Where father n and pearl is buried. Praskovya ivanovna pearl-sheremeteva

The heroine of this touching story was born on July 31, 1768. The girl's name was Praskovya, which translated from Greek means "the eve of the holiday." The love story of the richest man in the Russian Empire for a serf actress , whom he made his lawful wife before God and people, is similar to the tale of Cinderella. But the end of this tale is sad.

Pasha was the daughter of a skilled blacksmith Ivan Kovalev, who loved to drink and rage. She lived in her father's house until she was 6 years old, after which she was brought up in Kuskovo under the supervision of Martha Mikhailovna Dolgoruka... Such a change in the fate of the future star of the musical theater, the Sheremetevs, happened thanks to her bewitching voice that takes the soul. 22-year-old Nikolai Sheremetev, when he first heard the girl singing, was amazed at her talent.

So the serf girl received a good education, which the parents of today's talents would be glad to see. She mastered the harp and harpsichord, musical notation, mastered two languages ​​- French and Italian.

Praskovya Zhemchugova was destined to become a singer, from a young age she already shone on the stage of the theater. At the age of eleven, she performed under the pseudonym Gorbunov, since her father had a hump due to a spinal disease. Later she became Zhemchugova. According to one version, the actress received such a name for her beautiful voice, Praskovya's singing was really pearl. Other actresses - Almazova, Biryuzova, Granatov, Yakhontova, etc. received “precious” pseudonyms.

According to legend, the fatal meeting between the radiant Count Nikolai Petrovich and the young Parasha happened outside the territory of Melpomene. They met by chance in an open field when the count was returning from a hunt. Although this version can be questioned: it is unlikely that Nikolai and Parasha had not met in the theater before, and he could not help but notice such a gifted young girl.

Many noble persons, except, perhaps, Catherine II, were tormented by the question of what he found in her. The Empress attended a play in which a 19-year-old peasant woman starred in Gretry's Samnite Marriages. On stage, a fragile girl, playing the brave Eliana, ready to part with her life to be with her beloved, transformed ... Impressed by her talent the empress granted the actress a ring with diamonds from her hands and.

Sheremetev's feelings for Zhemchugova were tender and passionate. Watching the girl he noted her virtuous mind, philanthropy, sincerity, fidelity, constancy and attachment to the holy faith... These qualities captivated the count more than her beauty, as extremely rare and surpassing any external charms.

After the death of his father, Nikolai Petrovich fell into depression and started drinking. Only thanks to Praskovya, the young count returned to life. It was during this period that he decides to marry a serf ... For that time and their position, this was unheard of insolence: the high society did not want to hear about the girl Sheremetev, and the villagers simply hated her.

Paul I, who reigned at that time, did not give permission for marriage. Then Sheremetev acted in a cunning way: he invited the sovereign to listen to the serf choir, in which Pasha sang. Paul I was shocked by the singer's talent and allowed the count to marry ... According to another version, Sheremetev, being sure of the Tsar's refusal, acted in secret. Praskovya and her family received freedom from the count.

On November 6, 1801, 17 years after the beginning of the novel, Sheremetev and Zhemchugova secretly married in the Moscow church of Simeon the Stylite on Povarskaya ... The situation at the wedding was strictly secret, with the participation of two witnesses.

The Sheremetevs moved to St. Petersburg. The move turned out to be fatal for the singer, since the damp Petersburg climate undermined her health, consumption began to progress. She no longer sang and felt worse and worse. But the Lord rewarded this couple for their perseverance: Praskovya became pregnant. The spouses, despite the illness of the future mother and the difficult pregnancy, were happy and happily awaiting an heir. At this time, the serf artist Ivan Argunov creates, which later became famous, a portrait of Zhemchugova in a striped hood.

After the birth of her son Dmitry Praskovya lived another twenty days... Her last will was the construction of a strange house on Sukharevka. Today, this building houses the Research Institute of Emergency Medicine named after N.V. Sklifosovsky.

Russian actress, singer (soprano). Until 1798 she was a serf. Since 1779 she performed at the Sheremetev Theater.

Many biographers of this woman lament the unfortunate fate of the poor serf actress, sympathize with her servitude, make her almost a symbol of the painful fate of the artist in Russia, forgetting for some reason that Parasha Zhemchugova had everything in her life - a favorite thing, in who was lifted up to the pedestal of fame, a loved one who doted on her, and finally - wealth and unlimited power over everyone who was in captivity with her husband. Zhemchugova, of course, was talented, but how many of their beautiful, brilliant Russian actresses have sunk into oblivion only because, unlike the lucky Parasha, they could not find an all-powerful patron. So if you consider Zhemchugova a symbol, then rather, almost miraculous - how can a woman be lucky, from birth, having only good natural data.

The surname of the Sheremetevs was one of the richest and. noble families of Russia. Her offspring squandered money, lived in luxury and got used to not deny themselves anything. So, when the noble environment after the Petrine era fell ill with theatrism, Count Sheremetev Pyotr Borisovich gave himself up to a new hobby on a grand scale of a well-to-do person.

At first, amateur performances were staged in the count's house, in which the most noble nobles of Catherine's court did not hesitate to represent the roles. Thus, the Empress, who visited Sheremetev, was "treated" to a production with the participation of Pyotr Borisovich himself and his young son Nikolai. Probably, even then the young count "fell ill" with the theater.

They did not spare funds for the decoration of the performances. The luxury performances were not inferior to those of the palace. Participants and especially their participants demonstrated their best heirlooms from the stage. As reported by "St. Petersburg Vedomosti", during one of the performances at the Sheremetevs for four high society lovers "some diamonds were worth two million rubles."

Gradually, Sheremetyev's slight infatuation with Melpomene grew into a true passion, and he began to set up a home theater in his estate near Moscow, Kuskovo. But a serious matter demanded a professional approach, and above all there were needed real actors who were involved in the scene not from time to time, but constantly. Fortunately, Sheremetev owned about a thousand serf souls. It was them who had to solve the problem of the count's theater.

Eight years old, she was taken to the lordly house of Parasha Kovalev, a lively, sharp-eyed girl with refined non-peasant manners.

It is difficult to say by what parameters candidates were selected for training in acting, but for some reason Parasha was immediately singled out and given to the education of the lonely, bored princess Marfa Mikhailovna Dolgoruka. The well-fed aristocratic life after a bleak early childhood seemed to Parasha almost a fairy tale. The count loved to organize, as they say, folk festivals in the magnificent Kuskovo park. The Moscow public on the appointed days poured into the estate of the hospitable "elder" - as they called Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev in the aristocratic drawing rooms. On such days, the courtyards were also called to the park. Girls and young people were dressed in silk Russian sundresses. Young men and boys were given multi-colored caftans and Persian sashes. When gentlemen and guests went out to the balcony after dinner, the slaves had to sing and dance, blow horns and play balalaikas and wooden spoons. Parasha was allowed to run carelessly among the fun and play tag.

Lush festivities, luxury of the atmosphere could not fail to impress but amaze the imagination. The girl watched the serf actresses with delight and envy, dreaming of the day when she would also go on stage in an elegant dress and sing arias. I must say that Parasha received an excellent education in the house of Princess Dolgoruka - she read a lot, learned French, played music and mastered the rules of etiquette. Now she had little to do with the poor parental home, where the drunken father "fought".

While Parasha was growing up and becoming a real mistress, the younger Sheremetev was gaining intelligence beyond the borders. What he saw in France, Holland, visiting exquisite aristocratic salons, acquaintance with the works of Montesquieu, Diderot, Rousseau unusually influenced the worldview of the young count. It is only worth mentioning that his library consisted of more than sixteen thousand volumes, and a significant part were books on theater and music. The four years spent on the trip were not in vain for Nikolai. Returning home and receiving the post of director of the Moscow Bank, the count carefully looked at the orders in Kuskovo. Theatrical amusements of his father seemed naive to the young Sheremetev, behind the times. He personally got down to business. Sheremetev pinned a lot of hopes on children "determined to the theater", in whom he saw the future of his venture.

Parasha Kovaleva, thin, with large, a little frightened eyes, caused Nikolai's delight, mixed with surprise, "a wonderful gift of the organ." Her voice captivated with extraordinary depth and originality. Feeling a strong talent in the girl, the count began to pay more and more attention to her: he talked, played the clavichord, forcing Parasha to sing. He was eager to see her on stage, and therefore, without looking at her age, he soon appointed the eleven-year-old actress for the small role of Hubert's servant in Gretry's opera "The Experience of Friendship."

June 22, 1779 was probably the most difficult day in the life of Parasha Kovaleva. She worried excessively, going on stage, but the audience favorably accepted her, however, without attaching special importance to the appearance of a sweet, charming child on the stage. But Count Nikolai Petrovich, in all likelihood, was very pleased with Parasha's debut, because soon Sheremetev assigned her the main role in the Italian composer Sacchini's opera "Colonia, or New Village". It is difficult to imagine now how a twelve-year-old girl coped with the role of a loving and suffering heroine, but theatrical chronicles of that time say that the young actress's debut was a huge success. It should be mentioned that it was then that Parasha first appeared on the poster under the new name of Zhemchugova. Sheremetev decided to replace the "peasant" surnames of his actresses with new ones, more euphonious, after the names of precious stones. This is how the Yakhontovs, Izumrudovs, and Biryuzovs appeared on the Russian stage.

The real life of a serf actress began with the resettlement of Parasha from the already dear home of Princess Dolgoruka to a special wing, where all the actors of the Sheremetev theater were settled. Here she was assigned a "horse dacha", that is, meals from the master's table. The day was scheduled by the hour and was mostly filled with rehearsals and acting classes. The young count clearly preferred the new accept to all other artists, and the best roles went to her, Parasha Kovaleva. However, no intimate relationship between the young actress and Sheremetev was noticed. Anna Izumrudova was his favorite for a long time.

Rumors about Zhemchugova's excellent performance quickly spread among theater lovers. Many lamented that they did not get to this or that performance. The young count was proud of his brainchild and soon decided to build a new theater building.

Its opening was timed to coincide with a visit to the Sheremetev estate near Moscow by Catherine II. On June 30, 1787, the Empress arrived in Kuskovo. In the entertainment program, the central place was given to the theater. Catherine II was shown the best production of the Sheremetev Theater - Gretry's opera "The Marriages of the Samnites". The depth of the new, twenty-four-meter stage made it possible to widen the spectacular mass pictures. Theatrical machines discharged from Paris made it possible to make quick, almost silent changes. Everything in the New Theater looked no worse, and perhaps even better, than on the court stage of the Hermitage. However, the main impression on the great-power spectator was made by the impetuous inspirational play of Parasha Zhemchugova. Catherine II presented the actress with a diamond ring.

On October 30, 1788, the old Count Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev died. All his untold wealth and more than two hundred thousand peasants passed to his son. For several months Nikolai Petrovich fell into unrestrained drunkenness and entertainment. The theater was abandoned, the actors languished in the uncertainty of their fate and watched with alarm the master's orgy. And there was only one person who was able to stop the count. It was Zhemchugova. Probably, despite her tender age, despite the many mistresses of Sheremetev, it was Parasha who had unlimited influence on the count. She did not feel it right away, but when a thirty-seven-year-old, strong man looked for the first time with childish admiration and delight at his serf, when Parasha saw in his eyes an obsession with love, she understood that her fate was determined forever.

The theater came to life. Its owner was still Sheremetev, but now there is also a hostess - Praskovya Ivanovna, as the actors and musicians began to call Parasha. For Pearl, the count built a new house and significantly reconstructed the theater. It seemed that the life of our heroine turned into paradise. However, Parasha was still happy only with work. Impressionable, nervous, she did not know how to rest on her laurels, she was oppressed by an unstable, dependent existence under the graph. Beloved doted in his Parasha, did not leave her a single step, but rumors of the Count's strange affection spread far beyond the Kuskov estate. Relatives, close ones and even just acquaintances of the Sheremetevs gossiped and played on all voices. These voices threatened Parasha with revenge and hatred. She feared for herself, but her heart sank even more with fear for her undescribed husband.

For Sheremetev and his beloved "Kuskovo became spiteful". Running away from gossip and rumor, the count orders to prepare an estate in Ostankino for their cozy nest. In the spring of 1795, Praskovya Ivanovna and Nikolai Petrovich, and with them the entire staff of actors, actresses, musicians, stage attendants, moved to a new estate. These must have been the happiest days in Zhemchugova's life. Nothing in Ostankino reminded of the servitude of the serf actress, here she felt like a complete mistress, even the theater was built especially for her, Parasha Zhemchugova. The heroic opera "The Taking of Ishmael" was a great success on the new stage, where the incomparable Parasha shone again.

However, happiness is never long. Soon the actress fell seriously ill, she developed tuberculosis. She forever lost the opportunity to sing and only the selfless care of the count helped her to rise to her feet. On December 15, 1798, against the background of mortal danger hanging over the life of his beloved woman, the count finally decided to give freedom to his serf actress. This event caused a new wave of rumors. The whole Kovalev family also received free freedom.

Many times on the Sheremetev stage there were sentimental plays in which ordinary peasant women suddenly turned out to be noblewomen and thereby acquired the rights of people of noble birth. The count painfully pondered ways to turn his "criminal" connection into a completely legitimate one, and the "performance" he composed turned out to be the last in the Sheremetev theater. For a lot of money, the solicitor picked up the necessary facts from the archives, that Parasha Kovalev's family descended from the ancient noble Polish family of Kovalevsky, and that her ancestor Yakub was in Russian captivity in 1667, and that his descendants found refuge in the Sheremetevs' house.

On November 6, 1801, the count married Praskovya Ivanovna Kovaleva, but the wedding was held in the strictest confidence. Sheremetev did not dare to decide to go public. A terminally ill woman was giving birth to her son Parasha. On February 3, 1803, when the child was born, he was immediately taken away from his mother: they were afraid that the baby would get infected from the patient. The poor woman spent another twenty days in agonizing delirium, asking to be shown her son. Friends brought him to the bedroom door, she calmed down a bit. In anticipation of the death of his wife, Nikolai Petrovich took up the fate of his son. It was pointless to hide the marriage further, and the count turned with a tearful letter to Tsar Alexander with a request to recognize the legitimacy of the rights of his heir. On the night of February 23, Parasha Zhemchugova died. Her funeral was distinguished by its splendor and ... the complete absence of noble gentlemen. Even after death, the aristocratic world did not recognize the commoner. In memory of the deceased, Nikolai Petrovich, who devotedly loved his wife, built a "hospitable house" in Moscow on Sukharev Square. His charter stated that the house should "give homeless people a place to sleep, a hungry dinner, and a hundred poor brides a dowry." Today, this building houses the famous Sklifosovsky Institute for Emergency Medicine. Truly, the ways of the Lord are inscrutable ...

ZHEMCHUGOVA, PRASKOVIA IVANOVNA(1768-1803), Russian serf actress. She was born on July 20, 1768 in the family of the serf blacksmith Gorbunov, who eventually received the surname Kovalev, and in less than 8 years was taken to the count's court of her father N.P. Sheremetev.

In 1779, on the stage of the serf theater in Kuskovo, she made her debut as the servant Hubert in the comic opera by A.E.M. Gretri Friendship test... After a successful debut, Sheremetev in 1780 entrusted Kovaleva with the main role of Belinda in the opera by A. Sacchini Colony, or New Settlement... In this performance, the actress first appeared under the name of Zhemchugova, since Sheremetev decided to replace the "peasant" surnames of his actresses with new ones, named after precious stones. After the role of Belinda Kovaleva-Zhemchugova, she was transferred to the position of the first actress of the theater. Among her roles is Louise ( Fugitive soldier Sedena), Loretta ( Loretta Demero de Malzeville), Rosetta ( Good girl Piccini), Anyuta ( A Vain Precaution, or Carrier Kuskovsky Kolychev), Infanta ( Infanta Zamora Paisiello), Anyuta ( Three tax farmers Deside-Monvel) and others. By the age of 17, Kovalev-Zhemchugova was fluent in reading and writing in French and Italian, played the harp and harpsichord, became a real opera singer, who, according to contemporaries, had bright dramatic abilities. The highlight was the role of Eliana in the opera Gretry Samnite marriages... Performing in this role for the first time in 1785, Zhemchugova played it for 12 years - an unprecedented event in the history of the serf theater. The role of Alina is considered significant ( Queen of Golcondskaya Sedena, 1786): Empress Catherine, who was present in Kuskovo, presented a diamond ring to Zhemchugova. At the end of the 1880s, serf actors began to be taught by the artists of the Medox troupe (the female part of Sheremetev's troupe was led by M.S. Sinyavskaya), at the same time Zhemchugova became Sheremetev's wife.

In 1795 the theater was transferred from Kuskovo to Ostankino, where theater premises were built, equipped with the latest technology and fashion. 1795 marked by the premiere of the opera The capture of Ishmael(P. Potemkin - I. Kozlovsky; Zhemchugova acted as a captured Turkish woman Zelmira). From that moment on, Ostankino became one of the centers of the artistic life of Moscow, the repertoire of the theater was replenished with Russian comic operas. In the period of the highest heyday of the theater, consumption began at Zhemchugova. The performances were temporarily stopped, but in 1797, on the occasion of the arrival of Paul I, they were shown Samnite marriages... In 1798 Sheremetev gave freedom to Zhemchugova and the entire Kovalev family. Realizing that health would not allow Zhemchugova to return to the stage, the count closed the theater. In 1801 Sheremetev married Zhemchugova in the strictest secrecy. On February 3, 1803, Praskovya Ivanovna gave birth to a son, and on the night of February 23, she died and was buried in the family crypt of the Sheremetevs. In memory of the deceased in Moscow, on Sukharevaya Square, the building of a "hospitable home" was erected, which was supposed to "give homeless lodging for the night, a hungry dinner and a hundred poor brides a dowry" (now the N. Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Medicine is located here).

At the age of eight, a sharp turn took place in the fate of the serf girl - she was taken up in the Kuskovo estate near Moscow, under the supervision of one of the count's accouterments, Princess Marfa Mikhailovna Dolgoruka. Parasha was taken to the manor house for her excellent vocal skills in order to prepare her for entering the stage of the musical theater of Count Sheremetyev. Under the guidance of first-class mentors, the peasant girl quickly mastered musical literacy, playing the harpsichord and harp, singing, learned French and Italian. Possessing great musical abilities and a good voice, she successfully began performing on the theater stage under the name Pravskovya Zhemchugova.

At first there were small weekend roles. But soon Parasha began to turn into a real actress. She had not yet turned eleven when she brilliantly performed in Gretry's opera "The Experience of Friendship", and at the age of 13 this fragile girl played with unusual persuasiveness, strength and depth the role of Louise from Seden's drama "The Fugitive Soldier" to the music of Monsigny.

It was then, obviously, that this teenage artist attracted the attention of the count's son, Nikolai Petrovich. Love for music and joint activities brought them closer together. It was at his insistence that Parasha performed the main role in the Italian opera Colonia, or a new village, staged next year by Sacchini - as always talented and masterly. The count could not help but see in the awakening talent the future glory of his theater.

The opening of the palace-theater in the estate of the counts was celebrated, timed to coincide with a reception in honor of the winners in the war with Turkey, on June 22, 1795. The count invited the participants in the military events to the holiday. A musical drama by I. Kozlovsky to the text by P. Potemkin "Zelmira and Smelon, or the Taking of Ishmael" was staged on the stage. Praskovya Ivanovna played in this performance, as has long been accepted in the Sheremetyevo theater, the main role - the captive Turkish woman Zelmira, who fell in love with the Russian officer Smelon.

April 30, 1797 N.P. Sheremetyev received Paul I, who had just been crowned to the throne. On this day, the theater staged "The Marriages of the Samnites" - an opera in which the talent of Praskovya Zhemchugova was revealed with special brilliance. Then she was 17 years old.

Count Sheremetyev was awarded the title of Oberhof Marshal of the Imperial Court by the Tsar. This award required leaving for St. Petersburg. Nikolai Petrovich decides to take the best part of the troupe there, including Praskovya Ivanovna. The damp climate of St. Petersburg immediately affected the state of health of Zhemchugova. Her hereditary tuberculosis worsened, her voice disappeared. But this did not stop the count from loving her. On November 6, 1801, the wedding of Praskovya Ivanovna and Nikolai Petrovich took place. It took place in the parish church of Simeon the Stylite, built back in 1679. This temple has survived to this day. Nikolai Argunov, the serf artist of the Sheremeitevs, captured the appearance of Praskovya Ivanovna on that memorable day in her life: a red shawl, a white wedding veil, a precious medallion around her neck. The wedding was celebrated only in the narrowest circle of friends. For the Moscow and Petersburg nobility, the marriage of Count N.P. Sheremetyeva remained a secret. The marriage was announced only in 1803, after the birth of his son Dmitry. Despite the approval of the marriage by Emperors Paul and Alexander I, high society and relatives were shocked. Countess Sheremetyeva died without knowing about the reaction of the world to this news. Perhaps for the best, since the Petersburg ladies would never have accepted a former serf in their salons, without family and tribe. The reaction of relatives can be judged by the remark of Anna Semyonovna Sheremetyeva, which she made in her memoirs: "An excellent trickster, our older relative."

It should be noted that the views of the count and the attitude towards serfs differed from the views of many. Having barely entered into the rights of the heir, Nikolai Petrovich gave an order that each of the peasants had access to him and would submit his petitions personally.

The countess-peasant woman, knowing about the hard life of beggars, orphans and sick people, constantly helped them, and her husband, according to her will, built in Moscow a hospitable house with a hospital (now the Sklifosovsky hospital) and invested in the issuance of a dowry to poor brides, which, undoubtedly, testified to the count's tender affection for his chosen one.

On February 23, 1803, the most talented Russian singer and actress died. She died of consumption, leaving behind a three-week-old baby when she was only 35 years old.

Count Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetyev died in 1809 and was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, in the Sheremetyevo tomb, next to Praskovya Ivanovna, his beloved serf actress and wife.