The Muravyov-Apostle Manor in Moscow on Old Basmannaya Street is one of the decorations of the capital. The Museum of the Decembrists, which opened in an old mansion, acquaints guests with the tragic story that happened on Senate Square, with the life of the Moscow nobility. In addition to the main exposition, exhibitions and music evenings are held here, lectures are given.
History
In the 18th century, the house was located in a suburb of Moscow next to a textile factory, which, like the house, belonged to the merchant Babushkin. The memory of the industrialist lasted in this part of the city until 1964, and the neighboring lane them. A. Lukyanova was named after the manufacturer Babushkin. In 1795, the house passed into the possession of Prince Volkonsky, for whom the merchant gave his daughter. A dignitary rebuilds the mansion, but soon sells it to a retired soldier Yakovlev. The new owner is rebuilding the country estate, giving it the style of late classicism.
Who was the author of the project is not known for certain, but the plans of the house bear the signature of architect I.D. Zhukov. later the house changed owners several times, among them were Countess Saltykova E.A., Count Vorontsov R.A. Tentatively in 1815, this suburban real estate was bought by Praskovya Ivanovna Grushevskaya, who became the second wife of Ivan Matveevich Muraviev-Apostol.
Ravaged nest
Within the walls of this mansion, social life was in full swing, guests were received, balls were given, many influential senator Ivan Matveevich Muravyov-Apostol greeted many. The estate saw celebrities, for example, the poet Batyushkov lodged in the family in 1816. There are suggestions that AS Pushkin visited
The house was crowded; sons often visited my parents: Ippolit, Sergey and Matvey. Life was prosperous, but during this period the time of the birth of the Decembrist movement, the active participants of which were the three sons of the family, took place. After the suppression of the uprising, Ippolit Muravyov-Apostle, not wanting to be arrested, committed suicide. Sergey was publicly hanged, and Matvey was sent to Siberia to hard labor. In 1822 the estate was sold.
Decembrists Museum
After the Ant-Apostles, the house was resold several times until the Alexander-Mariinsky orphanage opened in the mansion in the mansion in the 1840s. The second and mezzanine floors were given to the shelter, and on the ground floor and in the outbuilding premises were rented for housing, shops, craft workshops. The Muravyov-Apostol Manor was an orphanage until 1917.
In 1925, the Soviet people's commissar Lunacharsky planned to open a museum of the Decembrists and to coincide this event with the centennial of the uprising, but the idea did not find a real continuation. Instead of museum halls, the mansion was adapted for a communal apartment, which contributed to the rapid deterioration. The idea of founding a museum was floating in the air, but it was realized only in 1986. The building was in disrepair, and when the main staircase collapsed in 1991, it was closed for restoration. Perestroika and confusion contributed to the further destruction - there was no funding, restoration work was stopped.
Rebirth
In Moscow, many historical monuments have been lost, there are many reasons for this. The mansion could also sink into oblivion, if not for the heir to the clan Christopher Muravyov-Apostol. The estate of his ancestors made a great impression on him. The authorities met his desire to revive the estate, and the premises were leased for 49 years. Restoration work was carried out using the latest technologies, which allowed us to maintain a holistic frame of the mansion. To see the old walls, open fragments of a wooden log house were left in the already open halls.
In the courtyard, where carriages used to call in, restoration work was carried out. Artifacts found around the building are on display at the museum. Over the entire period of the house’s existence, many layers have accumulated around the basement, and therefore, despite the presence of windows, it was hidden from the sun. It is impossible to remove the layer of earth from the front side to the initial level, but from the courtyard side it was possible to clear the territory to the historical layer, and now the basement is open. The lower rooms of the mansion previously housed a kitchen, a well-preserved wine cellar, utility rooms.
In the museum-estate, the preservation of the historical heritage is carried out by modern methods: a constant temperature is maintained and the humidity regime is controlled.
Architecture
The Muravyev-Apostol Manor in Moscow is a three-story wooden log house erected on a white brick basement. The facade of the building is made in the style of late Moscow classicism. High windows of the second floor are hidden behind the Greek portico, decorated with Corinthian columns. Above the windows are bas-reliefs of fine work with images of antique plots. The left side of the building, facing the intersection, ends with a light, full of light semicircular rotunda.
The halls of the second floor are connected by a suite, where there is an office, a front bedroom, a ballroom, two living rooms and a half-ton room. The mansion has one feature - the ceilings in all rooms have different heights. The Museum-Estate of the Ants-Apostles is a restored space where everything that was possible was carefully preserved. According to the director of the museum Tatyana Makeeva, the restorers showed all their professionalism and knowledge of their work. “Under the ceiling - preserved reliefs, we just washed them from oil paint. In general, everything that could be saved, we saved, ”says Makeeva.
