Alexander Schmorell: Saint of the German Resistance

Alexander Schmorell: Saint of the German Resistance

“…Nothing is so unworthy of a civilised nation as allowing itself to be ‘governed’ without opposition by an irresponsible clique that has yielded to base instinct…”

So read the first anti-Nazi tract issued in 1942 by a clandestine resistance organised in Germany called the White Rose. Their goal was to expose and hasten the demise of the Nazi regime that had seized control of their homeland and sought to dominate the whole of Europe with its explicitly anti-Christian ideology that rejected God and debased humankind.

A key member of this German Resistance group was Alexander Schmorell, a young man of Russian birth who had lived in Germany since his childhood. This biography eloquently recounts the journey of this energetic and talented student who whilst clearly loving life was willing to sacrifice it for the cause of true freedom. In doing so he testified to his Orthodox Christian faith that had taught him to love the beauty and liberty that the Nazis sought to destroy. In 1943 both Alexander and other leading members of the White Rose were executed by Hitler’s regime. In 2012, the Russian Orthodox Church officially recognised him as a martyr and saint.

The story of Alexander’s life and death is vividly recounted here for the first time for an English language readership. It will both engage and inspire whilst also provoke reflection on the direction of Western society today. — Backcover