High. Remains of former luxury. Vysokoe village, Novoduginsky district

What is a classic? You can probably talk about this endlessly, you can, I think, even argue. But after all, no one will object that the perfume "Diorissimo" is a classic of world perfumery? At least I would not like to be argued with me on this score. I love this fragrance created by the master of French fashion so much. He is so spring, so light and joyful. Still, it is based on jasmine, lilac and lily of the valley. And they open up one by one. At first, you feel a bright, piercing, like the sound of an alarm bell, someone considers that even an aggressive, jasmine note. Then, the jasmine is replaced by lily of the valley, the smell already sounds a little quieter and longer than at the very beginning, like the chiming of bells on Easter morning. And so, when the lily of the valley leaves you, it comes and remains for its entire short life, delicate, like the ringing of a glass bell, a delicate aroma of lilac.

And the story of Mikhail Bulgakov "Fatal Eggs" - why not a classic? Remember?

High, not as well-known Sheremetev estate as, say, Ostankino or Kuskovo.
She appeared at the end of the 19th century, when, unexpectedly for everyone, the 54-year-old Count Dmitry Nikolaevich Sheremetyev married Alexandra Grigoryevna Melnikova, for whom Vysokoye was given as a dowry.
There is a version that the idea to build Vysokoye arose because of the need to divide the Ostankino estate in connection with the coming of age of Dmitry Nikolayevich's eldest son from his first marriage. And since everything in Ostankino was reminiscent of the count's first wife, whose death was sudden and mysterious, Alexandra Grigoryevna proposed not to divide anything, but to build a new estate on her native land. An exceptionally wise decision from an everyday point of view, the countess did not see the opportunity to build her family happiness where the spirit of the tragic love of her elderly husband soared. Well, we, the Smolensk people, are now grateful to the countess for the opportunity to touch the work of the famous Russian architect.
At the invitation of Alexandra Grigorievna, in 1867, the famous Russian architect Nikolai Leontyevich Benois, who at that time was in the service of the emperor, came to build the estate. It should be noted that Benois was also the chief architect of Peterhof. In order to accept the invitation of the Sheremetevs, N.L. Benois left the service of the imperial court for three years. Since, as in our days, the sovereign's service did not allow creative thought to unfold in all its scope, the invitation of the Sheremetyevs became an opportunity for the eminent architect to realize many of his creative ideas. That is why the estate Vysokoye is an excellent example of mixing all kinds of architectural styles, neighborhood on the same territory and pseudo-Russian style, and pseudo-Gothic, and, in fact, eclecticism.
In total, the estate complex included 19 buildings.
At the entrance to the main buildings of the estate, you see a two-story barn, which has survived to this day alone.

To be honest, by the time of my visit to Vysokoe, I was not very aware of the composition of the estate complex, so the building of the barn caused a heated argument with my companion, on the topic - what could it be, the barn does not look like an outbuilding at all.

At one time, several barns formed a closed square with a courtyard. This is all that remains to this day.

The next outbuilding is the house of milkmaids. It was built in the style of a Swiss chalet. Now it’s even impossible to guess, you have to operate with information from sources.

Nearby is what is left of the cowsheds. There may be something interesting left there, but nothing is visible behind the bushes.

We go further, past the building called "The House of the Old Countess", which was built for Alexandra Grigorievna, even before the reconstruction of the estate by Nikolai Benois, so it stands out from the general concept of the estate.

Opposite, in a regular park, the two-story house of the manager took refuge.

The forms of the house for children are dominated by the features of classicism. A multi-level roof with skylights and carved decor details created an impression of "toy" and fabulousness.
The house for children was saved from destruction by the fact that it was inhabited. True, one wing is uninhabited, and it seemed to me that it was in disrepair. But in the neighboring, two-story part of the house there are several apartments.


The school building, which is still used for its intended purpose, has also been preserved on the estate. During the heyday of the estate, there was not only a school, but also two libraries, one of which was intended for students and teachers, and the second for the inhabitants of the estate and surrounding residents.

Initially, the building was built on two floors, the third floor was completed in the fifties of the 20th century.
The entrance group of the school building is decorated with marble lions holding shields depicting the coat of arms of the Sheremetevs.

The inscription in Latin reads "God keeps everyone."
Previously, these lions guarded the main gate of the estate. It is with these gates that the tragic story of the death of a beautiful bride, the daughter of the estate manager, is connected, described in Mikhail Bulgakov's story "The Blizzard".

On the alley leading from the school to the horse yard, there is a monument to the inhabitants of the village who died during the war.

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Horse yard, built in pseudo-Russian style.

According to the will of Alexandra Grigorievna, after her death, it was partially converted into a hospital and a hospice.
It should be noted that the owners of the estate were widely involved in charity, paid much attention to the education of peasant children and led an active social life. So, for example, Alexander Dmitrievich Sheremetiev, the son of Alexandra Grigorievna and Dmitry Nikolaevich, founded the musical society "Public Symphony Orchestras" in St. Petersburg and himself took part in concerts as a conductor.

And the count also had one very unusual hobby. He liked the fire business. A well-trained and equipped with the latest technology fire brigade was formed in Vysokoe. Even the fire truck was purchased, at that time even the provincial city of Smolensk could not boast of such a level of equipment for the fire department. The count personally took part in the exercises of the squad and even in extinguishing real, not training fires.

The count became the founder of the Russian Fire Society, until his departure to France in 1917, he headed it and published the monthly magazine Fireman at his own expense.

Under such circumstances, the death of the palace from a fire that happened due to a childish prank in the late 80s of the 20th century looks like a cruel mockery.

Unfortunately, now the palace is a ruin overgrown with bushes and trees. Only two of its ends and the front porch, once trimmed with white marble, could be seen.

All buildings of the estate are made of brick, produced by the Sheremetyevs' own factory.

This, in fact, is all that remains of the marble trim of the porch and stairs.

This photo shows the front porch with a three-flight staircase.
Yes, what can I say, even in ruins - but the truly royal scope cannot be hidden.
It seems that the palace was built in every possible way. architectural styles straightaway. But, in my opinion, classicism still prevailed.

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Undoubtedly, special attention deserves the church of Tikhvin Mother of God built in pseudo-Russian style. The church was five-domed, the bell tower, in addition to the belfry, had a clock, the bells of which evoked a prayer, specially selected by Count Dmitry Sheremetyev and reworked for the bells by composer Mikhail Balakirev.

Through the windows you can see the remains of wall paintings.

The windows of the church were decorated with stained-glass windows made of colored glass, specially made at a factory in Munich. The church, standing on the high bank of the Vazuza, was visible very far away. The ringing of its bells could be heard for many kilometers. Of course, this is the dominant of the estate.
Construction work was constantly carried out on the estate, keeping up with technical progress, farming was improved, a steam engine was built on the banks of the Vazuza to raise water to residential buildings and outbuildings of the estate. The personal car of Count Alexander Dmitrievich was constantly in Vysokoe.

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The estate park was divided into two parts. landscape park, which was located in front of the main entrance to the palace and descended to the river and a regular garden, the feature of which were birch alleys, instead of the traditional linden and oak. There was also a small pond in the garden, also mentioned by Mikhail Bulgakov in The Fatal Eggs. It was from this pond, overgrown by the time the story was written, that's why Bulgakov called it a swamp, that lizards hatched.

Unfortunately, both the park and the garden are now more reminiscent of a neglected natural grove. But if you look closely, you can see the remains of geometry and the skillful craftsmanship of gardeners.

And in better times there was a fountain in the park, flower beds were located in the garden and a greenhouse was arranged.
there is another building in the estate, despite its utilitarian purpose, which has an elegant and unusual shape. This is a poultry house built in the form gothic castle. the tower in its upper tier even has machicolations.
Unfortunately, the photo I got was just like this, unimportant. The tower of the poultry house is visible only in the background. In the front there is a house, which was once also part of the estate development.

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The sun was sinking towards the horizon, it was time to say goodbye to the High and leave. The feeling of detachment from reality did not leave, however, I did not want to lose it. From all sides came the scent of Diorissimo perfume, the smell of jasmine and lilac flowers warmed by the May sun.

Remember the very popular spirits of the Soviet era "Red Moscow"? It was my grandmother's favorite perfume. Crystal bottle in a red box with a silk tassel. What happiness it was when my grandmother, when she was going to take me to the theater or to a concert, allowed me, a five-year-old, to perfume herself with her perfume. Manor Vysokoe should, according to my feelings, wear this smell. Yes, yes, I'm not kidding, it is these perfumes that are the real aroma of the Russian nobility. They were created especially for Maria Feodorovna and were called "The Empress's Favorite Bouquet". Instantly, the fragrance became fashionable, and the coveted bottle cost a fortune. After the revolution, the legacy of the perfumer Heinrich Brocard was not destroyed. His colleague, perfumer Michel August, suggested naming the factory "Novaya Zarya", renaming the fragrance to "Red Moscow" and slightly changing the production technology. Having received the consent of the authorities, Michel August reworked the recipe for the fragrance. They say that as a result, the delicate smell of the "Empress's Favorite Bouquet" became a little more bitter. And this elegant bitterness has preserved to this day in glass bottles and red boxes the dreams and hopes of the Russian aristocracy and the perfumery "Brocard's Empire" that have sunk into oblivion.

And I, hearing the smell of my favorite perfume, close my eyes and see the Vysokoye estate, because the creation of Benois is an eternal classic of Russian architecture

Damn ash takes for the soul. Well, is there really no means in the state to preserve history. There is in Sochi, but not in history. How to shoot something historical, we eat in Tallinn or somewhere else, where it has been preserved to this day, but what the hell is needed. We have a chapel (station small Mishkino) near Rostov in the former estate of Platov - nobody needs it either. And on TV they yell - it is necessary to educate patriotism in children. And what patriotism. I took a textbook on the subject "Donology" from my children. Well, I'm a little interested in history, I think I'll take a look. Opened - not a word about the Don, about the Cossacks, Scythians, Sarmatians. Just a brief sketch of the general history. Why call Donovedenie.
May 8 held a lesson in patriotism in the 5th grade. Well, the children ran to measure helmets with a rifle to take a picture. An Armenian girl comes up, so downtrodden (damn, now tears are welling up) asks - tell the Armenians for whom they fought, and how they were treated. I speak for the Russians, they were treated like brother to brother. The child blossomed before our eyes, the chest leveled forward, it was necessary to see it.
Well, forgive me if this is off topic, this duplicity of the state infuriates me.

This is what I'm glad about. Although how many of them are still such Vysokovo.

I always thought that the Sheremetyevs' estate is located in Sergiev Posad (55.7354558,37.8036837)

, Thank you for interesting topic great photos and wonderful story! read in one breath, very lyrical.

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Just a wonderfully delicious story about antiquity! What good fellows you are! Keep it up! Thank you for touching the past! That's right, the guys are outraged that the state needs to protect such reserved places! This is our story with you!

I'll add a little, if you please. Anyuta, purely documented.
Information on the description of the parish of the village of Vysokoye, Sychevsky district

As a result of Your Excellency's order of December 14, No. 466, I have the honor to announce the following:

1. Vysokoye is a village in the Sychva uyezd of the Grivskaya volost; its name "Vysokoye" probably received from the area it occupies. Distances from county town 40 versts, and from Vyazma 35 c. There is a post and telegraph office in the village itself; from railway 12 versts. The nearest villages: Sychevsky - Manes and Yegorye - 6 versts, Vyazemsky district: Pobykhova 2 versts and Kostkino - 6 versts. Postal address: Vysokovskoye postal and telegraph office.
2. The number of houses in the village is 20, all made of stone, the property of Count A.D. Sheremetev. There are no settled residents in Vysokoe - all employees on the count's estate and their number is not the same: more in summer than in winter (100-150 male and female). From public buildings- an almshouse, a hospital, a school and a postal and telegraph institution. The church is a two-storey stone church, without a parish. The village by the river Vazuza, stands on high mountain, on the very border of the Sychevsky district with the Vyazemsky village of Rodino. From the oral stories of the old-timers, it is known that there used to be a wooden church in the same place, but it burned down and no indications remained about it. It was reported from those who were during the laying out of the real church that during the excavation of the earth for buta, many human bones were found, it is likely that there was a cemetery near the church.

The newly built house after the death of Countess Alexandra Grigoryevna Sheremeteva was not consecrated / from 1870 to 1886 /. The iconostasis in the upper church is oak with carvings; icons in the upper and lower churches are painted with oil paints on canvas in St. Petersburg artistic work. Particularly remarkable are the icons in the altars on the hilltop. In the lower warm church “The Savior praying in the garden of Heveymansky”, in the upper one “The Risen Savior”. In the upper church there is a throne in honor of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, called Tikhvinskaya (June 26), and in the lower one - in honor of the 3 ecumenical teachers (January 30). The icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God was especially revered by the ancestors of the Sheremetevs. Field Marshal of Peter the Great Boris Petrovich Sheremetev, leading the troops, always took this icon with him in a special carriage on campaigns to war, and a common prayer was performed before him, as evidenced by the history /Historical Bulletin for 1885/. When in 1709 Peter V / the Great / appointed the battle near Poltava for June 26, Field Marshal Sheremetev asked the Sovereign to postpone the battle for June 27, to which the Sovereign agreed, and on June 27 the victory went to the Russian army. In memory of this event, the Tikhvin Borisov Hermitage was founded in the 18th century by Count Sheremetev in the Kursk province on the banks of the Vorskla River near Sloboda Borisovka / Istr. Worldwide For June 1885 /. The village Vysokoe with the village of the same name formerly belonged to the mother of Countess Marya Petrovna Melnikova and was a parish to the village of Pobokhov. Her daughter Alexandra, having become a countess, bought the estate from her mother, and about 100 peasants / 20 households / were moved to another place in the Vyazemsky district, having bought the land allotment, rewarding them with money and timber for buildings. The Countess possessed enormous means. This is proved by the fact that, simultaneously with the construction of a large magnificent temple, many capital stone buildings were erected in Vysokoe, and the largest of them was a horse breeding building. Subsequently, after her death, according to her will, this building was converted to accommodate a hospital with 10 beds for the sick and an almshouse for the care of the elderly poor for 10 males and 10 females with all services and convenience for employees. This has already been done by her son, Count Alexander Dmitrievich, the current owner in memory of his late mother. The capital for the maintenance of his charitable institution, church and clergy is 200,000 rubles for eternity. A large farm was set up for cattle of the best breed. Near the church there is a large stone house in gothic style. Greenhouse establishment and other economic services; All buildings are capital stone. In addition, under a steep mountain, near the Vazuza River, a 4-horsepower steam engine was installed to deliver water to almost all houses and establishments, over a space of more than 300 fathoms of water rise.

The church was consecrated with the blessing of Bishop Nestor in 1886, on February 17 and 18. There is almost no church land, and a salary is required for the maintenance of the church clergy: 600 rubles for a priest, and 200 rubles for a psalm reader. with heating and lighting and allotted for the estate about the 1st tithe of land. The first rector of the church was Archpriest Mikhail Sokolov, moved, according to his request, from the city of Sychevka, and Nikolai Popov, who completed the course of the Theological School, was a psalmist. At present, the members of the clergy are: Archpriest Alexander Yogoivlensky, moved according to his petition, from the village of Mokry Gzhatsk district, deacon Ilya Vasilyevich Nazarevsky, who graduated from the courses of the Teacher's Seminary, and graduated from the course of the Theological Seminary as a psalmist.

In 1888, the count opened a parochial one-class school for peasant children; the teacher was a psalmist, who graduated from the course of the Smolensk Seminary, Ivan Chetyrkin. This school was located in a wooden house, which later turned out to be uncomfortable. In 1894, a new stone house was built with all the conveniences for a school, and the one-class Vysokovskaya school, at the request of the church, with the blessing of His Grace Guria, was transformed into a two-class school in September 1895. Classes in schools are conducted by members of the clergy. There are from 150 to 180 students, male and female / sex /. The content is county. In 1890, in the month of June, a fire brigade of 15 people was opened by the count, and in 1891 a tower was built not like the city ones.

In addition, in 1893, on August 6, at the request of the count, a post and telegraph department, and on September 25 of the same year, a fire brigade was opened - over 1000 people, it is divided into 14 departments, each department has its own commander. In the belongings of firefighters, somehow: pipes, barrels, etc. were issued from the count, and this year he even purchased a fire engine.

The landowner's land at the High 600 acres, and besides this, the countess bought an adjacent village, called Petrovsky 1000 acres. The whole land under arable farming consists of no more than 50 acres, and the rest - under the meadow, overgrowth and forest. The forest is mixed.

There are two libraries at the Vysokovskaya school: one for students and students up to 1000 copies and a public free one in memory of the Emperor /Alexander III/, about 200 copies.

The Vysokovskaya hospital consists of: a doctor, a paramedic and a midwife; treatment is free.

Archpriest John the Epiphany.

In vain, many researchers are looking for the village of Kontsovka, mentioned in the story "Fatal Eggs". There is no village like this or with a similar name. By Ending, the author meant the far, in relation to the palace, opposite end of the village of Vysokoe, where the servants lived. Until now, in the Sychevsky and Novoduginsky districts they say: “I went to the other end” or “Lives at the other end”, meaning the opposite outskirts of the village.
But the village of Dultsevo (“Egyptian Darkness”, “Baptism by Turn”) is completely real and was located 2.5 kilometers west of the village of Muravishniki. Nearby was the village of Korobovo (“Egyptian Darkness”), hence the Korobovsky district (“Star Rash”). These villages do not currently exist. And the very “native” village of Toropovo (“Baptism by Turn”) near Nikolsky, which still exists today.

It is easy to guess in Voznesensk ("The Lost Eye") the village of Voskresenskoye, and now the village of Dnieper. In the story "The Missing Eye", the author mentions the village of Grishchevo. Perhaps the meaning was the village of Grishkovo not far from the village of Vysokoe.

In the cycle of stories M.A. Bulgakov, there are two more geographical points indicating not only the Sychevsky address of his literary heroes, but also the direct life of the author in these parts. In the story "Fatal Eggs" a river called Swamp is mentioned. In the story, she crosses the road from the Dugino (Novoduginskaya) station to the village of Nikolskoye (Vysokoye). Indeed, there is a river on this route, but it is not called Swamp, but Salik (from the Baltic-speaking salus, slus - a stream). But why Top? Anyone who has ever tried to approach this stream, now almost a stream, will understand that the name Swamp is quite appropriate; both banks of the stream are heavily swamped and overgrown with shrubs.

Despite everyday difficulties, isolation from civilization, incredible fatigue from work without days off and holidays, his stay in the Smolensk region still left the most pleasant memories in the memory of the writer Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov. This is expressed in a vivid description of the Smolensk nature, among which he was destined to live. whole year. No man can admire natural beauties and remain at the same time indifferent, not sincere. “Positively, there is no more beautiful time than a ripe August in at least the Smolensk province.("Fatal Eggs") Summer ... excellent, with rains in the spring on time, with full hot sun, with an excellent harvest ... Apples in the former estate of the Sheremetevs ripened ... the forests turned green, the fields lay with yellowness of the squares ... A person becomes better in the bosom of nature. And further. “And the nights are wonderful, deceptive, green. The moon shone and brought such beauty to the former estate of the Sheremetevs that it is impossible to express it. “At 10 p.m. … the idyllic landscape resounded with the lovely gentle sounds of the flute”. Why exactly flutes, and, say, not traditionally Russian folk instrument- harmonicas, balalaikas ... No, just flutes! And this is no accident. The flute most accurately reproduces the timbre of the human voice. The smooth sound of a flute in the night is the song of a person, his soul. These are pleasant memories and sweet dreams of the future ... Could the doctor Bulgakov, being in "bear corner" Sychevsky district to hear a flute in the village? Most likely no. But something could remind him of the sound of a flute, right? It may have been mentioned more than once. Being an observant person, and this follows from the “little things” that Bulgakov uses in his stories even many years later, he could not help but notice the variety of bird songs. Undoubtedly, among the polyphony of birds, one cannot but hear the peculiar, incomparable singing of song thrushes. Ornithologists compare his singing to the sound of a flute. The song thrush is an inhabitant of the forests, of which there were quite a lot around Nikolsky. But why the sound of a flute in the night? And this is understandable. The peculiarity of the thrush's singing is such that its forest song subsides later than all the others.
The sun had long since disappeared below the horizon, and the stars blazed in the sky. A red-faced moon slowly rose from behind the distant forest. All the pichugs have quieted down, and only the song thrush in complete silence brings out its song like a flute. But it only happens in the spring.

In the natural gloom that occurs in the cycle, it is rather the state of mind of the hero of the stories. And that slush, that rain and wind, that cold and blizzard - this is spiritual slush, confusion before the unknown, fear of that - "... can I do it?"