Matryona Grigorievna Rasputina was the eldest daughter of the famous royal favorite Grigory Rasputin. Her colorful life passed through her father's fame, cabaret and circus, and ended with work as a riveter in the United States. Of Gregory's entire family, she was the only one who survived. Varya died in Moscow from typhus in 1925, Mitya died in exile in Salekhard. In 1930, he was exiled there along with his mother Paraskeva Fedorovna and his wife Feoktista. My mother did not make it to exile; she died on the way. Dmitry died of dysentery on December 16, 1933.
In the photo - in the arms of his father. On the left is sister Varvara, on the right is brother Dmitry.
Varvara Rasputina. Post-revolutionary photo, saved by a friend. Damaged deliberately, out of fear of reprisals from the Soviet government.
The Rasputin family. In the center is the widow of Grigory Rasputin Paraskeva Feodorovna, on the left is his son Dmitry, on the right is his wife Feoktista Ivanovna. In the background is Ekaterina Ivanovna Pecherkina (house worker).
On the night of December 17, 1916, Rasputin was killed at the Yusupov Palace on the Moika. A note was found in his old sheepskin coat (Matrona wrote, according to her father).
The frozen body of G. Rasputin, found in Malaya Nevka near the Bolshoi Petrovsky Bridge.
In October 1917, shortly before the uprising, Matryona married officer Boris Nikolaevich Solovyov, a participant in the attempt to free Nicholas II during his Siberian exile.
Two girls were born into the family, named after the Grand Duchesses - Tatiana and Maria. The latter was born in exile, where Boris and Matryona fled from Russia.
Prague, Berlin, Paris... The wanderings were long. In 1926, Boris died of tuberculosis and Marochka (as her father affectionately called her) was left with two children in her arms with almost no means of support. The restaurant opened by her husband went bankrupt: poor emigrants often dined there on credit.
Matryona goes to work as a dancer in a cabaret - the dance lessons she took in Berlin from the ballerina of the Imperial Theaters Devillers have finally come in handy. During one of her performances, the manager of an English circus approached her:
“If you go into a cage with lions, I’ll hire you.”
Matryona crossed herself and entered.
“Marie Rasputin, daughter of a mad monk, famous for her exploits in Russia!”
They said that one of her famous “Rasputin” looks was enough to stop any predator.
Soon American entrepreneurs became interested in the young tamer, and Matryona, having moved to the United States, began working in the Ringling Bros., Barnum and Bailey Circus, as well as in the Gardner Circus.
She left the arena only after she was once injured by a polar bear. Then all the newspapers started talking about a mystical coincidence: the skin of the bear on which the murdered Rasputin fell was also white.
Later, Matryona worked as a nanny, a nurse in a hospital, gave Russian language lessons, met with journalists, and wrote a large book about her father called “Rasputin. Why?”, repeatedly published in Russia.
Matryona Grigorievna.
Matryona Grigorievna died in 1977 in California from a heart attack at the age of 80. Her grandchildren still live in the West. One of the granddaughters, Laurence Io-Solovieva, lives in France, but often visits Russia.
Laurence Huot-Solovieff is the great-granddaughter of G. Rasputin.
Click to listen
The secret of Rasputin's descendants. . The editors of the newspaper "Tyumen Region Today" for the first time publishes information about the fate of Grigory Rasputin's youngest daughter Varvara with unique photographs. On the 400th anniversary of the House of Romanov, interest in fate royal family received a new meaning in facts, previously unknown historical details and materials. This is the fate of this publication, which was provided to the editors by Marina Smirnova, director of the Rasputin Museum in the village of Pokrovsky - the owner of the rare human talent to penetrate deeply into history, carrying out enormous research work. Family of a legendary man Russia. February 1917. Three years of the First World War. Defeats at the fronts, hunger and confusion in the rear... The emperor was deposed by a conspiracy of the generals. Chaos began in the country, which would later be called a bourgeois revolution. The Peter and Paul Fortress casemates are overcrowded. And for the first time on par with strongmen of the world This is what a simple village peasant is being judged for. The guy is already dead. A man about whom all the newspapers in the world wrote. Russian peasant, our fellow countryman - Grigory Rasputin. This was the first person from Russia whose name thundered throughout the world. Almost a hundred years have passed since his death, and the world is still wondering: who is he? False prophet or man of God? Saint or the devil incarnate, the Antichrist himself? A simple Russian man emerged from the Siberian wilderness and became an incomprehensible mystery. A man-legend... They still write about him in approximately this vein. Having been studying the biography of this man all my adult life (post-student), having already written three books about him and a large number of scientific articles, as well as having opened a museum in his homeland in the village of Pokrovskoye, today I would like to talk not even about him, but about his descendants. Their destinies are bizarre and ordinary at the same time. I’ll say right away that seven children were born into the family of Grigory Rasputin, of whom only three survived: Matrona, Varvara and son Dmitry, the rest died in infancy. The only thing that is striking is the monotony of diagnoses in the “Cause of Death” column of the metric books: from fever and diarrhea. Dmitry was born in 1895, Matrona - in 1898, Varvara - in 1900. Dmitry was a peasant. During World War I he served in the 143rd sanitary train Her Imperial Majesty Alexandra Fedorovna as an orderly. According to archival documents, it was possible to establish that in 1930, when the order came to dispossess 500 families in the Yarkovsky district, he was exiled like a fist to the city of Salekhard along with his wife Feoktista Ivanovna and mother Paraskeva Fedorovna. Put on a cart, “they took me from Siberia to Siberia,” as Vladimir Vysotsky sang. Rasputin's widow did not reach the place of exile, she died on the road, and Dmitry and his wife lived at the place of exile in barracks No. 14 of the special settlement in Salekhard until the end of 1933. In 1933 he died of dysentery. The eldest daughter Matrona with the Czech-Slovak corps through the Far East emigrated with her husband, officer Boris Solovyov, to Europe, and then to the United States of America, where she worked as a wild animal tamer in the world famous Gardner Circus. Her first child (daughter Tatyana) was born in Far East, during the move, but the second one (also a daughter) was already in exile. And it is only along this line that the direct descendants of our famous countryman have survived. The youngest and most beloved In 2005, the great-granddaughter of Grigory Rasputin, Laurence Io Solovieff, came to the museum. She lives on the outskirts of Paris, knows not only French, but English and German languages. Unfortunately, not a word in Russian. She brought a lot of rare, never published photographs and documents, which are now on display at the Pokrovsk Museum. And finally, after many years of searching, we established the fate of Rasputin’s youngest daughter, Varvara. Even Matrona, according to Laurence’s story, suffered until the end of her life from the fact that she knew nothing about fate younger sister , remaining in Russia. During the revolution, Varvara is 17 years old. She and Matrona have already graduated from high school. But the post-revolutionary fate was still unknown. The last mention of Vara in the “List of citizens and members of their families living in the Pokrovskaya volost” dates back to 1922. The funds of the justice department of the Tyumen provincial council of the RKK preserved lists of employees of the Tyumen provincial justice department for 1919-1922. It was there that we found her personal information. “Rasputina Varvara Grigorievna. Position: clerk of the forensic investigation department of the people's court of the 4th district of the Tyumen district. Residence address: Tyumen, st. Yalutorovskaya. 14. Age - 20 years. Profession: clerk. Non-partisan, education: 5 years of gymnasium. Number of family members: 3 people. Maintenance salary per month - 1560 rubles.” Children of Lieutenant SchmidtWhy are we talking about Rasputin’s children in such detail? Last year, 19 so-called “children of Lieutenant Schmidt” came to our museum, declaring themselves illegitimate (and sometimes legitimate) children, nephews, and relatives of Grigory Rasputin. Russia has always had no shortage of impostors, although it was difficult to recognize a “prophet in his own country.” Imposture is an extremely interesting topic. It is probably dictated by the Russian mentality and the irrepressible desire to get “from rags to riches.” And also an indispensable desire to try on someone else's fate. To be involved in something larger than your own, often inexpressive life. Impostors not only show up at the museum with stories about their family connection with Rasputin, but also write from almost all corners of the country. “Hello, curators of the Grigory Rasputin Museum! We hesitated for a long time to write you a letter. For quite a long time in our family there were assumptions about a family connection with the Rasputin family. Studying the biography of Rasputin, our confidence in this became complete and final, namely, that our grandfather, who by a curious “coincidence” is also named Grigory Efimovich, is the grandson of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin. The striking external similarity and similarity of character traits allows us to draw this conclusion. But the fact is that we do not have official documents confirming the family relationship.” This letter came from Simferopol. But here is a closer address, from Tyumen: “My father is the brother of Grigory Rasputin’s father. We want to meet you, there are many of us here relatives of Rasputin...” Such correspondence is no longer surprising. They write, call, come. This is how Rasputin’s actual descendant, his great-granddaughter, comments on this: “As for the so-called relatives of Grigory Efimovich: are they his descendants? Very good! Why not? What will change from this?! What they want? Money? The official and legal descendant is me. This doesn't make me any richer! I don’t demand anything now, I give (conferences, radio broadcasts, interviews for magazines). I declare that He is He, and I don’t shout that it’s me to rehabilitate him, I don’t put myself forward (I don’t need to defend myself, I didn’t do anything wrong), I don’t need recognition (I really am his direct descendant). You can also say that, despite medical examination, I consider both of you, Marina and Volodya, to be my Siberian family.” We were pleased to inform Laurence that we had learned of the fate sister her grandmother, Rasputin's youngest daughter Varvara. New details Fortunately, not only “the children of Lieutenant Schmidt” go to the museum. Sometimes people come whose ancestors actually knew Rasputin’s children. Such a joyful meeting for us took place quite by accident with Vladimir Shimansky. Here is his letter: “Dear Marina Yuryevna! Two months ago we met at your museum and I promised to send you photographs of Varya Rasputina. So far we have managed to find one damaged photo. My grandmother was afraid to keep these photographs and partially damaged the faces so that they could not be recognized. They were friends with Varvara and she lived with her grandmother until she was 25. Her grandmother helped her go to Moscow and, when Varya died, she went to Moscow and buried her at the Novodevichy cemetery. Relatives told some details of Varya’s life, if you are interested, you can contact me and I will tell you about them. I remember exactly that there were two more photographs of Varya. I asked my relatives to find them. As soon as we find it, I’ll send it to you. For now I’m sending three photographs - Varya Rasputina (damaged), my grandmother (Anna Fedorovna Davydova) and cadet Alexei, who was somehow connected with Varya. Good luck! Vladimir Shimansky." During a personal meeting, the author of these lines told us: Varvara, working in the justice department of the city of Tyumen, which was located in a damp basement, fell ill with consumption. Having not completed her treatment, she went to Moscow in the hope of emigrating, but on the way she caught typhus and died upon arrival in the capital. Vladimir Shimansky’s grandmother Anna Fedorovna Davydova, a very close friend of Varvara, despite the hard times, went to the funeral. She recalls that Varya lay in the coffin completely shaved, without hair (typhoid fever). On her grave it was written: “To our Varya.” Thus, the search for the difficult fate and death of Grigory Rasputin’s youngest daughter, whom he loved so much, has come to an end. In 1919, the Soviet government gave management of the cemetery to the Khamovnichesky District Council. It was during this period that the most ordinary Muscovites were buried there, which is why Varya was buried there. But already in 1927, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee issued a decree: “Novodevichy Cemetery is allocated for the burial of persons of social status,” as a result of which ordinary burials were demolished. For this reason, today’s cemetery management was unable to provide any assistance in finding Varvara’s grave. But you never know in the history of our country there are such unfortunate circumstances... Varya’s last letter And finally, a letter dated February 1924 falls into our hands. Varvara writes it very shortly before her death to her sister Matryona in Paris (spelling preserved): “Dear dear Marochka. How are you doing, my darling, I haven’t written to you for so long because I didn’t have money, but without money you can’t even buy a stamp. In general, every day life gets worse and worse, you think and cherish the dream that you will live well, but again you make a mistake. And all thanks to our friends: like Vitkun and similar people, they are all lies, and nothing more, they just promise. It's terrible, I go to practice on typewriter . Such a distance is terrible, a whole hour and a quarter, because there is no money for a tram. Now I went to a Jew to ask for a place, he promised me. But I think that promises will remain promises, even worse - maybe this is my sick imagination: he is going to court me, but he sees that I do not reciprocate his feelings, and again everything is lost. Lord, how hard all this is, my soul is torn into pieces, why was I born? But I take comfort in the fact that there are a lot of us who are unemployed, and all of us are honest, who do not want to humiliate our dignity for the sake of a place. Of course, you have a question about why I work on a typewriter. But I’ll explain to you: the Vitkuns gave me the opportunity to study, since they were opening an office, they needed typists, they wanted me to join them, but only so that I could prepare. In this store where I study, they bought three typewriters and they teach me for free. You see what kindness they did because it’s really funny. Now, of course, when the matter comes to an end, they prevaricate, well, God bless them, they know very well what to do, that I don’t have money for a tram, I asked, but they don’t, and Mara goes to buy herself a hat, not one of course, but two . Even in bad weather they don’t travel by tram, but always by cab. Well, God be with them, maybe they will choke from their greed. God will help orphans. I had embroidery, earned three rubles in gold, of course, I gave everything to my old people, that is, to my owners, just for the sake of God, don’t be sad about me and don’t worry about me. After all, everything will work out and everything will be fine. It's even worse for you, you have children, I'm alone. How is Boris Nikolaevich's health? Yes, I really want to see you, my joy. I asked Olga Vladimirovna, she told me this: we would rather go than they would come, and why come? There is little joy here either, let them not invent it. She even said this in a letter to Muna, I don’t know if she received it? How are your lovely children? It seems to me that you gave Maria away somewhere, you don’t write anything to me about her, or you left her, baby, in Germany, I’m sorry, maybe this will hurt you, but you know very well your happiness - my happiness, your grief is mine grief, because you are the only one close to me. And how can your Aranson promise a lot, but do nothing, like Turovich, what results did that letter achieve? All this is extremely interesting to me. And here I am convinced that I have no close people, everyone is just a bastard, forgive me for my rude expression. I had a letter from our people. Mitya begins to line up opposite Elizaveta Kitovna, where he was given a place. There will be a house of two rooms, and that’s enough for them, because they don’t have children, of course, maybe they will, but not yet, I’m very happy about that, otherwise the poor mother has to fuss with them, and mother doesn’t like children. Yes, you know Tenka married Dubrovsky, maybe you remember Salome the Legless, her nephew. Of course, we were at the wedding, it seemed good. I partly envy Mitya, because he doesn’t beg like us. Although you eat your piece of bread, it is not sweet. When the children are all scattered somewhere, God knows, but this life will not spoil them, I am glad that they are abroad. You see how much I rambled, it’s true that typing on a typewriter doesn’t make you so tired and you can write a lot, but you can’t write so much on your hands. Until then, all the best, God bless you, kisses dear and dear Tanya, Maria and you are my joy. Hello Bora. Varvara." (The full text of the letter is published for the first time.) Unknown facts in the new book The museum is preparing for publication new book“Grigory Rasputin - the prophet of the Russian Apocalypse,” which will include new details, photographs and unknown facts about the fate of an outstanding representative of the Siberian peasantry. There is a lot of talk about the famous house of Rasputin (which, by the way, he did not build, but bought under an agreement concluded with the Tyumen notary Albychev on December 12, 1906, for 1,700 rubles). So, the new book will contain an inventory of the “Tobolsk Treasury Chamber on the inherited property left after the death of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin.” The official list of inheritance, which we will publish in this book, provides full list Rasputin's property: kerosene lamps, clothes, dishes, utensils, the number of livestock and animals, furniture, curtains, bedding, watches, icons, etc., which, we hope, will close the conversation about things called Rasputin. Marina SMIRNOVA, director Rasputin Museum, p. Pokrovskoe Continuing the topic, read also the material Grigory Rasputin-Novy: secret mission “Tobolsk-Verkhoturye”
The editors of the newspaper "Tyumen Region Today" for the first time publish information about the fate of Grigory Rasputin's youngest daughter Varvara with unique photographs
On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the House of Romanov, interest in the fate of the royal family received a new meaning in facts, previously unknown historical details and materials. This is the fate of this publication, which was provided to the editors by Marina Smirnova, director of the Rasputin Museum in the village of Pokrovsky - the owner of the rare human talent to penetrate deeply into history, carrying out enormous research work.Family of a legendary man
Russia. February 1917. Three years of the First World War. Defeats at the fronts, hunger and confusion in the rear... The emperor was deposed by a conspiracy of the generals. Chaos began in the country, which would later be called a bourgeois revolution. The Peter and Paul Fortress casemates are overcrowded. And for the first time, a simple village peasant is being judged on an equal basis with the powers that be. The guy is already dead. A man about whom all the newspapers in the world wrote. Russian peasant, our fellow countryman - Grigory Rasputin.This was the first person from Russia whose name thundered throughout the world. Almost a hundred years have passed since his death, and the world is still wondering: who is he? False prophet or man of God? Saint or the devil incarnate, the Antichrist himself?
A simple Russian man emerged from the Siberian wilderness and became an incomprehensible mystery. A man-legend... They still write about him in approximately this vein. Having been studying the biography of this man all my adult life (post-student life), having already written three books and a large number of scientific articles about him, as well as opening a museum in his homeland in the village of Pokrovskoye, today I would like to talk not even about him, but about his descendants . Their destinies are bizarre and ordinary at the same time.
I’ll say right away that seven children were born into the family of Grigory Rasputin, of whom only three survived: Matrona, Varvara and son Dmitry, the rest died in infancy. The only thing that is striking is the monotony of diagnoses in the “Cause of Death” column of the metric books: from fever and diarrhea.
Dmitry was born in 1895, Matrona - in 1898, Varvara - in 1900.
Dmitry was a peasant. During the First World War, he served as an orderly on the 143rd sanitary train of Her Imperial Majesty Alexandra Feodorovna. According to archival documents, it was possible to establish that in 1930, when the order came to dispossess 500 families in the Yarkovsky district, he was exiled like a fist to the city of Salekhard along with his wife Feoktista Ivanovna and mother Paraskeva Fedorovna. Put on a cart, “they took me from Siberia to Siberia,” as Vladimir Vysotsky sang. Rasputin's widow did not reach the place of exile, she died on the road, and Dmitry and his wife lived at the place of exile in barracks No. 14 of the special settlement in Salekhard until the end of 1933.
In 1933 he died of dysentery.
The eldest daughter Matrona with the Czech-Slovak corps through the Far East emigrated with her husband, officer Boris Solovyov, to Europe, and then to the United States of America, where she worked as a wild animal tamer in the world famous Gardner Circus. Her first child (daughter Tatyana) was born in the Far East, during the move, but the second (also a daughter) was already in exile. And it is only along this line that the direct descendants of our famous countryman have survived.
Youngest and most beloved
In 2005, the great-granddaughter of Grigory Rasputin, Laurence Io Solovieff, came to the museum. She lives on the outskirts of Paris and speaks not only French, but English and German. Unfortunately, not a word in Russian. She brought a lot of rare, never published photographs and documents, which are now on display at the Pokrovsk Museum.And finally, after many years of searching, we have established the fate of Rasputin’s youngest daughter, Varvara. Even Matrona, according to Laurence’s story, suffered until the end of her life from the fact that she knew nothing about the fate of her younger sister, who remained in Russia.
During the revolution, Varvara is 17 years old. She and Matrona have already graduated from high school. But the post-revolutionary fate was still unknown. The last mention of Vara in the “List of citizens and members of their families living in the Pokrovskaya volost” dates back to 1922. The funds of the justice department of the Tyumen provincial council of the RKK preserved lists of employees of the Tyumen provincial justice department for 1919-1922. It was there that we found her personal information. “Rasputina Varvara Grigorievna. Position: clerk of the forensic investigation department of the people's court of the 4th district of the Tyumen district. Residence address: Tyumen, st. Yalutorovskaya. 14. Age - 20 years. Profession: clerk. Non-partisan, education: 5 years of gymnasium. Number of family members: 3 people. Maintenance salary per month - 1560 rubles.”
Children of Lieutenant Schmidt
Why are we talking about Rasputin’s children in such detail? Last year, 19 so-called “children of Lieutenant Schmidt” came to our museum, declaring themselves illegitimate (and sometimes legitimate) children, nephews, and relatives of Grigory Rasputin.Russia has always had no shortage of impostors, although it was difficult to recognize a “prophet in his own country.” Imposture is an extremely interesting topic. It is probably dictated by the Russian mentality and the irrepressible desire to get “from rags to riches.” And also an indispensable desire to try on someone else's fate. To be involved in something larger than your own, often inexpressive life. Impostors not only show up at the museum with stories about their family connection with Rasputin, but also write from almost all corners of the country. “Hello, curators of the Grigory Rasputin Museum! We hesitated for a long time to write you a letter. For quite a long time in our family there were assumptions about a family connection with the Rasputin family. Studying the biography of Rasputin, our confidence in this became complete and final, namely, that our grandfather, who by a curious “coincidence” is also named Grigory Efimovich, is the grandson of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin. The striking external similarity and similarity of character traits allows us to draw this conclusion. But the fact is that we do not have official documents confirming the family relationship.” This letter came from Simferopol. But here is a closer address, from Tyumen: “My father is the brother of Grigory Rasputin’s father. We want to meet you, there are many of us here relatives of Rasputin...” Such correspondence is no longer surprising. They write, call, come.
This is how Rasputin’s actual descendant, his great-granddaughter, comments on this: “As for the so-called relatives of Grigory Efimovich: are they his descendants? Very good! Why not? What will change from this?! What they want? Money? The official and legal descendant is me. This doesn't make me any richer! I don’t demand anything now, I give (conferences, radio broadcasts, interviews for magazines). I declare that He is He, and I don’t shout that it’s me to rehabilitate him, I don’t put myself forward (I don’t need to defend myself, I didn’t do anything wrong), I don’t need recognition (I really am his direct descendant). You can also say that, despite medical examination, I consider both of you, Marina and Volodya, to be my Siberian family.”
We were glad to inform Laurence that we learned about the fate of her grandmother’s sister, Rasputin’s youngest daughter Varvara.
New details
Fortunately, not only “the children of Lieutenant Schmidt” go to the museum. Sometimes people come whose ancestors actually knew Rasputin’s children. Such a joyful meeting for us took place quite by accident with Vladimir Shimansky. Here is his letter:“Dear Marina Yuryevna! Two months ago we met at your museum and I promised to send you photographs of Varya Rasputina. So far we have managed to find one damaged photo. My grandmother was afraid to keep these photographs and partially damaged the faces so that they could not be recognized. They were friends with Varvara and she lived with her grandmother until she was 25. Her grandmother helped her go to Moscow and, when Varya died, she went to Moscow and buried her at the Novodevichy cemetery. Relatives told some details of Varya’s life, if you are interested, you can contact me and I will tell you about them. I remember exactly that there were two more photographs of Varya. I asked my relatives to find them. As soon as we find it, I will send it to you.
So far I am sending three photographs - Varya Rasputina (damaged), my grandmother (Anna Fedorovna Davydova) and cadet Alexei, who was somehow connected with Varya.
Good luck! Vladimir Shimansky."
During a personal meeting, the author of these lines told us: Varvara, working in the justice department of the city of Tyumen, which was located in a damp basement, fell ill with consumption. Having not completed her treatment, she went to Moscow in the hope of emigrating, but on the way she caught typhus and died upon arrival in the capital.
Vladimir Shimansky’s grandmother Anna Fedorovna Davydova, a very close friend of Varvara, despite the hard times, went to the funeral. She recalls that Varya lay in the coffin completely shaved, without hair (typhoid fever). On her grave it was written: “To our Varya.” Thus, the search for the difficult fate and death of Grigory Rasputin’s youngest daughter, whom he loved so much, has come to an end.
In 1919, the Soviet government gave management of the cemetery to the Khamovnichesky District Council. It was during this period that the most ordinary Muscovites were buried there, which is why Varya was buried there. But already in 1927, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee issued a decree: “Novodevichy Cemetery is allocated for the burial of persons of social status,” as a result of which ordinary burials were demolished. For this reason, today’s cemetery management was unable to provide any assistance in finding Varvara’s grave. But you never know in the history of our country there are such unfortunate circumstances...
Varya's last letter
And finally, a letter dated February 1924 falls into our hands. Varvara writes it very shortly before her death to her sister Matryona in Paris (spelling preserved):“Dear dear Marochka. How are you doing, my darling, I haven’t written to you for so long because I didn’t have money, but without money you can’t even buy a stamp. In general, every day life gets worse and worse, you think and cherish the dream that you will live well, but again you make a mistake. And all thanks to our friends: like Vitkun and similar people, they are all lies, and nothing more, they just promise. It’s terrible, I go to practice on a typewriter. Such a distance is terrible, a whole hour and a quarter, because there is no money for a tram. Now I went to a Jew to ask for a place, he promised me. But I think that promises will remain promises, even worse - maybe this is my sick imagination: he is going to court me, but he sees that I do not reciprocate his feelings, and again everything is lost. Lord, how hard all this is, my soul is torn into pieces, why was I born? But I take comfort in the fact that there are a lot of us who are unemployed, and all of us are honest, who do not want to humiliate our dignity for the sake of a place. Of course, you have a question about why I work on a typewriter.
But I’ll explain to you: the Vitkuns gave me the opportunity to study, since they were opening an office, they needed typists, they wanted me to join them, but only so that I could prepare. In this store where I study, they bought three typewriters and they teach me for free. You see what kindness they did because it’s really funny. Now, of course, when the matter comes to an end, they prevaricate, well, God bless them, they know very well what to do, that I don’t have money for a tram, I asked, but they don’t, and Mara goes to buy herself a hat, not one of course, but two . Even in bad weather they don’t travel by tram, but always by cab. Well, God be with them, maybe they will choke from their greed. God will help orphans. I had embroidery, earned three rubles in gold, of course, I gave everything to my old people, that is, to my owners, just for the sake of God, don’t be sad about me and don’t worry about me. After all, everything will work out and everything will be fine. It's even worse for you, you have children, I'm alone.
How is Boris Nikolaevich's health? Yes, I really want to see you, my joy. I asked Olga Vladimirovna, she told me this: we would rather go than they would come, and why come? There is little joy here either, let them not invent it. She even said this in a letter to Muna, I don’t know if she received it? How are your lovely children? It seems to me that you gave Maria away somewhere, you don’t write anything to me about her, or you left her, baby, in Germany, I’m sorry, maybe this will hurt you, but you know very well your happiness - my happiness, your grief is mine grief, because you are the only one close to me. And how can your Aranson promise a lot, but do nothing, like Turovich, what results did that letter achieve? All this is extremely interesting to me. And here I am convinced that I have no close people, everyone is just a bastard, forgive me for my rude expression. I had a letter from our people. Mitya begins to line up opposite Elizaveta Kitovna, where he was given a place. There will be a house of two rooms, and that’s enough for them, because they don’t have children, of course, maybe they will, but not yet, I’m very happy about that, otherwise the poor mother has to fuss with them, and mother doesn’t like children. Yes, you know Tenka married Dubrovsky, maybe you remember Salome the Legless, her nephew. Of course, we were at the wedding, it seemed good. I partly envy Mitya, because he doesn’t beg like us. Although you eat your piece of bread, it is not sweet. When the children are all scattered somewhere, God knows, but this life will not spoil them, I am glad that they are abroad. You see how much I rambled, it’s true that typing on a typewriter doesn’t make you so tired and you can write a lot, but you can’t write so much on your hands. Until then, all the best, God bless you, kisses dear and dear Tanya, Maria and you are my joy. Hello Bora. Varvara." (The full text of the letter is published for the first time.)
Unknown facts in the new book
The museum is preparing to publish a new book, “Grigory Rasputin - Prophet of the Russian Apocalypse,” which will include new details, photographs and unknown facts about the fate of an outstanding representative of the Siberian peasantry. There is a lot of talk about the famous house of Rasputin (which, by the way, he did not build, but bought under an agreement concluded with the Tyumen notary Albychev on December 12, 1906, for 1,700 rubles). So, the new book will contain an inventory of the “Tobolsk Treasury Chamber on the inherited property left after the death of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin.”The official list of inheritance, which we will publish in this book, provides a complete list of Rasputin’s property: kerosene lamps, clothes, dishes, utensils, the number of livestock and livestock, furniture, curtains, bedding, watches, icons, etc., which, We hope it will allow us to close conversations about things called Rasputin.
Marina SMIRNOVA, director of the Rasputin Museum, p. Pokrovskoe
Continuing the topic
In the minds of most people, Grigory Rasputin is either a magician, sorcerer and sectarian, or a swindler and charlatan, who subjugated the family of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II to his influence and suffered martyrdom from the conspirators for this. What else do we know about him? Meanwhile, the “holy devil,” as he was called, had a completely normal family - a wife and children...
Family life and wandering
At the age of 19 in Alabatsk on church holiday Gregory met beautiful girl Praskovya Dubrovina and married her. They had a child. However, the firstborn soon died. The death of the baby shocked Gregory so much that he lost faith in God, began going to taverns and even took up robbery... In 1892, a village meeting sentenced him to deportation for a year. Having repented, Gregory went to the Verkhoturyevo Monastery, where he learned to read and write, the law of God and other sciences from the elder hermit Macarius. He also advised him to wander. In 1893, together with his friend Dmitry Pechorkin, Gregory went to Greece, where he visited Orthodox monasteries in the mountains of Macedonia. Then, upon returning to Russia, he visited the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, Solovki, Valaam, Optina Monastery, Nilov Monastery and other holy places. Meanwhile, every summer he visited his wife Praskovya. They had more children: in 1895 - Dmitry, in 1898 - Matryona, in 1900 - Varvara.
Petersburg
In 1905, in the Kiev monastery of St. Michael, Gregory met Grand Duchess Anastasia. She persuaded Rasputin to come to St. Petersburg to help Tsarevich Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia.
The “elder” (as Rasputin was called) treated the prince with herbs, prayers and the laying on of hands. After the “old man’s” treatment, the boy noticeably improved, and Rasputin settled down at court. He gained enormous influence on imperial family, which, naturally, the courtiers did not like. They began to spread monstrous rumors about the royal favorite - that he organized orgies, kept a harem of concubines in his house... How true all this was is unknown.
In 1910, his daughters Matryona and Varvara moved to Rasputin’s apartment on Gorokhovaya in St. Petersburg. Their father arranged for them to study at the gymnasium. His wife Praskovya and son Dmitry remained in Pokrovskoye, where the head of the family sometimes visited.
Unlucky fate
After the murder of Rasputin, initiated by Prince Felix Yusupov, the family of the “elder” had a hard time. Son Dmitry married Feoktista Pecherkina in 1918. Until 1930, he and his family lived in Pokrovskoye, then they were “dispossessed” and sent into exile as “evil elements” in Obdorsk (Salekhard). Praskovya Feodorovna died along the way, and three years later Dmitry Feoktist’s wife also died of tuberculosis. Their little daughter Lisa also died. Three months later, dysentery claimed the life of Dmitry Grigorievich. It happened on December 16, 1933, just on the anniversary of my father’s death...
Rasputin's youngest daughter Varvara never married and died in Moscow in 1925, suffering from both typhoid and tuberculosis.
Matryona - lion tamer
The fate of Matryona's eldest daughter, as her father called her, Marochka (she herself preferred to call herself Maria), was much more successful. Literally a few days before the October Uprising of 1917, she married officer Boris Nikolaevich Solovyov, the son of the Holy Synod official Nikolai Vasilyevich Solovyov, who during his lifetime was a close acquaintance of Rasputin. Boris participated in the attempt to free Nicholas II during the royal family's stay in Siberian exile. From this marriage two daughters were born, named after the murdered grand duchesses - Tatiana and Maria. The youngest is already in exile.
The family lived in Romania, the Czech Republic, Germany, France... In Paris, Boris opened a restaurant for Russian emigrants, but soon went bankrupt, as he often fed his compatriots for free... In 1926, Solovyov died of tuberculosis, and his widow was forced to look for a livelihood. At first she went to work as a dancer in a cabaret. Once the manager of an English circus approached her and offered to hire her as a trainer if she could enter a cage with lions. Matryona agreed. She crossed herself and entered the cage with the predators. They didn’t touch her - perhaps thanks to the special “magnetic” look inherited from her father... So “Marie Rasputin, the daughter of a mad monk, famous for her exploits in Russia!” appeared on the posters!
Matryona began touring around the world.
In the late 30s, American entrepreneurs became interested in her. Soon she moved permanently to the United States, working in the Ringling Bros., Barnum and Bailey circuses, as well as in the Gardner circus.
In 1940, Matryona remarried the Russian emigrant Grigory Bernadsky, whom she knew back in Russia. But the marriage lasted only five years.
After she was once injured by a polar bear in the arena, Rasputin's daughter left her circus career. She worked as a nanny, governess, and nurse in a hospital, gave Russian language lessons... Finally, she published a book about her father, “Rasputin. Why? ”, in which in every possible way whitewashed the personality of Rasputin and rejected the accusations attributed to him. “I love my father very much,” she wrote. “Just as much as others hate him.”
Matryona Grigorievna, née Rasputina, having received American citizenship in 1945, worked as a riveter in defense shipyards until her retirement and died in 1977 in California from a heart attack. She was the only one of Rasputin's children to live to old age.
By the way, one of Matryona’s daughters, Maria, was married to a Dutch diplomat, and in the late 40s, their family met the daughter of Prince and Princess Yusupov, Irina, in Greece. Their children - Serge and Ksenia - played together, not suspecting that the grandfather of one became the killer of the great-grandfather of the other...
One of Rasputin’s great-granddaughters, Laurence Io-Solovieva, lives in France, but often visits Russia. She also visited Pokrovskoye, the homeland of her famous ancestor.
Matryona Rasputina with parents.
Among the Russian emigrants of the first wave there were many interesting and bright personalities. But one woman attracted special attention, although she did not always want it. She called herself Maria, although her parents called her Matryona. She was the daughter of the famous royal favorite Grigory Rasputin, and the shadow of her father’s ambiguous and loud fame accompanied her from childhood to last days her more than difficult life.
Matryona Rasputin.
“I am the daughter of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin. Baptized by Matryona, my family called me Maria. Father - Marochka. Now I’m 48 years old. Almost the same age as my father was when he was taken away from home. scary man- Felix Yusupov. I remember everything and never tried to forget anything that happened to me or my family (no matter how my enemies might count on it). I do not cling to memories, as those who tend to savor their misfortunes do. I just live by them. I love my father very much. Just as much as others hate him. I can't make others love him. I don’t strive for this, just as my father did not strive. Like him, I just want understanding. But, I'm afraid - and this is excessive when we're talking about about Rasputin,” these are the words from the book “Rasputin. Why?”, written by his daughter Matryona. The very same one whose hand was once written under the dictation of his father last letter.
The Rasputin family. In the center is the widow of Grigory Rasputin Paraskeva Feodorovna, on the left is his son Dmitry, on the right is his wife Feoktista Ivanovna. In the background is Ekaterina Ivanovna Pecherkina (a worker in the house).
By the mid-1930s, only Martrona remained alive from the whole family. Sister Varya died in 1925 in Moscow from typhus. Brother Mitya was sent into exile in 1930 as a “malicious element.” His mother Paraskeva Fedorovna and his wife Feoktista went with him to Salekhard. Paraskeva Fedorovna died on the way. Dmitry himself, his wife and daughter Lisa contracted dysentery and died in 1933, Dmitry being the last, almost on the day of his father’s death, December 16.
Varvara Rasputina. Post-revolutionary photo, saved by a friend. Damaged deliberately, out of fear of reprisals from the Soviet government.
Matryona in October 1917, literally a few days before the October uprising, married the Russian officer Boris Nikolaevich Solovyov. They had two daughters - Tatyana and Maria. Even before the birth of their second daughter, the family emigrated to Romania, then the Czech Republic, Germany. France…
Boris Solovyov and Marochka.
Boris Nikolaevich opened a restaurant in Paris, but went bankrupt because his fellow emigrants came in for lunch without money. In 1926, Boris Nikolaevich died of tuberculosis, and Matryona had to earn a living for herself and her two children.
Remembering that she had once trained at the ballerina dance school of the Imperial Theaters Devillers in Berlin, she became a cabaret actress.
Matryona Rasputina - dancer of the Imperial Cabaret.
The manager of one of the English circuses noticed her act and offered: “If you enter a cage with lions, I’ll hire you.” I walked in, what should I do? She changed her name - on the posters of that time she was recommended as “Marie Rasputin, daughter of a mad monk.” Her menacing “Rasputin” look could make any predator jump into a burning ring.
Trainer Matryona Rasputina.
One of her famous Rasputin looks is enough to stop any predator.
She was a success - soon entrepreneurs from America drew attention to her and invited her to perform at the Ringling Bros., Barnum and Bailey Circus, then at the Gardner Circus. One day, during a performance, she was attacked by a polar bear. I had to give up my career as a tamer. A mystical coincidence - once in the Yusupov Palace, her father, mortally wounded, collapsed on his skin polar bear- all the newspapers discussed.
Maria Rasputina in the hospital.
Meeting at a restaurant.
After such a grandiose career as a tamer, Maria worked as a nanny, governess, and taught Russian. In 1945, she became a US citizen, went to work in the defense shipyards and worked there as a riveter until her retirement.
Maria died at the age of 79 on September 27, 1977 in Los Angeles and was buried in Angel Rosedale Cemetery.
daughters of Russia's most controversial prophetMatryona Rasputina with her parents.
Among the Russian emigrants of the first wave there were many interesting and bright personalities. But one woman attracted special attention, although she did not always want it. She called herself Maria, although her parents called her Matryona. She was the daughter of the famous royal favorite Grigory Rasputin, and the shadow of her father’s controversial and loud fame accompanied her from childhood until the last days of her more than difficult life.
Matryona Rasputin.
“I am the daughter of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin. Baptized by Matryona, my family called me Maria. Father - Marochka. Now I am 48 years old. Almost the same age as my father was when he was taken away from home by a terrible man - Felix Yusupov. I remember everything and never tried to forget anything that happened to me or my family (no matter how my enemies might count on it). I do not cling to memories, as those who tend to savor their misfortunes do. I just live by them. I love my father very much. Just as much as others hate him. I can't make others love him. I don’t strive for this, just as my father did not strive. Like him, I just want understanding. But, I’m afraid, and this is excessive when it comes to Rasputin,”- these are the words from the book “Rasputin. Why?”, written by his daughter Matryona. The very same one whose hand once dictated his father’s last letter.
The Rasputin family. In the center is the widow of Grigory Rasputin Paraskeva Feodorovna, on the left is his son Dmitry, on the right is his wife Feoktista Ivanovna. In the background is Ekaterina Ivanovna Pecherkina (a worker in the house).
By the mid-1930s, only Martrona remained alive from the whole family. Sister Varya died in 1925 in Moscow from typhus. Brother Mitya was sent into exile in 1930 as a “malicious element.” His mother Paraskeva Fedorovna and his wife Feoktista went with him to Salekhard. Paraskeva Fedorovna died on the way. Dmitry himself, his wife and daughter Lisa contracted dysentery and died in 1933, Dmitry being the last, almost on the day of his father’s death, December 16.
Varvara Rasputina. Post-revolutionary photo, saved by a friend. Damaged deliberately, out of fear of reprisals from the Soviet government.
Matryona in October 1917, literally a few days before the October uprising, married the Russian officer Boris Nikolaevich Solovyov. They had two daughters - Tatyana and Maria. Even before the birth of the second, the family emigrated to Romania, then the Czech Republic, Germany. France…
Boris Solovyov and Marochka
Boris Nikolaevich opened a restaurant in Paris, but went bankrupt because his fellow emigrants came in for lunch without money. In 1926, Boris Nikolaevich died of tuberculosis, and Matryona had to earn a living for herself and her two children.
Remembering that she had once trained at the ballerina dance school of the Imperial Theaters Devillers in Berlin, she became a cabaret actress.
Matryona Rasputina - dancer of the Imperial Cabaret.
The manager of one of the English circuses noticed her act and offered: “If you enter a cage with lions, I’ll hire you.” I walked in, what should I do? She changed her name - on the posters of that time she was recommended as “Marie Rasputin, daughter of a mad monk.” Her menacing “Rasputin” look could make any predator jump into a burning ring.
One of her famous Rasputin looks is enough to stop any predator.
She was a success - soon entrepreneurs from America drew attention to her and invited her to perform at the Ringling Bros., Barnum and Bailey Circus, then at the Gardner Circus. One day, during a performance, she was attacked by a polar bear. I had to give up my career as a tamer. The mystical coincidence - once in the Yusupov Palace, her father, mortally wounded, collapsed on the skin of a polar bear - was discussed in all the newspapers.
Maria Rasputina in the hospital.
Meeting at a restaurant.
After such a grandiose career as a tamer, Maria worked as a nanny, governess, and taught Russian. In 1945, she became a US citizen, went to work in the defense shipyards and worked there as a riveter until her retirement.
