WhereIsAtlas · History

The Romanov Remains

The mystery of Russia's last royal family — executed in 1918, their bones hidden for decades, then found and identified by DNA

Concluded — The Romanov family was executed by Bolsheviks on 17 July 1918 in Yekaterinburg. Their remains were hidden and not discovered until 1979 (exhumed 1991) and 2007. DNA testing identified them, and they now rest in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

On 17 July 1918, the entire Romanov family — Tsar Nicholas II, Tsarina Alexandra, their four daughters and son Alexei — was executed in the basement of a house in Yekaterinburg, Russia, by Bolshevik revolutionaries. Their bodies were hidden, and the exact fate of the last imperial family became one of the great mysteries of the 20th century.

For decades, impostors claimed to be surviving Romanovs, and the fate of the remains — especially that of the youngest daughter, Anastasia — fueled endless speculation. But the truth was hidden in the earth outside Yekaterinburg.

In 1979, a man named Alexander Avdonin discovered what he believed were the family's remains at a site called Ganina Yama, but the Soviet authorities kept it secret. He secretly exhumed them in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union. The remains of the Tsar, Tsarina and three daughters were confirmed by DNA testing. In 2007, the remains of the heir Alexei and one of the daughters were found at a nearby site. All of the identified remains were buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, closing the mystery.

Quick facts

Execution
July 17, 1918, Yekaterinburg
Family
Tsar Nicholas II, Alexandra, 4 daughters, son Alexei
First find
1979 (kept secret); exhumed 1991
Confirm
DNA testing identified the remains
Second find
2007 (Alexei + one daughter)
Final burial
Peter and Paul Cathedral, St. Petersburg

Sources

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