Grigori Rasputin: A Life From Beginning to End by Hourly History

Author:Hourly History [History, Hourly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hourly History
Published: 2017-11-21T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Powerful Enemies and Powerful Friends

“Even in the valley of the shadow of death, two and two do not make six.”

—Leo Tolstoy

Through his conniving appointments, intrigue, and maneuvering, by the end of 1911, Rasputin had successfully divided the Russian Orthodox Church into two factions: those that supported Rasputin and those that vehemently opposed him. This division came to a head when he came into direct conflict with Hermogenes, the bishop of Tobolsk.

Hermogenes was a no-nonsense leader, and interestingly enough Hermogenes was the same bishop that expelled future communist leader Joseph Stalin from the Seminary in 1899. As the evidence of Rasputin’s corruption grew, Hermogenes became determined to take down Rasputin as well. He even went so far as to suggest to the Minister of Justice, Ivan Shcheglovitov, to have Rasputin detained while the police search his home.

Knowing the backlash that such things would create, Shcheglovitov ultimately refused the request. But this only made Hermogenes take matters into his own hands. He collaborated with fellow Rasputin detractor Iliodor to corner Rasputin and make him face the truth of his misdeeds. Iliodor invited Rasputin to pay a visit to Hermogenes with him, and the mad monk agreed.

When they entered into Hermogenes’ home, Rasputin was not only greeted by the bishop but also the Russian Colonel Ivan Rodionov and the epileptic and highly unstable former member of the tsar’s court, Dmitry Kolyaba. Now that Rasputin was effectively surrounded by this hostile entourage, Hermogenes began to denounce Rasputin to his face accusing him of all manner of misdeeds and offenses, stating that he preached the heresy of “sex and salvation.”

Predictably enough, Rasputin denied all charges, but if he thought he could talk his way out of this boisterous drubbing, he was mistaken. Because right in the middle of Hermogenes’ litany of complaints as Rasputin continued to offer excuses and rationalizations for his behavior, the mentally unbalanced Dmitry is alleged to have suddenly screamed and charged Rasputin, grabbing at the monk’s penis as he fell to the floor.

It sounds like a bizarre work of fiction, but this story is presented as a true account. Apparently while Rasputin was in the midst of being condemned for perceived crimes of the flesh, Dmitry sought to rip Rasputin’s fleshly member away from him for good. According to this account, Rasputin under this extreme duress finally confessed to what he was accused of, crying out, “It’s true! It’s true! It’s all true!”

After pulling the crazed Dmitry off of Rasputin, his accusers then led the monk to the local chapel and forced him to give his word that he would never again go back to the tsar and tsarina or otherwise interfere with the Russian government. He was also made to pledge that he would go on a pilgrimage for atonement and not return to Russia for another three years.

But Hermogenes’ decree was never carried out. Rasputin only made this oath to escape his tormentors, and far from being banished from Russia for three years, Rasputin went straight to the imperial palace the next day to file an official complaint against Bishop Hermogenes to the tsar.

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