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Tatiana Saburova How many times have we picked up family photographs, lovingly peering at the features of our loved ones. Perhaps that is why photographs that have absorbed the tenderness of our feelings have extraordinary magic.
Prince Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston visited the best Moscow and St. Petersburg studios or invited photographers to their home. Zinaida Nikolaevna (1861-1939) and Felix Feliksovich (1856-1928), like all parents in the world, sought to preserve the visible memory of their sons’ childhood years.
The eldest son was born in 1883. In the childhood photographs of Count Nikolai Sumarokov-Elston we see a baby in a sailor suit with his head arrogantly raised. Before us is the heir to the richest fortune of the Yusupov princes - the largest landowners and industrialists in Russia. Named in honor of his grandfather, Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov, he was eventually to inherit the title, name and coat of arms of this ancient family.
Family legend says that when Nikolai saw his tiny newborn younger brother for the first time, he exclaimed: “What a horror! He should be thrown out the window.” The age difference initially hindered friendship, but over time they became close and understood each other without words. This brother is Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston, and since 1914, Prince Yusupov (1887-1967), perhaps one of the most famous representatives of the family. He took part in a conspiracy against Grigory Rasputin. While in exile, he wrote memoirs in which he dedicated many pages to his older brother.
The cloudless childhood of Nikolai and Felix took place in an atmosphere of love and attention from their elders, unquestioning submission of servants, and in the luxury of their surroundings.
In 1894, in the famous Yusupov estate Arkhangelskoye, Francois Flameng painted a portrait of Zinaida Nikolaevna with her sons. The artist depicted the princess in the park, and in the background - boys playing in the shade of trees. In the surviving photograph from the Yusupov archives, Flameng is captured while working on this work.
From his mother Zinaida Nikolaevna, Nikolai inherited musicality and artistic talent. He played the guitar excellently, had a pleasant baritone voice, wrote prose and published under the pseudonym "Rokov", led an amateur comedy troupe and took part in theatrical performances, once earning the praise of K. S. Stanislavsky himself. Nikolai did not want to follow in his father's footsteps and abandoned his military career. After graduating from school, he entered the law faculty of St. Petersburg University. This fact is reflected in one of his photographs.
During his student years, Nikolai led a carefree social life, which took place in revelries and costume balls, visiting restaurants and theaters. He makes his younger brother a participant in his adventures. According to Felix’s recollections, Nikolai began to treat him in those years “like a man” and confided his intimate secrets.
The brothers carry out a series of funny pranks involving Felix dressing up in a woman's dress. Nikolai and the “beautiful stranger” visit public places, attracting the attention of St. Petersburg youth. Another “dressing up” was carried out by them together with the artist of the Imperial Theaters V. A. Blumenthal-Tamarin, under the impression of A. M. Gorky’s play “At the Depths”. Dressed as beggars, the three of them went to the St. Petersburg quarter of the poor, settled in a shelter and watched, in Felix’s words, “a terrible performance.”
In 1907-1908, Count Nikolai Sumarokov-Elston visited the famous St. Petersburg portrait salon "Boassanna and Eggler", whose services were used by representatives of the highest Russian aristocracy, including the imperial family. Looking at the next photograph of Nikolai, no one from the family imagined that it was the last in his life.
Fate would have it that Nikolai met and fell in love with the daughter of Rear Admiral Suite Marina Aleksandrovna Heyden, who was engaged to the lieutenant of the Cavalry Regiment, Count Arvid Ernestovich Manteuffel. Having not approved of their son's choice, the parents did not give permission for the marriage. Marina married Manteuffel, but their relationship with Nikolai did not change and became the subject of conversation in the world. On June 22, 1908, on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg, Sumarokov-Elston was killed in a duel with Manteuffel.
A few hours before the duel, Nikolai, usually cold and reserved, writes a sincere and passionate letter: “My dear Marina! [...] It’s terribly hard for me that I won’t see you before I die, I can’t say goodbye to you and tell you how I love you so much..."
Nikolai Sumarokov-Elston was buried in the family crypt of the Yusupov princes in Arkhangelskoye.
Due to a strange fatality, almost all the heirs in the Yusupov family died before reaching 26 years of age. Felix Yusupov described the tragedy of his parents and his own bitterness of loss in detail in his memoirs. And in the photographs of the family album, Nikolai remained forever young.
Felix Feliksovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston, was the last of the famous branch of the Yusupov princes. He tried to do many things in life, but went down in history as one of the murderers. Subsequently, while in exile, Yusupov even wrote two books of memoirs about this, the fees for which were the main source of his income. In addition, Felix turned out to be one of the first people who managed to win a lawsuit against the film company and receive compensation for moral damages in the form of a fairly tidy sum. The prince's early years | Russia of the Romanovs Yusupov was the youngest son of Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston and his wife Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova. It should be noted that the princess wanted and was expecting a daughter, so when Felix was born, she did not treat him like a boy, but dressed him up in pink dresses, taught him to wear jewelry, and even taught him to put on makeup. The mother's strange whim left a huge imprint on the entire future life of this unusual person. For many years, Yusupov’s main entertainment was the following: in a woman’s dress, trying not to be recognized, walking along the boulevard or having lunch in a restaurant. The entire Russian nobility spoke about the oddities of the “golden boy”; he was even accused of homosexuality, although no one had actual evidence of this.
 Yusupov, dressed in a period costume for the performance | Russia of the Romanovs Felix graduated from a prestigious private gymnasium, and later from Oxford University, where he founded the Russian Society, since he was always and until the end of his life remained a patriot of his homeland, but exclusively in the monarchical version. In their youth, Yusupov and his older brother Nikolai were passionate theater fans. Moreover, the young people themselves performed on stage. Eyewitnesses claimed that Felix had extraordinary acting talent, which was especially noticeable in the art of impersonating other people. And we are talking not only about the very convincing performance of female roles, but also about the creation on stage of very realistic images of male characters - from commoners to Cardinal Richelieu.
 Photo by Felix Yusupov | Russia of the Romanovs At the age of 21, Yusupov suddenly became the sole heir to his family's enormous heirloom fortune. The fact is that his older brother Nikolai died in a duel at the hands of Count Arvid Manteuffel, who thus defended the honor of his wife, seduced by Yusupov Sr. However, as later life would show, Felix was not destined to enjoy wealth to the fullest. In 1916, Felix Yusupov and Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov, his brother-in-law, together with State Duma deputy Vladimir Purishkevich, organized a conspiracy against a friend and close associate of the Russian emperor, Grigory Rasputin. Felix later said: each of the three men independently came to the idea that all the troubles of Russia at the beginning of the 20th century were connected precisely with the name of the “royal elder.” When they began to discuss, they came to the conclusion that Rasputin must be stopped at any cost. But it is Yusupov who is considered the initiator and implementer of the conspiracy.
 Conspirators: Dmitry Romanov, Felix Yusupov, Vladimir Purishkevich On the penultimate day of 1916, he invited Grigory Rasputin to his house and, under the pretext of showing him the place where he usually feasted with guests, lured him into the basement. Having offered Gregory to leave St. Petersburg forever and having been refused, Felix took out a pistol and shot at Rasputin. The testimony in the investigator's office of the three conspirators will differ significantly from each other and greatly diverge from the facts discovered by the investigation. We can only say with certainty that three shots were fired at the old man, and later the dead body was taken by car to the Petrovsky Bridge and thrown into the river.
 Wax figures in the Yusupov Museum, recreating the scene of the murder of Grigory Rasputin | LiveInternet The emperor's family was very angry at the act of Yusupov and his accomplices. Most likely, they would have faced a death sentence, but due to Prince Dmitry’s participation in the case, the investigation was delayed. Meanwhile, Purishkevich was sent to the front, Romanov to Persia, and Prince Felix faced house arrest on his family estate in the Kursk province. But the death of Rasputin led to the February and then the October revolutions, and Yusupov went abroad, where in any society he appears primarily as “that same killer.” By the way, the man would later write memoir books “The End of Rasputin” and “Memoirs” about these tragic events. Social activityIt must be emphasized that Yusupov was a patriot and a rather generous person. During the First World War, he organized hospitals in St. Petersburg at his own expense. In the first of them, created in a house on Liteiny Prospekt, Felix worked himself until he received permission to go to a one-year officer course in the Corps of Pages. Looking ahead, it is worth adding that during the Second World War, Prince Yusupov would take a very interesting position: he did not want to support the Nazis who occupied France, but at the same time he also categorically refused the offer to return to St. Petersburg, citing his rejection of the Soviet Union as a state .
 Photo by Felix Yusupov | PetroInfo After the October Revolution, the man and his family left Russia forever. He first settled in Malta, and later moved to London and from there to Paris. Having sold all the jewelry that they were able to take with them, the Yusupovs bought a house in the Bois de Boulogne on Pierre Guerin Street, where Felix lived until the end of his life. Interestingly, there was still so much property left on their estate in Russia that the looting of the house continued for at least a week. But, even becoming significantly poorer, Felix continued to help refugees. Together with his mother, he organized a special fund and also provided shelter in his house.
 Felix Yusupov with a bulldog named Clown | Livejournal In the 20s, Yusupov and his wife opened the Irfé fashion house, which became a unique phenomenon for France. The fact is that countesses and princesses acted as models and even seamstresses at Irfé, for which the Yusupov fashion house was called the most aristocratic. Irfé designers were guided by the Russian style, used silk painting, and the main innovation was the introduction of a completely unprecedented phenomenon - the so-called sports style in everyday clothing. The rise in popularity was so rapid that it can only be compared with an equally immediate fall. The time came for the Great Depression, and Felix was unable to rebuild and continued to lead a wasteful lifestyle, so the company went bankrupt.
 Photo by Felix Yusupov | Russia of the Romanovs The budget was replenished through the release of a book about Rasputin, as well as through unprecedented audacity - filing a lawsuit against the American film company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The fact is that in 1932 the film “Rasputin and the Empress” was released, which states that Yusupov’s wife was Grigory’s mistress. Felix, whom everyone convinced of the futility of his actions, goes to court and manages to prove the groundlessness and unfoundedness of the film's script. MGM pays him £25,000, which was considered a huge sum at the time. In addition, this precedent has led to the fact that movie credits now include phrases like “based on the work” and “the resemblance to real persons is not intentional.” Personal lifeYoung Felix was considered one of the most handsome men among the Russian nobility. Many representatives of the fairer sex went crazy about him. It was rumored that men had repeatedly looked at such a luscious appearance. But Yusupov dispelled all suspicions about his unconventional orientation by marrying Princess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova, the sovereign’s own niece. In 1915, the couple had a daughter, Irina, whose godsons, by the way, were the emperor himself and his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna.
 Russian seven In their old age, a few months before their death, Felix and Irina adopted 18-year-old Mexican Victor Manuel Contreras. Later, the young man would become famous as a sculptor and artist. His works adorn museums in many countries, and are also presented in central squares in North America and Europe.
 Drawings from the "Monsters" series created by Felix Yusupov By the way, Yusupov himself also once tried his hand at fine arts. After the publication of the first edition of the book of memoirs, Felix unexpectedly took up ink and watercolor and created a whole series of infernal portraits under the general title “Monsters”. In just a few weeks, he painted 15 works, and Felix never returned to this activity. It is believed that these portraits are associated with nightmares that haunted Yusupov all his life. About half of these drawings were kept in the Christian Boutonnier gallery. DeathThe last heir of the famous family of princes Yusupov passed away at the age of 80, on September 27, 1967. He was buried in Paris, in the Russian cemetery in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois area, in the same grave with his mother Zinaida Nikolaevna. It is interesting that a cross was placed on the deceased’s chest, carved from wood chips from the coffin of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, who patronized him all his life. Felix Yusupov's wife survived her husband by only three years. The absolutely amazing story of Felix's house on Pierre Guerin Street. Shortly after the death of Princess Irina Alexandrovna, the house suddenly fell into the ground, reminding witnesses of this picture of Edgar Allan Poe’s story “The Fall of the House of Usher.”
 Livejournal Many books have been written about Felix Feliksovich Yusupov and many films have been made. Almost always, when the life story of Emperor Nicholas II or is filmed, the character of this unusual person is always present. Recently, Felix has been portrayed on screen by James Frain and other actors. Bibliography- 1927 - The end of Rasputin
- 1953 - Prince Felix Yusupov. Memoirs
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From a chronological point of view, it is preferable to believe that Elston’s parents were the unmarried Baron Hugel (later a famous traveler) and the Hungarian Countess Forgacs, née Andrássy, a relative of the Hungarian Prime Minister. He was then the brother of the religious thinker Friedrich Hügel.
The great-granddaughter of Sumarokov-Elston Z. Burke-Bashkirov, who studied archival documents to resolve the issue, claims that Felix’s mother was Countess Josephine Forgach, who gave birth to a child from a relationship with Karl Huegel. Baron Hügel met Catherine Tyzenhausen in the early 1820s in Italy and proposed to her. The wedding did not take place: Hügel soon fell in love with Melania Zichy (German). Melanie Zichy-Ferraris) and became engaged to her in 1824 (in 1830 she refused him and became Metternich's third wife). Catherine's mother, Elizaveta Mikhailovna, not giving up hope of settling her daughter, literally pursued Hugel. She adopted his illegitimate son, which greatly surprised the entire Viennese high society. Perhaps the hope of the ruined Khitrovo that Countess Forgach would assign maintenance for her son also played a role. Chancellor Metternich, in a letter to the Austrian envoy to Russia Lebzeltern, wrote in August 1825 about Khitrovo:
“The purpose of this walk [Khitrovo’s trip to Europe] is to show off Catherine and meet her with Karl Hugel, whose illegitimate son she takes with her, without being his mother. At the same time, she tells everyone: “They think that this is my boy, but - alas! “I don’t have the happiness of being his mother!”
Career
On September 8, 1856, he was ordered to add to his surname the surname and title of his father-in-law, Count S.P. Sumarokov, who had no sons. From that day on, Felix Elston became Count Sumarokov-Elston. In 1857, the newly minted count was appointed vice-director of the office of the War Ministry, but a year later he was again transferred to the Caucasus, where he commanded first the Absheron Infantry Regiment and then the Georgian Grenadier Regiment and was promoted to major general on January 28, 1860 for his distinction in cases against the highlanders with appointment to His Majesty's retinue.
In 1861 he served as assistant chief of the Caucasian Grenadier Division, and in 1863 he was appointed to the post of ataman of the Kuban Cossack Army. From that time on, commanding independent detachments, he took an active part in the conquest of the Western Caucasus. His military activity coincided with the time of the final conquest of the Caucasus and the capture of Shamil. For military distinctions during the Caucasian period of his service, Sumarokov was awarded orders; in addition, on June 5, 1864, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, received two nominal Highest favors and five thousand acres of land for eternal possession.
Prince Yusupov Count Sumarokov-Elston Felix Feliksovich Orthodox. From the nobles of the St. Petersburg province. Prince. Until 1891, he was called Count Sumarokov-Elston (Yu’s father, Felix Elston, was the illegitimate son of German Emperor Wilhelm I and received the count title and double surname by marrying the only daughter and heiress of Count Sumarokov). He studied in the Corps of Pages (did not graduate). Entered service on July 21, 1876. Passed the officer's exam at Chuguevsky infantry. cadet school (1876). Cornet (art. 08/09/1876). Assigned to the 10th Odessa Lancers Regiment. From November 24, 1876, he was the orderly of the commander of the 10th Army Corps. Participant in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-78. Lieutenant (pr. 1878; art. 10/13/1878; for distinction). In 1879 he was seconded and transferred to the Cavalry Regiment with the rank of Cornet of the Guards. (Article 07/22/1879). Lieutenant (pr. 1882; art. 04/28/1882; for distinction). In 1882 he married Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova (09/20/1861-11/24/1939) - a maid of honor, the daughter of a chamberlain, the only heiress of a fading family. He became one of the richest people in Russia (personally owned 6,000 acres in the Kuban region, 4 dachas in Crimea and 4 in Sochi. As his wife’s dowry, he received palaces in both capitals and a number of estates with unique collections of paintings and sculptures). From 05.1882 he was under the adjutant general Count M.T. Loris-Melikov, and was assigned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (02/06/1883-07/05/1885). The adjutant led. book Sergei Alexandrovich (07.11.1886-06.04.1904). Headquarters-Rotmistr (pr. 1888; art. 04/24/1888; for distinction). In 1891 Yu was allowed to bear, in addition to his own, the title and surname of his wife (later on, only the senior son could inherit the title of Prince Yusupov). Captain (pr. 1892; art. 07/22/1892; for distinction). Commander of the 2nd squadron of the Cavalry Regiment (11/29/1894-02/29/1904). Colonel (07/05/1898). Commander of the Cavalry Regiment (04/06/1904-07/22/1905). Major General (07/22/1905; 11/26/1906; for distinction). Commander of the Cavalry Regiment (07/22/1905-10/28/1908). 12/09/1905 enlisted in the Retinue of His Grandfather. Commander of the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Guards. Cav. divisions (28.10.1908-13.12.1911). From 08/07/1912 Chairman of the Council Imp. Stroganov Center. Art and Industrial School. Chief commander of the Moscow Military District and commander-in-chief of Moscow (VP 05/05/1915). Lieutenant General (addition to project 05/06/1915; article 05/06/1915; for distinction in service) with appointment as Adjutant General and retention in his position. Dismissed from the post of chief (VP 06/19/1915), and later (VP 09/03/1915) from the post of commander-in-chief. On behalf of Nicholas II, he delivered it to France and presented it to the commander-in-chief of the French. army gen. Geoffroy insignia of the Order of St. George, 2nd class. On 07/10/1916 he was listed as a guardsman. cavalry. After the October Revolution, he left for Crimea, and on April 13, 1919, together with Empress Maria Feodorovna, he left Russia on the cruiser Marlboro. Lived in Italy. Died in Rome. Prince's father Yusupov Felix Feliksovich (03/11/1887–09/27/1967 n.st.), who gained fame in connection with his participation in the murder of G.E. Rasputin. Awards: Order of St. Anne, 3rd class. (1883); St. Stanislaus 2nd Art. (1888); St. Vladimir 4th Art. (1892); St. Anne 2nd Art. (1895); St. Vladimir 3rd Art. (1901); St. Stanislaus 1st Art. (1908); St. Anne 1st Art. (1912); St. Vladimir 2nd Art. (VP 06.12.1914). The highest favor (1896), The highest gratitude (VP 05/06/1915; for the excellent fulfillment of various orders of His Majesty and business trips during the present war). Foreign orders: Hessian Ludwig Knight's Cross, 1st class. (1889); French Legion of Honor Knight's Cross (1892); Montenegrin Prince Daniel I 3rd Art. (1894); Persian Leo and Sun 3rd art. (1895); Swedish Vases of the commander's cross of the 2nd class. (1896); French Legion of Honor Officer's Cross and Romanian Crown Commander's Cross (both 1897); Romanian Stars of the Officer's Cross 2nd class. (1899); Danish Danebrog Grand Cross (1910); Belgian Crown Grand Cross (1915).
The documents of the archival fund of the Petrograd Spiritual Consistory contain the following information about the church in the village of Mga:
September 7, 1903 student at St. Petersburg University gr. F. F. Sumarokov-Elston turned to Metropolitan Anthony of St. Petersburg and Ladoga with a request for permission to build a wooden church on land belonging to his family in the town of "Yusupovsky village" in the Shlisselburg district of the St. Petersburg province. at Art. Mga. In the response of the St. Petersburg Ecclesiastical Consistory dated November 5, 1908, the applicant was told that the construction of the church could be permitted subject to the transfer of the land allocated for the church to the possession of the St. Petersburg diocese.
In March 1911, the attorney of Princess 3 N. Yusupova, Countess Sumaroksva - Elston handed over to the consistory Z. N. Yusupova’s application for a donation of 3 acres of land for the construction of the church, certified by a notary on March 24, 1910, a plan of the donated land, a plan of the church with the designation surrounding area, compiled by the architect A. P. Weitens. (The above documents were not found in the archive).
On August 3, 1911, the temporary administrator of the St. Petersburg spiritual consistory, Bishop of Narva, His Eminence Nikandr, was given the highest permission to accept by the St. Petersburg diocese “a plot of land measuring three dessiatines or whatever it actually turns out to be, located in the Shlisselburg district at the Mga station of the Northern railways and donated by Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova to Countess Sumarokova-Edston from the Annunciation estate belonging to her for the construction of a church in the area “Yusupovsky village”, p. so that, according to the structure of the church, its consecration and the appointment of the clergy, the said land should be transferred to the ownership of the church"
August 26, 1913 The dean of the Shlisselburg district was ordered to announce to the clergy and elder of the Lezyevskaya church that the newly built church should be assigned to the local parish church in the village. Lezye and that the throne from the abolished house church of the prince be transferred to this temple. Felix Yusupov at 42 Liteiny Prospect in St. Petersburg.
FIRST INFORMATION ABOUT MGE
The ancient settlement on the Mga River was known long before the founding of St. Petersburg. In the Census Books of the Vodskaya Pyatina of Veliky Novgorod before 1500, Mga is mentioned in connection with the “iron production”, which was well developed here.
To this day there is no unambiguous interpretation of the name of the station. Both the station and the village received their name from the Mga River, which is beyond doubt, but the meaning of the interpretation of the name of the river is different. According to the first version, the name of the river among the Izhora population meant “miya” (woman); according to the second version, the word “haze” lost its letter, transforming into “Mgu” - thick, damp fog, drizzle, the slightest rain. On a map of the 17th century. the village on the Mga River was listed as “Mkhe”, “Mgra”, “Miya”, which translated from Finnish-Ugric means “swampy place”. On another map the river was called Stora Ammune (literally "Big Mouth").
THE YUSUPOV FAMILY AND HISTORY OF MHI
The Yusupovs are one of the most prominent Russian noble families in terms of origin and wealth. Their ancestor - Murza Yusuf - a descendant of the Golden Horde khans. Father of the Kazan queen Sumbeki, captured by Ivan the Terrible. Their children and grandchildren served the Russian sovereigns and were repeatedly rewarded with estates for their service and stood close to the throne. And here’s a little-known fact: the Yusupov princes owned lands in the Shlisselburg district of the St. Petersburg province since 1830.
After the death of Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov (1827-1891), the title of Princess Yusupova, by order of the emperor, was retained by his daughter (since N.B. Yusupov had no male offspring) Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova (1861-1939), wife of Count F.F. .Sumarokov-Elston. They owned the lands where the station and the village of Mga are now located. The owners lived abroad and came to their lands to hunt bears. On the site of the village there were only rangers' houses, one of which has been preserved to this day (this building housed a railway clinic); however, right now, in March 2007, they began to dismantle it.
The last owner of the Blagoveshchenskoye estate, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova (1861-1939), what was she like? Lines from the memoirs of her son, Prince Felix Yusupov, tell about this:
“My mother was charming. With a slender waist, thin, graceful, with very dark hair, a dark complexion and blue eyes... She was not only smart, educated, artistic, but full of the most charming, heartfelt kindness. Nothing could resist her charm. Far from being vain about her extraordinary talent, she was all modesty and simplicity. “The more heaven has given you,” she often told us, “the more you owe to others.” Be humble, and if you have superiority in something, try not to let those who are less gifted feel it."
Representatives of the best families of Europe, not excluding the reigning families, wooed her, but she refused all parties, deciding to agree only to a spouse chosen by herself. My grandfather. Having already seen his daughter on the throne, he finally despaired of seeing her there, so unambitious. His disappointment increased when he learned that she had decided to marry Count Sumarokov-Elston, a simple liaison officer.
Mother had a natural gift for dancing and a gift for comedy... The famous Stanislavsky, who saw her play in Rostand’s “Romantics” at a charity performance, came to invite her to his troupe, assuring her that her real place was in the theater.
Wherever the mother appeared, she brought light, her gaze shone with kindness and meekness. She dressed with discreet elegance, did not like jewelry and, although she had the best in the world, she appeared in it only on special occasions...
Ministers and politicians noted the clarity of her mother’s views and the correctness of her judgment...
Mother was not attached to the estate and trusted her father to manage it in her own way, devoting her own activities to charity and improving the lot of our peasants."
Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova's husband, Felix Elston (he was the illegitimate son of German Emperor Wilhelm I and married the only daughter of Count Sumarokov) received the right to be called Count Sumarokov-Elston. He studied in the Corps of Pages (did not graduate), and in 1876 passed the officer exam at the Chuguevsky Infantry. cadet school. In 1876 he was released into the Odessa Uhlan Regiment; in 1879 he was assigned to the Cavalry Regiment. In 1882 he married the last of his family, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova; in 1891 he was allowed to bear the title and surname of his wife (later on, only the eldest son could inherit the title of Prince Yusupov). One of the richest people in Russia: more than 250 thousand acres of land in 17 estates, 5 factories, apartment buildings, palaces (including Arkhangelskoye). 6.2.1883-5.7.1885 assigned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. From November 7, 1886, adjutant of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. From 6/4/1904 commander of the Cavalry Regiment, 10/28/1908-12/13/1911 - 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Guards Cavalry. divisions. Since August 7, 1912, Chairman of the Board of the Imperial Stroganov Center of the Art and Industrial School. Since May 5, 1915, the chief commander of the Moscow Military District and the commander-in-chief of Moscow. On June 19, 1915, Yu was relieved of the post of chief commander, and on September 3, 1915, from the post of chief commander. After the October Revolution, he left for Crimea, and on April 13, 1919, together with Empress Maria Feodorovna, he left Russia on the cruiser Marlboro. Lived in Italy.
The eldest son of the Yusupov couple is Yusupov Nikolai Feliksovich (1883 - 1908). He graduated from a classical gymnasium and Oxford University. Died in a duel in 1908. Before his death, Prince Nikolai Feliksovich was considered the best lawn tennis player in Russia. He met in competitions with Emperor Nicholas II. After the death of Prince N.F. Yusupov, the title of best tennis player for a long time went to his cousin Mikhail Nikolaevich Sumarokov-Elston, who was the champion of Russia from 1910 to 1914, who participated in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm. The Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston Cup is still being played out.
The youngest son of the Yusupovs is Yusupov Felix Feliksovich (March 11, 1887 - September 27, 1967), Prince, Count Sumarokov-Elston. He graduated from a classical gymnasium and Oxford University. In February 1914, with the consent of the emperor, he married the princess of imperial blood Irina Alexandrovna, the daughter of the ruler. book Alexander Mikhailovich. In 1915-1916 he studied at officer courses at the Corps of Pages. One of the organizers of the conspiracy to kill G.E. Rasputin. After Rasputin was killed by conspirators on the night of December 17, 1916 in Yusupov’s palace, he was exiled to his father’s estate Rakitnoye in Kursk province. under the secret supervision of the police. After the October Revolution he emigrated. Left Memories: The End of Rasputin.
http://www.hronos.km.ru/biograf/bio_yu/yusupov_mlad.html
Portraits of all members of the Yusupov family were painted by the famous Russian artist Valentin Serov, and for the writer Mikhail Bulgakov, the members of this family served as prototypes for the heroes of the story "Khan's Fire"
HISTORY OF THE VILLAGE OF MGA AND THE CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS THE WONDERWORKER
The history of the village is directly related to the history of the construction of the railway station of the same name, during which it arose, grew and developed. The construction of the road and the station itself was very difficult, but the road was necessary for the state to export Siberian grain through the port of St. Petersburg to foreign markets, since the Perm-Vyatka-Kotlas road built in 1899 (for the export of grain through the Arkhangelsk port) did not attract a large flow of cargo due to the seasonality of water transport and high transportation fees, before the start of train traffic on the railway under construction, the local population reached St. Petersburg along the only road leading from the village of Pukholovo to Lyuban, and from the latter they sailed by steamship along the Neva to St. Petersburg.
With the opening of traffic on the Petersburg-Zvanka railway, settlement of the area adjacent to the station began. In 1901, the village began to be built up in a beautiful pine forest. 32 acres of this forest belonged at that time to Princess Z. N. Yusupova, Countess Sumarokova-Elston (the town of “Yusupovsky village” of the Shlisselburg district of the St. Petersburg province near the station of Mga).
The station then was made of wood and, together with the platform, was lit by three kerosene lamps. For railway workers, two one-story residential buildings were built at the station. In one of the dark corners of the wooden station building there was a church property - an icon, a lamp and a mug for small copper and silver coins. On Sundays and holidays, a lamp was lit and a prayer service was performed by local or traveling priests
The history of the church in the “Yusupov village”, an area near the Mga station, which was located within the Annunciation estate of Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, Countess Sumarokova-Elston, begins in 1908.
On September 7, 1908, a student at St. Petersburg University, Count Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov-Elston, the son of the princess, turned to Metropolitan Anthony of St. Petersburg and Ladoga with a petition. In his petition, the young count asked for permission to build a wooden church on the estate belonging to his family. (It can be assumed that he did this in memory of his older brother Nicholas, who was killed in a duel this year. After his brother’s death, Felix became the eldest heir in the family and received the title of count. The church, later built, was actually consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker) . In the response of the St. Petersburg Ecclesiastical Consistory dated November 5, 1908, it was stated that the construction of the church could be permitted subject to the transfer of the land allocated for the church to the possession of the St. Petersburg diocese.
In March 1911 the confidant of Princess Z. N. Yusupova, Countess Sumarokova-Elston handed over to the consistory the application of Z. N. Yusupova for the donation of 3 acres of land for the construction of the church, certified by a notary on March 24, 1910, a plan of the donated land, a plan of the church with the designation of the surrounding area, compiled by the architect A. P. Weitens. (The above documents were not found in the archive).
August 3, 1911 The temporary manager of the St. Petersburg spiritual consistory, Bishop of Narva, His Eminence Nikandr, was given the highest permission to accept
St. Petersburg diocese “a plot of land measuring three dessiatines or whatever it actually turns out to be, located in the Shlisselburg district at the Mga station of the Northern railways and donated by Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, Countess Sumarokova-Elston from the Annunciation estate belonging to her for the construction of a church in the Yusupov area settlement", so that, upon the establishment of the church, its consecration and the appointment of a clergy, the said land would be transferred to the ownership of the church."
The church was built in stone according to the design of A.P. Vaytens, with the participation of the architect and artist S.P. Burg. The church building was erected in the style of neo-Russian architecture.
August 26, 1913 The dean of the Shlisselburg district was ordered to announce to the clergy and headman of the Lezienne church that the newly built church should be assigned to the local parish church in the village. Lezier. The altar was transferred to the temple from the abolished house church of Prince Felix Yusupov at 42 Liteiny Prospekt in St. Petersburg.
The author of the temple project, A.P. Vaytens, supervised the construction. The neo-Russian architecture of the Mga church attracted the attention of contemporaries, and the “Yearbook of the Society of Architects and Artists” in 1913 included on its pages photographs from design drawings and views of the newly built temple.
In the “Notes of the Society of Architects and Artists,” where sketches of the church were placed in 1913, it was named in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
The decoration of the church, information about which was preserved in archival inventories of church property, consisted of numerous icons, crosses and other church objects. The walls of the temple were decorated with elegant paintings.
On June 25, 1917, the temple in the “Yusupov village” at the station. Mga was consecrated by the dean of the Shlisselburg district in the name of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, the Wonderworker.
Local peasants and summer residents then went to the temple to pray. At the same time, enterprising merchants and traders began to build two-story houses that housed bakeries, a tavern and a coachman's station.
In the early years, the village developed slowly. The first inhabitants of the village were predominantly railroad employees and workers, who lived in railroad cars and built one- and two-flat houses in the area of the eastern part of the village. From 1901 to 1917, the number of residents of Mga increased from 20 to 200.
After the October Revolution, with the construction of railways and increased train traffic, the population of the village also grew. In 1918, a seven-year school functioned in Mga, located in a two-story wooden building opposite the station. The buildings of a post office, a savings bank, a bank, a clinic, and a store were built. In 1929 The first train went to Nevdubstroy in 1934. The Mga-Gatchina road was built. Films were shown in the military registration and enlistment office building, and there was a dance floor and a library in the park. There was a fire brigade, and a trading network was developing.
Divine services were held in the temple until 1935, when the temple was closed. The closed church was converted in 1941. under the club.
According to residents of the village of Mga, during the war the building was intact despite the constant shelling and bombing of Mga. The Germans stored grain in the basement of the temple building.
After the war, a club was again equipped in the temple building, and in the 50s it was blown up.
According to eyewitnesses, two buildings were built from the remaining intact part of the brick: a police building and an apartment building for police officers.
Currently, on the territory of the temple and the surrounding area there is a sector of private residential development at the address Komsomolsky Prospekt, building 96. A wooden residential building was built on the foundation of the altar part of the temple. In January 2007, when the authors of the project decided to photograph this house, it turned out that the house was no longer there, and only the foundation and a fenced-in area remained.
