Golitsyn Manor: a museum, a park and a church

In times of tsarist Russia, noble families had huge estates. After the revolution of 1917 and the Second World War, few of them were lucky to survive. The Golitsyn estate is one of the estates that survived the most complicated historical events, were restored, became museums and came under the protection of the Federal Program of the Russian Federation. Inside the courtyard there are manorial buildings with outbuildings, cattle and horseyards, sculptures, a park, temples ...

History of the appearance of the manor and its name

The first mention of the area, which later housed the estate of the princes Golitsyn, belong to the XVII century. It belonged to the Nikolo-Ugreshsky monastery together with the mill. Later, in 1702, it was handed over to Georgy Stroganov, the son of an industrialist, a descendant of a noble family. Initially, he received a mill with a pond, and then the wastelands surrounding them.

In 1716, the construction of the church began, which was consecrated in honor of the Vlaherna Icon of the Mother of God. After completion of construction, the estate of Kuzminki was renamed into Vlaherna. The name was given so long ago that no one remembers why the mill was so named: either the previous owner was Kuzma, or the monastery bore the names of Kuzma and Danila. Anyway, in 1740 George Stroganov receives Kuzminki in individual use and begins to develop it slowly. It was then that the pond was created, which has survived to this day.

The manor has a new owner

In 1757, the owner of the estate became the most illustrious prince Golitsyn Mikhail Mikhailovich - the son of one of the noblest noble families, brother of the vice-chancellor. There were four branches in their family, the descendants of the three live now. After marrying Anna Stroganova Golitsyn received for her a dowry in the form of 518 acres of land and the estate itself Vlaherna. It remained in the possession of the princely family until the revolution itself.

Development of the estate

After the wedding of Stroganov's daughter, the Golitsyn estate in Kuzminki began to change. The old house was rebuilt, much attention was paid to landscape design. Especially noteworthy is the cascade of four ponds, which you can admire and at the present time. The English park served as a model for imitation of the surrounding landlords and nobles. Almost all buildings were rebuilt: slobodki, equestrian and cattle yards, church, pier.

After the death of Prince Michael, his son, Sergei Mikhailovich (according to some statements, his great-nephew) took over. Under him, the Golitsyn estate "Kuzminki" became so famous for its architecture that it was compared to the cities of Pavlovsk and Peterhof near St. Petersburg.

CM. Golitsyn was a large industrialist and owned cast-iron foundries. All the masterpieces of park architecture, such as gates, benches and sculptures were cast on them. To create monuments, lanterns, zhirandols and other small architectural forms, the prince invited such masters as Rossi, Kompioni, AG. Grigoriev, A Voronikhin, M. Bykovsky and others. Turned into a masterpiece of construction and landscape design, the Golitsyn estate in Kuzminki was called Russian Versailles among connoisseurs of art.

Further destiny of the manor

The estate was extended and well-groomed until the death of Prince Sergei Mikhailovich. After his death, the estate of the princes Golitsyn "Vlaherna-Kuzminki" passed to his nephew Mikhail Alexandrovich, who served as ambassador to Spain. In the estate, he almost did not appear.

Later, the Golitsyn estate in Kuzminki went to his son Sergei Mikhailovich. In the estate comes desolation ... The prince moves to Dubrovitsy, reduces the staff of the servants, the premises are handed over to the dachas. There were even completed several buildings for tourists.

When the estate of Golitsyn went to his son, Sergei Sergeyevich, there was the First World War. Part of the buildings of the estate were given to the hospital for officers. Because of their negligence, a fire broke out, the Lord's house and the West wing burned down - these buildings remained wooden.

In 1918 the estate of Golitsyn became the property of the Institute of Experimental Veterinary Medicine. Products containing precious metals were seized in favor of the new state, masterpieces of cast iron poured into smelting. From an old church made a holiday home. In 1941, despite the constant bombing of the German army, Golitsyn's estate was practically not damaged.

In 1960, the estate, which came to desolation, received the status of a monument. Park Kuzminki has become a popular holiday destination and the center for various cultural events.

The front yard

Kuzminki (museum-estate) begin with the exposition "The Courtyard". It includes many elements that deserve separate consideration: the Mansion house, the West and East wings, the Entrance bridge, the gate of the front yard, the fence of the yard and the Egyptian pavilion (kitchen).

The front yard was designed by the architect Yegorov IV. In order to separate it from the rest of the territory, it was surrounded by a fence and surrounded by a moat, which was filled with Golitsyn water. It was possible to get to the Lord's house through the Entrance bridge with lanterns. According to the idea, all the buildings were to be clearly visible, so the yard was decorated with flower beds and a short shrub. The Egyptian pavilion was used as a kitchen.

Ensemble "Kuzminsky Park"

To date, Kuzminsky Park is a whole complex of monuments of nature and architecture. It houses English and French parks, a cascade of Kuzminsky ponds, a cottage on the dam, the Grottoes, the Lion's Wharf. Parks today are almost completely open to visitors, they host various events. Open to visitors and magnificent ponds. The only exception is the site belonging to the institute.

The cascade consists of four ponds: Upper Kuzminsky, Nizhniy Kuzminsky, Shibayevsky, Shchuchiy. The first is the Lion Pier. It was with her that she used to go on a boat trip. Between the Upper and Lower Ponds, on the dam, on the site of the former mill, the house was rebuilt. It housed guests who stayed for the night.

On one bank was the Music Pavilion, where pop performances are held now, and on the opposite side there are two grottoes - One-Arched and Three-Grocery. In the first under the Golitsyns forces of hosts and guests put on theatrical performances. On the shore of the Lower Pond was the Ptichnik, which was later rebuilt into a smithy.

Temple in the Manor

The Golitsyn estate received its second name precisely because of this temple. Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich granted the former owner of the estate Stroganov a list from the Vlaherna Icon. To store it, a wooden church was built in 1716-1720.

Golitsyn rebuilt the church - now its walls were made of stone. Napoleon's troops ravaged it, but after the war the owners of the manor restored the temple, installed marble iconostases, the clock on the bell tower, and was again consecrated.

After 1929, the third floor was completed, the church was first turned into a dormitory, and then into the office building of the institute. After 1990, the church was transferred to the diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church and restored.

How to get to Kuzminki

In fact, the museum, which today is a Golitsyn estate in Kuzminki, is not only the sights we described. These are gazebos, sculptures, horse and barnyard and much more. One day to study all the exhibits just is not enough, so it's better to come here several times.

To get to the museum-estate is not at all difficult. It is enough to get to the metro station "Kuzminki" and walk 15-20 minutes. So you can get to the central entrance to the museum. To quickly get to certain expositions in the estate, you can take a shuttle bus, but as they rarely go, it will be faster to ride the subway or walk.