Holy and devil, "God's man" and sectarian, peasant and courtier: there seemed to be no end to the definitions that characterized Rasputin. The central and dominant feature of his personality was, without a doubt, the duality of nature: the "old man" was able to play with extraordinary skill one role, and then its complete opposite. And it was thanks to the contradictions inherent in his character that he became a great actor.
Mediumistic intuition, coupled with the cunning typical of peasants, turned Rasputin into a creature with supernatural powers: he always managed to find his vulnerable side in a person and benefit from it. When the "elder" was firmly established in the Alexander Palace, he immediately revealed the weaknesses of the imperial couple; he never flattered them, addressed them only in "you", calling them "mom" and "dad". In communicating with them, he allowed himself all sorts of familiarity and realized that his worn-out boots, peasant shirt and even unkempt beard had an irresistible attractive effect on the august patrons.
Before the Empress, he played the role of the "elder", which she liked most of all; as during a large theatrical performance, he demonstrated his talent on the stage of the Alexander Palace. It didn’t matter that a false saint, a lecher or a sectarian could appear in the imperial residence; what was important was only what Alexandra Feodorovna wanted to see and hear. Everything else - as she thought - was nothing more than baseness, slander and malice of those who dreamed of alienating her from this "holy man."
The world in which the empress lived was rather unpretentious and limited, and Rasputin, with his intuition, quickly understood how to win her favor. Surrounded by the supposedly enlightened, but in fact corrupted courtiers to the core, Alexandra Feodorovna decided that she had met in the person of this ignorant peasant the only one who could bring her and the tsar closer to the people. This man, sent to her by God himself and who came from a Russian village, united a peasant and a saint; the fact that Rasputin possessed the gift of healing was, in the eyes of the empress, another manifestation of his holiness. All this took place far from the outside world, in a residence similar to an ancient Russian tower.
Indeed, almost only women lived in the Alexander Palace; the empress, her ubiquitous girlfriends, four daughters, as well as a great many educators, governesses and maids. As in the days of the ancient Russian towers, women from the family of Nicholas II were not supposed to be seen by males, except for close relatives, representatives of the church and high-ranking dignitaries. Alexandra Feodorovna did not consider the presence of Rasputin to be something unacceptable, since the “elder” was a holy person for her and directly expressed the will of the Most High.
Rasputin did not live in the Alexander Palace, but when he was received there, he was given complete freedom: he entered the rooms of the young princesses at any time of the day, kissed all the women, claiming that the apostles did so as a sign of greeting, and always found an explanation for his behavior ... Rasputin was by nature a rude, primitive and vulgar man, but when he entered the palace he turned into an "elder", to whom Alexandra Feodorovna and her daughters turned with hope; he was their guiding star, enlightening them and pointing them in the right direction in the complex whirlpool of life. You just need to follow his advice, Rasputin said, and he will be able to help the imperial family overcome all the troubles that have befallen it: thanks to his gift of a seer, he will transfer it to the other side of fate and of divine Providence itself.
The "elder" understood perfectly well that the imperial couple needed him. In addition, he possessed an irresistible magnetic effect, and a wide variety of people have already experienced, being unable to resist, the hypnotic spell of his gaze. Perhaps this is how Rasputin stopped the little Tsarevich's bleeding, although it will never be possible to accurately establish his methods of "treatment". Everything happened in the presence of only relatives and servants, and no one - not even those who knew the secret of the Romanovs - could act as a witness.
One should not exaggerate the role of Rasputin in state affairs, since in reality he did not have any specific program: the "elder" was a real devil in psychology, but a complete layman in politics. Dramatic events began during the war, when, and Alexandra Fyodorovna, together with Rasputin, had to control the situation in raging Petrograd. Undoubtedly, the "elder" managed to impose people who were pleasing to him, Rasputin, to the emperor, to influence the appointment of new ministers: and indeed, from that moment the ministers began to replace one another with dizzying speed, and they were all under Rasputin's heel. However, at that time the entire state machine was in such a deplorable state, and besides, there was such a shortage of suitable people that there is no reason to assert that without the direct intervention of the "elder" things would have gone better. 
Rasputin's real conquest was his close relationship with the imperial couple, friendly and trusting; all the rest came later, as a natural consequence of this intimacy, which was awarded only to him, "the man of God." Rasputin, a physician, or Rasputin, a political adviser to the sovereign, is nothing compared to Rasputin, an "elder" devoted to the imperial family: it was he who was the real mentor for the Romanovs. Only he was able to alleviate the mental suffering of those who were burdened by history too heavy a burden. The Rasputin phenomenon originated in the minds of these people themselves, and its appearance became possible precisely because of the weak character of Nicholas II, combined with the mystical exaltation of Alexandra Feodorovna. In other words, the tsar and tsarina themselves opened the doors to a swindler, a worthy follower of numerous charlatans who flooded the Russian court in past centuries.
This dissolute peasant, as such, never existed for them: Rasputin was only a projection of the imagination of two confused creatures, suppressed by the seriousness of the events and by their nature prone to irrationality. At all times, monarchs loved to surround themselves with flatterers and mediocre personalities, but, unlike the jesters of bygone eras, Rasputin appeared in the form of a "saint" who also possessed supernatural powers. So, Nikolai and Alexandra unconsciously joined in a game that could satisfy their spiritual needs, but this home game turned into a tragedy for the whole country.
Outside the walls of the Alexander Palace, Rasputin again became himself: a drunkard, a lover of prostitutes, who especially willingly resorted to violence against women. Fanfaron and boasted, he boasted of his successes at court and, having drunk a good deal, told scabrous details, sometimes invented by himself. His house was a meeting place for a wide variety of people: the grand dukes, the priesthood, high society ladies and ordinary peasant women went to him to get to the sovereign. And everyone, without exception, asked for royal mercy and intercession.
But, no matter what Rasputin did, he always observed all the precautions so that in Tsarskoye Selo the image of a holy man that he managed to create remained unblemished, which was the real secret of his success. Thanks to his resourcefulness and perseverance, this man knew how to defend the conquered positions; besides, here he did not encounter any particular difficulties, since Alexandra Feodorovna was unable to admit that he had at least one negative trait. The Empress always rejected all stories about Rasputin's unseemly behavior, considering them invented and slanderous, and could not believe that “her elder” could have a different face. In addition, this illiterate peasant was absolutely necessary for her, since he personified the traditional triumvirate of the Russian nation: the tsar, the church and the people.
When Rasputin felt that there was a real threat to his career, he relied primarily on the eternal fears and deep religiosity of Alexandra Feodorovna. He used psychological blackmail, describing the future of her and her loved ones in dark colors; he also convinced the queen that they could not survive without him, and these predictions sounded like a death knell for the king and his dynasty.
A Russian peasant who became famous for "divinations" and "healings" and had unlimited influence on the imperial family, Grigory Efimovich Rasputin was born on January 21 (January 9, old style), 1869 in the Ural village of Pokrovskoye, Tyumen district, Tobolsk province (now located in the Tyumen region ). In memory of St. Gregory of Nyssa, the infant was baptized with the name Gregory. Father, Efim Rasputin, was a driver and was a village head, mother - Anna Parshukova.
Gregory grew up as a sickly child. He did not receive an education, since there was no parochial school in the village, and remained illiterate for the rest of his life - he wrote and read with great difficulty.
He began to work early, at first he helped herd livestock, went with his father in a cab, then took part in agricultural work, helped to harvest.
In 1893 (according to other sources in 1892) Gregory
Rasputin began to wander around the holy places. At first, the matter was limited to the nearest Siberian monasteries, and then he began to wander throughout Russia, having mastered its European part.
Later Rasputin made a pilgrimage to the Greek monastery of Athos (Athos) and Jerusalem. All these journeys he made on foot. After his wanderings, Rasputin invariably returned home for sowing and harvesting. Upon returning to his native village, Rasputin led the life of an "elder", but far from traditional asceticism. Rasputin's religious views were distinguished by their great originality and by no means coincided in everything with canonical Orthodoxy.
In his native places, he acquired a reputation as a seer and healer. According to numerous testimonies of his contemporaries, Rasputin did indeed possess the gift of healing to a certain extent. He successfully coped with various nervous disorders, relieved tics, stopped blood, easily relieved headaches, and banished insomnia. There is evidence that he possessed extraordinary power of suggestion.
In 1903, Grigory Rasputin visited St. Petersburg for the first time, and in 1905 he settled there and soon attracted everyone's attention. The rumor of a "holy old man" who prophesies and heals the sick quickly reached the highest society. In a short time, Rasputin became a fashionable and famous person in the capital and became a part of high society drawing rooms. The Grand Duchesses Anastasia and Militsa Nikolaevna introduced him to the royal family. The first meeting with Rasputin took place in early November 1905 and left a very pleasant impression on the imperial couple. Then such meetings began to occur regularly.
The rapprochement of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna with Rasputin was of a deeply spiritual nature, in him they saw an elder who continued the traditions of Holy Russia, wise with spiritual experience, capable of giving good advice. He won even more trust of the royal family, helping a patient with hemophilia (incoagulability of blood) to the heir to the throne - Tsarevich Alexei.
At the request of the royal family, Rasputin was given a different surname by a special decree - New. According to legend, this word was one of the first words that the heir Alexei uttered when he began to speak. Seeing Rasputin, the baby shouted: "New! New!"
Using access to the tsar, Rasputin turned to him with requests, including those of a commercial nature. Receiving money for this from interested people, Rasputin immediately distributed part of it to the poor and peasants. He did not have clear political views, but firmly believed in the connection between the people and the monarch and the inadmissibility of war. In 1912, he opposed Russia's entry into the Balkan Wars.
In the Petersburg world there were many rumors about Rasputin and his influence on the government. From about 1910, an organized campaign in the press began against Grigory Rasputin. He was accused of horse-stealing, belonging to the Khlyst sect, debauchery, and drunkenness. Nicholas II expelled Rasputin several times, but then returned him to the capital at the insistence of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
In 1914, Rasputin was wounded by a religious fanatic.
Rasputin's opponents argue that the "elder's" influence on Russian foreign and domestic policy was almost all-encompassing. During World War I, every appointment at the very top echelon of government services, as well as at the top of the church, passed through the hands of Grigory Rasputin. The empress consulted with him on all issues, and then persistently sought from her husband the state decisions she needed.
Authors sympathetic to Rasputin believe that he did not have any significant influence on the foreign and domestic policy of the empire, as well as on personnel appointments in the government, and that his influence was primarily in the spiritual sphere, as well as his miraculous ability to relieve suffering Tsarevich.
In court circles, the "elder" continued to be hated, considering him guilty of the fall of the monarchy's authority. In the imperial environment, a conspiracy against Rasputin matured. Among the conspirators were Felix Yusupov (husband of the imperial niece), Vladimir Purishkevich (deputy of the State Duma) and Grand Duke Dmitry (cousin of Nicholas II).
On the night of December 30 (December 17, old style), 1916, Grigory Rasputin was invited to visit by Prince Yusupov, who served him poisoned wine. The poison did not work, and then the conspirators shot Rasputin and threw his body under the ice in a tributary of the Neva. When Rasputin's body was found a few days later, it turned out that he was still trying to breathe in the water and even freed one hand from the ropes.
At the insistence of the empress, Rasputin's body was buried near the chapel of the imperial palace in Tsarskoe Selo. After the February Revolution of 1917, the body was dug up and burned at the stake.
The trial of the murderers, whose act was approved even in the circle of the emperor, did not take place.
Grigory Rasputin was married to Praskovya (Paraskeva) Dubrovina. The couple had three children: son Dmitry (1895-1933) and two daughters - Matryona (1898-1977) and Varvara (1900-1925). Dmitry was exiled to the north in 1930, where he died of dysentery. Both daughters of Rasputin studied in St. Petersburg (Petrograd) at the gymnasium. Varvara died in 1925 of typhus. Matryona in 1917 married the officer Boris Solovyov (1893-1926). The couple had two daughters. The family emigrated first to Prague, then to Berlin and Paris. After the death of her husband, Matryona (who called herself Maria abroad) performed in dance cabarets. Later she moved to the USA, where she began to work as a tamer in a circus. After being wounded by a bear, she left this profession.
She died in Los Angeles (USA).
Matryona owns memoirs about Grigory Rasputin in French and German, published in Paris in 1925 and 1926, as well as short notes about her father in Russian in the emigre magazine Illustrated Russia (1932).
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Grigory Rasputin - a peasant from the village of Pokrovskoe, Tobolsk province, who became world famous as a "royal friend"; ambiguous personality in Russian history; close friend of the last reigning family of the Romanov dynasty. In certain circles, he had a reputation as an elder-healer and seer. The wife of Nicholas II entrusted him with the treatment of their youngest son, Tsarevich Alexei, who suffers from hemophilia. Rasputin was born on January 9 (21), 1869 in the family of an ordinary coachman. He received his name in honor of St. Gregory of Nyssa.
In his youth, he was ill a lot, and then turned to religion. In 1893, he went to wander around the holy places. During this period he visited the Verkhotursky Monastery, Mount Athos, Jerusalem; got acquainted with monks and healers, gained experience. However, there is an opinion that under the guise of religiosity he led a riotous life. No one still knows if he had a real surname or a pseudonym. By 1902, he was accepted everywhere as a "holy" elder and a Siberian "prophet". Having gained confidence in Alexandra Feodorovna, he managed to convince her that Alexei can only be healed by prayers. At the same time, he promised to provide "divine" support to Nicholas II.
In the capital city, any doors opened in front of him. Everywhere the "experienced wanderer" was accepted as a "royal friend." It was known that Nicholas II could spend hours talking with a seer and even entrusted some state affairs. In the imperial family he was called nothing other than "God's man." Gradually, he became objectionable to some conspiratorial circles. Accusations of witchcraft, drunkenness, depravity, whiplash, etc. fell on him. When that didn't work, more effective methods were taken. Because of such accusations, the seer was forced to leave Petersburg for a while.
In 1914, there was the very first attempt on Rasputin's life. Unsuccessful, it still shattered his health. The healer was seriously wounded in the village of Pokrovskoye, after which he was forced to undergo treatment in Tyumen. In the same period, Nicholas II made a decision about war and announced mobilization. The conspirators, meanwhile, did not doze. Prince Yusupov, State Councilor V. Purishkevich, Prince Dmitry Pavlovich, British intelligence agent O. Rainer were involved in the "anti-Rasputin" case. They managed to complete their plans at the end of 1916.
Gregory invited the Yusupov to visit with a request to provide healer assistance to his beautiful wife. During the reception, he was treated to poisoned food and drinks. But even this could not kill Rasputin, then the conspirators shot him, and the body was thrown into the icy waters of the Neva. After 2.5 months, Nicholas II was overthrown by the new Provisional Government, so the case of the death of the "tsar's friend" remained unanswered.
The biography of Grigory Rasputin interests people to this day. There is hardly a Russian person who has never heard of this famous person, who left a significant mark in the last years of the Russian Empire. Many fiction books, studies, dissertations and simply abstracts were written on the basis of the life of this man, who possessed outstanding, downright extraordinary data, physical and spiritual.
In the article:
Grigory Rasputin's childhood
The patronymic of this legendary personality is Efimovich, and Grigory was born in the family of an ordinary Russian peasant from village Pokrovskoe, which to this day is in the former Tobolsk province. He was born in the sixty-ninth year of the nineteenth century, at a time when the popular movements were already beginning to gain strength, and the kings felt how the hitherto uncomplaining people were raising their heads, protesting against the tyranny of tyranny.
Rasputin Grigory Efimovich
Born was a frail and weak child, but survived, unlike his sisters and brothers who left this world at the age of less than a year. They baptized him the morning after birth, named him Gregory, which means - awake. Because of his health, he could not indulge in children's games with his peers, who did not accept him as equals. Because of this, the boy closed in on himself, became unsociable, began to show a craving for solitude and reflection alone with himself. Like many elders, saints and other miracle workers, for example, it was at the age of childhood that, due to his rejection, he felt a craving for religion and found peace of mind in it.
At the same time, Gregory did not forget about earthly pursuits: he helped his father, grazed cattle, mowed hay, planted and harvested crops, went, like everyone else, to a cart. But because of his health, he quickly got tired, weakened. Therefore, fellow villagers considered him flawed and not like them, although the boy tried to be useful to the family.
At the age of fourteen, Gregory was struck by a serious illness, from which he fell ill and almost died. The family had already prepared to bury their only son, when the teenager's condition suddenly improved, and soon he completely recovered, amazing those around him. According to Rasputin, the Mother of God healed him by appearing to him in a dream. After his illness, he became even more religious, immersed himself in the study of theological texts. There was no school in the village, but he had such a thirst for knowledge that he got information from everywhere. Even not knowing how to read, he learned many prayers by heart, memorizing them by ear.
The son of an illiterate peasant, who himself never attended class and did not read the alphabet, he had an amazing gift of perspicacity that determined his entire future fate. Who could have guessed that even after a century and a half, people will remember how Grigory Rasputin once lived, whose biography will become the basis for many scientific works and works of art - from the cartoon "Anastasia", where he is depicted as a demonic villain, to comics, books and films? This was a truly extraordinary person.
Rasputin Grigory Efimovich - biography of adults
Grigory Rasputin and Iliodor
At the age of eighteen, which today means entering adulthood, Gregory made a pilgrimage to many monasteries and temples. He did not take tonsure and monastic vows, but made many useful acquaintances with priests, wanderers, representatives of the white and black clergy of all ranks. This helped him a lot in the future.
Years later, already in adulthood, Grigory Rasputin arrived in the capital. This happened in the third year of the twentieth century, in St. Petersburg, where the doors of the imperial palace were opened for a wanderer with amazing abilities. Only having arrived in the city on the banks of the Neva, Grigory did not have a penny to his heart. Seeking help, he came to bishop Sergius, who was the rector of the theological academy. He brought him to the right person - Archbishop Theophanes, the spiritual mentor of the entire royal family. He had heard a lot about Rasputin's prophetic gift, since rumors had already spread throughout the vast country.
Colonel Dmitry Loman, Grigory Rasputin and Prince Mikhail Putyatin
Rasputin made acquaintance with the royal family in difficult times for the Russian Empire. Revolutionary movements such as "Narodnaya Volya" have gained considerable influence, covering all segments of the population. The workers went on strike every now and then. They demanded tough decisions, volitional actions from the tsar, and Nicholas II, feeling great pressure, was confused by his gentle character. Probably, it was precisely because a simple peasant from Siberia managed to make such an impression on the tsar that he talked with him for hours. Being the so-called "holy elder", Grigory Rasputin had an incredible influence on the entire imperial family, but especially on the empress, Alexandra Feodorovna, who trusted the newly-minted spiritual mentor in everything.
Many historians believe that the main factor in acquiring such influence was the quite successful treatment of the heir to the throne, Alexei Nikolaevich, the beloved only son of the empress. He was seriously ill with hemophilia, a rare hereditary disease characterized by chronic bleeding and poor blood clotting. Rasputin was reassuring the boy in an unknown way. The Prophet eased his pain, and it seemed that he was recovering as much as possible with folk remedies.
So a simple peasant son became a confidant of the emperor himself, his personal adviser and a man with tremendous influence on the fate of the whole country. Rasputin Grigory Efimovich, whose biography amazes with the dizziness of takeoff, was and remains the object of controversy. To this day, the opinions of people on his account are extremely different. Some believe that Gregory was a man of amazing spiritual strength, patient and intelligent, who wished only good for Russia. Others call him Grishka and say that he was a greedy self-lover who indulged in debauchery, who, taking advantage of the indecision of Nicholas II, only pushed the empire towards destruction.
Be that as it may, Grigory Efimovich Rasputin, whose biography originates in a remote village even without a school, in his mature years lived in the palace of the emperor. No one could be appointed to the post without prior consultation with Rasputin. Possessing an amazing insight, this "divine man" could open the king's eyes to the secret thoughts of the courtiers, the true essence of a person, advise to bring someone closer or dissuade from rewarding. He participated in all palace affairs, having eyes and ears everywhere.
Attempts on Rasputin and his death
Before committing the murder of Rasputin, who interferes with their plans, his opponents tried in every possible way to denigrate Gregory in the eyes of the emperor. Rasputin was accused of witchcraft, drunkenness, debauchery, embezzlement and theft. Gossip and slander had no result: Nicholas II continued to unconditionally trust his adviser.
As a result, a conspiracy of the grand dukes arose, who wanted to remove the old man who was interfering with them from the political arena. The actual state councilor Vladimir Purishevich, the prince and, in the future, the commander-in-chief of the military forces of the Russian Empire, Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr., and also Prince Felix Yusupov seriously set out to destroy Rasputin. The conspiracy was drawn up at the highest level, but in the end everything did not go smoothly.
Khioniya Guseva
For the first time, they sent a shooter to Gregory - Khiony Gusev. The elder received a severe wound and was on the verge of life and death. At this time, being left without an adviser, who in every possible way dissuaded him from participating in the war, Nicholas II announced a general mobilization and announced the beginning of the war. When Rasputin began to recover, the emperor continued to consult with him, to ask Rasputin's opinion about his actions and to trust the seer.
This did not suit the conspiratorial grand dukes. They were determined to see it through to the end. For this purpose, Rasputin was invited to the palace of Prince Yusupov, where potassium cyanide, a deadly poison, was added to his food and drink, which, however, did not kill the elder. Then he was shot - but even with bullets in his back, Rasputin continued to fight fiercely for his life. He ran out into the street in an attempt to hide from the pursuing killers. However, his wounds quickly weakened him and the chase was not long. Grigory was thrown onto the pavement and severely beaten. Then he, almost beaten, having lost a lot of blood, was thrown from the Petrovsky bridge into the Neva. Even in the icy water, the elder and prophet Grigory Rasputin lived for several more hours before death took him away.
This man was distinguished by a truly titanic fortitude and a thirst for life, but by the will of the great princes he was sentenced. Nicholas II, left without an advisor and assistant, was overthrown in just two and a half months. Almost when Rasputin's life ended, the history of the Romanovs' house, which ruled Russia for several centuries, also ended.
Rasputin's terrible predictions
Earlier we called this old man a seer. Indeed, it is believed that the Siberian peasant had the gift of seeing the future. Rasputin's predictions made him famous throughout Russia and eventually brought him to the imperial palace. So what did he prophesy?
The most famous prophecies of Grigory Rasputin include the prediction of the catastrophic seventeenth year, the brutal destruction of the royal family, the horrors of the war between the whites and the reds that swept Russia. In their "Pious Reflections" Rasputin wrote that, embracing one of the tsar's children, he felt them dead - and this terrible insight caused him the deepest horror. He also said that if people, in whom the imperial blood flows, killed him, the whole house of the Russian rulers would not stand even two years, all of them would be killed for the shed blood of the elder.
Skeptical people say that Rasputin's prophecies are too much like. Maybe it is so. But the quatrains themselves indicate the appearance on Russian soil of such a person as Rasputin. It is likely that the elder could have been influenced by his acquaintance with.
Rasputin's predictions are perhaps some of the most significant prophecies made in the twentieth century. Despite the fact that many of them came true, there are those that have not been confirmed. For example, the coming of the Antichrist and the Apocalypse in two thousand and thirteenth. Therefore, we can confidently assert that not all the visions of the prophetic elder were accurate.
Rasputin's predictions about Russia
With regards to our days, Gregory left almost no prophecies. In any case, as unambiguous as about the twentieth century in which he lived. Rasputin's predictions about Russia have an alarming message: many temptations, probable death if the country succumbs Antichrist's temptations and will lose its way.
Basically, the prophecies of Rasputin about the future of Russia are as follows, if you make a dry squeeze of the facts: if Russia manages to avoid all temptations, it will take a significant place in the world. If not, then only death, decay and ashes await her. Like the other powers of Europe, if they are tempted by the gifts of the Antichrist and lose their moral values.
The modern writer-historian Yuri Rassulin, speaking about the personality of Elder Gregory, says: “It is not possible to explain the paradoxical combination in one person, / Grigory Rasputin / holiness and vice — one of the witnesses lied. Who is it: the Jew Aron Simanovich with Sergei Trufanov, who has renounced God and His Holy Church, or the Holy Royal Martyrs and Passion-bearers; the pervert Felix Yusupov with the Satanist Zhukovskaya or nun Maria - is she the Empress's faithful maid of honor Anna Aleksandrovna Taneeva (Vyrubova)? The whole question again rests on who to believe? Everyone is free to make their own choice ...
Grigory Rasputin is the cause of all troubles from the point of view of many. Too many have believed the dirty rumor. Through the nasty, disgusting thoughts that swarmed in the heads of the representatives of the Russian intelligent society, and from there spread into the souls of ordinary people, the sacred image of the Sovereign in the thoughts and feelings of the sons of the Russian People was desecrated. The relationship of the Russian People with God was overshadowed by the betrayal of the Anointed Tsar. Not only the Family of the Crowned Saints was insulted, but also the entire Russian People, one of whose representatives, the close Tsar, was and is Grigory Novy (Rasputin). The Name of God is also blasphemed, because at prayer, Grigory Efimovich in the Name of God healed Tsarevich Alexei, helped other people, and there is plenty of evidence of this.
And as long as the deepest delusion about his personality and his role in Russian history is not eliminated, there is still a reason to make claims to the Russian Autocrats and bring bewilderment to the minds of the Russian people in connection with the events of that fateful historical period for Russia. In the accusations that are being heard again today against the Russian peasant, it is not difficult to consider the long-standing desire to present an account to Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Through slander about Grigory Rasputin-Novy, the dignity of their royal service and the height of their Christian deed are called into question. Thus, the memory of the Crown-bearers is again insulted. Does the Lord expect such repentance from us? Truth must prevail. Otherwise, the insult inflicted in vain and the innocently shed royal blood will cry out to Heaven for revenge. And this will continue until sin is subjected to spiritual healing, that is, repentance.
Olga Vladimirovna Lokhtina briefly and clearly answered who was Grigory Rasputin during interrogation at the Extraordinary Investigative Commission. To the investigator's question: - What kind of person do you think Rasputin is? - she answered directly:
- I consider him an old man.
- What does it mean?
"An elder - who has gone through his whole life through experience and attained all Christian virtues."
For many, both then and today, Lokhtina's testimony will not seem convincing. Well from the fact that the eccentric woman said something there. Nobody wanted or wants to believe her. Indeed, General Olga Vladimirovna Lokhtina, abandoned by everyone and expelled from home for loyalty to Grigory Rasputin, was not taken seriously. Most considered her crazy, less often treated like a holy fool. Yes, of course, you can not believe Lokhtina, and she was wrong. But the fact is that this is exactly how the Holy Royal Martyrs treated Gregory. We won't believe the Holy Royal Martyrs either? And God? After all, Gregory the New (Rasputin) testified about God and directed people to God, worked miracles, prophesied, healed. Yes, he healed, and was it by demonic power? And the repeated healings of Tsarevich Alexy by Grigory Novy, witnessed by his contemporaries, were also demonic power? So, the Heir to the Russian Throne is healed from an incurable, fatal disease by the devil? So it turns out in accordance with the testimony of the liar Yusupov, the Jew Simanovich, the sexually preoccupied Zhukovskaya, the defrocked Trufanov, the leader of the revolutionary Duma Rodzianko, the social revolutionary Prugavin and those who, uncontrollably and madly trying to sneak into their company today, continue to believe them, and not Holy Royal Martyrs.
It is no coincidence that the word "believe" was used in the previous paragraph. Indeed, the question of Rasputin is a question of faith, faith in God, faith in the holiness of the Royal Martyrs and Passion-bearers, faith in Their Friend and prayer-book, and only then in words and testimony. If we believe that the Lord has glorified the Russian Crowns, believe in their holiness, then we love them and trust them, trust their opinion, especially in matters that are decisive for the fate of the Orthodox State of the Russian and Russian people, in matters that have principled character. And it turns out that the question of the historical role of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-Novy in the fate of Russia and the attitude towards his personality is precisely a matter of not secondary importance, but a matter of principle. Why?
Let's answer frankly. Because if we consider Grigory Rasputin a scoundrel, then the conclusion is inevitable: the Tsar and Tsarina are criminals, since they showed criminal blindness, unacceptable for Their position, brought a man led by the devil closer to themselves, which turned out to be a grave tragedy for God entrusted to them the people and the death of the Russian Orthodox State. It is this interpretation of historical events that the forces that ruined both the Russian Tsar and the Russian Autocracy are still trying to impose on us. What could be worse than this accusation? If Rasputin is a scoundrel, it must inevitably be admitted that everyone who betrayed the Emperor is not traitors at all, but protectors of the good of the Fatherland, rescuers. Their protest against the unsatisfactory, moreover criminal, from their point of view, reign of the last Emperor is legitimate and just, and the oppression they have suffered from the supreme royal power elevate them to the rank of persecuted in the name of the people's good. Everything is turned upside down, complete nonsense arises in the interpretation of the events of the reign of Nicholas II and the basis for the reigning of the Tsar and Tsarina as saints disappears.
A third option is also possible, which, along with the recognition of the sanctity of the Royal Family, implies the justification of those who were forced to find themselves in opposition to the Russian Crowns, including some members of the imperial family. This point of view is based on the somewhat strange assumption that the Russian Autocrats are undoubtedly holy, but, finding themselves in the spiritual captivity of a “political adventurer”, “charlatan” and “hypnotist”, they were unable to govern the Russian State and were completely disoriented in political questions. Such a statement carries with it an inexplicable contradiction. How can holiness and obedience to a flattering, alien to Orthodoxy and a spirit of sectarianism, hostile to God, be combined? And what is the reason - in their spiritual blindness, captivity to their will, and by whom? A rogue, a libertine, a whip, an enemy of the Orthodox faith !? But from this it follows that the faith of the Tsar and Tsarina was vain if it brought such bitter fruits for the entire Russian land. This assumption is terrible for every Orthodox person who loves the tortured Royal Family and firmly believes in their holiness.
But, perhaps, the horror of the tragic events of the revolution that he experienced made Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra, in the face of death, realize their mistake and repent of it, pay a terrible price for their blindness, and the Lord cleared them with a painful death after undoubted repentance? But there is no such evidence. There is evidence to the contrary, that all the members of the holy Royal Family continued to believe in their Friend until the end of their days, sacredly kept the memory of him.
Just as two dissimilar media that are incapable of mixing will always have a visible border separating, say, water from oil, so information about Grigory Rasputin is clearly divided by the nature of the statement into two groups. On the basis of the first group of testimonies, Grigory Rasputin is a holy, righteous life man, an ascetic. The second group of testimonies leads to the conclusion that the same person is a rogue, a swindler, a lecher, etc. But this does not happen with God. One does not go well with the other. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit. If a person is a prayer book, and his prayer has miraculous power, and this is nothing more than a gift from God, a manifestation of grace, the action of the Holy Spirit in a person, is it possible that such a person was a fornicator or an adulterer?
According to the opponents of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-Novy, the Lord allowed the terrible, cynical lawlessness to triumph, to commit seduction and fornication, covered by conversations about faith and the Name of God for many years. And this happened on such an incredible scale that it takes, apparently, from only one list of the seduced victims, if such could be presented to human judgment. Of course, one could cite a long philosophical argument on the topic of ambiguity, confusion and contradictory nature of human nature, that "the truth has been crooked from time immemorial in the same wheel across the world." But, as Grigory Efimovich once exclaimed: "And God, what about God !?" After all, to assert that Divine grace was enclosed in a dirty, wicked, foul-smelling vessel, defiled by fornication, is not this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?