(concurs) Pushkin in Viazemy

[Jack Kollmann]

         I can't vouch for the authenticity of "Poles defiling icons" or
that stories about it from his grandmother inspired Pushkin to write "Boris
Godunov," but the False Dmitrii #1 and Marina Mnishek did frequent Viazemy,
and, later, Pushkin as a boy was taken by his grandmother from nearby
Zakharovo to services in the church in Viazemy.  The church, commissioned
by Boris Godunov, was built c 1594-98 and dedicated to the Holy
Trinity.  Godunov's palace has not survived.  The Viazemy estate was
granted by Peter I to B.A. Golitsyn in 1694.  In 1702 the church was
renovated and reconsecrated to the Transfiguration (Tserkov'
Preobrazheniia), the name by which Pushkin experienced it.  I see one --
but only one -- reference to a basement (winter) church in the
Trinity/Transfiguration Church dedicated to St. Nicholas the
Miracle-Worker.  Whether or not there is a small winter church at ground
level, the main church (summer?), dedicated now to the Transfiguration,
retains much of its original frescoes illustrating the earthly deeds of the
Trinity.  Pushkin's younger brother, Nikolai, is buried next to the
church.  I hadn't heard about Poles desecrating icons in the church, but
apparently Natal'ia Golitsyna, the owner of the estate in Pushkin's time,
was a model (among others?) for the countess in "Queen of Spades."

         In 1784 the Golitsyns built an estate house that survives.  Among
its famous overnight guests were General Kutuzov (11 September 1812) and
Napoleon (14 September 1812).  I have not visited the area, but as nearly
as I can tell the estate is called Viazemy and the nearby town Bol'shie
Viazemy (the "e" is a "yo").

Jack Kollmann


At 06:30 PM 4/15/03 -0500, you wrote:
>Dear Seelangers,
>I have a friend who's searching for the following information:
>What is the name of the church in the village of Bol'shie V'az'omy,
>located not far away from Pushkin's estate in Zakharovo (on the Smolensk
>road to Podmoskov'e), in which Poles defiled Russian icons, an episode
>which gave Pushkin the idea to write "Boris Godunov"?
>Any help would be appreciated.
>Anton Breiner
>Slavic Dept. @ Northwestern University

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