In addition to American presidents, the ghosts of Russian emperors also sometimes penetrate our space and time.
The most famous of them is the ghost of Peter I. He first appeared in a dream to his widow, Empress Catherine I. It happened just a few days before her death. First, the Empress saw herself at the table, surrounded by courtiers. Everything was as usual. But only until that time, when suddenly the shadow of Peter appeared, dressed in the clothes of the ancient Romans. Peter beckoned Catherine to him with a gesture. She, without resisting, approached him, and the two of them rose into the sky. From there, the Empress looked down and saw her children in a crowd of different tribes and peoples. Waking up, the empress ordered the fortuneteller to interpret her dream. It is not known what the interpreter answered to Catherine, but rumors spread around the palace that her Majesty was waiting for an early death, and after her death, troubled times would begin in the state.
The ghost of Peter I and another imperial person - Paul I. This was reported in the article "Emperor Paul in his deeds and orders", which was published in the bulletin "Russian antiquity". Moreover, this note contains the story of the emperor himself about the vision that appeared before him. Here is a verbatim summary of this article:
“One evening or, perhaps, already at night, I, accompanied by Kurakin and two servants, walked along the St. Petersburg streets to refresh myself, to take a walk incognito in the moonlight. The conversation was not about religion or anything serious, but, on the contrary, was of a cheerful nature, and Kurakin constantly joked about the oncoming passers-by. The moonlight was so bright that you could read, and therefore the shadows were very thick.
When I was turning into one of the streets, I suddenly saw at the back of the entrance a tall, thin figure wrapped in a cloak like a Spanish one, and in a military hat pulled down over his eyes. She seemed to be waiting for someone.
As soon as I passed her, she came out and walked beside me on the left side, without saying a word. I could not make out a single feature of her face. It seemed to me that her feet, stepping on the slabs of the sidewalk, made a strange sound, as if a stone were hitting a stone. I was amazed, and the feeling that gripped me became even stronger when I felt an icy cold in my left side, from the stranger's side. I shuddered.
Suddenly, from under the cloak that covered the mouth of the mysterious stranger, a deaf and sad voice rang out:
- Paul!
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I was at the mercy of some unknown force and mechanically answered:
- What you need?
- Paul! Said the voice again, this time, however, somehow sympathetically, but with an even greater shade of sadness. I couldn't say a word. The voice called my name again, and the stranger stopped. I felt some inner urge to do the same.
- Paul! Poor Pavel! Poor Pavel!
I turned to Kurakin, who also stopped.
- Do you hear? I asked him.
- I hear nothing, - he answered, - absolutely nothing.
As for me, this voice is still ringing in my ears; I made a desperate effort on myself and asked the stranger: who is he and what does he need?
- Who am I? Poor Pavel! I am the one who takes part in your destiny and who wants you not to become particularly attached to this world, because you will not stay in it for long. Live by the laws of justice, and your end will be calm. Fear the reproach of conscience: there is no more sensitive punishment for a noble soul.
The figure went again, looking at me with the same penetrating gaze. I followed her because she was now guiding me. This went on for over an hour. I didn't know where we were going. Finally we came to a large square … The figure went straight to one, as it were, a pre-marked place, where at that time the monument to Peter the Great stood. I followed her of course and then stopped.
- Goodbye, Pavel! - she said. - You will see me again here and somewhere else.
At the same time, the figure's hat rose as if by itself, and my eyes saw an eagle's gaze, a dark forehead and a stern smile of my great-grandfather Peter the Great. When I came to myself from fear and surprise, he was gone … …
As for our time, the ghost of the first Russian emperor was allegedly seen in the building that currently houses the Institute of Culture. And although this mansion was built much later than the reign of Peter, but for unknown reasons, the spirit of the emperor appears in it quite often. Eyewitnesses say that in the company of the ghost of the emperor there is often a disembodied young woman, whom Peter I loudly scolds, accusing of perjury.
However, the largest number of ghosts is associated with Emperor Paul I, since he himself and his entourage had a penchant for mysticism. But even this is not the main thing. Most likely, the frequent appearance of the ghosts of Paul I is associated with his tragic death: as you know, the emperor was first hit on the head with a massive snuffbox, and then strangled with a scarf.
This tragic event, which happened in the Mikhailovsky Castle, led to the emergence of many horror stories, the protagonists of which were the emperor and his entourage. They say that Paul I still at night slowly walks along the corridors of the castle, while sighing sadly.
During the years of Soviet power, various organizations were located in the Mikhailovsky Castle in turn. Currently, there is a branch of the Russian Museum. But regardless of the departmental affiliation, ghosts were always present in the castle.
Most often, ghosts appeared in front of the guards. But usually nobody advertised these cases. And only close people knew that in the corridors of the castle sometimes after midnight a vague figure of a short man with a candle in his hand moves. Often a snow-white scarf is wrapped around his neck. There were cases when the ghost of the late emperor played music on the harmonic - an ancient musical instrument similar to a flute …
But, as they say, you can't hide an sewn in a sack. And soon quite a large number of people became aware of the oddities in the Mikhailovsky Castle.
In the end, a special commission arrived from Moscow to explain the appearance of the strange phenomenon. It happened in the 70s of the last century. Trying to fix the ghost of Emperor Paul I, the experts worked at night.
For obvious reasons, the results were not presented to the general public. But the rumors about the ghost appeared even more.
After the research of Muscovites, interest in anomalous phenomena in the castle did not fade away. Parapsychologists and other specialists in anomalous phenomena have tried many times to record the appearance of a ghost in subsequent years, using a variety of modern devices …
However, in our time, in the echoing rooms of the castle, there is a mysterious creak of parquet flooring and inexplicable knocks on the door. And sometimes, with complete calm, the windows suddenly open with a noise.
According to eyewitnesses, the vision of Emperor Paul I often appears in the Gatchina Palace. There have been talks for a long time that the ghost of the strangled emperor is wandering around the palace halls at night. But it turns out that from time to time he appears in front of the current employees of the palace-museum.
In addition, many have heard the faint rustle of skirts in the museum's night corridors. It is believed that this is slipping the invisible image of the beloved of the emperor - the maid of honor Catherine Nelidova.
They say that the Hermitage also has its own crowned ghost: from time to time a barely visible figure of Nicholas I appears in one of the corridors. He is recognized by his even gait and cold gaze …