Counts Shcherbatova: this surname is found in Russian chronicles for several hundred years. The most ancient branch of this genus originates from the governor of Novgorod-Seversky. In the annals of the XIV-XV centuries, service people with the name Shcherbatov are often mentioned. The count with the same surname lived in the Oryol province, however, already in the middle of the 18th century.
The many branches of this ancient genus do not make it possible to designate one ancestor. Most likely, the emergence and development of this noble family took place simultaneously in several places, and everywhere the representatives of this family were distinguished by their education and economy. An example of such hereditary zeal might be the Shcherbatov estate in the Kharkov region.
The Shcherbatov estate in Kharkov
In the annals of the Kharkov province in 1777, the name Shcherbatov appears. The count, or rather, Prince Alexei Petrovich, married Elizaveta Mikhailovna of the Gendrikov family and received a small town of Tarn near Sumy as a dowry. The household of representatives of this surname was exemplary - advanced farming methods were applied, which allowed to significantly improve land productivity. As Count Shcherbatov wrote in his memoirs much later, the Shcherbatovs not only established agriculture, but also directed their wealth to create a small resort area.
Hydropathic Shcherbatovyh
The healing waters of the mineral springs of the Kharkiv province have long been famous for their beneficial influence - the Shcherbatovs on their lands built a hydropathic and boarding house for patients suffering from skin diseases. Not only Russian citizens came to be treated there, but also residents of European countries. The last owners of the estate were Prince Boris Sergeyevich and his wife Anna Nikolaevna, from the Buturlin family. The mistress of the estate was highly educated and had an excellent taste - her work belonged to portraits of Russian painters known in art criticism.
Shcherbatovs near Moscow
Count Shcherbatovs left another famous trace in the suburbs. Falconers and clerks with this name are known, the Shcherbatovs flickered in the lists of stolniks and the governor of the Principality of Moscow. Under any kings, they were held in high esteem and respect, served the tsar and the Fatherland firmly, and were not seen in turmoil or in rebellion. And for fidelity, they were awarded villages and estates.
And now you can find the ruins of the estate in the village. Vasilievsky, which was once owned by Shcherbatov. The count became the owner of this estate in 1845. For hundreds of years, this village and the lands around it were owned by the Novo-Spassky Monastery. After sequestration of land, the village was transferred to the sovereign administration, from where it was granted the king’s favorites. One of the owners, the clerk of the Ukrainians, at his own expense erected the Resurrection Church and is still existing.
Estate Vasilievsky
The estate, constantly changing hands, gradually fell into disrepair. For some time it was owned by Ivan Alekseevich Yakovlev - the father of the famous revolutionary A.I. Herzen. He moved the old manor to a new place. New buildings rose on the steep right bank of the river, in a place that has long been known as Maryina Gorka. Herzen often visited the estate and admired its grace and magnificent panorama. But the heir to Yakovlev, the cousin of the great revolutionary, simply squandered the estate - a magnificent estate went for card debts.
So the owner of the Vasilievsky estate became Shcherbatov. The count was a participant in the battle of Borodino, a major general of the cavalry, a worthy son of the Fatherland. Later, the estate passed to his son.
Travelers Shcherbatov
Alexey Grigoryevich Shcherbatov was a participant in the Russian-Turkish war, a gentleman of many orders. In 1879 he married Olga Aleksandrovna Stroganova. Their marriage, contemporaries called the kinship of souls. Olga was a miniature and fragile, but far from musky young lady. She adored purebred horses, went on a dog hunt, was an excellent horsewoman and accurately shot. Together with her husband and brother, they visited many places of little population in Europe and Asia. They visited Ceylon, in India, crossed the Arabian desert.
She undoubtedly possessed the talent not only to take part in adventures, but also to describe them colorfully - she wrote several books on travel, in which she was directly involved.
Shcherbatovs in the cinema
The famous surname could not be ignored by screenwriters and filmmakers. A few years ago, the name Shcherbatov was noticed in the cinema. The count became the hero of a television series that all Russian-speaking television viewers enjoyed watching. Cinema brought to life the old manor in with. Vasilyevsky, giving her pristine charm. The prototype of the protagonist was a real Count Mikhail Mikhailovich Shcherbatov, who left a noticeable mark in Russian science.
He wrote the works in the field of philosophy, history and journalism. Based on the real biography of this man, the scriptwriters came up with a beautiful legend.
Count Shcherbatov and his wife Lilia
The biography of the heroes was thought out to the smallest detail. M.M. The scriptwriters made Shcherbatov a scientist who was developing a cure for viral and infectious diseases. Thanks to a fatal accident, his wife contracted one of the deadly diseases and died suddenly. Count Shcherbatov could not bear the separation from his beloved and soon laid hands on himself. The legend turned out to be so believable that the characters of the cinema story came to life. Unfortunately, a beautiful legend has no historical basis. Count Shcherbatov and his wife Lilia, whose photos users uselessly search on the Internet, turned out to be just a beautiful fiction. His wife Lilia never existed - the real wife of Shcherbatov was Princess Natalya Ivanovna, who was a distant relative of her husband. In this marriage two sons and four daughters were born.
The history of the Shcherbatovs deserves to be returned to it again and again - because the works and accomplishments of great people add up to our true history, which is worth studying for both contemporaries and our descendants.