Religious procession in Tula to commemorate royal family death

A more than hundred-strong religious procession was held at the regional centre of Tula not far from Moscow to mark the 80th anniversary of the death of the royal family. The procession went from the All-Saints cathedral to Alexander Nevsky square.

The royal family were only once in Tula, on their way from St Petersburg to Livadia. The monarchical train made a stop-over at Tula station, where Nicholas II and his family were presented with samovars and button accordions.

The samovars were handcrafted to suit the taste of every member of the tsar's family. For example, the samovar intended for Grand Duchess Olga was shaped like a rococo vase. Tall Tatiana received a goblet-shaped samovar symbolising her slimeness. Maria, the most beautiful of all Nicholas's daughters, was given a samovar made like a mirrored vase. Anastasia, known for her pranks and capers, was presented with a smoothly spherical samovar. The one for Tsarevitch Alexei had the shape of a Greek vase topped by a crown.

Out of the seven samovars, only five have survived to our day.