Golitsyn Russian prince. About the clan of the Golitsyn princes. It is amazing how in the post-revolutionary years of persecution of aristocrats, the so-called former ones, a whole gallery of family portraits was preserved in the family. They are still on the walls of your house.

The family of the princes Golitsyn has a rather long and interesting story. A large number of works of genealogists are devoted to it. The ancestor of one of the branches of this family, Vasily Vasilyevich, is of particular fame. We will study the biography of this person, as well as the history of the Golitsyn princes.

The emergence of the Golitsyn family

The Golitsyn family originates from the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas and his son Narimont. The son of the latter, Patrikey, in 1408 went to the service of the Moscow prince Vasily I. Thus the Patrikeyev family was founded.

The grandson of Yuri (Patrikey's son) - Ivan Vasilyevich Patrikeev - had the nickname Bulgak. Therefore, all his children began to be written as princes Bulgakov. One of Ivan's sons - Mikhail Bulgakov - received the nickname Golitsa, and all thanks to his habit of wearing a plate glove on his left hand. His only son Yuri, who was in the service of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, was sometimes written as Bulgakov and sometimes as Golitsyn. But already the descendants of the latter were called exclusively the princes Golitsyns.

Division into four branches

Yuri Bulgakov-Golitsyn had sons - Ivan and Vasily Golitsyn. Vasily Bulgakov had three sons, however, they were all childless. This branch of the Golitsyns broke off. One of the sons of Yuri Bulgakov-Golitsyn was the commander and statesman of the Time of Troubles Vasily Vasilyevich.

But the line of Ivan Yurievich gave numerous offspring. His grandson Andrei Andreevich had four sons, who were the ancestors of the branches of the Golitsyn family: Ivanovichi, Vasilievichi, Mikhailovichi and Alekseevichi.

The youth of Vasily Golitsyn

Prince Vasily Golitsyn was born in 1643 in Moscow. He was the son of the boyar Vasily Andreevich Golitsyn, who held high positions under the tsar, and Tatyana Romodanovskaya. There were four children in the family, but, given that the eldest son Ivan did not leave any descendants, Vasily became the ancestor of the senior branch of the princes Golitsyn - Vasilyevich.

Vasily Golitsyn lost his father at the age of nine, after which the care of his son and other children was completely entrusted to his mother. The young prince was addicted to the knowledge of sciences and received a good education for that time at home.

in public service

With the onset of his fifteenth birthday, a new stage in his life began: Vasily Golitsyn (prince) went to the service of the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. He held the positions of chalice, stolnik and charioteer. But Prince Vasily Golitsyn became especially promoted in the service after his accession to the throne in 1676. He was immediately granted a boyar post.

Under Tsar Fyodor, Vasily Golitsyn rose to prominence in a fairly short time. Already in 1676, he was instructed to deal with the issues of Little Russia (now Ukraine), so he left for Putivl. It should be noted that Vasily Golitsyn perfectly solved the assigned tasks. After that, the prince was forced to face the Turkish-Tatar threat, which became especially aggravated in 1672-1681, when the Russian-Turkish war was going on, he participated in. In 1681, he actually established the status quo. After that, Vasily Golitsyn returned to Moscow.

Having headed the Vladimir court order, Vasily became quite close to the tsar's sister, Princess Sophia, and her relatives, the Miloslavskys. Then he became the head of the commission that was in charge of reforms in the army, which to a large extent contributed to the strengthening of the Russian army, which is clearly evidenced by the future victories of Peter I.

Elevation

In 1982, Tsar Fedor died. As a result of the Streltsy uprising, Tsarina Sophia came to power, who favored Prince Golitsyn. She became regent under the young brothers Ivan and Peter Alekseevich. Vasily Golitsyn was appointed head. The prince began to actually rule foreign policy Russian kingdom.

And the times were turbulent: relations with the Commonwealth escalated, with which Russia was de jure at war; hostilities began with the Crimean Tatars, despite the recently concluded Bakhchisaray peace treaty. All these questions had to be solved by Vasily Vasilyevich. In general, in this regard, he acted quite successfully, preventing a direct clash with the Poles and Turks at a time when it was unprofitable for Russia.

However, Vasily Golitsyn was distinguished by pro-European views and always sought rapprochement with Western states to counter Turkish expansion. In this regard, he temporarily abandoned the struggle for access to the Baltic Sea, confirming in 1683 the agreement concluded earlier with the Swedes. Three years later, the Golitsyn embassy concluded the Eternal Peace with the Commonwealth, legally ending the Russian-Polish war, which had lasted since 1654. According to this treaty, Russia and the Commonwealth pledged to start military operations against Ottoman Empire. In this regard, another Russian-Turkish war began, in the framework of which our troops in 1687 and 1689 did not undertake very successful Crimean campaigns.

One of the most famous diplomatic events of that time was the conclusion of the Treaty of Nerchinsk with the Qing Empire. It was the first official document that marked the beginning of the history of centuries-old diplomatic relations between Russia and China. Although it must be said that in general this agreement was unfavorable for Russia.

During the reign of Alekseevna, Vasily Golitsyn became not only a leading figure in the country's foreign policy, but also the most influential official in the state, being in fact the head of government.

Opal and death

Despite his talents as a statesman, Vasily Golitsyn owed his rise to no small degree to the fact that he was a favorite of Princess Sophia. And this predetermined his fall.

Upon reaching the age of majority, Peter I removed Sofya Alekseevna from power, and Golitsyn tried to obtain the reception of the sovereign, but he was refused. Vasily Vasilyevich was taken into custody on charges of unsuccessful Crimean campaigns and that he acted in the interests of the regent, and not the tsars Peter and Ivan. He was not deprived of his life only thanks to the intercession of his cousin, Boris Alekseevich, who was the tutor of Peter I.

Vasily Golitsyn was deprived of the boyar title, but left in princely dignity. He and his family were waiting for eternal exile. At first, Kargopol was assigned as the place of her serving, but then the exiles were transported several times to other places. The last point of exile was the village of Kologory in the Arkhangelsk province, where the previously all-powerful statesman died in 1714 in obscurity.

Family of Vasily Golitsin

Vasily Golitsyn was married twice. The prince was first married to Feodosia Dolgorukova, but she died without giving him children. Then Vasily Vasilyevich married the daughter of the boyar Ivan Streshnev - Evdokia. From this marriage there were six children: two daughters (Irina and Evdokia) and four sons (Alexey, Peter, Ivan and Mikhail).

After the death of Vasily Golitsyn, the family was allowed to return from exile. The eldest son of the prince, Alexei Vasilyevich, suffered from a mental disorder, because of which he could not be a member of the public service. He lived all his life on the estate, where he died in 1740. From his marriage to Marfa Kvashnina, he had a son, Mikhail, who fell out of favor with Empress Anna Ioannovna and became her court jester. Died in 1775.

Another son of Vasily Golitsyn - Mikhail - became famous for his service in the Navy. He was married to Tatyana Neelova, but had no children.

Dmitry Golitsyn - statesman of the Petrine era

One of the most prominent statesmen of his era was the Prince, born in 1665, was the son of the founder of the Mikhailovich branch, Mikhail Andreevich, and thus was the cousin of Vasily Vasilyevich, whom we spoke about above. But, unlike his relative, he should be grateful to Peter the Great for his exaltation.

His first significant position was the post of stolnik under the sovereign. Later, the prince participated in the Azov campaigns and in the Northern War. But his main achievements were in the civil service. In 1711-1718 he was the governor of Kiev, in 1718-1722 he was the president of the College of Chambers, which corresponded to the modern position of the Minister of Finance. In addition, Dmitry Mikhailovich became a member of the Senate. Under Peter II, from 1726 to 1730, he was a member of the Supreme Privy Council, and from 1727 - President of the Commerce Collegium (Minister of Trade).

But with the coming to power of Empress Anna Ioannovna (whose name he himself named when choosing a candidate worthy to take the throne), he was disgraced due to the fact that he tried to legally limit her power. In 1736 he was imprisoned where he died the following year.

Mikhail Golitsyn - General of the times of Peter the Great

Dmitry Golitsyn's brother was Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich, born in 1675. He became famous as a famous commander.

Prince Mikhail Golitsyn proved himself well during the Azov campaigns of Peter I (1695-1696), but gained real fame during the Northern War. It was he who led many brilliant operations against the Swedes, in particular in the Battle of Grengam (1720).

Already after the death of Peter I, Prince Golitsyn was awarded the then highest military rank of Field Marshal General, and under Peter II he became a senator. From 1728 until his death (1730) he was the president of the military collegium.

Mikhail Mikhailovich was married twice. From both marriages he had 18 children.

It is noteworthy that one of his younger brothers, oddly enough, was also called Mikhail (born in 1684). He also gained fame on the military path, participating in the Northern War. And from 1750 until his death in 1762, he led everything Russian fleet, being the president of the Admiralty Board.

Alexander Golitsyn - the successor of his father's work

One of the sons of Field Marshal Mikhail Mikhailovich was Prince Alexander Golitsyn, born in 1718. He also became famous in the military field. He was one of the leaders of the Russian troops during the Seven Years' War against Prussia (1756-1763), as well as during the Russian-Turkish won (1768-1774), which ended with the signing of the famous Kyuchuk-Kaynarji peace.

For his services to the Fatherland and military abilities, like his father, he was awarded the rank of Field Marshal. In 1775, and also from 1780 until his death in 1783, he was the governor-general of St. Petersburg.

Their marriage to Princess Daria Gagarina was childless.

Pyotr Golitsyn - the winner of Pugachev

The youngest son of Mikhail Golitsyn, that of the brothers who was president of the Admiralty College, was Prince Pyotr Golitsyn, born in 1738. Even in his early youth, he participated in the Seven Years and Russian-Turkish wars. But he gained historical fame as a man who commanded troops aimed at suppressing the Pugachev uprising, which shook the Russian Empire. For the victory over Pugachev, he was elevated to the rank of lieutenant general.

It is not known how much benefit Pyotr Golitsyn would have brought to the Russian state if he had not been killed in a duel in the same 1775, at the age of 38.

Lev Golitsyn - famous winemaker

Prince Lev Golitsyn was born in 1845 into the family of Sergei Grigorievich, who belonged to the Alekseevich branch. He became famous as an industrialist and entrepreneur. It was he who fixed industrial production wines in the Crimea. So this region is wine-growing, not least thanks to Lev Sergeevich.

He died on the eve of the era of change in 1916.

Golitsyns today

At the moment, the Golitsyn family is the largest Russian princely family. At present, out of its four branches, three remain: Vasilievichi, Alekseevichi and Mikhailovichi. The Ivanovich branch broke off in 1751.

The Golitsyn family gave Russia many outstanding statesmen, generals, entrepreneurs, and artists.

Lev Golitsyn was born on August 12, 1845 in the estate of Stara Ves, Lublin province (on the territory of modern Poland). He belonged to one of the oldest and most noble aristocratic families in Europe, which originated from the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas (1275-1341). Even the Romanovs could not boast of such a pedigree, which gave Golitsyn some reason to sometimes ironically tease Nicholas II (in response to the emperor’s harmless request, for example, something like: “Of course, your Majesty, although our family is ancient, but this is not mine, but your ancestors became Russian sovereigns”).

Lev Sergeevich knew very well the value of his origin. His classmate N.V. Davydov recalled how, during one of the exams at Moscow University, Golitsyn answered very thoroughly and confidently ... not to his own question. When the teacher for the third time suggested that the student return to the essence of the assignment or come to the re-examination, the mighty Golitsyn slammed his fist on the table in a rage, so that the inkwell overturned, and growled: “You don’t dare to talk to me like that, if you please listen to me, dear sir!” Professor Yurkevich, short and frail, lost his head, trembled, and retreated in horror. The case, however, ended with mutual apologies and ... a retake.

Lev Sergeevich studied eagerly, although not always evenly. First, at home, where, among other things, he mastered Polish, French, Italian and German. Then in a Belgian private boarding school, at the Sorbonne, where he studied history and law, and in 1862 received a bachelor's degree. Then at the Faculty of Law of Moscow University (1867 - 1871), where he received the Gold Medal for research in the field of Roman law, defended his master's thesis and even began to prepare for a professorship. And finally, in 1873-1874. in Leipzig and Göttingen.

During the break between the Sorbonne and the Moscow University, he, actively mastering the Russian language, which at that time knew quite poorly, managed to work in lower positions in the office and archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And becoming a Moscow student, he spent his summer holidays not only in the family estate near Murom, but also on an archaeological expedition on the Oka, where he opened several sites primitive man. A few years later, for these merits, Golitsyn was elected a corresponding member of the Moscow Archaeological Society. However, by that time his life had already changed dramatically.

A few years later, for these merits, Golitsyn was elected a corresponding member of the Moscow Archaeological Society. However, by that time his life had already changed dramatically.

At the very end of the 1860s, Lev Sergeevich fell passionately in love with a woman older than himself. The chosen one of the 25-year-old stately handsome man was Nadezhda Zasetskaya, the daughter of the former mayor of Kerch, Major General of the Russian army, Prince Zakhary Kherkheulidzev (Kherkheulidze). The novel broke out suddenly, as they say, in front of everyone and proceeded very rapidly. Everything would be fine, but Zasetsaya was married to the leader of the district nobility and, moreover, had children.

The situation looked extremely scandalous, it came to a public showdown, the story got into the newspapers, but Golitsyn did not care. In 1871, Zasetskaya gave birth to his daughter Sophia, after which the lovers decided to leave Russia for several years, until passions subsided in society. They lived for a long time in Germany and France, traveled a lot.

In 1876, upon returning from Europe, Golitsyn had a second daughter, who was named Nadezhda - in honor of her mother. Then Lev Sergeevich became the leader of the Murom nobility, replacing the legal spouse of his common-law wife in this post. All this did not add “points” to him - in both capitals they were again indignant ...

Lev Sergeevich left again. This time he moved to the Crimea - to the Paradise estate (it was also called the New World), which belonged to Nadezhda Zasetskaya and her brother. And some time later, in 1878, he bought it. From that moment on, his life changed dramatically. From now on and until the very end, Golitsyn was engaged exclusively in winemaking, and it was in this field that he achieved recognition from his contemporaries and respect from grateful descendants.

Back in the first half of the 1870s, Lev Sergeevich spent a lot of time in Champagne, where he studied the intricacies of creating sparkling wines. Later, he fully implemented this experience in Russia.

It should be borne in mind that in the 19th century, Crimean winemaking was still in its infancy - it began to develop, in fact, only after the annexation of the peninsula to Russia. The highest aristocracy reached out to the Crimea, which willingly acquired vineyards and built wineries on their own estates. It was then - in the first half of the century - that, for example, "Livadia" by Count Pototsky, as well as "Massandra" and "Ai-Danil" by Count Vorontsov appeared.

At first, the vines were planted in different places to determine the most suitable sites. It took a lot of time and effort to find them. It gradually became clear that the best terroirs are located in the southwestern part of the peninsula (especially in the Balaklava, Kachinskaya and Alma valleys), as well as on the South Coast and in the Sudak region. And the wines from these sites have every chance to claim the title of the best in the country. But until that moment, a lot of winemaking projects managed to go bankrupt ...

Golitsyn approached the matter thoroughly and, as they say, systematically. In Novy Svet, he built a modern winery that looks like a medieval castle, but he also paved the way from Novy Svet to Sudak, and he ran water supply from the neighboring valley to the village itself. In the surrounding rocks of Karaul-Oba and Koba-Kaya, he ordered to cut down cellars 3.5 km long. The tunnels intended for storing wine were located at different heights, due to which a stable temperature of +8 to +12 degrees was maintained in them all year round.

Finally, he planted an experimental vineyard for 600 varieties in order to empirically determine which varieties are best suited for creating high-quality Russian sparkling wines. He achieved good results in his work with Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Traminer and Cabernet Sauvignon, but in the end he chose Chardonnay, Riesling, Aligote, Pinot Franc (as Pinot Noir is still called in the Crimea) and Mourvedre. And I also realized that it is more correct to use grapes grown in the Sevastopol region and in the Kherson region.

For production, Golitsyn used only the classic champagne technology, which involves the secondary fermentation of wine in the bottle. It is used by the company to this day. To work at the winery, he invited experienced foreign specialists - he ordered one from France, the other from Australia.

The first release saw the light already in 1882. And soon the New World and Paradise lines appeared, glorifying their creator far beyond the borders of the country. Over the next two decades, Golitsyn wines gained international recognition and collected an impressive collection of awards at Russian and foreign exhibitions in Moscow, Yalta, Kharkov, Louisville, New Orleans, Paris and Bordeaux.

In 1896, "New World" was served at the celebrations on the occasion of the coronation of Nicholas II, after which the entire party was renamed "Coronation". In 1900, the New World sparkling wine of the previous year's harvest won the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Paris, beating the best wines of famous champagne houses in a blind tasting.

- I want the worker, artisan, small employee to drink good wine! he said."

And Lev Sergeevich, as a real aristocrat and connoisseur of beauty, spent impressive sums on antiques, works of art, but most importantly, on rare wines of the 18th and 19th centuries, of which he collected several tens of thousands of bottles. Part of his famous collection, which had no analogues in the world, was moved to Massandra in the 1920s, where it is kept to this day.

The constant need to find funds for the development of production and the wide popularization of high-quality Russian wines again led Golitsyn to the civil service. In 1889 Alexander III invited him to head the Specific Department, which was in charge of all the vineyards and wineries of the royal family. Lev Sergeevich did not decide right away, but two years later he nevertheless accepted this offer, since it promised a substantial reward, on the one hand, and made it possible to return to the court, on the other.

He headed the Destinies from 1891 to 1898 and proved to be a brilliant organizer. It was at this time that the first serious reorganization of Abrau-Durso fell, where mountain tunnels also appeared. Golitsyn oversaw the laying of new vineyards in the Crimea, the Caucasus and Stavropol, the construction of wineries and new cellars for aging and storing wines (such appeared, for example, in Massandra, Sudak, Moscow, Tiflis and Kakheti), breeding research and personnel work carried out in in particular, on the basis of the Magarach School of Horticulture and Viticulture.

However, the bureaucratic uniform clearly burdened Golitsyn. He constantly clashed with the administration of the Lots because of unforeseen expenses and unwillingness to save budget funds. In the end, he left the service and returned to his "New World". Golitsyn transferred the compensation of 100 thousand rubles due to him to the Ministry of Agriculture, and established a prize for the percentage of this amount, which was awarded for notable scientific and practical achievements in the field of viticulture and winemaking.

The settlement, meanwhile, has become an important center of social life not only in the Crimea, but throughout the entire Russian south. Representatives of the highest aristocracy came to Golitsyn, famous artists, writers and musicians constantly visited him. Lev Sergeevich, like a real lover of life, arranged incredible evenings in the nearby grottoes - with candlelight dinners, fireworks, live symphonic music, fat Black Sea oysters and, of course, his own sparkling wine. Among his high-ranking guests was even the sovereign. It was to him that Golitsyn presented in 1912 part of the "New World" along with his unique collection, justifying his decision with the following words: "You, the only sovereign, to whom, when I die, I can leave my offspring. Please accept it."

Golitsyn died on December 26, 1915 from pneumonia. He was buried in a crypt in the nearby vineyards. His wife also rested there. Unfortunately, at the very beginning of the 1920s, local Red Army soldiers threw the remains of a class alien princely couple into a nearby ravine. It is said that local residents from among the Crimean Tatars, who adored Golitsyn, secretly picked up the remains and reburied them elsewhere. But where exactly the grave is located, if it has survived at all, is unknown.

But the favorite brainchild of Lev Sergeevich - the Novy Svet farm exists to this day. This is the best monument to the brilliant Russian winemaker.

Lev Golitsyn was born in 1845 on the estate of his mother, Staraya Ves, in the province of Lublin (Poland). His father, a retired staff captain, a hereditary nobleman, Sergey Grigoryevich Golitsyn, gave his son an excellent education at home: he read and spoke Polish fluently, was fluent in French and had a good command of German.

The young Golitsyn dreamed of becoming a legal scholar. At the age of 17, he graduated with a bachelor's degree from the Paris Sorbonne at the Faculty of Law of Moscow University, becoming a master of law. To defend his professorship, and then work at Moscow University, where he was invited, he continued his studies in Leipzig and Göttingen (Germany). However, fate had prepared for the prince another life path. The prince awakened a genuine interest in viticulture and winemaking in Europe. Ever since his studies in France, Golitsyn began to collect an enoteca - a collection of unique and ancient wines from different countries.

Lev Golitsyn in love with the "New World"

In 1876, Lev Golitsyn acquires vineyards and a dacha in Feodosia. Due to family circumstances, in 1878, the prince acquires the Novy Svet estate near Sudak, where he quite successfully begins to form his own "New World champagne", builds cellars, lays about 600 grape varieties of southern European and southern Russian varieties as an experimental base for his winemaking. As for serious legal practice, this was out of the question in Crimea.

Golitsyn's enoteca, which by 1912 had become one of the best in Europe, counted, according to the Act of transferring most of it to the sovereign, "... 45,939 bottles, 675 half-bottles, 216 double bottles and six quarters."

In his Novy Svet, Golitsyn engaged in a comparative study of European grape varieties and set about making the first wines of various types from these varieties - from table and sparkling to dry and dessert.

Lev Golitsyn king of experts

The end of the 19th century was especially significant for Golitsyn the winemaker. His wines, as well as the wines of the appanages, participated in exhibitions both in Russia and abroad. He was elected a member of the jury at the All-Russian exhibitions, a member of the jury and vice-chairman at the World Exhibitions in Paris. The wines of Prince Golitsyn received worldwide recognition and were awarded many, many awards, gold medals, the Big Silver Medal, the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Paris. And in 1896, a recognized winemaker received official permission to depict the state emblem on the labels of his wines. Russian Empire, which gave him the official right to supply his wines to the Highest Sovereign Court.

The first experiments in champagne winemaking were successful, and in 1882 he gets his first gold medal for champagne wines with the name "Black Smolka" and "Red Smolka" at the wine competition in Yalta. The release of his sparkling wines under the name "Paradisio", "New World" and "Coronation" according to the French bottle technology of champagne, taking into account the experience of the Crimean winemakers, allowed him in 1900 to "climb his wine Olympus" in Paris. Then the Paradisio brut champagne of the 4th champagne edition in 1899 won the Grand Prix Cup. According to the European tradition, the names of wines were received not only according to the place where the grape varieties grow, but also according to the place where the wines were produced. But "Koranation" was so named after it was served during a gala dinner in Moscow on the occasion of the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II.

At a dinner given on the occasion of the completion of the Paris World Exhibition, which was hosted by the chairman of the expert commission on wines, Count Chandon, raising a glass of champagne, said:

The excellent quality of the wine that we now drink, we owe first of all to those workers who have been working in our company for more than 100 years from generation to generation.

Prince Golitsyn answered the count:

All those present were amazed: the connoisseur of French champagne, Count Chandon, confused Champagne with Crimean champagne. It was truly the triumph of Prince Golitsyn as a winemaker, as well as the triumph of Russia as a wine-making power. After the exhibition, French newspapers wrote:

Of all the countries in the world, we know Russia least of all. The surprise that entered the wine-making competition was the fact that Russia is entering it with huge strides. It must be assumed that the steps of the owner.

Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn set himself and other winemakers the task of instilling in the common people the culture of consumption of high-quality grape wines of the Crimea, especially Massandra and Novyi Svet. Lev Golitsyn did not tire of repeating:

I want the common people in Russia to drink good wine, and not to poison themselves with sivukha.

In 1898, Prince Golitsyn submitted a letter of resignation due to the expiration of the contract.

Prince Lev Golitsyn - the father of domestic winemaking

The personality of Lev Golitsyn was truly outstanding. According to many contemporaries, his unjustifiably long tunnels were built by the prince for the future, even before his official marriage, in the hope of having an heir and successor to his affairs. In the future, he became interested in collecting rare antiques, paintings, porcelain, silver in the form of jugs, glasses, ice buckets. Tens of thousands went to decorate the tasting room, to collections of rare glass and crystal, from which the sovereigns and empresses of the Russian throne drank. Until the end of the 19th century, the Golitsyn tunnels were never completely filled and later served more to surprise numerous guests than to age wine.

He cared little about the organization of proper sales and with great pleasure gave away his wines more often than he sold. After the death of his wife Maria Mikhailovna, four young grandchildren and, finally, the premature death of his daughter Sophia (married Trubetskaya), he lost interest in the production of his wines and their representation in competitions. Next to him was his youngest unmarried daughter Nadezhda, and the prince begins to think about the future of his winery. Golitsyn decided to create the Russian Academy of Viticulture and Winemaking on the basis of the Novy Svet estate and become its permanent representative. The base for this was: cellars, wineries, experimental vineyards, specialists, in particular his winemakers Cristo Balgunji and Australian champagne Dowling. Part of the bank's loans were repaid by selling wines.

Justifying in a letter to the sovereign in December 1911 the possibility of creating Russian Academy it is on his estate that the prince, in exchange, offers the sovereign to accept as a gift 113 acres and 200 fathoms of lands of the "New World", where the buildings of the academy could be built. In April 1912, Nicholas II with his august family and retinue visited the Novy Svet estate. The bridegroom took place, the sovereign approved the plans of the loyal prince Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn. At the end of 1913, there were already two estates on the lands of the New World: the Novy Svet estate of Prince L.S. Golitsyn and the estate of Emperor Nicholas II called "His Majesty's Sudatsky estate", which came under the jurisdiction of the Livadia-Massandrovsky appanage administration.

Some not fully knowledgeable authors believe that the Golitsyn estate was transferred to the sovereign due to poverty, but this is not true: according to a notarial will, after the death of Prince Golitsyn, his heirs left movable and immovable property worth more than 1.5 million rubles. Agree that poverty is out of the question here.

Prince Golitsyn was recognized as the "father of domestic winemaking" during his lifetime. Golitsyn left a lot to Russian winemaking: his theoretical developments and successful practical results in winemaking, thanks to which he is considered the founder of the best direction of the Russian winemaking school.

Grapes and wine are products of the locality, viticulture and winemaking are the sciences of the locality, Golitsyn believed. These statements are still relevant today. The prince offered to study the area and skillfully used its features, considering this the basis of winemaking success. He warned against blind imitation, pointed out the need for a critical attitude to her experience based on a comparison of foreign natural conditions with domestic ones.

The prince liked to repeat:

As a Russian winemaker, I have nothing against foreign wines getting to us, since you should always have high good types in front of you, but I want ours to go there mainly. The first task is the variety; the second is to study the variety on different soils; the third is to study the climatic conditions. But this is not enough - you need to be able to make wine, you need cellars, you need proper care, and most importantly, you need to create people. How much a person costs, so much wine will cost.

He raised the craft of the winemaker to the level of art, when the master “does not follow emasculated prescription rules, but works like an artist, continuously and carefully studying his paints-wine materials, constantly improving in the technique of mixing them and showing his creativity in the art of blending.

Prince Golitsyn showed that the most effective method of improving the qualifications of a winemaker is to cultivate the winemaker's taste in the best samples of wines, to develop sharpness of observation and clarity of analysis by examining and studying the best vineyards and the best wineries. His great merit is to attract a mass of educated people to the path of specialization in viticulture and winemaking, arrange for them long business trips to study the famous vineyards of Europe and the world.

In 1996, a bust on a diorite pedestal was installed on the square of the Massandra head plant. In addition, in 2008, a monument to the great winemaker was erected on the square in front of the Novy Svet plant.

Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn himself did not work at the Main Massandra basement, the construction of which he devoted so much effort and energy to. But for several years given to Massandra, he, along with other winemakers, managed to lay the foundations for the theory and practice of winemaking in the Southern Crimea. And, more importantly, to prepare disciples. It was a whole galaxy of talented people who created Russian winemaking.

The stormy romance of Prince Golitsyn turned out to be not so long. Having lived together for 5 years, Prince Golitsyn and the Caucasian princess parted ways. But the interest in winemaking did not leave the prince until last days his life. In 1883, he married Countess Maria Mikhailovna Orlova-Denisova, who fully shared her husband's passion for winemaking and invested her own money in vineyards and wine production.

Monument to Lev Golitsyn in Evpatoria

In 1889, the products of Prince Golitsyn, already awarded high awards at agricultural and industrial exhibitions in his own country and in the USA, received a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris. Lev Golitsyn, as a well-known winemaker, was elected vice-chairman of the expert council at the wine competition of the exhibition. His merits in winemaking were so highly appreciated that the French government awarded the prince with the Order of the Legion of Honor. "Of all countries, we knew Russia least of all," wrote the surprised Frenchmen. In 1900, Golitsyn received the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Paris, where his Coronation champagne was recognized as the best in the world.


1900 World's Fair in Paris

At the banquet in the restaurant of the Eiffel Tower, arranged for famous winemakers, only the best wines awarded with medals of the Exhibition were served. First, the glasses were filled with magnificent champagne, which received the Grand Prix. Count Chandon, co-owner of the company "Moet and Chandon", which produced widely advertised varieties of champagne, decided that his products were in the glasses, and raised a toast to his winemakers, who gave the world such a miracle. Prince Golitsyn laughingly thanked the "king of champagne" for such an advertisement. Praising the drink, the guests were surprised to learn that they were drinking "Coronation", produced by Prince Golitsyn in his estate "New World".

Lev Sergeevich Golitsyn

Golitsyn had unique abilities taster. In France, he was called the "king of experts" for his ability to distinguish the finest shades in the bouquets of wines. He could determine not only the grape variety from which the wine was made, but also the region where the grapes grew, the characteristics of the soil in the vineyard, and whether the weather was sunny or rainy that summer ... In his farms, he cultivated up to 500 varieties of grapes , and determined the finest nuances by the taste and smell of wine.
In 1890, the emperor allowed the prince to officially recognize his illegitimate daughters from Princess Kherkheulidze Sofya and Nadezhda and give them the name of the Golitsyn princesses. Before that, the girls lived in their father's house, being considered his pupils. Golitsyn met in the Crimea with Alexander III , they talked for a long time, the prince expounded to the emperor his views, expressed by the formula: "Russian winemaking is the future wealth of Russia." The sovereign, who set the goal of his government to strengthen the economy of his country, listened to the ideas of Golitsyn with interest. Both of them were preoccupied with the problem of the spread of drunkenness, and both believed that the main means of combating it was to popularize and make high-quality grape wines available to the common people. Golitsyn opened his own brand store in Moscow on Tverskaya, where selected grape wines were sold for 25 kopecks per bottle (even for those times it was extremely cheap). "Cultural drink" was supposed to gradually replace low-grade vodka.

Lev Golitsyn in Crimea

Gilyarovsky left an interesting review about him:
“Lev Golitsyn was disliked in the English Club for his harsh obscene speeches at that time. But Lev Golitsyn was not afraid of anyone. He always went about, winter and summer, in a muzhik's wide beaver coat, and his huge figure drew attention on the streets.
The drivers called him "wild master." The Tatars in his Caucasian estate nicknamed him "Aslan Deli" - the crazy Lion.
He threw money right and left, denying nothing to anyone, especially young students, kept on Tverskaya, at the corner of Chernyshevsky Lane, next to the governor-general's house, a shop of grape wines from his magnificent Crimean vineyards "New World" and sold at retail pure, natural wine at twenty-five kopecks per bottle:
- I want the worker, artisan, small employee to drink good wine! he said.

Vladimir Gilyarovsky

In the spring of 1891, on the personal instructions of Alexander III Prince Golitsyn was invited to the specific department to take the position of chief winemaker of the estate of His Imperial Majesty Livadia and the specific estates of the Crimea and the Caucasus, including Abrau-Dyurso, Massandra, Tsinandali, Napareuli and others. The specific department disposed of the property and income of the royal family, and service in it was considered very honorable even for a prince of an ancient family. By this Golitsyn was recognized as the first winemaker of Russia. And he organized exemplary vineyards on the imperial estates; supplies of cheap wines from them went all over the country ...Under the leadership of Golitsyn, the area of ​​specific vineyards reached 600 acres, the production of wine exceeded 100,000 buckets per year. In addition, Golitsyn ensured that the Specific Department bought out the wine trading company of Prince S.M. from the heirs to the treasury. Vorontsov, which had its offices in many large cities.
But in 1897, Prince Golitsyn was forced to resign. The reason for this was the unbridled nature of the prince, which led to protracted conflicts with the head of the Main Directorate of the Udelov, Prince L.D. Vyazemsky. Prince Vyazemsky and Prince Golitsyn, people of completely different life views, temperaments, and beliefs, having failed to find a common language in official affairs, simply "did not work together," in modern terms.After retiring, Prince Golitsyn took up the affairs of his beloved estate "New World" and the creation of a school of Russian winemaking. “In order to get good wine,” he argued, “the main thing is to create people. How much a person will cost, so much wine will cost.” To encourage the best students of the Magarach School of Horticulture and Winemaking, as well as the best winemakers, Golitsyn established a prize for them. Alexandra III , having allocated 100 thousand rubles for these purposes from his own funds (a bonus received from the Specific Department upon retirement).

In matters of winemaking, the prince professed his own theory: never try to copy foreign wines, which is doomed to failure in advance, but create your own, with qualities that are inaccessible to foreign analogues. In his writings, Prince Golitsyn sometimes expressed thoughts that have not lost their relevance to this day. In No. 1 of the Viticulture and Winemaking magazine for 1904, he wrote: “Our weakness lies in the fact that we do not believe in ourselves. We read foreign books, we listen to foreign people, and instead of criticism, we retreat before them with reverence. "Does a foreigner want our industry to arise, that we compete with him on the world market? Never! (...) Let foreigners be our workers, I agree to this, but I protest against this. Can a foreigner love our homeland more than your own? To get a good salary, to return to your place, to laugh with your own people at these idiots, whom he will tell about - this is the ideal of everyone "...
Many remembered Lev Golitsyn as an extremely controversial person. A talented practical scientist, versatilely educated, known throughout the world, he valued too little the opinion of the aristocratic society to which he belonged by birthright, and allowed himself various extravagant antics that were far from good taste.

Felix Yusupov with his wife Irina

Prince Felix Yusupov (famous among the killers of Rasputin) knew Golitsyn closely - their estates in the Crimea were in the neighborhood. In his memoirs (F.F. Yusupov. "Before the exile: 1887 - 1919"), he described the impression that Prince Golitsyn made on him and his family members, belonging to the "cream" of aristocratic society: "Despite his well-known nobility, he was a general threat. Being in a state of semi-drunkenness, he sought every opportunity to make a scandal and, not content with drinking himself, sought to give his entourage to drink wine from his own presses. He always came with a case of wine and champagne. As soon as the carriage drove into the yard, as was heard his resounding voice: "The invitees are arriving!" Having got out, he began to juggle bottles, singing a drinking song: "Drink to the bottom, drink to the bottom ..." I resorted, hoping to be the first to try the magnificent wines that he brought. Without even saying hello to who, he called the servants to unload and open the boxes. Finally, he gathered the whole house, masters and servants, and forced them to drink until they were drunk. One day he so persecuted his grandmother, who was over 70 years old ( Countess E.S. Sumarokova-Elston) that she splashed the contents of the glass in his face. He grabbed her and carried her in a wild dance, so that the poor woman then lay in bed for many days ... Princess Z.N. Yusupov) was very afraid of Golitsyn's visits. Once she spent a day locked in her rooms because of his violent rampages, which no one could pacify.

House of specific department in Trubnikovsky Lane

One of the most famous deeds of Prince Golitsyn in the Specific Department, and even after leaving the post of chief winemaker, was the construction of the most extensive wine cellars equipped with the latest science in Moscow, where the best varieties of noble drinks were aged under ideal conditions. In addition to the famous cellars in Massandra, highly appreciated by the emperor, Golitsyn built excellent wine cellars in the house of the Specific Department in Trubnikovsky lane (house number 19), near the Arbat. Most of this lane was destroyed during the construction of Novy Arbat, but the Golitsyn cellars, as the old Muscovites still call them, have survived. Underground galleries with vaulted ceilings occupied 3,000 square meters under the house and yard. Oak bottles containing up to 1400 decaliters were stored in them at a constant temperature. The arch of the main hall was supported by five-meter columns, unique colored mosaics were laid out in the stone floor. Once the Golitsyn cellars were declared a monument of industrial architecture. After the revolution, the building housed the People's Commissariat for Nationalities under the leadership of I.V. Stalin, but the Golitsyn cellars with a unique collection of wines were preserved - Stalin did not object to such a neighborhood. Unfortunately, during the frenzied anti-alcohol campaign of the 1980s. cellars were closed and abandoned. Decades of debugged wine production was destroyed. Time and desolation slowly destroyed the cellars, which delighted specialists and were the pride of the imperial family. Now the building has been given to the Ministry of Economic Development Russian Federation, and wine cellars, if used, are not for their intended purpose.


MM. Germashev. Arbat (in the foreground, the mansion in which Lev Golitsyn lived)

In Moscow, Lev Golitsyn rented the mansion of the princes Obolensky - the famous "haunted house" (Arbat, house number 14, has not been preserved), in which not everyone would dare to settle. Stories about the Sabbaths of evil spirits that took place under the roof of this house scared away many tenants. But Golitsyn was not afraid of "devils" ...But the "bad" reputation of both the Arbat mansion and the prince himself came in handy in 1905, when Golitsyn hid the wounded at the barricades from the police - the authorities did not dare to come to him with a search ... His position in those days was one of the most noble - he did not join either side and did not want to shoot in order to kill someone. The prince set up an infirmary in his house and saved people who were dying in the streets because of young recklessness and the misunderstood romanticism of struggle.

1905 Barricade on the Arbat next to the house where Lev Golitsyn lived

However, the offspring of a noble family did not at all join the opposition, as Soviet sources sometimes claimed. Loyal moods were not alien to him either ... Once he presented the emperor with a luxurious collection of unique long-aged wines, although he was experiencing financial difficulties at that time. And inIn 1911, Prince Golitsyn presented Emperor Nicholas with his estate "New World" - the pride and favorite "brainchild" of the old winemaker. Golitsyn's friend Count P.S. Sheremetev recalled the witty manner in which the prince offered this generous gift to the tsar:
- "Your Imperial Majesty, I have a big request to you, but I cannot, I do not dare to convey it.
The sovereign allowed to speak.
- Your Imperial Majesty, I have two daughters, so nothing special, but I do not ask about them. Your Majesty, I have a son... illegitimate. Your Majesty... adopt him!"
The surprise of the king was immeasurable. It turned out that the "illegitimate son" is the New World.
In December 1911, Prince Golitsyn wrote an official letter to the sovereign, in which he "humbly asked" to accept as a gift the estate with vineyards, wine cellars and a unique collection of wines. These cellars were built in natural caves, and the total length of the tunnels for storing and aging wines was 3.5 versts. The interior of the wine cellars was decorated with ancient statues, antique chandeliers and royal crystal X VIII century. The sovereign, having arrived in the spring of 1912 with his family in the Crimea, examined the estate presented to him by the eccentric prince, and was delighted.

Monument to Lev Golitsyn and Nicholas II in the New World

It was assumed that in 1914 a royal palace and a house for the retinue would be built in the Novy Svet, in which, in the absence of the imperial family, wine scientists who were trained on the estate would live. It was also planned to hold wine-making congresses. The outbreak of war prevented the implementation of these plans ...
Prince Golitsyn died on December 26, 1915. The body of the famous winemaker was transported to the New World and buried in the family crypt next to his wife who had died earlier.

On August 9, as part of the celebration of the 600th anniversary of the service of the Golitsyn family to Russia, the descendants of the Russian princes Golitsyn gathered in the First City Hospital for the first time in a hundred years. The very ones who once founded this hospital - it was even called Golitsynskaya before the revolution. About a hundred people, some of whom have a different surname or do not speak Russian, once here, walked along the hospital corridors, looked into the office of their ancestor and the museum of the community of sisters of mercy, prayed in the temple, and so they were able to feel like a single family again

On the ninth of August, as part of the celebration of the 600th anniversary of the service of Russia by the Golitsyn family (in 1408, their ancestor, the Lithuanian prince Patrikey, the grandson of the unifier of Lithuania Gediminas, came to Moscow and began to serve the Great Moscow Prince Vasily Dmitrievich, son of Dmitry Donskoy), in the First City For the first time in a hundred years, the descendants of the Russian princes Golitsyns gathered in the hospital. The very ones who once founded this hospital - it was even called Golitsynskaya before the revolution. About a hundred people, some of whom have a different surname or do not speak Russian, once here, walked along the hospital corridors, looked into the office of their ancestor and the museum of the community of sisters of mercy, prayed in the temple, and so they were able to feel like a single family again.

The surname Golitsyn is about half of those present. The rest of the Golitsyns came from their mothers or changed their surnames when they got married. There are about 300 Golitsyns in the world and half live in Russia. Men and women are roughly equal in number. Here is a geologist, a physicist, a banker, an anesthesiologist, an artist - in general, all people of mental labor, the intelligentsia.

What does this meeting mean for the Golitsyns? What place in their - hereditary philanthropists and patrons of the arts - does charity take? The aristocrats of the 21st century share their thoughts on this matter.

Ivan Illarionovich Golitsyn, artist, one of the organizers of the meeting
It turns out that a hundred years ago, at the height of the war of 1914, Pyotr Immanuilovich Golitsyn sent letters to all the other Golitsyns with a project for unification. When the text of the letter—it has not been lost—is shown to contemporary Golitsyn, no one can determine the date of its creation—its main provisions seem so modern and timely. Although at the moment when it was written, it still seemed to everyone that the First World War was the worst thing that could be ...

Now a lot has been done. We compiled a list of impoverished Golitsyns, found all these grandmothers. In the most difficult, hungry years, they regularly bought food for them. We turned to the KGB and received archival documents about the executions of the Golitsyns. Personally, I do not have the opportunity to do charity financially, so I do charity with my time. I publish memoirs, organize exhibitions.

If we carry out such projects and gather meetings in which 2-3 generations of the Golitsyns take part, we will be able to leave our children a normal country, because along with the revival of religion, the revival of family, tribal culture is absolutely necessary. The war has just begun, and I am not at all sure that we will succeed ...

Anna Georgievna Golitsyna. Programmer
We are absolutely united. The Golitsyns live in France, England, America, Serbia, Canada. All Moscow Golitsyns are descendants of my great-great-grandmother and her husband, the governor, and then the Moscow mayor, Prince Vladimir Mikhailovich Golitsyn. There are about a hundred people in Moscow and everyone knows everyone, because my great-grandmother, Anna Sergeevna Golitsyna, lived in an open house, and every Easter she gathered all the Golitsyns at one table. Personally, I know all my tripartite relatives, all uncles and all aunts. This salient feature all noble families. A quality that we have inherited over the years.

Vladimir Paley. Gallery owner, US citizen
There was such a figure, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, he wrote that it is necessary to destroy the aristocrats not because they are bad or good, but because they are class enemies. The fact that the family survived, I think, is a miracle of God. Read, for example, "Notes of a Survivor" by Sergei Mikhailovich Golitsyn. They took everything from us, they actually robbed us. Therefore, now it is somewhat incorrect to ask what we are doing for the people, the opportunities we have are not the same. Nevertheless, the Golitsyns preserved much of the imperial heritage in the west. The Golitsyns always helped the impoverished representatives of the family. This congress showed that we are a family, that the connection has not been lost.

Prince Peter Dmitrievich Golitsyn. General Director of the Russian representative office of BASF. It was thanks to his efforts that the Golitsyns living outside of Russia were able to get together
After the revolution, we were blown all over the world. At first, a lot of Golitsyns settled in Yugoslavia, but World War II dispersed them again. Those who were in the east went to China, to Harbin - the streets there still bear Russian names. And when communism began in China, they moved even further - to Japan.

It was not difficult to gather foreign members of the family, they all accepted this idea with great excitement, which, as it turned out, had been in the air for a long time. Everyone was very happy to feel part of something bigger than their own family and blood relatives. Especially yesterday, when everyone gathered at my place. Task number one completed. Everyone had a great pleasure, learned a lot from their history. Now an address book will be created, and each Golitsyn will receive a copy.

Most of the Golitsyns are involved in charity work in one form or another. Personally, I take part in the "Rural Church" program, the main task of which is the conservation of crumbling churches. The "Rural Church" is fundamentally concerned only with churches located outside of Moscow. In those places where there are no rich benefactors, where rain drips from the ceiling onto the heads of the parishioners, it is especially important, if not to restore the temple, then at least to stop its further destruction. Funds for the program come, among other things, from charity balls that we organize at the embassies of various countries in Moscow. The entrance ticket to such a ball costs $100.

Peter Dmitrievich has six children, whom he brings up in the Orthodox faith. It is so usual in the family that half the summer the children work for themselves, and half the summer they work for others, that is, they become volunteers. For example, this summer the eldest daughter worked in a hospital with children with various diseases of the central nervous system.

“I just love it, especially the church,” says Tatyana Petrovna, daughter of Pyotr Dmitrievich Golitsyn, is studying to be an architect- from what they are doing here! And also with such cheerfulness, such a positive mood! We need to help them - without it, it will be much worse. From relatives, my sister and I personally kept in touch only with American ones. Before this meeting, we knew little about the Golitsyns abroad, and therefore we are very glad that we have gathered. The revolution has scattered us all over the world…”

Currently, the Golitsyns are the most ancient and numerous noble family in Russia. About 100 representatives of the genus came to the meeting from different countries.

Golitsyns gathered in front of the temple of Tsarevich Dimitri

Left: This member of the ancient Golitsyn family lives in France, where she owns a jewelry store. The cross in jewelry design on her neck is also one of the samples. Soon the Manezh will host an exhibition of crosses and jewelry, in which she will take part

Left: A tour of the building begins, which now houses the temple of Tsarevich Dimitri, the Dimitrievskaya school, the Dimitrievskaya school of sisters of mercy, the editorial office of the Neskuchny Sad magazine
Right: a descendant of the Golitsin family from England

Museum of the School of Sisters of Mercy

School teacher E. Krylova tells the descendants of benefactors about the school