St. Petersburg, for over 200 years, the capitol of imperial Russia. In 1916, with the empire locked in a disastrous war and on the verge of a shattering revolution, St. Petersburg teemed with rumors about a man they called “Temnyi” – “The Dark One.” Grigori Rasputin.
They said he was a lustful, mad monk. A holy devil who preached the word of God and practiced every form of corruption. They said he had hypnotized the mighty Tzar and seduced his wife, the Tzarina. In fact, Raspuitn was allowed even into the bedrooms of the Tzar’s children.
Of the reason for his presence was a closely guarded secret. He, and he alone, could soothe and heal the desperately sick child who was the heir to the Romanov throne.
Even while he was alive, legend replaced reality in stories about Rasputin. His bizarre death only confirmed his reputation as the very embodiment of evil…a reputation which endures to this day.
The truth about the rise of Grigori Rasputin is stranger, more powerful and more moving than the legend of the satanic mad monk.
