Naryshkins. Zinaida Ivanovna

Her name entered the St. Petersburg legends. Among her admirers were Emperors Nicholas I and Napoleon III. She was a troublemaker and destroyed all conventions, but left behind amazingly beautiful estates and palaces.

Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova, born Naryshkina, later Countess de Chauveau and Marquise de Serres, was born 200 years ago on November 2, 1809 (1810?) in Moscow.
On January 19, 1825, the wedding of young Zinaida and the widowed Prince Boris Nikolaevich Yusupov (1794–1849) took place.

YUSUPOV. BIRTH CURSE
Prince Boris Nikolayevich was the leader of the St. Petersburg nobility, since 1848 he had the court position of chamberlain. He was distinguished by the nobility of his soul, philanthropy and sincere concern for the poor.

Zinaida Ivanovna in 1827 gave birth to a son, Nikolai, then a daughter who died in childbirth, and only after that did she learn about the curse of the Yusupov family. Here is a brief history of it.

The founder of the clan, the ruler of the Nogai Horde, Yusuf-Murza, wanted to make peace with Moscow.

In the XVI century. Russia did not yet have nanotechnologies and investments in human capital. However, the khan understood where the wind was blowing from. In 1563 he sent his sons to the court of Ivan the Terrible. The chronicle says: “The sons of Yusuf, having arrived in Moscow, were granted by many villages and villages in the Romanov district, and the serving Tatars and Cossacks settled there were subordinate to them. Since that time, Russia has become a fatherland for the descendants of Yusuf.

The trouble happened when his descendant Abdul-Murza was baptized and named Demetrius. The evil Nogai sorceress imposed a strange curse on the entire clan - in each generation of the Yusupovs, only one representative should live up to 26 years old, and so on until the clan is completely extinct.

The prophecy actually came true, the clan did not divide and always continued with only one descendant in the male line.

The princess told her husband that she was not going to "give birth to the dead" in the future, but if he did not walk up, "let him belly the yard girls." This continued until 1849, when the old prince died of typhus while helping the sick.

STAR OF THE FIRST Magnitude
Zinaida Ivanovna from a young age admired her contemporaries with her magnificent, irresistible appearance.

In the "Historical Bulletin" (1894, No. 10) there is a description of the Yusupovs' ball in 1836:

“The mistress of the house, the beautiful Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova, did not dance at her ball at all, because at the beginning of this winter, riding with someone from an icy mountain, she badly hurt her leg, limped and, not leaning on a crutch, could not even walk . ... In her hand was some kind of grandfather's crutch, old Testament, ebony ... and completely studded with large diamonds all over the handle.

In this crutch alone there was something fabulous, magical. The princess must have picked up all her outfit for him: her dress was not light, not a ball gown, but a heavy blue damask; on her head, near her forehead, only a large diamond star burned, two gas scarves were somehow entangled in the back hairstyle of her hair; one blue with silver stars, and the other white with gold, and both of them fell to the floor. She looked amazing in that outfit!

A friend of Pushkin, Prince. P.A. Vyazemsky writes the verse “Crutch” in the album of our heroine, where there are such lines:

A crutch is a gift from heaven to you: love your crutch!
He was a useful pointer for you,
And in the school of life, he pointed out to you the reality,
When your life was one fairy tale...

And after him such a "jokingly intimate" quatrain:

Fortune brings you shoes through me,
And, putting them on, you remember the occasion.
About the one who asks you and fortune
At your feet let him spend his life.

In the year of her husband's death, Zinaida Ivanovna was not yet forty. She turned out to be the owner of a fantastic fortune, including 3 palaces in St. Petersburg alone, palaces in Moscow, Arkhangelsk, and Koreiz. And she, as they would now say, went into all serious trouble. Her romances were legendary. But, oddly enough, Zinaida Ivanovna was not condemned, recognizing the right of the majestic princess to folly.

Until now, in Sveaborg (an island-fortress near Helsinki) they tell how Yusupova took her beloved Isakov out of the prison there, and hid him until her death in her mansion on Liteiny in St. Petersburg.
Be that as it may, when the security officers, in search of Yusupov's treasures, knocked all the walls there, they discovered a secret room adjacent to the bedroom. It contained a coffin with the embalmed body of a man.

Zinaida Ivanovna ordered the architect P.L. Bonshtedt to build her Foundry House after the death of her husband. She moved here, leaving the palace on the Moika to her son Nikolai.

Oddly enough, this mansion (42 Liteiny pr.), built in 1852-1858, entered the St. Petersburg legends as the house of the Queen of Spades (one of two). It is believed that if you look into the windows of the second floor for a long time, you can see the face of the mistress of the house in them. Some even claimed that the Queen of Spades, seen by them in the house on Liteiny, threatened them with her finger!

On Liteiny, straight, straight,
Near the third corner
Where the Queen of Spades
She lived according to legend! (N.Ya. Agnivtsev)

PINK COTTAGE IN TSARSKOE Selo
This dacha, which is the fifth and least known palace of the Yusupovs in St. Petersburg, is located on the southwestern border of the imperial Separate Park on the road to Pavlovsk. Its current address is Pavlovskoe sh., 10.
The history of its construction is shrouded in a halo of mystery and romance.

Book. Felix Yusupov writes in his memoirs how, while sorting through the great-grandmother's archive, he discovered letters from Emperor Nicholas I. In one note, Nikolai says that he gives her the Tsarskoye Selo house "Hermitage" and asks to live in it for the summer so that they have somewhere to see each other.
Attached is a copy of the reply. Princess Yusupova thanks His Majesty, but refuses to accept the gift, for she is accustomed to living at home and is quite sufficient with her own estate.

Having quarreled with the emperor, she went abroad in 1855. She settled in Paris, in a mansion she bought in the Bois de Boulogne area in the Parc des Princes.
However, before that, the princess bought a plot in Tsarskoye and instructed the court architect I.A. Monighetti to build an estate - exactly the sovereign's gift. The architect creatively reworked the ideas of his brilliant predecessor. The dates of their constructions are exactly 100 years apart. Judge for yourself:

Pavilion "Hermitage" (1756, baroque style, architect F.-B. Rastrelli).

Pink dacha (1856, neo-baroque style, architect I.A. Monighetti).

The construction of the dacha ensemble, which included a gardener's house, a park with natural stone grottoes, was completed in 1859 in the absence of the princess. She could not return from abroad due to an unauthorized departure and an unauthorized second marriage.
Subsequently, major work at the dacha was carried out in the 1910s, when it belonged to the granddaughter of the first owner, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, Countess Sumarokova-Elston.

Son of Zinaida Nikolaevna, Prince. Felix Yusupov at the dacha. Photo courtesy of Yale University.

Dacha back in the 80s of the twentieth century. was in ruins. However, photographs of 1946-1947 have been preserved. - they confirm that immediately after the war, only the dome of the building was damaged, while the original interiors and even fragments of painting were preserved.

A LITTLE ARCHITECTURAL CRAZY
In France, Zinaida Ivanovna was a member of high society, the entire Parisian beau monde of the Second Empire visited her house. Napoleon III was carried away by her and made advances, but received no answer.
At a ball at the Tuileries, she was introduced to a young officer, pretty and poor, named Chauveau. She liked him, and despite the age difference (she was 51, he was 32), she decided to marry him. But in order to marry the prince's widow, Charles also needed to have a title of nobility. And Zinaida bought the subject of her passion two at once - Count Chauveau and the Marquis de Serres.

The Imperial Court of Russia, which did not approve of either the departure of the princess or her new marriage, demanded that the newly minted nobleman have a public position. In the department of Finistère, there was a vacancy for the general councilor of the canton. In 1860 Charles managed to get this position, having previously assured the local prefect of his intention to settle in the department. In the same year, Zinaida and Charles signed a marriage contract. The wedding ceremony took place in Russia, in the chapel of the Yusupov Palace on the Moika. And in 1862, the newlyweds bought a small castle in Brittany on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Documentary evidence of him has been preserved since the 15th century.

The princess energetically took up the arrangement of her new home, which looked more like a medieval fortress. The chief architect of the region, Joseph Bigot, was entrusted with the task of radically rebuilding the castle, who listened attentively to the wishes of the Russian lady, honoring her exquisite taste.

The renovated castle produces a strangely gloomy, phantasmagoric impression, apparently reflecting the mood of the hostess at that time. From an architectural point of view, the new building is a hybrid of several styles - Neo-Gothic, French Renaissance and local Breton.
On the roof - chimeras and ... a Slavic witch on a broomstick. The facade is decorated with symbols of Brittany - ermines, royal lilies and occult five-pointed stars. Among the decorations are a bas-relief of a bear that looks to the east, reminiscent of the origins of Naryshkina, the noble crowns of Shovo and Serra, and the motto "Always and in spite of everything."

Comte de Chauveau died soon after, bequeathing the castle to his sister or mistress.
Zinaida Ivanovna again had to buy the castle from her rival at exorbitant prices. She donated it to the local department on the condition that the castle be a museum.
Photo of the castle taken from here. The author will try very hard to make and publish his own pictures of Chateau de Keriolet.

At the beginning of the post: Christina Robertson. Portrait of Princess Zinaida Yusupova (1840-41).

Again I was found by a house with interesting legendary inhabitants. This beautiful building is located on Liteiny Prospekt. Usually I drove by, turning off Belinsky Street. This house is impossible to miss. It stands out from the rest and immediately attracts attention.

House of Princess Zinaida Yusupova
After taking a few photos, I decided to study the history of its residents and again found a mystical theme. This house was built in 1858 for Princess Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova (née Naryshkina), who was destined to face the curse of her family. Legends are also connected with the life of this lady.

According to family legend, the Yusupov family was cursed. The Yusupovs were descendants of the Nogai Khan Yusuv, who came to serve Ivan the Terrible. Once one of the Yusupovs, Abdul-Mirza, decided to surprise the patriarch who came to visit him. He served the guest "fish". When the patriarch finished the meal, the hospitable host said that it was a goose - showing off the skill of his cook, who could cook a goose like a fish. This happened on a fast day, when a Christian was allowed only fish, not meat. Upon learning of his oversight, Abdul-Mirza was afraid to fall into disgrace and lose his property. Repentant, he announced his decision to convert to Christianity.

The news of the betrayal of faith outraged Yusupov's compatriots. According to legend, the Nogai sorceress cursed Abdul-Mirza. The witch cast a spell "out of all the Yusupovs born in the same generation, only one will live to be twenty-six years old, and this will continue until the complete destruction of the family." It was said that in a dream Yusupov was the angry prophet Muhammad himself.

The curse came true, of all the children born, only one survived to 26 years old, the rest died.

Mistress of the house Zinaida Yusupova (née Naryshkina)

Boris Yusupov. The first husband of Princess Zinaida, Boris Yusupov, was 15 years older than her. Their wedding took place in 1827, the bride was 18 years old, the groom was 33 years old. The husband died in 1849 at the age of 55.

Zinaida Ivanovna gave birth to the first child - the son of Nikolai. The second child was a daughter who died in infancy. After the death of her daughter, the princess learned about the curse - that only one of her children was destined to live to be 26 years old. Having experienced grief, Zinaida told her husband that she refused to "give birth to the dead" and insisted on ending the marital relationship. The husband didn't mind. The spouses lived in peace and harmony, each separately with his own personal life. Their only son Nikolai survived the fatal milestone - 26 years.

Contemporaries recalled that during the wedding of Yusupov and Naryshkina, a "bad omen" happened. The bride's wedding ring slipped out of her hands and rolled so far that another had to be brought in. The sign came true, most of the family life the couple lived separately.

The Yusupov family was famous for its wealth. Boris Yusupov managed to increase the welfare of the family.
Prince Boris explained his success in commerce with his reasonable attitude towards his subordinates. “You should know my thoughts that I supply all my wealth in the prosperity of my peasants ... a shrewd landowner is then rich when the peasants are in good condition and when they bless their lot” he wrote to the manager.

House of Princess Yusupova in the 19th century

The princess's house today

Princess Zinaida Ivanovna was one of the first beauties and experienced many love affairs.

The owner of the secular salon, Dolly Ficquelmont, wrote about Yusupova:
“Tall, thin, with a charming waist, with a perfectly sculpted head, she has beautiful black eyes, a very lively face with a cheerful expression that suits her so wonderfully.”
It was rumored that Emperor Nicholas I himself drew attention to the princess, the secular gossip Dolly wrote: "The emperor's unfailing kindness and the pleasure he feels in fixing his gaze on a beautiful and refined face is the only reason that makes him continue to show her respect."

Zinaida Yusupova
In 1830, the young princess began an affair with officer Nicholas Gervais. Their love story, lasting 11 years, ended sadly. Gervais was killed in 1841 in the Caucasus. Before Gervais left for the war, his friend Mikhail Lobanov-Rostovsky wrote with concern: "He looks like he's going to die in the first case." These words turned out to be prophetic.

Upon learning of the death of Gervais, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna wrote in her diary: “A sigh about Lermontov, about his broken lyre, which promised Russian literature to become its outstanding star. Two sighs about Zherva, about his too faithful heart, this courageous heart, which only with his death stopped beating for this windy Zinaida.

Zinaida Yusupova
Soon the princess's romance with the young Narodnaya Volya was discussed in society. When the fortress imprisoned him, Yusupova arranged for her lover to be released to her at night. There is a legend that when a young man died, she hired doctors to embalm his body. Zinaida buried her beloved in the wall of the house next to her bedroom. The princess wished that even after her death her lover would be by her side.

Within the walls of her house, Princess Zinaida Yusupova buried the mummy of her deceased lover

But the world of the living turned out to be more attractive. In 1861, the princess, who was 52 years old, married an officer de Chaveau and spent the last years of her life with her husband in Paris. So that their marriage would not look like a misalliance, she bought a count for her husband. The former passion for the dead was forgotten.

Perhaps the ghost of the revolutionary buried in the wall of the house still roams the corridors, waiting for the return of the windy princess.

In this church, at the princess's house, her wedding took place with the officer de Chevaux.

The house was inherited by the great-grandson of Zinaida - Felix Yusupov, who became famous for the murder of Rasputin.
Zinaida Yusupova lived for 83 years.

Great-grandson Prince Felix wrote in his Memoirs: “My great-grandmother was a hand-written beauty, she lived cheerfully, had more than one adventure ...

... I see my great-grandmother, as if on a throne, in a deep chair, and on the back of the chair above her are three crowns: princesses, countesses, marquises. For nothing that the old woman, she remained a beauty and retained the regal manner and posture. She sat rouged, perfumed, in a red wig and a sack of pearl beads.

However, the curse again reminded of itself. The granddaughter of the princess, whose name was also Zinaida, fell seriously ill. In 1878, she injured her leg while riding a horse, which led to blood poisoning. Zinaida Yusupova Jr. was 23 years old. When she had already come to terms with the thought of death, John of Kronstadt appeared to her in a dream, famous for his gift of a miracle-worker healer. Waking up, the princess asked to call Father John.

Zinaida Yusupova, Jr., in facial features there is a resemblance to her grandmother
John of Kronstadt responded to the young lady's request. When he entered the room of the dying, the famous doctor Botkin, who was entrusted with the treatment of the princess, said "Help us." To the surprise of skeptics, the visit of John of Kronstadt helped the young Yusupova, and she recovered.
The princess found out about the curse of the family after the death of her younger sister Tanechka and felt guilty, as if by her recovery she had doomed her sister to death.

Tatyana Yusupova, who became a victim of the curse

Zinaida and Tatiana Yusupov
The Bulgarian Prince Battenberg was wooing Zinaida Yusupova Jr., but the attention of the princess was attracted by the officer Felix Sumarokov-Elston, who accompanied the prince. Elston proposed to Yusupova the day after they met.

Son Felix describes his mother's choice as follows:
“Famous Europeans, including the august ones, asked for her hands, but she refused everyone, wanting to choose a spouse to her liking. Grandfather dreamed of seeing his daughter on the throne, and now he was upset that she was not ambitious. And he was completely upset when he found out that she was marrying Count Sumarokov Elston, a simple guards officer.

Unlike her namesake grandmother, whose life turned out to be very turbulent, Zinaida Yusupova Jr. loved her husband and remained faithful to him.

So that the surname of the Yusupov family did not stop, Zinaida's husband took her surname. Usually, if a noble family did not have a son-heir, the parents of the heiress insisted that her husband take their surname - this is how children and grandchildren will receive the surname of the family. If the groom himself was a descendant of an ancient surname and also took care of the continuation of the family, then the surname became double - the surname of the husband and the surname of the wife.

Zinaida Yusupova Jr. had two sons, Nikolai and Felix. She hoped the curse would finally be lifted from their family.

Zinaida Yusupova Jr. with her husband Felix and sons Nikolai and Felix.
“Mother was amazing. Tall, thin, graceful, swarthy and black-haired, with eyes shining like stars. Smart, educated, artistic, kind. No one could resist her charms ...
... Everywhere where mother entered, she carried light with her. Her eyes shone with kindness and meekness. She dressed elegantly and sternly. She did not like jewelry, although she had the best in the world, and wore them only on special occasions.- recalled the son of Felix.

Zinaida Yusupova Jr. with her sons
Despite her wealth, Yusupova raised her sons in strictness, not allowing herself to be exalted above others. Felix wrote about his mother's upbringing:
“But she did not boast of her talents, but was the very simplicity and modesty. The more you are given,” she repeated to me and my brother, “the more you owe others. Be humble. If you are higher than others in something, God forbid you show it to them.

But the curse came true again. The eldest son Nikolai died in 1908 in a duel on the eve of his 26th birthday. He was in love with Marina Heiden, who married the Count of Manteuffel. Nikolai, in love, followed Marina even during her honeymoon. The indignant husband challenged his wife's admirer to a duel, the shot was fatal.

The eldest son of Princess Yusupova - Nikolai, who died in a duel on the eve of his 26th birthday
Felix Yusupov described the tragedy of the family as follows:
“Tearing screams were heard from the father’s room. I went in and saw him, very pale, in front of the stretcher, where the body of Nikolai was stretched out. His mother, kneeling before him, seemed to have lost her mind. With great difficulty we tore her from the body of our son and put her to bed. Having calmed down a little, she called me, but when she saw, she mistook for her brother. It was an unbearable scene. Then the mother fell into prostration, and when she came to herself, she did not let me go for a second.

This is how the "fatal lady" looked like for whom Nikolai Yusupov died, an inconspicuous young lady
Thanks duchesselisa who found the photo
Zinaida Yusupova Jr. had the gift of foresight and foresaw the tragedy of the royal family. She tried to warn Nicholas II and his wife, but to no avail. Too late, the emperor believed that her premonitions of the princess were not in vain.
As Felix Yusupov wrote:
“In 1917, the life physician, dentist Kastritsky, returning from Tobolsk, where the royal family was under arrest, read to us the last sovereign’s message transmitted to him:
“When you see Princess Yusupova, tell her that I understood how correct her warnings were. If they had been listened to, many tragedies would have been avoided.”

Felix Yusupov with his wife Irina
Felix Yusupov and his wife Irina had one daughter - named after her mother Irina. When she got married, she took her husband's surname - Sheremetyeva.

Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova with her granddaughter Irina

Granddaughter Irina Yusupova (Sheremetyeva) with her daughter Xenia

Today, the descendants of the Yusupovs are alive.

Ksenia Sfiri - a descendant of the Yusupovs
Xenia has one daughter - Tatyana Sfiri (b. 1968), who has two children - Marilia (b. 2004) and Jasmine-Ksenia (b. 2006). The girls do not bear the name of the Yusupovs, which means that the curse will not touch them.

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The Yusupovs. Part 9. Zinaida Yusupova. Mother of the killer .... Rock of the Yusupov family

Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, artist Francois Flameng

On the eve of the twentieth century, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova turned to the fashionable artist Serov in order to commission portraits of all family members. As usual, Valentin Alexandrovich did not like rich clients and, accordingly, he did not paint pictures for them, but he was not able to refuse Zinaida Nikolaevna. Once he expressed his admiration for her and said: “Princess, if all rich people were at least a little like you, then in this life injustice would simply disappear.” Ms. Yusupova's answer was unexpected: “Valentin Alexandrovich, injustice cannot be eradicated, especially with money”.

V. A. Serov. Princess Yusupova in her palace on the Moika, 1900.

Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov-Elston. Portrait by Valentin Serov (1903, Russian Museum)

Yusupov Nikolai Feliksovich (1903), Serov Valentin Alexandrovich

Yusupov Felix Feliksovich (junior, 1903) Serov Valentin Alexandrovich

Of course, Zinaida Nikolaevna was not talking about social justice. She, brought up in luxury, perceived any lack of money and poverty as a direct consequence of stupidity and idleness. There was a certain logic and, I must say, a certain justice in this. And in a conversation with Serov, the princess had in mind the highest justice, which, as she herself believed, her family simply bypassed.

Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova

The unearthly beauty Zinaida Nikolaevna, at the request of her father and by the imperial decree of December 21, 1891, decided to transfer her princely title, along with the name of the Yusupovs, to her husband, Count Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov-Elston Sr. The same decree determined the procedure for the transfer of the title and surname of the Yusupovs. They were supposed to pass only to the eldest male heir in the descending line, and only after the death of the carrier. No matter how terrifying and strange it may sound, the “Yusupov curse” was passed on to Count Sumarokov-Elston, as well as to his offspring. In this seemingly very happy marriage, four boys soon appeared, two of whom died in infancy. Only two sons, Nikolai and Felix, managed to survive to adulthood.

Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova and Felix Felixovich Sumarokov-Elston

The Yusupov couple with their son Nikolai

The Yusupov couple with sons

Nikolai and Felix Yusupov

Zinaida Nikolaevna with her sons Nikolai and Felix

It is worth noting that, thanks to modern research, the reality and veracity of the most interesting historical gossip that Count Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov-Elston Sr. is none other than the half-cousin of Emperor Alexander III, and his son Felix is the fourth cousin of Emperor Nicholas II. At least in the Yusupov family, they preferred to remain silent about this. The Yusupovs were always very sensitive to tribal and family secrets, rarely telling anyone else about them. Perhaps it was for this reason that Empress Maria Feodorovna agreed without much hesitation to the union of Irina and Felix Yusupov?

Father - Felix Nikolaevich Sumarokov-Elston

Mother - Elena Sergeevna Sumarokova (1829-1901)

Dede - Friedrich Wilhelm IV King of Prussia

Grandmother - Ekaterina Fedorovna Tizengauzen

Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, after the tragic death of her eldest son, almost completely devoted herself to charity. She had the most direct relation to this before, often helping financially the Elizabethan and Krupovsky shelters, the Yalta women's gymnasium, various schools on estates, churches, canteens for the hungry during the famine of 1891-1892. The princess was on friendly terms with the wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, the sister of the last Empress Alexandra, Elizaveta Feodorovna, who, after the death of her husband, who was killed by the Socialist-Revolutionary Kalyaev, decided to take monastic vows and founded the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery in Moscow. The monastery helped the sick and suffering a lot. In addition, Elizaveta Fedorovna had a positive influence on the last of the Yusupov family, Prince Felix Feliksovich Jr.

Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova

Prince Felix Feliksovich Sr. devoted his entire life to military service. After the outbreak of the First World War, he was recommended for the post of commander of the Moscow Military District, and from May to September 1915 he arrived in the status of commander-in-chief over Moscow.

Prince (since 1885) Felix Feliksovich Yusupov Count Sumarokov-Elston (October 5 (17), 1856 - June 10, 1928)

The prince was a member of the Petersburg English club or meeting for quite a few years. When he moved to Moscow, he immediately joined the ranks of the Moscow English Club, where he visited almost every evening “just like that”, without attaching much importance to his own high rank. It so happened that he was destined to become the last of the Yusupov family of princes who were members of the English Club. The sons of Felix Feliksovich did not have time to join the club.

Prince (since 1885) Felix Feliksovich Yusupov Count Sumarokov-Elston

There are several versions of the legends about the Yusupov family curse. Even in the family this story was told in different ways. Zinaida Nikolaevna herself adhered to the version of her grandmother - Zinaida Ivanovna Naryshkina-Yusupova-de Chavot-de-Serre.

Yusuf-Murza, Khan of the Nogai Horde, was considered the founder of the clan. Wanting to reconcile with Moscow against the will of his fellow tribesmen and fearing for the life of his sons, he sent them to the court of Ivan the Terrible. The Russian chronicle says: “The sons of Yusuf, having arrived in Moscow, were granted many villages and villages in the Romanov district, and the serving Tatars and Cossacks settled there were subordinate to them. Since that time, Russia has become a fatherland for the descendants of Yusuf.

A. G. Rokshtul. Fictional Portrait of Khan Yusuf.

The old khan calculated everything correctly: his sons did not have time to get to Moscow, when his own brother severely dealt with him. When the news reached the Horde that the sons of Murza had renounced the Muslim faith and converted to Orthodoxy, one of the sorceresses cast a curse on them, according to which, out of the total number of Yusupovs born in one generation, only one would live to twenty-six years, and this would continue. up to the complete annihilation of the dynasty. Why this curse sounded so confusing is hard to say, but it came true with amazing accuracy. No matter how many children the Yusupovs had, only one man was destined to live up to twenty-six years.

Abdul-Murza - Dmitry Seyushevich Yusupovo-Knyazhevo

At the same time, this terrible fate did not affect the financial prosperity of the family. By 1917, the Yusupovs were second in wealth to the Romanovs themselves. They owned a huge amount of land, sugar, brick, sawmills, as well as factories and mines. Their annual income was at least fifteen million gold rubles. And there were legends about the luxurious Yusupov palaces. Even the grand dukes envied the stunning decoration of houses and salons. So, for example, the rooms of Zinaida Nikolaevna in Arkhangelsk and in the palace in St. Petersburg were furnished with samples of the executed French Queen Marie Antoinette.

F. Flameng. Princess Yusupova with her sons in Arkhangelsk (1894)

Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, artist Klavdy Petrovich Stepanov (1854 - 07/15/1910)

Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, artist Valentin Alexandrovich Serov

The art gallery could compete with the Hermitage in terms of the number of the greatest and genuine works of recognized artists. And the innumerable jewels of Zinaida Nikolaevna were treasures that in the past belonged to almost all the royal courts of Europe. She especially treasured the magnificent pearl of the Pelegrin. She rarely parted with her and is even depicted in her in all the portraits. Once it belonged to Philip II and was considered the main decoration of the Spanish Crown. However, Zinaida Nikolaevna did not measure happiness by wealth, and the curse of the Tatar sorceress made the Yusupovs unhappy.

Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, artist Konstantin Makovsky

Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova

Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, artist Alexandrovsky Stepan Fedorovich (1842-1906)

Of all the Yusupovs, probably only the grandmother of Zinaida Nikolaevna - the Countess de Chavo - was able to avoid great suffering due to the untimely death of her children. Born Naryshkina, Zinaida Ivanovna was married to Boris Nikolaevich Yusupov while still a very young girl. Soon she bore him a son, and then a daughter who died in childbirth. Only after these events did she learn about the family curse. Being a sensible woman, she informed her husband that " give birth to the dead" no longer. In response to his objections, she stated that if he still had not walked up, then it was allowed " belly yard girls", and that she is not going to object. So it was until 1849, when the old prince died.

Portrait of Princess Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova (1809-1893) nee. Naryshkina, Christina Robertson

Prince Boris Nikolaevich Yusupov (1794-1849), Christina Robertson

Zinaida Ivanovna was not even forty years old, as she plunged headlong into the maelstrom of new novels and relationships. There were gossip and legends about her gentlemen, but the young people's volunteer got the most attention. When he was imprisoned in the Shlisselburg Fortress, the princess abandoned social life, followed him and, it is not known how, she managed to get him released to her at night. Very many people knew about this story, gossiped about it, but, surprisingly, they did not condemn Zinaida Ivanovna. On the contrary, secular society recognized the right of the stately princess to all sorts of extravagance a la de Balzac. But then it all ended, for some time she was a recluse at Liteiny.

Portrait of Princess Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova (1809-1893) nee. Naryshkina, K. Robertson

Then she married a bankrupt but well-born Frenchman and inula Russia, refusing the title of Princess Yusupova. In France, she was called the Comtesse de Chaveau, the Marquise de Serre. The story associated with the young Narodnaya Volya was reminded by Yusupov after the revolution. One of the emigre newspapers published a report that, in search of the Yusupov treasures, the Bolsheviks destroyed all the walls of the palace on Liteiny Prospekt. To their annoyance, they did not find any jewelry, but they found a secret room adjacent to the bedroom, in which there was a coffin with the body of an embalmed man. Probably, this was the Narodnaya Volya member sentenced to death, whose body Zinaida Ivanovna bought and brought to St. Petersburg.

The estate of Keriole on the sea coast of Brittany, which Zinaida Ivanovna acquired for her second husband

Occupation maid of honor Father (1776—1848) Mother Varvara Nikolaevna Ladomirskaya (1785-1840) Children (1827—1891) Awards and prizes Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova at Wikimedia Commons

Biography

Family

Zinaida Ivanovna came from a younger branch . She was born on November 2, 1809 in Moscow. Her father was chamberlain Ivan Dmitrievich Naryshkin, her mother was Varvara Nikolaevna, the illegitimate daughter of a favorite of the empress and countess. The christening took place on 13 November.

Parents made every effort so that Zinaida and her brother received a good education at home. Subsequently, Princess Yusupova was distinguished by her knowledge of poetry and art, it was she who continued the collection of paintings that her husband's ancestors began to collect.

First marriage

Zinaida met her future husband, Prince Zinaida, in Moscow during the coronation celebrations of 1826. He was the only son and. By this time, he was already thirty years old, and for six years he was a widower (in 1820, his first wife, Praskovya Pavlovna Shcherbatova, died in childbirth). Fifteen-year-old Zinaida was one of the brilliant high society beauties. Recalling the festivities, the count wrote:


Young spouses Yusupovs

Prince Yusupov was forced to make a lot of efforts to win the favor of Zinaida's parents. By this time, he had already made several attempts at matchmaking, but despite his wealth and title, he was refused everywhere. On October 11, 1826, the betrothal took place, he wrote to his brother:

But the wedding was postponed due to the intervention of Princess Tatyana Vasilievna.

A magnificent marriage took place on January 19, 1827 in Moscow, but not entirely safely. Yusupov went to church, forgetting to receive his father's blessing, for which he had to return home. In the church, Zinaida Ivanovna dropped the ring, it rolled so far that they did not find it and took another one. A. Ya. Bulgakov noticed that “ An extraordinary groom must have extraordinary incidents. In the church, the bride was very cheerful, and the groom was thoughtful and frowning.» . But soon the young wife became disillusioned with the marriage, telling her father that "she is very bored in St. Petersburg." In a letter to his brother dated May 2, 1827, he wrote: “Yes, where you won’t get bored with Borenka, I wanted to tell him in response.” , comparing it with "chained", noted that "everything in it is still poetry. Only her husband resembles despicable prose"

In October 1827, the couple had a son named after his grandfather. Soon Zinaida gave birth to a daughter who died in childbirth. After that, the couple actually broke off their marital relationship, allowing each other to intrigue on the side. According to family legend, this happened due to the Yusupov family curse, which Zinaida Ivanovna feared, but in fact, Prince Yusupov simply did not want to have other children, which he resolutely announced to everyone in order to keep his son inviolable and transfer all that fortune to him without damage which he used.

Novels

Zinaida Ivanovna was one of the most fashionable ladies in the capital, contemporaries noted her natural beauty and intelligence. Count Sollogub recalled that she "was pretty, kind and affable." Prince A.V. Meshchersky called Yusupova one of the "lionesses" of St. Petersburg society, giving her the palm, noting that she "was distinguished by her great benevolence towards everyone and, in general, remarkable meekness." Princess Yusupova enjoyed the attention of Emperor Nicholas I. Describing her in 1829, Dolly Ficquelmont paid tribute to her beauty

at the same time, she jealously remarked that "the constant kindness of the emperor and the pleasure that he feels, fixing his gaze on a beautiful and refined face, is the only reason that makes him continue to show her respect." In 1830, Zinaida Ivanovna began an affair with a cavalry guard (1808-1841). The Countess Ficquelmont wrote:

No less noticeable is the too protracted and all-consuming flirting of the charming Princess Yusupova with Gervais, an officer of the Cavalry Guards Regiment. She is of general interest, because she is young in spirit, as well as for years, cheerful, naive, innocent. With amazing innocence she surrendered herself to the power of her feelings. She does not seem to see the trap set in front of her and behaves at balls as if in the whole wide world only she and Gervais are alone. He is very young, with an unattractive face, in any case, insignificant, but very much in love, constant in his feelings and, perhaps, more dexterous than he is considered.

Soon, the spouse becomes aware of the novel, Dolly writes in her diary: “The halo of gaiety that surrounded his beautiful and so young face suddenly disappeared at once. I'm afraid the reason for this is Gervais." Saving Zinaida from gossip, Gervais leaves Petersburg. In 1841, Prince Mikhail Lobanov-Rostovsky spoke of the "melancholic Gervais": "He looks as if he would die in the very first case." Soon, during an expedition to Greater and Lesser Chechnya, Gervais was wounded and died after a two-month illness. On August 7, 1841, the Empress wrote to her friend the Countess:

In 1889, Count Chauveau died, having bequeathed the castle to Keriole, bought in 1862 by Zinaida Ivanovna, to her sister, and she had to redeem it for one and a half million francs.

The dacha of Princess Yusupova is one of the best examples of Russian architecture. The building was designed by architect I. A. Monighetti in neo-baroque style. Work on the construction of the dacha of Princess Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova lasted from 1856 to 1859. The history of the appearance of this building in Tsarskoe Selo is remarkable, like the whole life of its owner.

The life story of Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova

Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova was an extraordinary woman. From her youth, she had a beautiful appearance. In her case, external beauty was a real talent. One of the sovereign's relatives wooed her, but the girl, during a meeting with the applicant for her hand, looked into the eyes of another. That other became her husband, the next day after the bride, he arrived and proposed to her. She amazed everyone not only with her beauty, but also with her enormous courage of mind, her finest taste and strength of character.

These qualities were acquired by her in the process of upbringing and received an excellent education. She gained fame in society, admiring him for deeds for which others were condemned. She broke the conventions that limited the behavior of women, and set the tone in the salons and balls. Men admired her, and women were afraid even to envy. Once Zinaida Ivanovna gave a ball in her house. Unfortunately, she could not dance at her ball due to a lameness that appeared as a result of an injury received during winter entertainment. She appeared before the guests, leaning on a crutch, which was made of ebony in some completely ancient spirit, and its handle was encrusted with diamonds. This crutch then played a huge role in creating the image of the princess, as it left the deepest impression on the guests, and Prince P. A. Vyazemsky immortalized it in the princess's album, dedicating a poem to this fabulous accessory.

The princess was a rather witty, extravagant woman, and she made her position so limited by injury at her own ball advantageous. She understood that a lady in a light ball gown, as a rule, a light-colored dress, unable to dance, would get lost in the noise of the ball. Then Princess Zinaida Ivanovna chose an outfit made of dense blue fabric, decorating her hair at the back with two transparent scarves falling to the floor, and a diamond star adorned her forehead in front. This almost mystical outfit of our fatal heroine remained in the memory of her contemporaries for a long time.

She was widowed before her fortieth birthday, becoming the heir to a huge fortune. Beauty, youth and wealth gave her even more freedom and raised her above the boundaries of social behavior. After the death of her husband, she turned her life into a continuous romance, not being afraid of the condemnation of secular society. She fell in love with many, many. She was compared with the heroines of Balzac, who sang the beauty of mature women. So, even Emperor Nicholas I was subdued by her. Her great-grandson Felix Yusupov in his memoirs testifies that once in the archives of his great-grandmother he found a note from Emperor Nicholas, in which the Russian autocrat informs Princess Zinaida Ivanovna that he is giving her the Hermitage in Tsarskoe Selo and asks her settle down there to meet him. But the princess refused the emperor, which is why she went abroad.

The history of the construction of the dacha of Princess Yusupova

In the meantime, construction of a dacha began on her plot in Tsarskoe Selo. Zinaida Ivanovna this time again showed her extraordinary mind and ordered the architect Monighetti, a Russified Italian who served as court architect, to build a kind of copy of the sovereign's Hermitage. Monighetti brilliantly "retold" the great Rastrelli, who owns the final project of the above-mentioned pavilion in Catherine's Park. The architecture of the house of Princess Yusupova is very dynamic. The facades of the building were painted in bright colors and decorated with very complex and active stucco. The walls were decorated with columns, cartouches, arched windows, the architraves of which originally repeated the beauty of the Rastrell Hermitage.

The corner pavilions were octagonal, and their roofs were decorated with balustrades. The central hall is crowned with a dome, which is especially impressive when looking at this house. The interior decoration was also striking in its beauty and richness. Princess Yusupova had excellent taste and acquired the finest examples of applied art for her home. If we talk about the estate of Princess Zinaida Ivanovna, then it consisted of three buildings: the hostess's summer house, the kitchen outbuilding, and the gardener's house. The estate had a pond and a garden, as well as a poultry house, which has not been preserved. Together they created a bright manor complex.

modern time

In 1998, a gradual restoration began. Later, the building was rented for a long time, with the aim of reconstructing it and opening a hotel. The work is still going on (January 2011). In Soviet times, the children's labor colony named after. Lunacharsky, then a summer cottage for pupils of the Leningrad Choreographic School. In 1933, a laboratory was placed in the building, and employees of the All-Russian Institute of Plant Growing settled in the rooms. They caused significant damage to the interiors. During the war, the building was partially destroyed, and then repaired without restoration. The placement of a children's labor camp here completely destroyed the interiors. Then for about 15 years the building was empty and continued to deteriorate, the roof collapsed.

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