History of its Origin

The stone two-story mansion was built in the 1870s on one of the slopes of Voznesenskaya Hill. Initially, the house belonged to state councilor Ivan Redikortsev. According to legend, he built it with money earned from the trade of women, as he owned two brothels that brought in a good income. The architects successfully integrated the building into the hill's relief: the eastern facade was one-story, while the western was two-story. The mansion had a cozy veranda and a spacious basement, which later became the site of the murder of the Romanov family. The house was equipped with sewage and plumbing.

In 1899, Redikortsev was forced to part with the house due to debts. Creditors filed a lawsuit, and to avoid lengthy litigation, he sold the house and paid off his debts. However, the disgraceful reputation of a brothel owner became unbearable for him, and he died of a broken heart.

The mansion passed to gold industrialist Ivan Sharavyev, who was said to have amassed his fortune through fraudulent means. He sold plots of land, first sprinkling them with gold dust to create an impression of wealth. However, his machinations led him to the dock. Sharavyev fell into depression and began drinking, eventually selling the house as well. In 1908, the new owner became engineer Nikolai Ipatiev, whose name became associated with the estate.

Before the Tragic April of 1918

Nikolai Nikolayevich Ipatiev, son of a well-known Moscow architect, found himself in Yekaterinburg on business. He was building railroads in the Urals and Siberia and received a gold badge from Nicholas II. He bought the house in Yekaterinburg for six thousand rubles and moved in with his family. The living quarters were on the second floor, while his office was on the first.

An interesting fact: shortly before the October Revolution, his brother Vladimir Ipatiev, a renowned chemist, was visiting him. Vladimir is considered the founder of the Russian military chemical industry, and a prize named after him has been established in the USA, comparable in prestige to the Nobel Prize.

Ironically, Ipatiev was also accused of fraud in construction. However, the investigation was halted in 1917. In April 1918, the new authorities evicted him from the house, assigning a special purpose to the building. Ipatiev learned about this while on vacation.

Thus, the Ipatiev House became a temporary prison for the family of Nicholas II. The Bolsheviks chose it due to its advantageous location: from the bell tower of the Voznesenskaya Church, it was convenient to observe what was happening around, especially the building where the royal family was housed.

78 Days

The Romanovs arrived on April 30 and spent their last 78 days in the Ipatiev House. The house was surrounded by a high fence, and machine guns were installed on neighboring buildings.

An interesting fact: the chairman of the Ural Soviet, Alexander Beloborodov, a close friend of Trotsky, accompanied the royal family. When the car stopped at the house, he said, "Citizen Romanov, you may enter!" This phrase became historic.

The imperial family was settled in two rooms. There were not enough beds, so they slept on the floor. In the mornings, they were given tea, and during the day and evening, they were fed with canteen food. They dined together with the servants and Red Army soldiers.

According to memories, one of the guards, scooping soup from the royal bowl, maliciously said, "They are still feeding you after all." There is a legend that the commandant Alexander Avdeev accidentally elbowed the emperor in the face during a meal.

The prisoners endured other humiliations as well. When the princesses went to the toilet, the guards made lewd jokes or stood by the door eavesdropping.

The royal family was kept in confinement almost all the time, allowed to walk only for 15 minutes in a small courtyard. The women spent their time sewing or knitting, sometimes singing or playing the piano, which they were forced to do by the guards.

They Know Not What They Do

On the night of July 16 to 17, the family and servants were asked to descend into the basement. There is a version that 23 steps led to this room, the same number of years Nicholas II had been on the throne. When the prisoners settled down, they were read the sentence, which was immediately carried out. The process was led by Yakov Yurovsky. The main reason for the hasty execution was the approach of the White Guards. Various options for the execution were discussed, including throwing grenades.

Upon hearing the sentence, Nicholas II asked, "What? What?" According to Yurovsky's diaries, nothing followed. But in reality, the emperor said, "Forgive them... They know not what they do!" These words entered history.

After the execution, the bodies were taken out of the city. They were doused with sulfuric acid and set on fire, and the remains were thrown into a mine. Later, a Cross of Remembrance appeared at the site of the mine, becoming part of the monastery complex at Ganina Yama, where pilgrims flock. In 1918, the last chapter of the Russian Empire was written.

Ipatiev House After the Royal Era

A few days after the execution, the house became the headquarters of Czechoslovak General Radola Gajda. This young military man was extravagant: he wore an earring, dressed fashionably, and was called an adventurer and a womanizer.

An interesting fact: Gajda initiated a coup against Kolchak, and after the Civil War, he moved to Czechoslovakia and led the local fascists.

Gajda befriended Ipatiev and began paying him rent for the house. In 1921, he helped Ipatiev move to Prague, where he worked as a teacher. Ipatiev died in 1938 and was buried in Prague. The house in Yekaterinburg continued to exist.

After the Civil War, the mansion housed a dormitory for party workers, but not for long. In 1927, the estate was turned into a museum of the revolution, and the basement recreated the night of the execution of the royal family. The poet Vladimir Mayakovsky visited the museum and created the poem "The Emperor," describing the fate of Nicholas II.

In 1937, an anti-religious museum opened in the mansion. During the war years, part of the Hermitage collections was moved here, and after the war, a party archive and educational center were established.

In the 1960s, the mansion attracted the attention of residents and tourists. Flowers were brought to the Ipatiev estate in memory of the innocently slain. Rumors spread that UNESCO intended to include the house in the list of monuments to barbarism.

In 1975, the Politburo decided to demolish the mansion, as it supposedly did not fit into the reconstruction plans. However, the demolition was long postponed. In 1977, the authorities decided to straighten Karl Liebknecht Street and ordered the house to be prepared for demolition. Thus, the fate of the estate was sealed.

For two days, builders destroyed the walls that held the memory of that terrible night. The work was completed, and the remains of the house were sent to the dump. Another period in the Romanov history came to an end.

An interesting fact: before the demolition, a commission searched the basement for the imperial family's riches. One official wanted to appropriate a painted fireplace, but the museum staff dismantled it themselves and took the artifacts for the local history museum.

New Times

In 2003, the Church on the Blood was built on the site of the Ipatiev House. The idea arose after the perestroika when Boris Yeltsin was in power. Believers constantly gathered in the alley where the mansion stood. In 1990, a Cross of Remembrance was erected there, and discussions about building a church began.

A competition was announced, projects were developed, but the idea stalled. In 2000, the last emperor and his family were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. Patriarch Alexy II blessed the construction of the Church on the Blood. The church opened on the anniversary of the royal family's death and was consecrated. The widow of Nicholas II's nephew donated the icon of the Mother of God "Three-Handed," which had been with the Romanovs for all 78 days of their captivity.

A monument to the royal family was installed in front of the entrance. The sculptors recreated the staircase leading to the basement of the house and placed figures of the murdered on it.

Today, the Church on the Blood is part of the excursion route "The Last Days of the Romanovs."