Anastasia Lords of Anastasia Village

For today’s subject we touch on a little known, but fascinating chapter in Alberta’s history. We’re speaking of a person, one Anastasia Holoboff (or Holuboff, sometimes Holobova, less common Golubova) or as most knew her, Anastasia Lords. She was the one time spiritual leader of an Alberta based Doukhobor group and is buried near the former village that once bore her name.

The location is an “Off the Beaten Path” backroad on the vast plains a little south and east of Calgary. It’s a peaceful, albeit lonely spot to spend all eternity.

Doukhobors are a Christian group with Russian origins. They came from what is today parts of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine. Fleeing persecution in their homeland, large groups settled in Western Canada. They first came to Saskatchewan and a bit later to South-Central British Columbia. They also founded a couple small settlements in Southwest Alberta.

Doukhobors lived communal lifestyles, at least in the beginning, but later abandoned the practice.

Leading the British Columbia group was the charismatic and often times controversial Peter “Lordly” Verigin. He arrived in Canada in late 1902 and was assassinated in 1924. Those responsible blew up the railway coach he was riding in near Farron BC, killing both him and other folks on the train. It’s an unsolved crime to this day and the subject of much speculation.

Anastasia (born 1885) was Verigin’s long time partner and accompanied him to Canada. After his untimely passing, many believed her a natural successor, but it was not to be. Instead, one of Peter’s sons, brought over from Russia came to take the position.

Unhappy with that direction, Anastasia and a breakaway group of followers soon left the region. They settled in an out of way corner of Alberta, near the present day community of Arrowwood. A new town was established in 1926 and named Anastasia Village, in honour of their new leader. The group took the name “Lordly Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood”.

The town of Anastasia and its people, some one hundred and sixty souls total, thrived for a time. They built homes, a school too, and a communal farm. The future held promise but within a few short years, it began to unravel. Poor crops, the effects of the great depression, and perhaps some mismanagement on Anastasia Lords’ part, all took their toll. In the article “Pacifism and Anastasia’s Doukhobor Village” @ Dukhobor.org, her skills in that regard appear in question.

An exodus began, slowly at first but with more families leaving with each passing year.

By the dawn of World War Two the colony was a shadow of it former self and a few years later Anastasia Village ceased to be altogether. Still, Anastasia Lords retained her leadership of who ever was left in the area and held the position until her death. She continued to live at the former Anastasia Village and kept company with a long time companion, her cousin Fedosia (a Verigin).

We found nothing to indicate if Anastasia ever took another male partner, and there’s no mention of children in any records.

Later the pair lived at the former village seasonally and spent winters in Calgary. Anastasia died in 1965 and the cousin that stood by her side for so long, passed away in 1981. They are buried side by side and within sight of where they both lived for so long. Together in life and together in death.

The Anastasia Village Cemetery is north of the former village colony and not far from the old railway line. The first burial dates to 1928 and the cemetery is used to this day by descendants of the Anastasia Doukhobor Community. The name Verigin shows up on numerous grave markers and so many people with that name played big roles in her life. Many relatives of Peter Verigin, some brothers included, once lived at Anastasia Village.

There were many variants of Anastasia’s last name before she became “Lords”, with the move to Alberta. It seems no one fully agrees, but Holoboff appears more frequently that any other. While with Peter she sometimes took the name Anastasia “Lordly” Holoboff, or some variation of those other last name spellings. To be similar in form to Peter’s title.

Does adding Lords or Lordly to one’s name make them more devout or put them in better standing with heaven?

Photos of Anastasia after moving to Alberta seem to be rare, but earlier ones of her out in BC, usually in the company of Peter, are more easily sourced. We’ve included a shot of her from earlier times, which we’ve shared in the photos.

Most of the writing on Anastasia’s grave maker is in traditional Cyrillic. It reads, roughly translated: “Here is resting in peace Anastasia Lords, born on April 21, 1885 in Russia, and passed away on November 24th 1965. She was true follower of Christianity”. Thanks Rustam and Ania Mamiasheva for the translation help. An English passage reads: “In God’s Keeping Anastasia Lords.”

A memorial reads: “Toil and Peaceful Life. Lordly Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood. In this cemetery lie at rest pioneers of Dukhobor faith, who came and settled in this area, and village nearby, in the year 1926. They are gone, but not forgotten.”

Outside a large communal barn, and the cemetery, there is little left to remind us that Anastasia Village was ever here. Many of the old houses and other out buildings remained in place into the 2000s. Then they were torn down and that’s a sad loss. Now, it’s like Anastasia Village never existed.

This article is from 2015 and was one of those lost to that system crash of a while back. Maybe you’ve heard us chat about it the loss of everything from 2012-2016? What a pain! Instead of restoring from backups and calling it a day, select posts like it, will get a makeover. So a rewrite, additions and revisions as needed. If no new photos are shot, the originals will receive new edits. We’ll archive posts that are no longer relevant and forget them.

The original photos are not that great and if we’re ever in the area again (quite likely), we’ll shoot new ones. For now, they’ll do.

It’s Chris writing this piece and my step father grew up a Doukhobor, but didn’t embrace it as a adult. He hailed from Blaine Lake Saskatchewan and was in my life from the time I was two, until he passed in the late 1990s.

Know more (new tabs): Anastasia (Holoboff) Lords and Doukhobors in Alberta. We also recommend visiting Jonathan Kalmakoff’s Doukhobor.org website.

They’re saying…

“Chris and Connie have a unique way of documenting the places they visit, not copying the style or technique of others, but making it their own.” Alex Craig, Filmmaker.

Random awesomeness…
Moose Jaw SK Train Station (~90 Yrs Apart).
The Sectionman’s Home (Middle of Nowhere).
Bridge Hunting: Brilliant BC (made by BC Dukhobors).

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: Contact Us!

Date of adventure: October 2015.
Location: Anastasia, Alberta.
Article references and thanks: Jonathan Kalmakoff’s Doukhobor.org website, The Canadian Encyclopedia, UofC Archives + Library and Archives Canada.

Anastasia Lords is laid to rest here.

A memorial to Doukhobor pioneers of the area.

In old country Cyrillic.

Note Verigin in back – that name is seen a lot here.

Fedosia Verigin was Anastasia’s companion for years.

Inset: Anastasia before coming to Alberta – UofC Archives.