedral. In 2008, the first discussion took place between architect Dr. Augustin Ioan and Princess Margareta of Romania, the eldest of the five daughters of former King Mihai of Romania (also known as Michael, reigned 1927 – 1930 and 1940 – 1947 when the monarchy was abolished), known as the Custodian of the Crown of Romania since her father’s death in 2017, and her husband Prince Radu of Romania. Princess Margareta expressed the wish of her father King Mihai to be buried with his ancestors and to bring them all together to be buried in the same place. On May 10, 2009, the foundation stone was laid in the presence of Princess Margareta and her husband Prince Radu.

The new cathedral was designed in the style of Byzantine architecture as a tribute to the 16th-century cathedral. The interior was decorated with mosaics, in the style of the old cathedral. Likewise, the stone exterior of the new cathedral makes a connection to the old cathedral.

Graves in the new burial site; Credit – By Rereader1996 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84733946

The royal burial site of the new cathedral is located on the right after the entrance. Because the sixteen gravesites could not all be aligned to the east as is the tradition, architect Augustin Ioan came up with a solution. He designed the royal burial site as a circular arcaded portico with the altar in the middle, explaining “The holy altar table represents the mystical east of the church. At the liturgy, the living and the dead await together the conversion of wine and bread into the blood and flesh of Christ, but also the Resurrection.” When entering the burial site, visitors have a figurative and a literal threshold of light to cross because the entrance is a structural glass bridge with light below.

The child martyr Saint Filofteia carrying her food basket with the axe that killed her on the ground

The New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeş was consecrated on December 7, 2018, and dedicated to Archangel Michael and Archangel Gabriel and the child martyr Saint Filofteia (1206 – 1218) who lived in what is now Bulgaria. Filofteia was a loving, generous and kind little girl whose father and stepmother often beat her. While bringing a basket of food to her father working in the fields, Filofteia would often give some of the food to her less fortunate neighbors. When her father found out where the food was going, he became so angry that he hit her with an ax in the leg and she bled to death. According to the story, Filofteia’s body remained on the ground for days because no one could lift it, as if an otherworldly force was holding it to the ground. The surrounding area glowed with a bright and persistent light and people flocked to the area to pray.

Filofteia’s relics; Credit – De la Țetcu Mircea Rareș – Operă proprie, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28263365

Finally, Filofteia’s remains were properly cared for and were considered a miraculous relic. Eventually, the relics were then given to Mircea the Elder, Prince of Wallachia (reigned 1386 – 1418) who placed them in the Princely Church of Saint Nicholas in Curtea de Argeș which was built in the beginning of the 14th-century. Filofteia was considered the protector of Wallachia. The relics were eventually placed in the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș. Filofteia’s relics have been moved to a small chapel on the left of the entrance of the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral, across from the new royal burial site.

********************

Buried at the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș

Family of Neagoe Basarab V, Prince of Wallachia, the builder of the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș

Neagoe Basarab of Wallachia and his family with the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș in the middle: on the left, Neagoe Basarab and his three sons: Teodosie, Petru, and Ioan; on the right his wife Milica Despina and their daughters: Stana, Ruxandra, and Angelina; Credit – https://mappingeasterneurope.princeton.edu/item/neagoe-basarab-of-wallachia-and-his-family.html

Neagoe Basarab V, Prince of Wallachia (circa 1459 – 1521)
Milica Despina of Serbia wife of Neagoe Basarab V (circa 1485 – 1554)
Ștefăniță IV, Prince of Moldavia (1506 – 1527), son-in-law of Neagoe Basarab V
Stana of Wallachia, daughter of Neagoe Basarab V, wife of Ștefăniță of Moldavia
Radu of Afumați, Prince of Wallachia (? – 1529), son-in-law of Neagoe Basarab V
Ruxandra of Wallachia, daughter of Neagoe Basarab V, wife of Radu of Afumați, Prince of Wallachia

The grave of Radu of Afumați, Prince of Wallachia, son-in-law of Neagoe Basarab V: Credit – Țetcu Mircea Rareș Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28263363

The Recent Royal Family of Romania

King Carol I in the center with his nephew the future King Ferdinand I on the right and his great-nephew the future King Carol II on the right; Credit – Wikipedia

Because of political unrest in what was then called the Romanian United Principalities, the Ruling Prince, Alexander Ioan Cuza, was forced to abdicate in February 1866. Due largely to the familial relationship with the French Emperor Napoleon III and the Prussian monarchs, Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was elected by the Romanian government to become the new Ruling Prince. Karl arrived in Romania on May 10, 1866, and declared his allegiance to his new country, taking on the more Romanian spelling of his name, Carol. In 1881, the Romanian parliament declared Romania a kingdom, and Prince Carol became King Carol I. Romania remained a monarchy until 1947 when King Mihai I was forced to sign a document of abdication by the Communist regime. A year later, he publicly announced that his abdication was invalid, as it had been forced upon him, and that he remained the rightful King of Romania.

It would be 43 years before Mihai set foot on Romanian soil again. In December 1990, Mihai was given permission for a 24-hour visit. However, this ended up being cut short and he was forced to leave early. He visited Romania in again 1992 but the mass outpouring of crowds and supporters concerned the current government and he was banned again for several years. Finally, in 1997, the Romanian government restored Mihai’s citizenship and in the following years, several properties were returned to the royal family.

Buried at the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș

The grave of Elisabeth of Wied, Queen of Romania; Credit – By Țetcu Mircea Rareș – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28263366

Possibly sometime in the future, some or all of the following could be moved from the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș to the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral.

Carol I, King of Romania (1839 – 1914)
Elisabeth of Wied, Queen of Romania ( 1843 – 1916), wife of Carol I
Princess Maria of Romania (1870 – 1874), the only child of Carol I and Elisabeth – Princess Maria died from scarlet fever. When her mother Queen Elisabeth died in 1916, as per her wishes, her daughter’s remains were exhumed and her coffin was placed on her mother’s coffin for the public procession. Mother and daughter were then buried together in the same tomb at the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș.
Ferdinand I, King of Romania (1865 – 1927), nephew of Carol I
Marie of Edinburgh, Queen of Romania (1875 – 1938), wife of Ferdinand I, granddaughter of Queen Victoria

********************

Buried at the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeş

The mausoleum at the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral; Credit – By Rereader1996 Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84739150

Anne of Bourbon-Parma, Queen of Romania (titular) (1923 – 2016), wife of Mihai I
Mihai I (Michael), King of Romania (1921 – 2017), son of Carol II
Carol II, King of Romania (1893 – 1953), son of Ferdinand I, died in exile in Portugal, first buried at the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2003 his remains were returned to Romania and buried in a chapel outside the Curtea de Argeş Cathedral, reinterred at the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeș on March 8, 2019
Helen of Greece and Denmark, Queen Mother of Romania (1896 – 1982), second of the three wives of Carol II (divorced), mother of Mihai I, first buried at the Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery in Lausanne, Switzerland, reinterred at the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral at Curtea de Argeș on October 19, 2019.
Prince Mircea of Romania (1913 – 1916), the three-year-old son of Ferdinand I, died of typhoid fever on November 2, 1916. As the family was fleeing enemy forces approaching Bucharest during World War I, he was quickly buried in the grounds of Cotroceni Palace. In 1941, his remains were moved to the chapel at Bran Castle. In 2019, his remains found their final resting place at the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral at Curtea de Argeş.

Graves of King Mihai I and Queen Anne; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Works Cited

Act Media. 2019. Queen Mother reburied at Curtea de Argeş. [online] Available at: <https://actmedia.eu/daily/mother-queen-helen-reburied-in-curtea-de-arges/83231> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
Agerpres.ro. 2019. DOCUMENTAR: Noua catedrală arhiepiscopală şi regală de la Curtea de Argeş. [online] Available at: <https://www.agerpres.ro/documentare/2019/10/19/documentar-noua-catedrala-arhiepiscopala-si-regala-de-la-curtea-de-arges–388039> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Curtea de Argeș Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtea_de_Arge%C8%99_Cathedral> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
Hu.wikipedia.org. 2022. Curtea de Argeș-i kolostor – Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtea_de_Arge%C8%99-i_kolostor> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
Ionescu, Sinziana, 2016. Secretele Catedralei din Curtea de Argeş în care va fi înmormântată Regina Ana. A fost proiectată de un arhitect dobrogean. [online] adevarul.ro. Available at: <https://adevarul.ro/locale/constanta/secretele-catedralei-curtea-arges-inmormantata-regina-ana-fost-proiectata-arhitect-dobrogean-1_57a87f1b5ab6550cb893f12a/index.html> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
Radioromaniacultural.ro. 2018. Născut în România – Un loc de odihnă pentru toţi Regii României; Noua Necropolă Regală de la Curtea de Argeş invitat- arh. Augustin Ioan – Radio România Cultural. [online] Available at: <https://www.radioromaniacultural.ro/nascut-in-romania-un-loc-de-odihna-pentru-toti-regii-romaniei-noua-necropola-regala-de-la-curtea-de-arges-invitat-arh-augustin-ioan/> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
Ro.wikipedia.org. 2022. Mănăstirea Curtea de Argeș – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%83n%C4%83stirea_Curtea_de_Arge%C8%99> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
Ro.wikipedia.org. 2022. Noua Catedrală Arhiepiscopală din Curtea de Argeș – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noua_Catedral%C4%83_Arhiepiscopal%C4%83_din_Curtea_de_Arge%C8%99> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
Ro.wikipedia.org. 2022. Sfânta Muceniță Filofteia de la Argeș – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sf%C3%A2nta_Muceni%C8%9B%C4%83_Filofteia_de_la_Arge%C8%99> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
Sullivan, Alice Isabella, 2022. Neagoe Basarab of Wallachia and His Family. [online] Mappingeasterneurope.princeton.edu. Available at: <https://mappingeasterneurope.princeton.edu/item/neagoe-basarab-of-wallachia-and-his-family.html> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
Tour-romania.com. 2022. Curtea arges Monastery Romania. [online] Available at: <http://www.tour-romania.com/highlight/curtea_arges.html> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
Travel Notes & Beyond. 2022. Curtea de Arges Cathedral – From Myth to History and Back. [online] Available at: <https://travelnotesandbeyond.com/curtea-de-arges-cathedral/> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
Welcometoromania.eu. 2022. Arges Monastery, the Episcopal Church, Curtea de Argeș·. [online] Available at: <https://www.welcometoromania.eu/Curtea_de_Arges/Curtea_de_Arges_Manastirea_Arges_e.htm> [Accessed 15 March 2022].

Share this:

Share this:

History of the Assumption Cathedral

The Exterior and Interior of the Assumption Cathedral

Coronations at Assumption Cathedral

Share this:

Share this:

History of the Archangel Cathedral

The Exterior and Interior

The Burials

Burials Moved from the Ascension Cathedral to the Archangel Cathedral

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

History of the Church

Destruction of the Convent and Cathedral

Burials

Share this:

Share this:

The Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș

The New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeş

Buried at the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș

Share this: