Alexander Pushkin: Museum Estate
at Mikhaylovskoye
At Mikhaylovskoye Pushkin produced over one hundred items of poetry and
prose. What Pushkin wrote here made him a truly national poet and the father of a
new, realistic literature and literary Russian
There is a corner in Pskov Region that warms the heart of every visitor. This is the
famous Mikhaylovskoye Estate, a place inseparably connected with the life and work of
the Great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Everything here speaks of the poet's talent.
The museum and nature preserve, set up in 1922, incorporates the memorial estate at
Mikhaylovskoye, the Svyatogorsk Monastery, the poet's grave, the home of the
Hannibals at Petrovskoye and the home of the Osipovs-Wolfs at Trigorskoye. Pushkin's
love for the estate lasted a life-time and was reflected in poetry from his early verses to
the profound work he created shortly before his death.
Pushkin's great grandfather, Abram Hannibal, was presented with several estates in
Pskov Region by Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, in January 1742 in
recognition of loyal service to Russia. After his death the land was divided among his
three sons. One of them, the poet's grandfather, Osip Abramovich, received
Mikhaylovskoye. On retiring he spent the last years of his life on the estate, almost
never leaving it. He built a house and related buildings for his family and laid out a park.
The poet's mother, Nadezhda Osipovna, came into possession of the estate in 1818. In
the years that followed she often came here in summer, bringing along the family. At the
end of the summer of 1824 the Pushkins welcomed in Mikhaylovskoye their elder son,
Alexander, who had been sent from Odessa by the authorities to serve a term of exile in
the "remote northern province".
The following year, in June, Pushkin wrote from exile to a friend of his, Pyotr
Vyazemsky: "I've undertaken a literary endeavour that will make you embrace me — a
romantic tragedy!" These words referred to his work on Boris Goclunov but could well
describe the entire period of work at Mikhaylovskoye. What Pushkin wrote here made
him a truly national poet and the father of a new, realistic literature and literary Russian.
At Mikhaylovskoye Pushkin produced over one hundred items of poetry and prose.
His contacts with the peasants and Nature, his in-depth study of folk poetry, and his
detailed knowledge of the life of both landed gentry and peasants, all helped him to find
new poetical images, themes and plots.
During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 the Nazi invaders demolished the estate,
robbed the museum, and felled hundreds of trees in the parks. After the war every effort
was made to breathe new life into the Pushkin Museum and Nature Preserve. By the
150th anniversary of the poet's birth in 1949, it had been largely restored, and the
revived Pushkin Memorial Estate opened its doors to the public.
Every first Sunday of June since 1967 Mikhaylovskoye has hosted the Pushkin Poetry
Festival, widely known both in this country and abroad. Hundreds of thousands of
Pushkin's devotees come here every year to visit with the great poet and enjoy the parks
and museums. Wandering in the nature preserve and discovering the charm of its woods,
you begin to feel you might even meet Pushkin himself. All who visit this spot and learn
how much Pushkin loved it acquire a new insight into the poet's work.
Since the 19th century the history of the Svyatogorsk Monastery of the Assumption
has been inseparably linked with Pushkin's name. Founded in 1569 by order of Ivan the
Terrible, the monastery ranked among the most revered abodes in Russia. Among the
numerous gifts from tsars and dignitaries the monastery had a bell presented by Ivan the
Terrible and an edition of the New Testament, a gift of Tsar Michael (Mikhail
Fyodorovich Romanov).
On the monastery grounds you find the family cemetery of the Hannibals and
Pushkins with the graves of Pushkin's grandfather Osip Abramovich Hannibal (1806),
grandmother Maria Alekseyevna (1818), mother Nadezhda Osipovna (1836) and father
Sergey Lvovich (1848).
When Pushkin lived in Mikhaylovskoye, he would visit the monastery to pay his
respects to the graves of his ancestors. Working on Boris Godunov, he used the
monastery archives and library in an effort to depict the characters with the utmost
historical veracity. Here, in the chronicles, he found an entry about the participation of
the monastery's first Father Superior, Zosima, in the Assembly of 1598, which chose
Boris Godunov to be Tsar of Russia.
In Pushkin's time the monastery was famous for its grand-scale fairs, timed to
coincide with major religious holidays. Pushkin enjoyed these fairs, where he could
listen to the vivid metaphors that ordinary folk used in speaking and jot down the most
typical and exciting. The fairs, the life of the monastery's dwellers and guests,
conversations with folk philosophers, and stories told by pilgrims about events long past
were all reflected in the characters of Boris Godunov.
The Svyatogorsk Monastery was Pushkin's last sanctuary on earth. On February 6
(February 18, New Style), 1837, following a memorial service the poet's body was laid
to rest alongside the altar wall. Four years later a marble monument was erected on the
grave as Pushkin's widow had requested. The inscription says: "Alexander Sergeyevich
Pushkin, born Moscow, May 26, 1799, died St. Petersburg, January 29, 1837."
World War II brought ruination to the Svyatogorsk Monastery. Many of its buildings
were badly damaged, and the Cathedral of St. Nicholas and home of Father Superior
were razed to the ground. The Cathedral was restored in 1949, for the poet's 150th birth
anniversary. An exposition opened in the same year, tracing the history of the monastery
and the work of the poet and describing the duel and his death and burial.
In 1992 the Svyatogorsk Monastery of the Assumption was returned to the Pskov
Eparchy, and the Cathedral of the Assumption renewed services.
The Svyatogorsk Monastery was Pushkin's last sanctuary on earth. On February 6
(February 18, New Style), 1837, following a memorial service the poet's body was laid
to rest alongside the altar wall. Four years later a marble monument was erected on
the grave as Pushkin's widow had requested. The inscription says: "Alexander
Sergeyevich Pushkin, born Moscow, May 26, 1799, died St. Petersburg, January
29,1837."
by Natalya Grigorieva
(“Moscow today & tomorrow”. August / 2002)