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The Yusupov Palace.
The Yusupov palace is situated on the Moika river bank not long way from the St. Isaak’s Cathedral. The palace was built in 1770-s by the French architect Vallin de la Mothe.Thenarchitect A. Mikhailov reconstructed the building in 1830-s when the Yusupov’s became owners of this palace . This time the modern appearance of the palace was formed.
From 1830 to 1917, the palace on the Moika was Yusupov family mansion. They were of the wealthiest families in the Russian Empire. In the years before the Revolution the palace belonged to Prince Felix Yusopov, one of the richest men inRussia. He was thought to be even as rich as the tsar. In Russia Yusupov owned 57 palaces, including four in St. Petersburg. The palace on the Moika was the prince’s favorite residence in the capital. Fantastic and luxuries interiors of the palace were not inferior the royal palaces. More than 40,000 works of art including works by Rembrandt, jewelry, sculptures kept in the palace. Yusupov collection was nationalized and placed into the Hermitage and other museums.
It was in the Palace on the Moika the murder of one of the most mysterious characters in Russian history - Gregory Rasputin, happened. Rasputin was uneducated peasant but his influence to the Imperial family (especially to the Russian Empress Alexandra Fedorovna) was phenomenally strong. People were saying that no one minister could be confirmed in his office without consultation with Rasputin. This authority Gregory Rasputin received thanks to his ability to alleviate the suffering of successor the throne Prince Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia.
Since the Empress had become so dependent on Rasputin, Prince Felix Yusupov and other members of the Imperial family believed murder was the only way to get rid of this man. Felix Yusupov played a key role in eliminating of Gregory Rasputin. On December 16, 1916 Yusupov invited Rasputin to his home in St. Petersburg. Feeding him cyanide-laced wine and cakes, Yusupov thought killing Rasputin would be easy. He was wrong. Rasputin ate poisoned sweets but did not die. Felix was shocked and he with his accomplices decided to shoot Rasputin. At least three fatal shots were done, and Rasputin, it seemed, was killed. The shots disabled the monk but, legend has it, he was still alive as conspirators - standing at the top of the bridge at Petrovsky Island- threw his body into the Neva River. His remains were found several days later.
Rasputin had made an eerie prediction several days before he died.
“If I am killed by common assassins and especially by my brothers the Russian peasants, you, Tsar of Russia, have nothing to fear for your children, they will reign for hundreds of years inRussia.
...if it was your relations who have wrought my death, then no one in your family, that is to say, none of your children or relations will remain alive for two years. They will be killed by the Russian people...
I shall be killed. I am no longer among the living. Pray, pray, be strong, think of your blessed family”.
You can believe it or not, but three months later the monarchy in Russia fell.
You’ll feel the spirit of these crucial events when you will pass the threshold of the Yusupov Palace.
During the tour you’ll see interiors of the Yusupov palace and the exposition dedicated to the murder of Rasputin.