Remains of the last Russian Tsar’s children to be buried in St. Petersburg

The remains of the last Romanov children, Tsarevich Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria (son and daughter of Nicholas II), will be buried in Peter and Paul Fortress, the original citadel of St. Petersburg, founded by Peter the Great. The burial ceremony will take place on October 18, 2015.

The remains of Alexei and Maria will be buried alongside their family members, who were buried there in 1998 after their bodies were discovered by archeologists. The bodies Alexei and Maria, who were killed by the Bolsheviks along with the rest of their family in 1918, were missing until 2007.

A working group dedicated to the Romanov burial question has recommended transferring the remains of the Romanov children to St. Catherine’s chapel of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, which is located inside the fortress.

Representatives of the Romanov Family Association told the news agency Interfax that they are ready to attend the ceremony.

Representatives of the Romanov family are recommended for invitation to the ceremony.

Russian Government

• Tsar Nicholas II was the last ruler of the Russian Empire. He was forced to abdicate in 1917. He was imprisoned by the Bolsheviks and executed in 1918 along with his wife Alexandra, his daughters, Anastasia, Tatiana, Olga, and Maria, and his son, Alexei. The family’s doctor and three servants were killed with them.
• For many years, the family’s burial site remained unknown. In 1979, near the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, an amateur archeologist accidentally stumbled upon the remains of Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, three of their four daughters, and the four non-family members killed with them. The remains were excavated only in 1998 and were officially identified using DNA testing as those of Nicholas II and his family (excluding one of his daughters and Alexei).
• The bodies of Maria and Alexei were discovered in 2007, also near Yekaterinburg, by a group of amateur historians. DNA tests confirmed the findings.
• In 2008, Russia's Supreme Court ruled that Nicholas II and his family were victims of political persecution and should be rehabilitated.
• The cathedral is the burial place of most Russian tsars.The remains of Nicholas II and his family were reburied there in 1998, on the 80th anniversary of their deaths.