Saint Elizabeth of Russia

1 November 1864
birth of Elizabeth of Hesse-Darmstadt named after Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-31), a Catholic saint of her own family. Her childhood was Lutheran,

1884
Elizabeth married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, the fifth son of Tsar Alexander II of Russia.

1894
Elizabeth adopted the Orthodox faith.

18 February 1905
the Grand Duke Sergei was assassinated

April 1909
Elizabeth and seventeen women were dedicated as Sisters of Love and Mercy. Their work flourished: soon they opened a hospital and a variety of other philanthropic ventures arose

7 May 1918
Elizabeth was arrested with two sisters from her convent, and transported across country to Perm, then to Ekatarinburg, and finally to Alapaevsk. On 17 July the Tsar and his family were shot dead. During the following night Elizabeth, a sister from SS Mary and Martha named Varvara, and members of the royal family were murdered in a mineshaft.

1984
Elizabeth was recognized as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and then by the Moscow Patriarchate in 1992.

1995
Statue sculpted by John Roberts for the West Front of Westminster Abbey

German language web site about Elisabeth von Hesse-Darmstadt