Moscow, June 29, 2017
Photo: ekaterinburg-eparhia.ru A new monument to Grand Duchess St. Elizabeth the New Martyr was solemnly opened today on the square near the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the city of Alapaevsk in the Sverdlovsk Region, 90 miles northwest of Ekaterinburg, reports the Ekaterinburg Diocesan press service.
The 23-foot monument, the work of Ural sculptor Alexander Kokoteev, was installed, and consecrated by Metropolitan Kirill of Ekaterinburg and Verkhotursk in commemoration of the murder of the Grand Duchess in July 1918. In the monument, St. Elizabeth holds a cross and a lily in her hand, as a symbol of purity and faith in God.
The event was organized by the Ekaterinburg branch of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society.
Photo: ekaterinburg-eparhia.ru The opening ceremony was also attended by Bishop Methodius of Kamensky and Alapaevsk, Bishop Eugene of the Middle Urals, Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society Sergei Stepashin, State Duma Deputy Pavel Krasheninnikov, and local authorities.
Addressing the gathered guests, Met. Kirill spoke of St. Elizabeth: “Elizabeth Feodorovna was a true Russian woman; she was not Russian by blood, but she was absolutely Russian in spirit. And thanks to her, there are many causes alive today, and especially the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society founded by her and her spouse Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, which does so much good for our land today.”
Photo: ekaterinburg-eparhia.ru Offering his archpastoral blessings, he added the prayer, “Help us all, Lord, that the blessing of Elizabeth Feodorovna, which will be here, coming from this monument, would reach all of our families, our souls, the lives of our children, and the life of this beautiful old Russian city.”
Photo: ekaterinburg-eparhia.ru After the opening, Met. Kirill celebrated the rite of consecration of the monument. Then all present laid flowers at the monument.
Photo: ekaterinburg-eparhia.ru 
