On this day — 20th July 1964 — Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova (née Taneyeva) died in exile
Born on 16 July 1884, in Oranienbaum, Vyrubova was a lady-in-waiting, best friend and confidante of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
Vyrubova was arrested on 21 March 1917 and underwent five months of prison in the Peter and Paul Fortress. She was able to escape to Finland in December 1920.
Before leaving the Soviet Union, she became friends with the revolutionary writer Maxim Gorky, who urged her to write her memoirs; she followed his advice. Her memories of life at the Russian Court — published in 1923 — provide rare descriptions of the home life of the Tsar and his family.
Vyrubova spent the rest of her life first in Viipuri and later in Helsinki. She took vows as a Russian Orthodox nun but was permitted to live in a private home because of her physical disabilities. She died at 80, in Helsinki, where her grave is located in the Orthodox section of Hietaniemi cemetery.
Memory Eternal! Вечная Память!
