The
Yusupov Palace,
built by Vallin de la Mothe in the Early Russian Classical style, represents a
rare combination of an architectural monument and a temple of art. It was a
residence of the wealthy and respected Yusupov family. The palace was the scene
of one of the most dramatic episodes in Russia's
history, the murder of Grigory Rasputin. In 1916 a group of the city's noble
elite, including one of the Grand Dukes and led by the prominent anglophile
Prince Felix Yusupov, conspired to kill the one man who they felt threatened
the stability of an already war-torn Russian Empire. Grigory Rasputin, a
peasant and self-proclaimed holy man, had gradually won favor with the Tsar's
family through his alleged supernatural powers. His control over the decisions
of the Tsar and his family put him in an influential position and posed a very
real threat to their power. Consequently, Rasputin was murdered at the Yusupov
Palace on the night of December 16-17 1916.
In addition to being movers and shakers, the Yusupovs
were great collectors of art, and their collection was known well beyond Russia. After the Revolution, most of the collection was moved
to the Hermitage, though traces of the incredible wealth that once kept this
place pulsating with life still remain: the various sitting rooms, the
intricate chandeliers and candelabras that adorn every room and corridor,
impressive Oak dining room, the Big sitting room, the sitting room with silver
alcove, White Column Hall with majestic Corinthian colonnade, and the beautiful
private theatre in baroque style that looks like a cozy version of the
Mariinsky. Nowadays, music concerts, using old instruments from the Yusupov
collection, are performed on a regular basis.
Alexander
Nevsky Lavra
Alexander
Nevsky Lavra founded by Peter I, was given the official title of The
Alexander Nevsky Monastery of the Holy Trinity. At the turn of the 20th
century there were 16 churches in the monastery complex, of which five still
survive. These are Holy Trinity Cathedral, the Church of the Annunciation, St. Lazarus'
Church, St. Nicholas' Church and the Church of the Holy Mother of God "the
Joy of all Mourners" which is over the monastery gates. The monastery
complex comprises the Tikhvin and Lazarus cemeteries where the outstanding
figures of Russian culture as Dostoyevsky and Tchaikovsky are buried.