The spiritual life of Tsar Alexander I is a theme threaded through a book I have written but not yet published, called “Married to the Tsar: Elisabeth of Baden and Alexander I, 1794-1825.” One of Sari’s Adult Ed sessions last spring gave me the idea of tracing the tsar’s spiritual search, as we reflected on the turns that had brought us to St. John’s Norwood.
The day Alexander was born, in December 1777, his grandmother, Catherine the Great, took him from his mother to raise him herself. She planned to raise the baby to supplant her son. Alexander felt like the pawn he was. But Catherine gave him a tutor who taught the boy Enlightenment principles, such as “all men are created equal.” In March 1801, Alexander reluctantly became tsar, horrified by the murder of his father. In that month, his idol Thomas Jefferson became president.
Alexander attended Russian Orthodox masses all his life, a key part of his Russian identity.
Alexander’s active prayer life arose during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and the incineration of Moscow. After Napoleon fled Russia, Alexander determined to rid Europe of him. He fought his way to Paris by 1814 and put Napoleon on Elba.
Then came Alexander’s conversion to Pietism, a style of belief that suited the tsar’s wish to escape hierarchy and to share prayer with a few others, in unchurched groups. Pietists focused on humble service to others. They studied the Bible together and held each other accountable.
Alexander wanted to teach the serfs to read. He sent teachers throughout his vast country, with the New Testament translated into Russian. The Orthodox Church did not support widespread Bible-reading, and they showed their power. The project collapsed in a defeat for the tsar.
He and his wife travelled far from St Petersburg, where he turned toward helping people one-on-one. What he failed to accomplish from his elevated status, he tried to do by face-to-face kindness. He visited people inside barracks, orphanages, and hospitals, where he likely caught the fever he died from.
As we confront our own challenges, I hope we’re encouraged by the tsar’s pathway.
- by Nancy Derr
► Learn more about this tsar's unique spiritual journey from Nancy at this Sunday's Adult Forum. Join us at 10:00 am either in person in the Parish Hall, or via Zoom (bit.ly/STJNmain).