The fate of an icon gifted by the last Russian empress to Anastasia Hendrikova in October 1917

In October, 1917; the last sitting Empress of Russia, Alexandra Federovna; had gifted Countess Anastasia Hendrikova a painting of St. John of Tobolsk, a Town located in the Tyumen Oblast of Russia.

Like her confidantes, the Romanovs; Countess Anastasia Hendrikova would find herself suffering the same fate as the Romanovs, when Countess Hendrikova was shot by the Bolsheviks around the night of September 3, and the early morning of September 4, 1918 in Perm, Russia.

After the House of Romanov was obliterated, and Countess Anastasia Hendrikova, herself was also assassinated; and the Soviets came into power, this painting had found it’s way into the hands of her brother, Count Pyotr Hendrikov.

For much of his life following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Count Pyotr Hendrikov had kept the painting as a Family Shrine; and took it with him when he relocated from Russia to France. In Count Pyotr Hendrikov’s old age, he had donated the icon to the Orphanage Church of the Russian Military Invalids located near Paris.

In 2001, the Orphanage Church of the Russian Military Invalids had caught on fire; and in spite of this painting having fortunately remained intact during and after the fire; this painting could have been discarded and destroyed along with the rest of the Church, when the remains of this Church were leveled.

Luckily, thanks to the efforts of a Priest by the name of Mikhail Gudkov, a Russian expatriate who was living in France at this time; had found the precious relic among the burned out ruins of the Church.

Father Mikhail Gudkov had held dear to the historical value of the icon, preserved it and kept it safe while he had it in his possession, and before Father Mikhail Gudkov’s death; he had passed it on to his son.

On September 30, 2021; this painting had passed through an Auction at Moscow’s famous Litfond Auction House. The starting bid was 1.6 million Rubles ($18,400 United States Dollars), and had ultimately sold for 2.6 million Rubles ($30,000 United States Dollars) to a Russian national residing somewhere within his native country.