Located near Yekaterinburg is a special place that attracts pilgrims every year. This is Ganina Yama, drawing both Orthodox Christians and those interested in history. It was here in July 1918 that the bodies of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his family were brought after their tragic demise. The murderers sought to conceal the fact of the execution, and for a long time, the forest thickets kept this secret. Today, the history of these events is detailed in books, and Ganina Yama has become a well-known landmark. A complex of wooden churches has been built here, where guides tell the story of the tragedy that occurred over a century ago.

The family of Nicholas II was transported to the Urals from Tobolsk on April 30, 1918, and placed in the house of engineer Ipatiev. After 78 days, they were shot in the basement of this house under the direction of Yakov Yurovsky. The bodies were doused in sulfuric acid and taken to Ganina Yama, where they were burned and dumped into mineshafts, hoping to forever hide the traces of the crime. However, in 1920, the Kolchak government conducted an investigation, and the truth came to light.

During the Soviet years, this story was preferred to be kept silent, but in the early 90s, it gained publicity. In 1991, the first Pilgrim Cross was erected at the burial site. In 2000, Patriarch Alexy II proposed to build a monastery at this location. Architects developed a project that included monk residences and the design of the mineshaft. Subsequently, the project was altered, and a church and a brotherhood building were constructed on the site. Ganina Yama has become a major center for pilgrims.

Today, Ganina Yama is a complex of seven wooden churches, including a church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Derzhavnaya." All buildings symbolically correspond to the number of members of the royal family. The complex is adorned with a Pilgrim Cross, gifted by singer Victoria Tsyganova. The cross is made from oak that suffered during the Battle of Kursk. The mineshaft is surrounded by a wooden gallery, and a photograph of Nicholas II and his family is placed on a nearby pine tree. All the churches in the complex are open for visits, and there is a church shop and refectory. It is better to visit with a guide.