People who think differently than their contemporaries often do not receive widespread recognition from family members and society. This happened with Arseny Morozov, a representative of the famous textile clan of the 19th century. The custom-built Morozov mansion on Vozdvizhenka was not scolded at that time only by the lazy. Time passed, and Muscovites appreciated the unusual architecture of one of the most beautiful monuments of the capital.
Who was Arseny Morozov?
Arseny Abramovich Morozov was the son of Varvara Alekseevna and Abram Abramovich Morozov. The family owned the “Tver Manufactory Partnership”. After the death of his father, the elder brother and Varvara Alekseevna were engaged in family business. She was a wise woman and came from a no less wealthy family than her husband - her father owned a paper spinning mill.
Despite the fact that Morozov was involved in the family business, in the memory of his contemporaries he remained a dreadful, passionate hunter and travel enthusiast. Arseny Abramovich was married to V.S. Fedotova, with whom he later divorced. The former spouses had a daughter, Irina. Later, a woman appeared in his life - Nina Konshina, with whom he spent the last years of his life.
The death of Arseny Abramovich was as unusual as the mansion erected by his order. The Morozov family had several textile factories throughout Russia. One of them was in Tver. There was an estate in Vlasyevo, where Arseny Abramovich went with friends to rest. Morozov was fond of esotericism and argued that thanks to esoteric practice he would be able to bear any pain. Being drunk, he shot himself in the foot. Friends noted that Arseny Abramovich actually stoically withstood the pain and not a single muscle flinched on his face. Some noted that he even continued to have fun. Painful shock, dirty boots and untimely help did their job - the blood was infected, and Arseny Abramovich died of gangrene. In the photo below, Morozov himself is on the right, and on the left - the author of his mansion, Viktor Mazyrin, architect, master of Moscow Art Nouveau.
How did it all start?
The story of the eventful house began with a fire that occurred in the equestrian circus of K. M. Guinne. The owner did not have enough money for restoration work, and he was forced to sell a plot of land. Possessing ingenuity and business acumen, Varvara Morozova did not waste time and immediately bought the territory, giving it to her son. On this land the Morozovs were going to build another mansion (the house of Varvara Alekseevna herself was in the neighborhood). For this purpose, several projects of the future family nest of Arseny and his wife were considered. But Morozov refused all the proposed options, noting that he wanted something unusual. For these purposes, he, together with his friend Viktor Alexandrovich Mazyrin, makes a trip to Europe. In Portugal, in the town of Sintra, he saw the palace of Fernando II and realized what he needed. It was this palace that became the prototype of the Morozov mansion.
Soviet past
With the collapse of Tsarist Russia, everything that belonged to wealthy people was nationalized. This fate did not escape Morozov’s mansion on Vozdvizhenka. During the Soviet era, the building had a variety of functions. Anarchists first established their headquarters here (1917). After the mansion was given over to the needs of the Proletkult Theater (1918-1928). During this time, the house was visited by famous representatives of the literary environment. Among them, one can safely distinguish V. Mayakovsky, V. Meyerhold, S. Yesenin, S. Eisenstein. The building was extremely inconvenient for staging performances, so even before the war began it became the residence of the Japanese ambassador. During the war, instead of a residence, the editorial board of the British Ally newspaper was located here as part of the British Embassy (1941). Many years later, the leadership of the Embassy of India (1952-1954) occupied the house. But not one of the organizations stayed longer than the House of Friendship with the Peoples of Foreign Countries (1959).
Current state
The friendship house was in the building until the moment the Soviet Union collapsed. Over time, the condition of the Morozov mansion on Vozdvizhenka fell into decay. Therefore, it was decided to restore and give it to the needs of the Government of the Russian Federation as a Reception House. In 2006, the building was officially opened to receive foreign guests. For this reason, the entrance to it is closed today, and the fence on the inside is covered with an opaque shield.
Exterior
The construction of the Morozov mansion on Vozdvizhenka began in 1897, when Varvara Morozova, the owner of the land, officially registered the plot of land for her son, and was completed in a record time for that time - two years. During the construction of the castle for the Portuguese prince, the architect Eschwege used various styles. V. A. Mazyrin followed the path of his colleague. As a result, a huge mansion appeared on Vozdvizhenka, decorated in the most unusual way. The main entrance is decorated with two towers, which completes the lace attic. The facade of the building is decorated with stucco in the form of shells. The main entrance is especially interesting - it is completely dotted with symbols of good luck - ship ropes (a symbol of success for the Portuguese), an entrance in the form of a horseshoe (a symbol of good fortune for the Russians) and a dragon above the entrance (an eastern symbol of success). All of these symbols can also be found on the walls of the mansion. As for windows and doors, they are decorated with stucco in the form of flowers and plants.
Interior
The interior of the Morozov mansion on Vozdvizhenka was also unusual. Arseny Abramovich was not only an avid traveler, but also a hunter. So, the lobby of the house is decorated with the heads of animals killed by him - deer, wild boar, squirrel. The fireplace depicts the symbols of a successful hunt - a falcon, a crossbow, a bow horn for hounds. The ballroom (otherwise Knight's) was decorated in the style of pseudo-Gothic, and the boudoir of the wife of Arseny Abramovich - in Baroque.
What does the legendary mansion look like?
It has long been known that it is better to see once than hear a hundred times. Therefore, no matter how eloquently described Morozov’s mansion on Vozdvizhenka, the photo will be hundreds of times better. Below is an image of the exterior.
This architectural monument of extraordinary beauty was no less interesting from the inside. You can verify this yourself by examining the interior of one of the rooms in the photo below. Arseny Morozov’s mansion on Vozdvizhenka is truly beautiful.
Other Morozov mansions
Morozov’s mansion on Vozdvizhenka is not the only architectural heritage that the famous textile clan left for Muscovites. The best architects of the country worked for this family, so each building is worth special attention. In total, the Morozovs rebuilt more than 20 mansions. Below is a list of the best along with addresses:
- Savva Morozov's mansion: Shelaputinsky Lane, 1. Savva Morozov - the founder of the textile dynasty, which began its journey as a serf, but later bought freedom. Currently, the building is given for the needs of the State Literary Museum.
- The mansion of Savva Morozov, Jr., the grandson of the aforementioned Savva Morozov. He bought the estate from the Aksakov family and demolished the house for the new mansion, which was built in honor of his wife Zinaida, who sold the house after the death of her husband. Currently, there is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where you can get only 2 times a year - on the Day of Moscow Historical Heritage and on the Day of Museums. You can see and photograph the building as a souvenir at 17 Spiridonovka.
- The mansion of Sergei Morozov, brother of Savva Morozov, Jr. The building has a rich history. At first it was given under the chambers of the associate of Peter the Great A. Golovin, and then belonged to the typographer A. Mamontov. At the beginning of the 20th century, the building was divided into 2 parts, and Morozov bought the one located on Leontievsky Lane, d. 7, p. 1. The house is open to the public - here is the Museum of Folk Crafts.
Interesting Facts
There are a lot of interesting facts connected with the Morozov mansion (Vozdvizhenka 16):
- The meeting and acquaintance with Victor Mazyrin can be called fateful for Arseny Abramovich Morozov, since it was the notorious architect who was fond of esotericism and he introduced the owner of the mansion to this culture.
- The first stone in the construction of the house was laid by Lydia, daughter of Victor Mazyrin.
- The people called the mansion the house of the fool. The fact is that Varvara Alekseevna said that earlier only she knew that her youngest son was a fool, and now the whole capital would know about it. Despite the fact that these words are not laudatory, Arseny himself proudly retold them to friends and acquaintances.
- They spoke unflattering about the house and in literary circles - the actor Mikhail Sadovsky dedicated an epigram to him, and Leo Tolstoy devoted a dialogue to The Resurrection. In it, Nekhlyudov and the cabman talk about the huge size and incongruity of the building.
- After the death of Arseny, the mansion and the capital of 4 million rubles went not to his legal wife Barbara and daughter Irina, but to the woman with whom he spent the last several years of his life - Nina Konshina. It was she who lived in the house before the 1917 revolution. According to another version, the woman put up the mansion for sale, and it was bought by Leon Mantashev.
Today Morozov’s mansion on Vozdvizhenka is one of the most famous monuments of the capital. Despite the fact that many years have passed and almost everything is known about it, the building does not cease to excite the minds of residents and visitors of the city for the simple reason that the entrance to it is closed.