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Two most impressive mansions in the Moscow
area are one in Arkhangelskoye, built by Prince Golitsin, and another in
Ostankino, built by Count Sheremetiev. Both date from the end of the 18th
century and both have been well preserved. These two very rich and powerful
families wanted to match the luxury of the privileged few around the imperial
family.
The land around Moscow has many very beautiful spots. Already during the time
of Ivan the Terrible, boyars and dvoriane had acquired large estates there,
distributed by the tsar. These lands were known as "Pomestie,"
considered by some historians to be the determining factor in the establishment
of serfdom. Boris Godunov owned Bolshie Viazemi (see church Zhivonachal'noy
troitsy), Prince Mstislavskii - Kuntsevo and Fili, Prince Cherkaskii -
Ostankino, boyar Sheremetev - Kuskovo, etc.
The village of Arkhangelskoye belonged at the end of the 16th century to A. I.
Upolotskii received its new name after its beautiful little church, dedicated
to the Archangel Michael, built in the middle of the 17th century. Ownership of
the village located about twenty miles west of Moscow, changed hands often. In
the beginning of the 18th century it was purchased by Prince D. M. Golitsin. As
head of the Supreme Privy Council, the Prince wanted to limit the powers of the
Empress Anna Ivanovna. He failed and was later incarcerated in the
Schlisselburg fortress which his brother had captured from the Swedish army in
1702. He died there in 1737. The estate in Arkhangelskoe remained neglected
until 1780 when his grandson, Prince N. A. Golitsin, commissioned the Parisian
architect de Guerne (?) To draw up plans. De Geurne designed the mansion
without overseeing the location, and his plans served as the basis for its
construction. Little is known about de Guerne, but judging by the mansion he
obviously embraced classical forms and relied greatly on Paladian standards.
The two story structure has a high colonnaded belvedere on top, and a square
entrance hall, connected to the luxurious oval salon, decorated with sixteen
Corinthian columns. At its south side, three doors lead t the vast and
beautiful garden stretching all the way down to the Moskva river. Particular
attention was paid to the cour d'honneur consisting of two outbuildings, joined
by an impressive arched entrance, and connected to the mansion with double rows
of giant orders considered to be among the first built in Russia. In the garden
French taste dominates, with many sculptures, pergolas, fountains, many avenues
and walks between trimmed trees. There is also a pavilion which houses a bronze
statue of the Empress shown as Freneida, goddess of justice,, with an
inscription in Latin which reads: "To Divine Catherine." The pavilion
was built in 1819 by the new owner of the mansion, Prince Yusupov, a great
admirer of the empress. In front of the statue there used to be a bronze tripod
in which sweet-scented herbs burned continuously. Prince Nikolay Borisovich
Yusupov, the well-known patron and connoisseur of art and literature, who
personally knew Voltaire, Rousseau and many prominent men of Western Europe,
purchased the mansion in 1810. He wanted it primarily for his summer residence
and to house his rich art collection and library. Western educated, the Prince
brought to Arkhangelskoe the style of life that he had experienced in France.
He did much for the propagation of arts and letters and at one time was
director of the Hermitage. He had his won architects, painters, sculptors,
several workshops, and his own porcelain factory, established in 1818. The
objects produced in the factory were never sold, but only given as presents.
The porcelain objects were of the best quality and high artistic value;
sometimes plain white objects were ordered from other factories and then
painted in Arkhangelskoye. His art collection included canvasses by Valesques,
Raphael, David, etc. Princes and celebrities were often entertained at
Arkhangelskoye, and it was visited by the Empress Maria Feodorovna and Emperor
Nicholas I. Pushkin was also there a few times. In his "Ode To The
Noble," (K Velmozhe), dedicated to the Prince, Pushkin expressed his
admiration for the delightful place he visited. At the end of the 19 Th
century, to commemorate the centennial of the poet's birth, a marble bust of
Pushkin was put in the garden. However, nobody knows who the sculptor was.
Herzen was there too, calling Arkhangelskoye a "Beautiful flower,"
where one enjoys the beauty of nature and forgets about its function.
The Prince was also a well-known theater lover, and at one time Director of all
Imperial Theaters in Saint Petersburg. He had his theater in Moscow and built
another in Arkhangelskoye in 1817-1818, which could seat 400. Most of the
artists, ballerinas, musicians and singers were specially chosen and trained
serfs. Occasionally foreign artists, choreographers, stage directors etc., were
also invited. The performances offered there for free were among the best in
the country.
Yusupov's son did not care much for Arkhangelskoye and was there only
occasionally, but at the end of the century his descendants revived old
traditions and the mansion was again one of the centers of Moscow artistic and
literary life. The revolution put an end to this: the owners were expropriated
and chased out, and for a while the entire estate was neglected. Then Lenin
came to Moscow and the mansion was hurriedly cleaned to receive its new
proprietor. He did not move in though because there was no phone connection to
Moscow, and to establish one would have taken too much time.
A year before the revolution, Yusupov, commissioned the Moscow architect R. I.
Klein to build him a burial chapel not far from the existing Church of the
Archangel Michael. Klein chose the classical style, and built the chapel in the
form of a pantheon, to which he added semi-circular double rows of colonnades.
Similar colonnades decorate the rich interior, surrounded by a large dome. When
I visited the chapel in the early sixties, it had been turned into a laundry
and storage house for the sanatorium that the Soviets built in 1937 at the far
south end of the estate. Presently the chapel serves to display Yusupov's
collection of porcelain and faience, both domestic and imported. As for the
mansion, it was restored, redecorated, and made to appear much as it did during
the first Yusupov ownership, and was turned into a very interesting museum.
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