Born in 1890, Princess Tatiana Konstantinovna was the eldest daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich (KR) and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Mavrikievna, cousins of Tsar Nicholas II. Tatiana Konstantinovna was a good friend to Nicholas II’s two eldest daughters Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana, and the two often mentioned her in their diaries.
In 1911, Princess Tatiana married Konstantin Bagration-Moukhransky, a member of the former Royal House of Georgia, and raised two children with him.
Princess Tatiana had her share of tragedy in life: the early death of her husband, who was killed at the front in May 1915, his father’s death, the murder of her brothers in the mine near Alapaevsk in July 1918, and the years of exile.
After the Second World War, Tatiana took monastic vows with the name of Matushka Tamara in Geneva, after which she went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In 1951 Matushka Tamara became the Prioress of the Monastery of Mt Olive and remained so until 1975.
On July 29, 1979 Matushka Tamara fell ill and was diagnosed with gangrene from a blood clot blockage in her left leg. It was the same leg that she hurt as a young woman, riding in a sleigh.
Her doctors decided that she would not live through surgery under general anesthesia . Matushka Tamara’s son Teimuraz arrived from America with his wife and aunt Vera Konstantinovna. After dinner that day Matushka Tamara peacefully departed from this life.
When faced with challenges throughout her life, Matushka Tamara often recited these lines from a poem written by her esteemed poet father, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich:
…When there is no more strength to bear the cross,
…When anguish cannot be overcome,
… We raise our eyes to heaven,
… And pray day and night,
… For the Lord to have mercy on us …
Leave a comment