The Crown of the Romanovs

Wedding at the Cathedral

The St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral, located at East 97th Street on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, is the center of the Russian Orthodox faith in the United States. Its construction was financed from 1899 by the then Tsar Nicholas.

The architecture follows the characteristic Russian model, with seven domes projecting onto a dark red brick façade adorned with white limestone and glazed tiles in green, yellow and blue; the ribs of the domes are in gilt bronze, contrasting with the surface made of green galvanized iron.

The whole is imposing and necessarily impacts those who walk in front of it and especially those who pass through its doors.

The vast central altar is made up of religious icons and paintings on wooden partitions behind which the walls are also covered with paintings of saints and scenes of great luminosity. The inner part of the domes also display highly elaborate sacred images illuminated by countless lamps. The entire interior inspires solemnity and admiration.

The only ceremony that took place that day was the wedding, so that all those attending the temple were Irina's guests, basically members of the numerous Russian noble community in New York, as well as a score of people from Europe, relatives more or less close to the bride.

The parents and brother of the bridegroom were lost in the crowd that basically spoke Russian.

Irina and Thiago made their entrance followed by several ladies in waiting and the godparents and went to the altar where a priest covered in a golden cape embroidered with geometric motifs was waiting for them.

A male chorus of baritones and basses sang one of the traditional Orthodox hymns. Although the whole ceremony was new to him and alien to his previous traditions and experiences, Thiago was deeply moved; he had already noticed in a couple of Masses he had attended with his wife that Orthodox religious ceremonies are particularly mobilizing.

Irina was beautiful in her dress and hairstyle, with her head covered with a cloak, like all the attendant ladies and although without a doubt her emotions were internally intense, her face did not denote them.

The first part of the wedding was that of the betrothal proper. Although the ceremony and hymns were in the Russian language, to ensure that both parties understood the essentials, the priest pronounced some phrases in English.

“ Irina Ludmila Ekaterina Anastasia Fiódorovna”, do you accept Thiago Daniel Ferrari as your husband? "

 When both parties had taken the oaths, the ceremony passed to its final phase, the coronation of the bride and groom. Indeed, both metal and velvet crowns were placed on their heads as they held candles in their hands while the priest turned towards the altar performing the blessings that concluded the wedding.

The exit took place in the middle of the compact lines of attendees located on both sides of the carpeted hall.

Only then did Thiago become aware of the presence of several soldiers in full dress uniforms; to his astonishment he deduced that at least some were wearing the current uniform of the Russian Army. He thought that he would have all the time in the world to inquire into the meaning of many of the things that happened that afternoon.

As he went out to the street, Thiago lifted the bride in his arms and they both got into a luxurious car that was waiting for them. A round of applause celebrated the departure.

The plane from New York to Vienna had landed two hours earlier. Irina was sitting in the window seat. They had been silent for most of that time. Thiago looked thoughtful as he was trying to absorb and metabolize everything that had happened in his life. He suddenly took his woman's hand in his and asked.

 "Irina, do you love me?"

 The woman burst out laughing.

“It occurs to you to ask yourself several hours too late. You know? We are married and there is no return. "

 The tone was ironic. The man continued unperturbed.

“What I'm asking you is. Do you love me or am I just an acceptable figure by your side to live the outstanding social life you've always wanted? "

The lady sighed. She did not expect the question although she already knew that her husband was intelligent and capable of inquiring deeply about what interested him. Irina didn't have an answer ready and she wanted to give a truthful statement so she took her time before replying.

"When I fell in love with you, I had not yet conceived the plans that we finally carried out."

She looked the young man in the eye and smiled.

 "So it's you I love, and the rest came in addi