In the history of Russia, there have been many outstanding women, and Countess Ekaterina Nikolaevna Ignatieva is remembered by her contemporaries as an angel of mercy. Born in 1869 into an aristocratic family, she was the daughter of Nikolai Pavlovich Ignatiev, a general-adjutant and a well-known envoy of Russia to the Ottoman Empire, who is still respected in the Balkans. Her mother, Ekaterina Leonidovna, was a born Princess Golitsyna.

Ekaterina Nikolaevna received an excellent education and at the age of 21 became a lady-in-waiting to Empress Maria Feodorovna. She easily charmed those around her, and Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich wished to enter into a morganatic marriage with her, but did not receive permission from Alexander III.

After a failed engagement, Ekaterina Nikolaevna did not find family happiness, but did not despair and tried to bring warmth to those in need. In 1892, at the age of 23, she withdrew from high society and joined the Holy Trinity community of sisters of mercy, the first in Russia.

During the Boxer Rebellion in China, Ekaterina Nikolaevna found herself close to combat for the first time and helped the wounded, for which she received the George Medal for Courage. She was again on the front lines during the Russo-Japanese War. Eyewitnesses were astonished to see an educated woman amidst the horrors of war, but she endured all hardships alongside soldiers and officers, without complaint or demands. She was awarded medals twice, but this only partially reflects her heroism.

During the Balkan War in 1912, she saved lives once again, and World War I became her last. In 1914, Ekaterina Nikolaevna served as the head sister of mercy under Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, who organized a network of hospitals. Countess Ignatieva passed away on November 17, 1914, from tetanus at the age of just 45, but she earned her immortality long before that.