Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Nikolaevna,
the four daughters of Russia’s last Emperor and Empress continue to fascinate people around
the world more than a century after their brutal killings in Ekaterinburg, 1918. Often thought of as a single unit using a nickname, they sometimes
used to refer to all 4 of them, OTMA, seen as beautiful young ladies in white dresses,
or as dutiful wartime nurses, or even as naïve young women who had few friends and little
contact with the world outside the palace, their lives have been steeped in modern day
mythology. However, with the opening of the Russian State Archives following the fall
of the Soviet Union, the letters and diaries of the Grand Duchesses are now revealing interesting
and fascinating details about their sadly short lives. Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna’s oldest
child, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna was born on 3 November, 1895. While they may have hoped
for a boy, they were more than thrilled to be parents and even took baby Olga with them
the following year on their visit to England and France. Over the following few years,
3 more daughters were born – Tatiana on 29 May 1897, Maria on 14 June 1899 and Anastasia
on 5 June, 1901. Olga has been described by close friend and
confidant of the Empress Anna Vyrubova as being the most like her mother in her nature.
She had light coloured hair and was known for being straightforward and honest. Growing
up she was stubborn, independent and forthright. She was somewhat hot tempered and sensitive.
Olga was musical, playing piano excellently by ear and having a confident, if thin, singing
voice. She loved poetry and reading and possessed a deep and serious religiosity. In her files
at the Russian State Archives are many notebooks filled with where she has copied out favourite
poems and religious quotes. Nicholas and Alexandra’s second daughter
Tatiana had a gentle nature. She was somewhat shy and reserved, but conversely, was also
the Grand Duchess who enjoyed outside company the most. Tatiana was tall, slim and elegant.
She had dark hair and grey eyes. She was very close to her parents, and tried hard to always
be obedient to their wishes. She Tatiana was very skilled at needlework and had good taste
and a sense for fashion. She strived to be helpful to others and was a born nurse. Her
siblings called her the Governess as she looked out for them ensuring that they were doing
all that their parents and teachers had instructed. Her cousin Irina affectionately called her
Tanechka, to her youngest sister she was ‘Tanka.’ Maria had a very easy-going, kind and friendly
nature. She was very beautiful with thick golden-brown hair and large luminous blue
eyes known in the family as ‘Marie’s saucers.’ She had inherited her grandfather Alexander
III’s strong build and as a teenager was able to lift up her English tutor Mr Gibbs.
She loved little children dearly. Maria was stoic and possessed a great deal of inner
strength and energy which stood her in good stead during captivity. She was a great support
to her mother during the days of uncertainty of February 1917 while her other sisters were
sickening with measles, and was chosen by her parents to accompany them when the family
was split up in April 1918. Within the family she was often called Marie, and was affectionately
nicknamed Masha, Mashka and even Mandrifolie by her brother. The youngest Grand Duchess, Anastasia, had,
as Ania Vyrubova described it, an extremely lively and original personality. She was always
finding some form of mischief as a child and was keenly observant of people’s foibles
and comical features. Anastasia was a born mimic. As a child she was sometimes describes
as an ‘enfant terrible’. She was always on the go – one of the guards at Ekaterinburg
describing her as being like ‘quicksilver.’ While she never lost her sense of humour and
joie de vivre, the seriousness of the situation she and her family found themselves in had
its impact and Anastasia’s later letters, show a much more sober and serious side to
her nature. Anastasia’s childhood nicknames were Nastaska and Malenkaya, and then, during
the war, she started calling herself Shvybzik which was also the name of her Pomeranian
dog. The meaning of the name is uncertain, it could be from an old, somewhat obscure
Russian word shibzik, meaning a short person, or perhaps from a German term for a tipsy,
merry person. Empress Alexandra was a very involved mother
– as her own mother had been, breastfeeding her daughters (as well as using a wetnurse)
and nursing them through childhood illnesses. In 1901, Olga became ill with typhoid. The
Empress wrote to Margarethe von Fabrice: “Please do not expect any letters from me now as Olga
has come down with typhoid. Luckily it is a mild form. I am with her as much as possible.
She is in a single room, dozes much, drinks only a little milk. Rather bad tempered today
as her sisters are of course strictly kept from her.” Later on, Alexandra also nursed
Anastasia through diphtheria. The Empress paid close attention to her daughters’ education.
The Grand Duchesses had a very full curriculum of study – mostly with private tutors such
as the Russian language tutor Pyotr Petrov and the French tutor Pierre Gilliard, but
they also attended physics classes in a classroom at the ‘Realnoe’ School. Lessons began at 9 and continued until 1 when
there was a break for lunch. After lunch there was time for walks in the park and other activities
before lessons resumed at 5 and continued until 7 or 8 in the evening, though on Saturdays
lessons finished at lunchtime. In 1909 the Imperial Family paid a visit to
the Isle of Wight. Maria recounted in her English exercise book how they met “Auntie
May” and “cousin Mary” (the Princess of Wales, later Queen Mary and her daughter)
and had played on the seashore looking for seashells. Olga and Tatiana went into town
to go shopping and bought their younger sisters bracelets.
The following year, owing to her failing health, doctors ordered the Empress to undergo treatment
at Bad Nauheim in Germany. The doctors were also concerned over Tatiana’s heart and
she was also prescribed treatment at the baths. The Imperial Family stayed at Friedberg Castle,
which belonged to the Empress’s brother, Grand Duke Ernst-Ludwig of Hesse. Every morning
after breakfast, the Grand Duchesses would go for a walk with their Governess, Sofia
Tyutcheva, especially enjoying going to shops and buying a variety of items. Anastasia in
particular was delighted with the toy shops where all kinds of things for dolls could
be bought. In the afternoons, they enjoyed excursions in motorcars to various places
of interest in the surrounding countryside. After the treatments at Bad Nauheim were finished,
the family moved to Wolfsgarten before returning to Russia. In 1911 the family travelled to Kiev for the
unveiling of a monument to Emperor Alexander II. While there, the Emperor attended the
opera with Olga and Tatiana. During the last intermission of the show, while the Emperor
had left the Royal Box to have some tea, Prime Minister Stolypin was shot. Sofia Tyutcheva
who was also present reported the confusion in the immediate aftermath, recalling that
Olga thought perhaps one of the boxes had collapsed and Tatiana asking why the Prime
Minister was covered in blood. Olga recorded in her diary that evening how Stolypin was
taken to a clinic and the crowd at the theatre stood and sang the National Anthem. Every summer before World War One, the family
would spend time at Peterhof on the Gulf of Finland and go for a cruise on the Imperial
Yacht, Standart, around the Finnish skerries. The Standart held a special place in the hearts
of the Grand Duchesses, and they always refer to it as the ‘dear Standart’ in their
letters and diaries. On their cruises, they would stop off at various islands and skerries
where there would be picnics, games, swimming in the sea and walks. When younger, Alexandra
Feodorovna would join in on the walks and activities but as her health deteriorated,
she more and more often stayed on board ship, while her daughters took turns to stay with
her, Olga writing to her grandmother about how sad it was that her mother was unable
to join in with them. On board the ship the Grand Duchesses would go roller skating and
play card games, dice games and puzzles in the evening. There was also the cinematograph
which they all looked forward to. All 4 Grand Duchesses loved summer and lying around in
the sun. Olga wrote to her Russian tutor Petr Petrov in 1913: “it was 34 degrees in the
sun. Well! Isn’t the weather tempting? We are all very tanned, which I am very happy
about, and we are all healthy.” This fondness for an outdoors life, lying in the sun and
getting tanned caused some controversy on the 1914 summer visit to Constanza, Romania,
where the Grand Duchesses tanned skin was unfavourably commented upon by ladies of the
Romanian court. The Grand Duchesses enjoyed a great rapport
with the officers on board. In 1911, Tatiana wrote to her grandmother about Olga’s name
day on board ship: “In the morning, the officers gave me a packet and asked me to
give it to Olga, so I did, and what do you think was in it? A frame made out of card
and a portrait of David they got out of the newspaper. Olga laughed a lot and for a long
time about it.” The picture was of the Heir to the British throne, who at was time was
speculated to be a future match for one of the older Grand Duchesses by the press. After the summer cruise, the family would
return to Livadia in the Crimea, where they also spent time in spring around Easter when
the Grand Duchesses would assist their parents in handing out eggs and Easter Bread (kulich)
to people. Grand Duchess Olga said that in Petersburg they worked but in Livadia they
lived, and this was certainly the case – there were excursions, visits to friends and relatives,
shopping expeditions in Yalta, where, as Olga wrote “it is fun to drive along the embankment
and meet acquaintances” and dances. In the mornings, the Grand Duchesses would go swimming
in the sea with the Tsar and in the afternoons, there were tennis matches. In September 1913,
Grand Duchess Tatiana wrote to her grandmother: “We go swimming in the sea every morning
which is dreadfully fun especially when there are waves. I know how to swim now so it is
awfully enjoyable. After lunch, we usually play tennis and there is a little house and
garden there where we have tea.” Livadia was also the place where the Grand Duchesses
took part in the White Flower Day – a charity for tuberculosis patients and also in the
bazaars, where they would diligently make a range of things for sale. All 4 Grand Duchesses were honorary regimental
chiefs and took a great interest in their regiments. In 1912 and 1913, both Olga and
Tatiana took part in the manoeuvres at Krasnoe Selo in late summer. Tatiana recorded in her
1913 diary: In the morning at 10 ½, Olga and I went by motor to the Regimental parade…
in full dress uniform. We were on horseback there. Uncle Nikolasha met us. I stayed by
the side of the road where there was a crowd of people and the suite. Olga went with Uncle
to her regiment. Afterwards, when they came back, we went to the front of my regiment.
I greeted each espadron separately then went back and stood on the right flank of my regiment
in front of the commander. Olga stood with her regiment. After that, Papa arrived here
and began to inspect my regiment. I followed him to Olga’s regiment and she went around
with him and I followed behind. After that Papa went to the tent and stayed there. Olga,
Uncle and I went on farther. When my regiment started its ceremonial marches, I rode ahead
of the regimental commander, behind General Oranovsky who commanded our brigade…stood
until the whole regiment had passed by. Olga did the same in front of her regiment.” In spring 1913, the Imperial Family set out
on a journey visiting various places associated with the history of the Romanov dynasty as
part of the Tercentenary celebrations of Romanov rule, culminating in the Imperial Family visiting
Moscow. Olga described the journey in a letter to her grandmother: The trip was so awfully
interesting. We saw so much that my head is all in a whirl, all those wonderful old churches.
Up until Kostroma…at Nizhny Novgorod and Kostroma there were tea parties with the Nobility,
terribly stuffy of course, but not too dreadful. At Yaroslavl there was a big party and concert
– Sobinov, the Zbruev Quartet, Chuprynnikov and Plevitskaya sang. There was a big ball
in Moscow, which was very beautifully put together and had 2000 attendees. Papa, Tatiana
and I left before the supper, Aunt Olga with us, but the rest stayed on until the end.
Mama was there too.” By 1913, prospective husbands for the older
Grand Duchesses were being talked about – as mentioned earlier, the Prince of Wales was
one whose name came up, but also Prince Alexander of Serbia and Prince Carol of Romania’s
names were also brought up as potential prospective partners in newspapers. In March 1914, Empress
Alexandra’s cousin, Queen Marie of Romania accompanied by her husband Nando and son Prince
Carol visited the Romanovs at Tsarskoe Selo, and probably talks began about potentially
matching Grand Duchess Olga with Carol, to whom Tatiana appears to have taken a shine,
affectionately referring to him as Karlusha in her diary. The Romanovs paid a one-day
reciprocal visit on June 1 the same year, setting sail from Yalta the night before.
It was to be in vain – Olga already having made up her mind that she would not marry
Prince Carol, telling her French tutor Pierre Gilliard that she was Russian and ‘intended
to stay Russian’ and that her father would not force her into a marriage that she herself
did not want. The idea of a Romanian-Romanov marriage was not completely lost however,
as on a visit to Tsarskoe Selo in January 1917, Prince Carol asked the Tsar about the
possibility of his marrying Grand Duchess Maria, to which the Tsar responded that Maria
was still a school girl and such a marriage was out of the question. Following the return from Romania, the summer
continued as usual for the Grand Duchesses. There was a cruise in the Gulf of Finland
and a visit from their cousin, George Battenberg with the British squadron. The Grand Duchesses
enjoyed being shown over the ships and meeting the British naval officers. Tatiana described
it in her diary: “We were assigned four young men what they call “midshipmen”
in their language, and what we call the ship’s Garde marines. They showed we 4 and A. Olga
about and explained everything. They were very nice. Then we had luncheon with Admiral
Beatty. The commanders of the other ships and his wife were there. After luncheon, everyone
took photos. Then we went on their boat past the “Queen Mary” and the “Princess Royal”
to the “New Zealand” which is Georgie’s ship. From there back on the "Alexandria"
and to “Peterhof.” Following this was an official visit by President
Poincare of France in early July. Then, rather than a continuation of cruising on the Standart
– war. On 19th July, 1914, Grand Duchess Olga recorded in her diary “After the all-night
vigil we learned that those pigs, the Germans, had declared war on us. Help us, O Lord.”
and Tatiana recorded that the Dragoons and Finnish regiments had already set off for
the war. In early August, the Imperial Family headed
to Moscow where there were church services at the Kremlin and inspections of military
trains and hospitals. After Moscow, the family visited the Trinity Lavra before heading back
to Tsarskoe Selo, where the Empress along with Olga and Tatiana began training as Red
Cross nurses. They were helping in the hospitals as early as August, when Tatiana wrote to
her friend Olga Voronova “Mama, Olga and I go every day to the Palace Hospital where
we bandage the wounded. We both have three people each whom we must bandage.” Before
long they were assisting at more serious operations. On September 3 Tatiana wrote to Grand Duchess
Xenia that they had assisted at the amputation of an index finger, saying “it was not particularly
appetising … but we got through it safely.” As time went on, Tatiana became a skilful
nurse. At first Olga and Tatiana looked after wounded soldiers while the Empress and Anna
Vyrubova looked after the wounded officers, but soon, Olga and Tatiana also began nursing
officers too. Tatiana took a special shine to one of the wounded officers, Dmitri Malama,
who gave her a French bulldog in September 1914, which she named Ortipo. Tatiana doted
on Ortipo, who slept on her bed, disturbing Olga in the same room with his snoring. The days soon took on a regular routine of
visits to the Znamenie church, nursing, playing games with the recovering wounded officers,
lessons, then back to spend time with the officers in the evening. Maria and Anastasia,
while too young to train as nurses also spent a lot of their time visiting the wounded,
cheering them up and playing games with them. Olga and Tatiana also established committees
– Olga accepting donations to help the families of called-up reserves, and Tatiana for helping
refugees. At the infirmary aside from nursing duties, the Grand Duchesses spent endless
hours with the wounded, bringing them puzzles, teaching them to knit and keeping them entertained
so it was not so ‘boring to be lying in bed’ as Tatiana wrote to Olga Voronova. On New Year’s 1915, the Imperial Family’s
great friend Anna Vyrubova was severely injured in a train wreck, to the point where her life
was in despair, and Olga and Tatiana would visit her in the hospital every day after
doing the dressings. Empress Alexandra had worn herself out towards
the end of 1914, and Olga was taking on a bigger role in the family, taking on messages
and requests and relaying them back to her father. Her responsibilities continued to
grow through these war years, but they also took their toll on her as by the end of the
year she too was suffering from illness and exhaustion and was prescribed arsenic injections
to help restore her health. Olga was not happy to have to take time out, writing to Grand
Duchess Xenia, writing in early November 1915 that, “I too, to my embarrassment have ‘gone
off’ somehow, for five days now, and have been lying down and not able to go to the
infirmary which is awfully upsetting as I am so used to seeing everyone.” In May 1915, Anastasia was devastated when
her little Pomeranian dog, Shvybzik died from a brain inflammation. While she herself may
have been called Shvybzik before this, it was from this time onwards that Anastasia
began using the name as a nickname for herself in her letters to her father who was often
absent at the Front and visiting army units. Later that year, he would take over supreme
command of the Russian Army. In October, the family visited the Emperor
and Alexei at his military Headquarters for four days after having visited hospitals in
Tver, Ryazan, Velikie Luki and Orsha. They eagerly received letters from the nurses at
the infirmaries at Tsarskoe, keeping up to date with their patients at home, while enjoying
seeing their father and brother and hearing about the goings on at the front from officers. In April 1916, the Empress and the Grand Duchesses
visited the English Hospital in Petrograd. One of the nurses there, Canadian Dorothy
Cotton described the visit: “ we had a visit from the Empress, and four of the girls, Olga,
Tatiana, one 15 and one with her hair down her back; she looked about 13, supposed to
be the beauty of the family. The two oldest were dressed alike in grey, so simply but
awfully smart; they are dears and went about so nicely and talked to everyone; they gave
each patient a little icon to wear around his neck and in most cases put it on them
themselves." In May, the Empress and her daughters travelled
to Mogilev for the Emperor’s birthday and then the whole family travelled on to Crimea.
It was to be their last visit as a family there. There were church services and visits
to the sanitoriums and infirmaries. At Sevastopol the family inspected the dreadnaughts Empress
Catherine and Empress Maria. Tatiana wrote about going on the Empress Catherine: Walked
around the deck, and then went to the lower one, into the casemates, descended into the
turbines. Climbed the tower, where they showed us how to load a gun. Terribly interesting.” The visit culminated with a day at Evpatoria,
where the family visited a cathedral, a mosque and at a Karait temple, some of which was
captured for posterity on film. Following the official visits, the family had some free
time. Maria recorded in her diary: “We went to Anya's dacha. Rita was there. Had tea,
ran around barefoot in the water… Had a walk at Sarabuz station, Anya went back to
her dacha.” The family parted ways at Kursk with the Tsar and Alexei returning to Mogilev
and the Empress and Grand Duchesses back to Petrograd. Through the year there were several more trips
to Mogilev to spend time with the Tsar and Alexei. The Grand Duchesses thoroughly enjoyed
the break from routine, despite missing the wounded who they cared for. Near the Tsar’s
headquarters was a refugee camp for families who had had to escape from the fighting at
the front, and in summer 1916, they became playmates of the Grand Duchesses, and would
wait for them in the morning to come out of the train carriages. Grand Duchess Maria’s
1916 diary makes frequent reference to playing with these children in August and September
with such comments such as “We tossed the children into the pit with Lavrov and Yergushev”
– there is even a photograph in the Imperial Family’s photo albums showing the children
standing in a big pit, posing for a photograph. Tatiana took the time to label the names of
the children in her photo albums. On 17 December, Maria recorded in her diary
about the disappearance of Grigory Rasputin, “Bad news. Grigori disappeared since last
night. No one knows where he is.” The following day recording that there was no news but that
Felix Yusupov and Dmitri were suspected of having something to do with his disappearance.
On the 19th they finally knew that he had been killed, and the family went to meet Nicholas
and Alexei who returned from Stavka. The Emperor, Empress and all 4 Grand Duchesses attended
his burial service on 21 December. The Empress placed an icon she had received in Novgorod
in the coffin, which the Imperial Family signed. In January 1917, Anastasia received a new
pet which was to become her constant companion for the rest of her life. She wrote to her
Russian tutor, Petr Petrov about it: “Have you heard the news that I have a dog - it's
called "Baby,” a stupid nickname given to it by its previous owners. It's a Japanese
breed. He is small and black…He will be 2 years old on the 18th.” Anastasia promptly
renamed the dog Jimmy, and her letters from then on were full of references to “My Jim.” In February 1917, measles struck the Imperial
household – a friend who had been playing with Alexei passed it on, and before long,
Alexei, Olga, Tatiana and Ania Vyrubova were all sick. On 25 February, Anastasia wrote
to her father: “It will be interesting to know when I will get sick, and who will get
it first, Maria or me!” As it happened Anastasia came down sick before Maria. Not long after
this, Maria too succumbed to the measles. All 4 Grand Duchesses were very ill for a
long time, Olga ending up with rheumatic fever, and only began their convalescence well into
March, in a world that had drastically changed over the course of their illness with the
abdication of their father and the arrest of the Imperial Family by the Provisional
Government and restrictions on their movements. For the Grand Duchesses, not to be able to
go and visit their beloved wounded in the infirmaries was very hard to bear, Tatiana
writing “It is sad having now recovered that we cannot go back to work in the infirmary.
So it is strange to be at home in the morning and not doing dressings.” As spring arrived, the 4 Grand Duchesses joined
in with garden work, planting a vegetable garden. Nicholas would cut down the dead trees
in the park and the Grand Duchesses sometimes assisted in the chopping up of the wood and
stacking it. As the season turned to summer the family spent the afternoons outside. Maria
wrote to a friend that Alexei “runs a lot and douses everyone with water from the pump
while we are swinging in the hammock. We usually get drenched but dry out quickly in the sun.”
Lessons continued for the younger Grand Duchesses, with members of the suite and Olga acting
as teachers. Olga writing to Petr Petrov, “Studies go on as usual. Maria and I work
together on English. She reads aloud to me, and if it is not too hot, a dictation reading.
Twice a week I do Russian history with her…twice a week I read mediaeval Russian history with
Anastasia…my memory for all these events is no good, but she is no better.” Despite
becoming a teacher for her younger siblings, Olga continued to study history, art history
and Russian literature. As the political situation in Russia continued
to deteriorate, a decision was taken by the Provisional Government to move the Imperial
Family to Tobolsk in Siberia. After a sleepless night full of delays, the family boarded a
train at daybreak on 1 August and headed to Siberia. The journey to Tobolsk was completed
by riverboat. The family had to stay on board the boat for a number of days after arrival
as the house was not ready for them. Finally, on the 15th of August, they settled into their
new accommodation. A month later, Tatiana described their new conditions in a letter
to her Aunt Xenia: “We sit in the garden a lot, or in the yard in front of the house
where a piece of the street is fenced off for us…it is awfully pleasant that we have
a balcony which is warmed by the sun from morning to evening. It is fun to sit there
and watch the street as everyone goes…passing by. We walk back and forth so as not to forget
how to walk…we have been to church twice you can imagine what a joy it was for us after
6 months.” Over the winter, the Grand Duchesses along with French tutor Pierre Gilliard began
putting on short plays to pass the time in the evenings. They continued to study, write
letters, and eagerly await letters from friends and family, numbering them carefully and noting
that many letters were not getting through in both directions. On Christmas Eve, the
family handed out homemade Christmas presents to the remaining staff and celebrated the
vigil service at home, with a church choir. Later still, the choir was not able to come
regularly and the Empress and Grand Duchesses took the place of the choir. The October Revolution slowly began to have
its effect on life in Tobolsk, and staff had to be let go as they could no longer be afforded.
The Grand Duchesses letters continued to stay cheerful, describing their daily routine and
recalling shared memories with their friends from happier times. Maria is recorded as having
said that she would be happy to stay on for good in Tobolsk, but it was not to be. In April Commissar Yakovlev arrived in Tobolsk
with a directive to move the Imperial Family. Unfortunately, Alexei having had a bad cold
had been coughing so badly he had caused a haemorrhage and was unable to be moved. Empress
Alexandra was in despair at having to choose whether to stay in Tobolsk with her suffering
son, or to accompany her husband to wherever the Commissar would take him. In the end,
she chose to go with Nicholas, leaving Alexei in the care of Olga, Tatiana and Anastasia.
Maria accompanied her parents. In Valentin Speranski’s book, ‘The House
of Special Purpose’ one of the people he interviewed had this to say about why Maria
accompanied her parents: “First of all, I would like to convey to you the remarkable
judgment of one of my friends on the Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna. It is not for nothing
that her parents chose their third daughter, at the most tragic moment, to accompany them
to Golgotha. Maria, despite her 19 years, possessed a full and stoic character, and
knew by her inexhaustible energy how to encourage all those who were depressed. The family expected that the Emperor, Empress
and Maria were to be taken to Moscow, however, en route, the Ural Soviet demanded the train
carrying the prisoners be sent on to Ekaterinburg, where they were housed in a house belonging
to the merchant Ipatiev, which had now been renamed, “The House of Special Purpose.” As soon as Alexei was well enough to be moved,
he and his sisters boarded the Rus, the steamer that had brought them to Tobolsk, and headed
off to join their parents and sister in Ekaterinburg, where they family were joyfully reunited.
Here, the family spent 2 and a half months with little to no news from the outside, in
a house with whitewashed, closed windows. For days, the family had heard the sound of
the White Army approaching Ekaterinburg, and had been receiving letters written in French
promising to help them - these were a ruse by the Bolsheviks – and the Romanovs realised
that something was not right with the letters and cut off communication – so it maybe
did not come as a big surprise when they were awoken in the early hours and told they needed
to be moved for their own safety. After having a wash and dressing, the family came down
through the house, out into the courtyard, and then descended the 23 steps into the cellar
and martyrdom.
