An Estate Fit for a Queen's Lover

It is hard to believe that one of Moscow's most beautiful examples of early 19th-century architecture was once located in the middle of a pea field. It may also interest passers-by to note that the grand estate at 18/20 Ulitsa Kazakova was granted to a simple singer whose handsome face and sweet voice captured the heart of the tsarina.

Now home to the State Sports Committee, the two-story estate on Ulitsa Kazakova is better known to some Muscovites as the Razumovsky Palace, after brothers Alexei and Kirill Razumovsky. Having come to St. Petersburg from his native Ukraine, where he had a limited education, Alexei caught the attention of Yelizaveta Petrovna, Peter the Great's daughter. Some believe the tsarina married her lover and that they had a daughter, Princess Avgusta Tarakanova. But the marriage between the tsarina and her Cossack singer of humble origin was kept secret. She did manage, however, to elevate Razumovsky's status by awarding him Russia's highest order of St. Andrei Pervozvanny. She made him a count and showered him with estates, not the least of which is the house now located on Ulitsa Kazakova.

The estate itself had been confiscated by Yelizaveta Petrovna from Mikhail Golovkin, who had had considerable influence at court until the empress accused him of treason. The estate had belonged to Golovkin's father, Gavril Golovkin, until his death in 1734. A relative of Peter the Great's mother, Gavril Golovkin had been a faithful servant of the tsar. He occupied the house in the early 18th century, having acquired it from a Danish merchant by the name of David Bakhart, who settled in Moscow in the second half of the 17th century. Taking over the pea field, or Gorokhovoye Pole, that once stood there, Bakhart built himself a wooden town house with a large fruit garden, a multitude of ponds and a meadow that produced a legendary 40 wagon-loads of hay each year.

Once the estate had been confiscated, Yelizaveta Petrovna presented it to her favorite, Alexei Razumovsky. Given the secrecy of their marriage, however, when Razumovsky died in 1771 he was considered to be childless, and the estate was passed on to his brother, Kirill.

Kirill had also benefited from the good graces of the empress. At the age of 22, the uneducated Cossack became president of the Academy of Science. He was also awarded the title of general field marshal and later appointed the governor of his native Ukraine. What he lacked in genius he compensated for with generosity and a love for his homeland. Married to Yekaterina Naryshkina ?€” a distant relative of the empress ?€” he was known for his jolly disposition, loyalty and innate sense of beauty.

The estate was inherited by Kirill's son, Alexei Kirillovich Razumovsky. Unlike his father and uncle, Count Alexei had received the finest education and made a fine career for himself as a senator and later as education minister under Tsar Alexander I. But in spite of his humble origins, Razumovsky was of an arrogant nature, considering himself to be of royal blood. So after retiring from government service in St. Petersburg he moved to Moscow ?€” capital for all grand retirees.

It was under Alexei Kirillovich's watchful eye that the house on Ulitsa Kazakova took on all of the lavish reconstruction we can see today. Starting at the turn of the century, the renovations were completed in 1803. Sadly, the architect of this impressive project is still unknown. The design has been attributed to both the famous Matvei Kazakov, after whom the street is now named, as well as to one of the most talented Russian architect teams of the 18th century ?€” Nikolai Lvov and Adam Menelas.

The main building of the estate is separated from the street by a large ceremonial courtyard. The central part is bordered by two-story outer wings linked to the main courtyard by arches. There is a magnificent parade entrance to the palace flanked by two elegant ionic porticos. Two winding staircases lead to the main entrance.

Although the main part of the house appears to be made of stone, it is actually built from oak beams placed vertically and set very close to one another. The beams at the top have been covered with felt and then plastered. Count Alexei had his reasons for creating this illusion. He believed it was significantly better for one's health to live in a house made of wood rather than stone.

The interior of the house was exceptional for its splendor. The halls sparkled with mirrors and bronze ornamentation. In many of the rooms the walls were hung with rich tapestries and the windowsills were crafted from semi-precious metals. Silver and tea sets were imported from France and Germany, as were oil paintings of the finest European masters.

Occupying the equivalent of an entire block, the house was surrounded by a vast garden that has partly survived to this day. The count was interested in botany and had a collection of rare plants in his greenhouse. The garden was tended by specialists whom Razumovsky had brought over from Europe, one of whom later established the St. Petersburg botanical garden. There were countless flowerbeds and alleyways sculpted from trees. Broad roads led from the house into the garden and steadily tapered off to paths that led to a lake and a meadow sown with wild flowers.

The house was spared from the fires and looting that ravaged many Moscow estates during the War of 1812 thanks to one of Napoleon's generals who occupied the estate and protected if from theft. But Count Alexei Razumovsky's grand efforts were wasted on his son, Pyotr, who inherited the house after his father's death in 1822. In spite of his parents' wealth, Pyotr Razumovsky managed to squander his family's estate. He eventually sold the estate to his creditors and died penniless in Odessa in 1835. The Razumovsky line ended with him.

Soon thereafter the house was purchased by the government treasury, and for the remainder of the 19th century the estate was home to a number of charitable and educational institutions, including a medical school, an almshouse for elderly women and an orphanage.