ST PETERSBURG, July 26 (RIA Novosti, Olga Vtorova) - The ashes of the last naval minister of the Russian empire, Admiral Ivan Grigorovich, were reburied here Tuesday at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.
A requiem was held near this city's famous Admiralty building and then transported to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, where the casket containing the admiral's remains, accompanied by an honor guard, was then carried to the Nicholas Graveyard.
A liturgy was held before the casket was lowered into the family burial vault, where Grigorovich's wife, Maria Nikolaevna, is buried. Three volleys were fired over the tomb as a valedictory salute.
The funeral service, which was attended by Baltic Fleet Commander Vladimir Valuev, Russian navy chiefs, the city administration and relatives of the late admiral, ended with the placing of a wreath on the tomb.
Grigorovich was born in 1853 and trained at the St. Petersburg naval base. During the Russo-Japanese war, he captained the Tsesarevich battleship and led the Black Sea Fleet. From 1911 to 1917 he was the Russian naval minister.
After the revolution, he was initially part of a naval historical commission for studying World War I, and in 1923 he left his homeland with permission from the Soviet authorities, and immigrated to France.
Grigorovich died in France in 1930 and was buried in the Menton graveyard. Before his death, he made clear his wish to be buried in St Petersburg.
