(Book 2) Les dernières années de la cour de Tzarskoié-Sélo 1909-1911
CHAPTER 2
Summary. — The years 1909-1910-1911 in Rasputin’s career. — Rasputi and Iliodor. — Pilgrimage by A. A. Vyrubova and Mrs S. to Rasputin’s native country. —Rasputin’s saintliness. — Rasputin in Tsaritsyn. — His triumph. — Change in Rasputin himself. — Monitoring by the Okhrana Section. — Campaign against Rasputin. — Stolypin’s report to the Emperor. — Bishop Theophane’s report. — Change in Militsa Nikolyevna and her sister’s change towards Rasputin. — Complaints by Mrs Tiucheva and Mrs Vishnyakova — Their Majesties’ attitude towards this campaign. — Its failure. — Rasputin’s victory. — Iliodor arrives in Petersburg in the summer of 1910. — Scandal at Tsaritsyn caused by Iliodor, and revelation of Rasputin’s adventures in this town. — Report by aide-de-camp Mandryka. — The “staretz” incurs the Sovereign’s disfavour. — Pilgrimage by the “staretz” to Jerusalem. — His writings. — His return. — Rasputin triumphs again in Tsaritsyn.
The start of 1909 produced an event following which people began talking of Rasputin’s influence over Their Majesties.
In Tsaritsyn, the priest Iliodor set about giving demagogic sermons aimed against the local authorities. Many wanted to send him to Minsk as punishment. To ensure this did'nt occure, he went, in the spring of 1909, to Petersburg, where he had many friends among the members of the clergy and aristocracy, and where as I was informed by Rasputin, almost everyone gave Iliodor their support, even Rasputin had done so through A. A. Vyrubova.
Iliodor had also been received by my Commander Dediulin, and I had attended their meeting. The exalted monk reminded me of Gapone. He spoke mostly nonsence, then, seizing his hat, hurriedly left the house, cursing it as being an impure place, and made his way to Anna Vyrubova’s home.
Thanks to the involvement of a number of people, for him events took a favourable turn, and he had even managed to be received at the Palace, where he had complained bitterly about the 'evil pastors', his accusers. Soon after, he was allowed to return to Tsaritsyn.
Iliodor, who was known by the circle of people around Mrs Vyrubova, wholly and solely attributed his success toRasputin, and spoke about it everywhere, singing the praises of the “staretz”. This helped to considerably increase Rasputin’s popularity. In the ecclesiastical circles, the main subject of discussion was his influence over Church matters, while Rasputin’s female admirers took charge of spreading his glory far and wide, and fuelling his popularity in every way possible. During the summer of 1909, Mrs Vyrubova, a Mrs S. and a third lady went on a pilgrimage to Rasputin’s country of birth, leaving for Siberia accompanied by the “staretz” himself.
The Empress knew Mrs S. very well, trusting her judgement, she asked her to inform her in detail of the type of life Rasputin had led and was still leading in his native country, and to find out whether he deserved the trust placed in him by the Court. As she took her leave of Mrs S., the Empress told her that, as A. Vyrubova was a woman without a great deal of worldly experience, she was relying on her, Mrs S., to discover what sort of man Rasputin raelly was, based on her discoveries in Siberia.
These ladies left. On the way, Rasputin was so attentive to one of them, that one would have had to be extremely naive to believe in his saintliness. It was the same in his native village of Pokrovskoye. Mrs S. was soon convinced that Rasputin had to be removed from the Palace, and as soon as possible.
Mrs S. turned out to be a bad travel companion, hardly giving in to Rasputin’s whims, which soon displeased him and the two other ladies.
On returning from the pilgrimage, Mrs S. was no longer received by the Empress. So she wrote her a letter where she warned her that Rasputin did not deserve her trust. Her letter was obviously not taken into consideration, and Mrs S. fell into disfavour and was never to speak to the Empress again. In November 1909, Rasputin went to Tsaritsyn, where he stayed for quite some time. Iliodor’s parisheners, indoctrinated by his sermons, welcomed the “staretz” as the defender of the poor and underpriveliged before the Tsar. As Rasputin only showed himself in Tsaritsyn when escorted by the Bishop of Saratov, Hermogenes, this only elevated his authority in the eyes of the people. His stay in Tsaritsyn was a total triumph for him. When seen in public, common people would run up to him, kneel before him, kiss his hands, and ask for his blessing.
