Rasputin is known as the Siberian mystic healer, whose life has been
retold countless number of times throughout history. One of the major
problems is the mystery
and discrepancies associated with the depiction of Rasputin's life.
Because he lived in a world beyond the reach of the written word, little
is known about the first 40 years of Rasputin's life.
What is known, has been retold through
family stories and mysterious tales of his healing powers and visions. This
means that, depending on the teller of the story, Rasputin might be a holy
monk on one occasion, then an actor or phony without any connection to God
on another. Some facts have been confirmed by historians though.
There is a general consensus that Rasputin was born between 1864 and 1865.
His birth place and home (when he was not wandering) was the village of
Pokrovskoe, presently Tiumen' Oblast. Located
in Siberia, Pokrovskoe can be found on the Toura River and is not far from
the Ural Mountains. In the other direction, to the west, almost
1500 miles fall between the Urals and St. Petersburg. In the late 1800's,
when Rasputin lived in Pokrovskoe, the village had only a few streets,
lined with spacious wooden houses. Depending on a family's wealth, the
houses were either one or two stories. The homes were not simple wooden
abodes, rather their decoration included ornate carving, as well as
painted beams and window frames. At the village's center stood a large
white church with a guilded dome, a symbol of Russia's strong religious
history.
The Encyclopedia Britannica reports that at the age of 18, Rasputin went
through a religious transition, eventually traveling to the monastery at
Verkhoture. Here, he was introduced to the Khlysty sect. After traveling
to the monastery and spending some time there, he
did not become a monk. Even though he did not stay at the monastery to
become a monk, this trip already set him on the path to power and fame.
At the age of 19 Rasputin returned to Pokrovskoe and married Praskovia Fyodorovna. They had three children: Dimitri in 1897, Maria in 1898, and Varvara in 1900. The picture to the left, shows Rasputin with his three children, circa 1910. Marriage did not settle Rasputin, he continued to wander, traveling to places of religious significance such as Mt. Athos, Greece and Jerusalem. A self proclaimed holy man, Rasputin held the power to heal the sick and predict the future. His fame grew far and wide, and soon people traveled from long distances in search of his insight and healing powers. In return for his services, people brought presents of food and money.
He had no long period of religious or spiritual training and he had only a limited academic education (he was not literate), thus his theatrical abilites became useful. While explaining his training, Alex de Jonge, the author of The Life and Times of Grigorii Rasputin , says "mystics, holy men, gurus, indeed certain kinds of creative artists, devote years to the disciplined development of their gifts; a sense of the spiritual alone is not enough" (27). One element of Rasputin's talents that everyone who sought his healing powers remarked upon was his great ability to calm people in distress.
While plowing one day, he was suddenly dazzled by an apparition. The story is that he was touched by the Heavenly Mother. She told him of the young Aleksei, the tsarevich and instructed him to appear at the boy's side to stop his bleeding- a result of hemophilia.
Rasputin's first move towards St. Petersburg was in 1902, when he visited
the city of Kazan near the Volga river. He learned his first lessons about
European culture and tradition when he spent his first time in a European
house.
Once he made this initial trip, he rapidly began to build a ever expanding
group of disciples and acquaintances among the upper classes. Among this
group, the "polite society," he was viewed "as a man of God and a starets
[religious elder]."(de Jonge, 58)
Rasputin arrived in St. Petersburg at a very lucky time. At this point,
church leaders were in search of people of his type. They wanted people
with religious influence, who had power over the people. Rasputin
was both an ordinary peasant - simple, forceful and direct - while at the
same time, he held the power to captivate people with his healing powers
and insight into the future. There are several different perspectives of
Rasputin's behavior and actions. Not everyone had a positive view of
Rasputin, his "enemies charged that he was nothing but cynical, and that he
used religion to mask his drive for sex, money, and power" (de Jonge, 14).
Tzar Nicholas, Tsarina Alexandra and their children in a family portrait.
Rasputin's life in St. Petersburg, though based on the Tsarevich's need, was not totally centered around the Romanov family. He remained an accessible holy monk and healer. His days consisted of a leisurely breakfast with family and close friends. Between 10 am to 1 pm, he had calling hours, open to any St. Petersburg citizen. Later in the afternoon, he called at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoe Selo, the family's favorite residence, for the family's news. He only went to the palace when he was needed for healing or spiritual support. While in St. Petersburg, Rasputin did stay in touch with his family in Pokrovskoe, and in 1910 his daughter Maria moved to the city to attend the Seminary Academy. Soon after Maria's move, Rasputin's other daughter Varvara arrived and the girls attended the prominent Steblin-Damensky Gymnasium. Praskovia, Rasputin's wife, now made yearly voyages to the city to visit her daughters and husband.
There is much controversy over Rasputin's life, from his mistresses to his
mystical healing powers. But what is certain is that he had an
irrefutable affect on the Romanov family and the Russian Empire.
Last Updated: 12/16/97
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Liz Hollenbach.
