Patriarch Tikhon (in the world — Vasily Ivanovich Bellavin), was elected patriarch after the revolution of 1917.

Patriarch Tikhon died in 1925 at the age of 60, according to official data from heart failure, although there is a theory that he was poisoned. Canonized in 1989, he heads the Council of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. He became the first patriarch in Russia since Peter the Great, who abolished this institution.

Nicholas II was a supporter of the revival of the patriarchate.

Patriarch Tikhon and Tsar Nicholas II are united on one icon, reflecting the idea that Tikhon is the first supreme new church martyr, and Nikola is the highest secular one.

Both saints are depicted as about to crucify Christ. Angels fly down from heaven to Christ, carrying the Instruments of Passion: a crown of thorns and a spear. Patriarch Tikhon is depicted in patriarchal vestments, Nicholas II — in an ermine mantle, however, draped over a ceremonial uniform. The emperor's neck is decorated with the Order of Cavalier George IV, and he holds a saber in his hands — these attributes should emphasize his military leadership functions.