On the eve of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, as part of the events dedicated to the 755th anniversary of the Tver Diocese, the opening of an exhibition of documentary photography "Two Holy Grand Duchesses Anna Kashinskaya and Elizabeth Romanova: a connection through the Ages" took place in the Transfiguration Cathedral of Tver. The project is dedicated to the 135th anniversary of the conversion to Orthodoxy of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna Romanova and her participation in June 1909 in the celebration of the second glorification of the Holy Grand Duchess and Nun Anna Kashinskaya.
The head of the Tver regional public organization "Society of Prince of Tver and Grand Duke of All Russia Mikhail Yaroslavich", Candidate of Philological Sciences, A.Yu. Yanchevskaya, spoke at the opening of the exhibition. She spoke about the historical and spiritual context of the exhibition, as well as about the participation of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna in the celebrations of 1909 in Kashin and about the veneration of St. Anna Kashinskaya by members of the imperial family.
Then Metropolitan Ambrose of Tver and Kashinsky addressed the participants of the event. The bishop thanked the organizers of the exhibition, and also invited Tver residents and guests of the city to participate in divine services dedicated to the 755th anniversary of the Tver Diocese.
Metropolitan Ambrose announced a significant event related to the veneration of St. Anna of Kashin: on the occasion of the commemoration day of the Venerable Grand Duke Mikhail of Tver on December 5, a shrine with the relics of the Venerable Grand Duchess Anna of Kashin will be brought to the Transfiguration Cathedral of Tver on December 4-7, 2026. The bringing of the relics of St. Anna Kashinskaya from Kashin to Tver will take place for the first time in history.
Then the welcome address of Senator of the Russian Federation, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture L.N. Skakovskaya was announced.
"For many years, the Holy and Pious Princess Anna Kashinskaya and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna have been a symbol of spiritual fortitude, mercy and loyalty to their people," the greeting reads.
The senator noted that the archival photographs and historical documents presented at the exhibition allow us to take a fresh look at important pages of Russian history related to the celebration of the second glorification of St. Anna Kashinskaya in 1909, feel the atmosphere of that era and better understand the spiritual and cultural traditions that unite generations.
The musical trilogy "Grand Dukes of Tver Mikhail and Anna", including the works "Anna Kashinskaya", "Rumor about Prince Mikhail", "Mikhail and Anna", was performed during the event. The music was written by composer, teacher, Honored Worker of Culture of Russia, laureate of international and All-Russian prizes Victoria Filatova. The authors of the poems are Galina Gadalova and Marina Krotova, members of the Mikhail Tversky Society.
The exhibition tells about the deep spiritual connection between two holy women — St. Anna Kashinskaya, Princess, nun and patroness of the Tver land, and the Venerable Martyr Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna, a representative of the House of Romanov, who converted to Orthodoxy and devoted her life to serving God and people.
The exhibition presents archival photographs taken on June 11-12, 1909 in the old style, June 24-25 in the new style, during the celebrations of the second glorification of St. Anna Kashinskaya. Visitors will be able to see the pre-revolutionary Kashin, divine services, religious processions, national assemblies and views of the ancient city captured by the masters of photography V.A. Kolotilshchikov, A.I. Saveltsev, S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky and other authors.
Special attention is paid to the veneration of the blessed spouses Mikhail Tversky and Anna Kashinskaya by members of the imperial family. The exhibition is complemented by explanatory texts and quotations that allow for a deeper understanding of the historical and spiritual context of the events of the early 20th century and the significance of the memory of the Tver saints for the whole of Russia.
The exhibition was prepared by the Mikhail Tverskoy Society and the parishioners of the Kashin Resurrection Cathedral as part of the interregional public scientific and educational project "Holy Blessed Spouses Mikhail Tverskoy and Anna Kashinskaya in the context of the history of the House of Romanov."