100 great sights of Moscow Myasnikov senior Alexander Leonidovich

Igumnov's house on Yakimanka

Igumnov's house on Yakimanka

Still, it is not in vain that it is said that one cannot see a face face to face, and a large one is seen at a distance. Especially when the distance is measured over many years. And if that most concerns the beauty of man-made. The history of Igumnov's house on Yakimanka is a vivid confirmation of this.

Yakimanka - one of the oldest districts of Moscow - got its name from the main thoroughfare of Zamoskvorechye.

Zamoskvorechye, that is, what is "beyond the Moscow River", was called the floodplain lands occupied by the gardens of the royal court. This southern direction from the Kremlin was not protected and therefore was constantly subjected to raids and devastation.

Permanent settlements, albeit military, beyond the Moscow River appeared under Vasily III. Grand Duke Moscow built the town of Nalivki (Spasonalivkovsky lanes) for his bodyguards.

Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible in the 1550s founded a strip of settlements of archers and pishchalnikov along the current Klimentovsky lane.

Under Fyodor Ivanovich, the fourth defensive ring of Moscow, Skorod, appeared - a 15-kilometer earthen rampart with a wall of vertical pointed logs. Under the protection of Skorodom, permanent houses began to be built in Zamoskvorechye.

To XIX century the quiet Zamoskvorechye turned into a favorite habitat of the patriarchal Moscow merchants. Them special image life was a favorite theme in the works of the playwright Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky, who himself was from Zamoskvorechye.

House of merchant Igumnov on Yakimanka

Yakimanka Street, which gave its name to the historical district of Zamoskvorechye, originates from ancient temple Joachim and Anna, destroyed in 1969. The church was first mentioned in chronicles under 1493. The temple arose on the old way to Kaluga. The main throne of the Church of the Annunciation had a chapel of Joachim and Anna. They are honored as the father and mother of Mary, the long-awaited daughter, given to the elderly in old age. And it was their daughter Mary who gave birth to the Savior. In Russian pronunciation, Joachim became Yakim, Akim. Anna is still Anna. Above Yakim and Anna there were seven domes and a bell tower.

The Igumnov family purchased a house on Yakimanka in 1851. It was small wooden house, erected after the great Moscow fire of 1812 by the merchant of the second guild Nikolai Lukyanov. In the traditions of that time, it was for insurance to record real estate on wives, and the building was sold to the merchant Vera Igumnova. In 1888, Nikolai Vasilyevich Igumnov inherited the site and immediately applied for the construction of a new stone house.

Nikolai Vasilyevich needed a representative house in Moscow, the industrial and commercial heart of Russia. He was one of the directors and owners of the company founded back in early XVIII century Yaroslavl Big Manufactory. And, of course, he needed a house that corresponded to his position in society.

To develop the project and build the mansion, Igumnov invited a young and talented Yaroslavl architect Nikolai Ivanovich Pozdeev. Nikolai Ivanovich, a graduate of the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and Imperial Academy of arts in St. Petersburg, at that time he held the position of the city architect of Yaroslavl. When Nikolai Igumnov proposed to Pozdeev to build a mansion on Yakimanka, the architect was only thirty-three years old.

The architect attracted the attention of the industrialist with his commitment to two styles: “Russian” (one of the trends in the then dominant eclecticism) and a variety of classicism, the so-called style of Louis XV. Both styles impressed Igumnov.

The Russian style of architecture drew inspiration from the image of Russian wooden towers, the most famous of which is the palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye.

The architect developed a project that the “textile king” really liked. A large number of decorative details in the Old Russian style: arches with "weights", "pot-bellied" columns, ceramic inserts, a combination of brick and stone, high roof tents - emphasized the multi-component structure of the building, as if hinting at the versatility of the nature of its owner.

Igumnov wanted the house to reflect his wealth and promised to spare no expense in construction.

In 1893 the mansion was completed. It was not just a mansion, but a real Russian tower. The architect's talent managed to combine various volumes crowned with picturesque tents and numerous decorative details of different genres into a single whole. The result is harmonious, although a little massive.

On the high roof of the mansion there is pressed metal under the tiles, ceramic inserts. Above the "red porch" there is an elegant semi-antique double arch. Walls made of imported Dutch bricks. Window edging from white stone near Moscow. Picturesque bell towers, bulbous domes of tents, inflated columns. A multi-colored mosaic of specially painted rare tiles made at the famous Kuznetsov factory.

In the decorative elements of architecture, the motifs of St. Basil's Cathedral (the Church of the Intercession-on-the-Ditch) and the ancient churches of Yaroslavl were seen.

The talent of the architect made it possible to create an atmosphere of Russian epics and at the same time anticipate the later decisions of Moscow Art Nouveau artists.

The high double doors of the “red porch” opened directly into the hall with the main staircase, striking with its multicolored “fabulous” ornament, continuing the idea of ​​the facade.

But immediately behind the massive doors leading to the living room, the style changes completely. The architect immerses the visitor in an atmosphere of European classics. Louis XV style furniture and magnificent 17th century tapestries emphasize the French spirit of this space.

The small salon adjoining the living room is furnished in the style of Louis XVI, and the small dining room is decorated with Empire style furniture and fabrics.

The low vaulted ceiling of the main dining room enhanced the effect of the ascetic Middle Ages.

However, Moscow architects and critics took up arms against the work of the Yaroslavl architect. The mansion was subjected to fierce, downright devastating criticism from the democratic public. Art critic and publicist Vladimir Vasilyevich Stasov quipped about the hodgepodge of styles and bad taste. Stasov believed that the critic is an interpreter public opinion and must express the tastes and demands of the public. And he expressed.

The customer of the Igumnov mansion, who succumbed to these sentiments, quickly became disillusioned with his Yaroslavl architect and refused to pay all the expenses.

The ruined architect Nikolai Ivanovich Pozdeev saw no other way out than to commit suicide.

After 1917, the house was used for various purposes - it was a medical center, then a workers' club.

In 1938, the building was handed over to the French government to house the embassy. The house caused astonishment among the architects who arrived from Paris. The French carried out the restoration very delicately, carefully selected interior items and furniture, and the result was what the architect dreamed of: a Russian-style house with “French chic”.

The building of the French Embassy in Moscow at Bolshaya Yakimanka, 43, is known to many. A noticeable mansion that arose, contrary to appearance, not in ancient times, but in the late XIX century, belonged to Nikolai Igumnov, the owner of the Yaroslavl Big Manufactory. Igumnov conceived a house in a pseudo-Russian style, for which he invited an architect from Yaroslavl, Nikolai Pozdeev. Bricks were brought from Holland, and tiles were made at the Kuznetsov factory. The building turned out to be very extraordinary, but the Moscow friends of the customer criticized the building to the nines. It is possible that they envied. However, Igumnov succumbed to public opinion and refused to pay the architect. After such a fiasco, Pozdeev quickly went bankrupt and committed suicide. Since then, as the legend goes, on the day of his death, October 17, the architect's ghost appears on Bolshaya Yakimanka and asks passers-by if they like Igumnov's house. In this situation, it is recommended to answer in a positive way, so as not to further upset and anger the soul of the artist. In addition, the Igumnov house itself is not at all simple. After the 1917 revolution, he was handed over to Alexander Bogdanov for blood transfusion experiments, from which he died. Then the Moscow Institute of the Brain settled in the mansion, and after that Goznak was located. Everyone who had to be in the building periodically complained about cods, noises and groans that appeared out of nowhere, until in 1938 the mansion was given to the French embassy. The French live in it like that, and so far they have not complained. Looks like our ghosts are not a hindrance to overseas guests.

I recently visited the house of the merchant Igumnov, the residence of the French ambassador to Russia. Many people know the history of this house. The merchant Igumnov was a very rich man. So far on satellite map Abkhazia in the village of Alakhadzy, you can distinguish his initials: "INV" - these are cypress alleys, figuratively planted a hundred years ago. Nikolai Vasilyevich was a co-owner of the Yaroslavl Big Manufactory, had gold mines in Siberia. In 1888, he decided to equip his Moscow residence, which today houses the French embassy.

The place on Yakimanka was in no way considered prestigious at that time. Dilapidated houses, far from the center. Igumnov justified his choice by the fact that his childhood passed somewhere here (history did not preserve early biographical data, even the year of his birth is unknown). According to other legends, the remoteness from the center was required for privacy from prying eyes, because the house was not conceived for ordinary life.

Be that as it may, Igumnov bought a wooden house from a certain merchant Nikolai Lukyanov, demolished it and attracted a young talented city architect of Yaroslavl Nikolai Pozdeev for a new construction. The architect at that time had just turned 33, but in Yaroslavl he had already received recognition thanks to a number of solid buildings. By the way, it cannot be ruled out that it was the architect, whose childhood was spent near Maloyaroslavets, who advised the customer to the place near the Kaluga outpost, and acquaintance with Moscow came from here.

ёThe house was built in the form of a fairy-tale palace in the pseudo-Russian style. Igumnov wanted to conquer the Mother See and did not skimp. Bricks for construction were brought to the construction site directly from Holland, tiles and tiles were ordered from Kuznetsov's porcelain factories, interior decoration was entrusted to one of the then most popular architects, Petr Boytsov. It was possible to combine the most diverse and complex components into a single whole: turrets, tents, arches, columns. The stylistic similarity of the mansion with the masterpiece of Moscow architecture of the same years, the State Historical Museum, is revealed. Today the building is an object cultural heritage of federal importance, but initially the Moscow "light" reacted to the palace more than cool.

According to legend, the frustrated Igumnov refused to pay for everything that was not prepaid, after which the architect Pozdeev committed suicide. According to another version, the architect died from serious illness at the age of 38. This project was his last work.

The capital did not want to accept a rich and successful provincial. Soon rumors spread around the city that a young dancer-lover lived in Nikolai Vasilyevich's mansion. Once, unable to tolerate treason, the merchant walled her up alive in the wall. Who spread the rumors is unknown, but Igumnov's ill-wishers were very influential. When in 1901 the merchant decided to arrange a ball in the house on Yakimanka, he, out of his habit, wanted to amaze the guests with his grandeur. For this floor dance hall was entirely strewn with brand new gold coins. And the very next day in St. Petersburg, Nicholas II was informed how Moscow merchants danced on the imperial profiles minted on coins. The reaction followed immediately: by the highest order, Nikolai Igumnov was expelled from the Mother See, without the right to return to it.

The place of exile chosen by the authorities was by no means a resort: the Abkhazian coast of the Sukhumi region was then swampy, teeming with malarial mosquitoes and poisonous snakes. Having looked around, the disgraced merchant bought 6,000 acres of local swamps for nothing and began new life. The first successful business was created with the help of fishermen discharged from the Don. Igumnov mastered the trade and opened the first cannery on the Black Sea coast.

Comfortable living conditions were created for the workers: seasonal workers were provided with a hostel with rooms for two people and large smoking rooms, permanent workers received separate houses, which after a few years became their property. Igumnov brought here eucalyptus and swamp cypress trees, which quickly pulled out excess moisture from local soils. Chernozem was delivered from the Kuban, pedigree cattle from Yaroslavl, the merchant became interested in gardening. Through his efforts, plantations of tangerines, kiwi, mango, tobacco appeared in these lands, the Abkhaz Bamboo enterprise began to work, and cypress alleys that have survived to this day appeared.

After the revolution, Nikolai Vasilyevich refused to emigrate to France. He voluntarily transferred his property to the state and got a job as an agronomist at the citrus state farm named after the Third International, which became known as his former estate. Nikolai Vasilyevich died in 1924, they buried him modestly, planting cypresses he loved on the grave.

History sometimes likes to grimace. If the emperor took away a house from a merchant for a ball on coins with his image, then after the revolution and nationalization, the building became for several years ... a club of the Goznak factory. The next owner of the house on Yakimanka corresponded to the gloomy legends that surrounded the mansion: in 1925, a laboratory for the study of the brain settled here for 13 years (since 1928 - the Institute of the Brain). During this time, the brain of Lenin, Clara Zetkin, Tsyurupa, Lunacharsky, Andrei Bely, Mayakovsky, Gorky, Pavlov, Michurin, Tsiolkovsky, Kalinin, Kirov, Kuibyshev, Krupskaya…

In 1938, the mansion was handed over to the French Embassy. In 1944, President Charles de Gaulle presented awards to the pilots of the Normandie-Niemen squadron here. The Dutch brick building is still kept in perfect condition by the staff of the French diplomatic mission.

About the ghost of Igumnov's house. Rumor has it that until now in the building of the French embassy there is a so-called " white woman". According to legend, this small mansion was presented by the merchant Igumnov to his kept woman. He himself lived in Yaroslavl, and visited the capital on short trips. He usually warned his lady of the heart about his arrivals through a sent servant. But one day he arrived without warning and found his beloved with a young cornet ... The owner kicked the cornet in the neck, but the girl then disappeared without a trace. There were rumors that the merchant in his hearts killed her, and the corpse was immured in the wall of the mansion.

According to another legend, his young stoker is to blame for everything. The guy allegedly began to flirt with the pretty daughter of a merchant, for which he was soon excommunicated forever from a rich house. True, this was not the end of the matter. Rumor claims that before leaving, the offended stoker secretly filled the chimneys with clay shards. As a result, when furnaces were heated in the palace-terem, the pipes and even the walls began to make terrible sounds (for some reason, especially at night), from which the owner suffered unbearably.

But back to the house. For the construction, a pseudo-Russian style was chosen, which was very fashionable in those days ( Historical Museum, GUM store building, etc.). This style of architecture drew inspiration from the image of Russian wooden towers, the most famous of which - the palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye - burned down in the 18th century.

Other decorative elements were taken from church architecture (St. Basil's Cathedral) or the churches of Yaroslavl, which perfectly combined brick, stone and multi-colored tiles.

On the high roof of the mansion there is pressed metal under the tiles, ceramic inserts. Above the "red porch" (the main entrance) there is an elegant double antique arch. Walls made of imported Dutch bricks. Window edging made of white stone near Moscow. Picturesque bell towers, bulbous tops of tents, puffed columns. A multicolored mosaic of the rarest tiles, specially painted according to the drawings of the Russian painter S. Maslennikov and manufactured at the famous Kuznetsov factory.

Pozdeev's talent managed to combine various volumes crowned with picturesque tents and numerous decorative details of different genres (bells, vaulted arches, puffed columns, etc.) into a single whole. The result is harmonious, although a little massive.

Then we go up to the second floor, open the massive door and... we get from the Middle Ages into the interiors of Louis XV! We make the transition from one century to another through the gallery in the Empire style. Reception exterior in the interior. A finish commonly used for façade work. The mirror at the end of the corridor elongates the room endlessly.

• Address: Bolshaya Yakimanka, 43c1.
• Nearest metro:"October", "Polyanka".

A mosaic mansion, reminiscent of an old Russian tower, was built near the Kaluga outpost by a well-known industrialist Nikolai Igumnov.

The merchant Igumnov was a very rich man. So far on satellite map of Abkhazia in the village of Alakhadzi, one can distinguish his initials: “INV” - these are cypress alleys, figuratively planted a hundred years ago.

Nikolai Vasilyevich was a co-owner of the Yaroslavl Big Manufactory, had gold mines in Siberia. In 1888, he decided to equip his Moscow residence, which today houses the French embassy.

The place on Yakimanka was in no way considered prestigious at that time.
Dilapidated houses, far from the center.
Igumnov justified his choice by the fact that his childhood passed somewhere here (history did not preserve early biographical data, even the year of his birth is unknown). According to other legends, the remoteness from the center was required for privacy from prying eyes, because the house was not conceived for ordinary life.

Be that as it may, Igumnov bought a wooden house from a certain merchant Nikolai Lukyanov, demolished it and attracted a young talented city architect of Yaroslavl Nikolai Pozdeev for a new construction. The architect at that time had just turned 33, but in Yaroslavl he had already received recognition thanks to a number of solid buildings.

A house was built in the form of a fairy-tale palace in the pseudo-Russian style. Igumnov wanted to conquer the Mother See and did not skimp. Bricks for construction were brought to the construction site directly from Holland, tiles and tiles were ordered from Kuznetsov's porcelain factories, interior decoration was entrusted to one of the then most popular architects, Petr Boytsov. It was possible to unite into a single whole
the most diverse and complex components: turrets, tents, arches, columns.

The stylistic similarity of the mansion with the masterpiece of Moscow architecture of the same years, the State Historical Museum, is revealed. Today the building is an object of cultural heritage of federal significance, but initially the Moscow "light" reacted to the palace more than cool.

According to legend, the frustrated Igumnov refused to pay for everything that was not prepaid, after which the architect Pozdeev committed suicide.

According to another version, the architect died of a serious illness at the age of 38. This project was his last work.

It's hard to say if it's related to tragic fate architect, but the Igumnov mansion has always been surrounded by gloomy legends. The most common of them says that the owner settled his mistress-dancer in this fabulous palace, and when he convicted her of treason, alive walled up the unfortunate in the wall.
Since then, her ghost allegedly roams the halls of the mansion, disturbing the peace of its inhabitants.

Who spread the rumors is unknown, but Igumnov's ill-wishers were very influential.

The place of exile chosen by the authorities was by no means a resort: the Abkhazian coast of the Sukhumi region was then swampy, teeming with malarial mosquitoes and poisonous snakes. Having looked around, the disgraced merchant bought 6,000 acres of local swamps for nothing and began a new life. The first successful business was created with the help of fishermen discharged from the Don. Igumnov mastered the trade and opened the first cannery on the Black Sea coast.

Comfortable living conditions were created for the workers: seasonal workers were provided with a hostel with rooms for two people and large smoking rooms, permanent workers received separate houses, which after a few years became their property.
Igumnov brought here eucalyptus and swamp cypress trees, which quickly pulled out excess moisture from local soils. Chernozem was delivered from the Kuban, pedigree cattle from Yaroslavl, the merchant became interested in gardening. Through his efforts, plantations of tangerines, kiwi, mango, tobacco appeared in these lands, the Abkhaz Bamboo enterprise began to work, and cypress alleys that have survived to this day appeared.

After the revolution, Nikolai Vasilyevich refused to emigrate to France.
He voluntarily transferred his property to the state and got a job as an agronomist at the citrus state farm named after the Third International, which became known as his former estate.
Nikolai Vasilyevich died in 1924, they buried him modestly, planting cypresses he loved on the grave.

History sometimes likes to grimace. If the emperor took away a house from a merchant for a ball on coins with his image, then after the revolution and nationalization, the building became for several years ... a club of the Goznak factory.

But already in 1925 the club was evicted, and people in white coats appeared in Igumnov's house. A laboratory for studying the brain of the deceased Vladimir Lenin began to work here. The German neuroscientist Oskar Vogt was invited to lead this institution. In 1928, the laboratory was elevated to the Brain Institute. Brains were studied here using a special technique, hoping to decipher the phenomenon of genius and create a superman. Scientists tried to find common patterns in the anatomical structure of those whom the authorities considered outstanding examples
human nature. In the mansion on Yakimanka, they began to actively collect the brains of prominent people. In 1934, Pravda wrote that "the scientific team
Institute prepared and is already studying the brains of Clara Zetkin, Lunacharsky, Tsyurupa, Mayakovsky, Andrei Bely, academician Gulevich. Soon this unique collection
replenished with the brain of director Stanislavsky, singer Sobinov, Maxim Gorky and Eduard Bagritsky, scientists Michurin, Pavlov, Tsiolkovsky, leaders of the revolution
Kalinin, Kirov, Kuibyshev, Krupskaya.

In 1938, the house passed into the possession of the French embassy.
In 1944, President Charles de Gaulle presented awards to the pilots of the Normandie-Niemen squadron here.
The Dutch brick building is still kept in perfect condition by the staff of the French diplomatic mission.

About the ghost of Igumnov's house.
Rumor has it that the so-called "white woman" is still found in the building of the French embassy. According to legend, this small mansion was presented by the merchant Igumnov to his kept woman. He himself lived in Yaroslavl, and visited the capital on short trips. He usually warned his lady of the heart about his arrivals through a sent servant. But one day he arrived without warning and found his beloved with a young cornet ... The owner kicked the cornet in the neck, but the girl then disappeared without a trace. There were rumors that the merchant in his hearts killed her, and the corpse was immured in the wall of the mansion.

According to another legend, his young stoker is to blame for everything. The guy allegedly began to flirt with the pretty daughter of a merchant, for which he was soon excommunicated forever from a rich house. True, this was not the end of the matter. Rumor claims that before leaving, the offended stoker secretly filled the chimneys with clay shards. As a result, when furnaces were heated in the palace-terem, the pipes and even the walls began to make terrible sounds (for some reason, especially at night), from which the owner suffered unbearably.

But back to the house. A pseudo-Russian style was chosen for the construction, which was very fashionable in those days (the Historical Museum, the building of the GUM store, etc.). This style of architecture drew inspiration from the image of Russian wooden towers, the most famous of which - the palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye - burned down in the 18th century.

Other decorative elements were taken from church architecture (St. Basil's Cathedral) or the churches of Yaroslavl, which perfectly combined brick, stone and multi-colored tiles.

On the high roof of the mansion there is crushed metal under the tiles, ceramic inserts. Above the "red porch" (the main entrance) there is an elegant semi-antique double arch.
Walls made of imported Dutch bricks. Window edging from white stone near Moscow. Picturesque bell towers, bulbous domes of tents, inflated columns. A multi-colored mosaic of the rarest tiles, specially painted according to the drawings of the Russian painter S. Maslennikov and made at the famous Kuznetsov factory.

Pozdeev's talent managed to combine various volumes crowned with picturesque tents and numerous decorative details of different genres (bells, vaulted arches, puffed columns, etc.) into a single whole. The result is harmonious, although a little massive.

The interior is also replete with decorations. The hall and the main staircase are a masterpiece of multicolor, perfectly combined with external decoration building.

"Old Russian" hall with a front staircase.

Extraordinarily beautiful doors. There are four of them in the hall and none of them are the same.

Immediately behind the massive doors leading to the living room, the architect completely changes the style, and we are immersed in the classic decoration. Louis XV style furniture and magnificent 17th century tapestries emphasize the French spirit of this space. The small salon adjoining the living room is furnished in the style of Louis XVI, and the small dining room is decorated with Empire style furniture and fabrics. The main dining room, very austere and sparsely furnished, bears the stamp of the Middle Ages, thanks to its low vaulted ceiling.

We make the transition from one century to another through the gallery in the Empire style. Reception "exterior in interior". A finish commonly used for façade work. The mirror at the end of the corridor elongates the room endlessly.

The house of the merchant Igumnov on Yakimanka is striking in the quirkiness and pretentiousness of its decorations. Built in the 19th century, it has survived to this day almost unchanged. Today it lives there permanently. french ambassador, therefore, it’s not easy to visit a high-ranking official.

But Igumnov's house on Yakimanka is still available for visiting, and everyone can discover all its magnificent decoration and splendor. External charms can be appreciated if you take a walk around the area. Each brick of the building will tell the story of creation.

History of the mansion

The building, outwardly resembling an old Russian tower, built on behalf of Nikolai Igumnov. The house was conceived as the Moscow residence of the owner of the Yaroslavl manufactory. Although Igumnov had a lot of money, the choice of the area for the new building fell on a non-prestigious, poor one. The rich man justified his preference by the fact that he grew up in these parts. Even the warnings that the neighboring wretched houses would spoil the impression of a luxurious palace did not convince the entrepreneur to abandon the idea.

Yaroslavl architect Nikolai Pozdeev, a countryman of Igumnov, was invited for the construction. Wishing to emphasize the power of the owner, his condition, the most popular and striking style in the architecture of that time was chosen - pseudo-Russian. By the way, the Terem Palace was built in the same spirit. It was called because of the imitation of the old wooden towers.

Not sparing money for construction, Igumnov ordered Dutch brick, tiles were ordered at the porcelain factory of Kuznetsov himself.

In the building, as on a gypsy horse, everything beautiful that existed in Russian architecture was collected. From this excessive magnificence, Pozdeev was branded as a provincial, absolutely devoid of taste architect. They made fun of the customer himself no less. Having succumbed to criticism and having heard enough mocking attacks towards the owner, the architect could not stand it and committed suicide. But not only criticism finished off the artist. The house of the merchant Igumnov cost a pretty penny and exceeded the original estimate. The customer himself refused to overpay for something that was not included in the primary project. This ruined Pozdeev. Death was the only way out.

Legends of the Igumnov House

Igumnov's house is covered with many secrets and legends. The most mysterious to this day is the legend of the dancer. According to her, a rich merchant built a house for his mistress - an amazingly beautiful girl with whom he was madly in love. But he was not the only one who was pleased with the charm of the eyes and excited the consciousness. avid to luxurious life, she managed to host lovers. Having found out about the betrayal, the enraged Igumnov did not kill the beauty, but immured her body in the walls of the building. Since then, they say that the ghost of a restless white girl wanders at night. But the current resident, the French ambassador, did not complain and does not intend to leave Igumnov's house on Bolshaya Yakimanka.

Another fable claims that Igumnov's house almost cost him his life. He ordered to lay out the floor of one of the rooms with gold coins, with the image of the imperial profile up. For such thoughtless disrespect, Nikolai was almost exiled, and he had to flee. Probably, the merchant would have been found, but the revolution saved his life.

The purpose of the house in different years

Everyone knows that now Igumnov's house is occupied by the French ambassador. But this was not always the case, but only since 1938. Initially, the purpose of the house is shrouded in secrets: whether it is a "cottage", or an apartment for a mistress. But the fact that it was built for the personal needs of the merchant is for sure.

The revolution requisitioned the mansion and placed it at the disposal of the club of the Goznak factory. A year after in 1925, the building was transformed thanks to new residents. They were leading physicians who founded the Institute for the Study of the Brain. Researchers tried to penetrate the secret of the genius of Vladimir Ilyich. Then the list of "outstanding brains" was replenished with samples of the gray matter of many other great people.

Igumnov's house style

Igumnov's house combined elements of many styles. Decorative elements: bell towers, columns, tents - unconnected until that time, intertwined in the architectural ensemble under the masterful hand of Pozdeev. Although the building turned out to be a little heavy, the pseudo-Russian style could not be imagined otherwise.

Despite the fact that the Terem Palace in the Moscow Kremlin had already been built in this style, the society did not accept the new resident - Igumnov's house. Art critics of that time, the structure was characterized as a vinaigrette from Greek classicism, rococo, renaissance and gothic.

Now Igumnov's house in Moscow - architectural monument and an example of high art.

building exterior

used in the exterior of the building a large number of decorative elements previously unmatched during construction. Such an imaginary dissonance was achieved by introducing wood carving, figured brickwork, metal forging and even casting into the decoration of the facade.

Nevertheless, the Russian style is a through motif in all elements, although the building, with the exception of the main staircase and the hall to which it leads, is considered to be made in the European style.

Igumnov's house has retained the decoration of the facades, although since 1938 it has undergone some kind of "Frenchization". The architects were the first to recognize the splendor of the building and sought to bring a drop of French charm to Russian heaviness.

Interior

Main style direction in the interior of the room is the Empire style, and each element displays the meaning of the word. Igumnov's house contained the breadth of the Russian soul and skillfully combined it with classicism. Ivan Pozdeev, the brother of Nikolai Pozdeev, was engaged in decorating the house.

Each piece of furniture was decorated with gilded elements. The halls of the rooms are illuminated by large windows that are inserted into the walls, painted in ivory color, pilasters are located along them.

Bas-reliefs form frames, inside which elite silk was stretched or paintings were hung.

The brain of the Igumnov house

German neuroscientist Oskar Vogt became the head of a laboratory to search for zones of genius in the brain of the late Vladimir Lenin. In addition to Vogt, several more specialists were settled in the house who worked on this. difficult task. After some time, the laboratory grew into the Institute of the Brain.

As you know, the truth is known in comparison, therefore, in addition to the outstanding spirited mind of Lenin, others began to be brought to the Institute, including Lunacharsky, Zetkin, Bely, Mayakovsky and many others.

It was planned to produce superhumans in a building under former name Igumnov's House, Moscow. On Yakimanka, a world revolution in the field of medicine was about to take place. But the effectiveness was equal to zero, because the Institute turned into a museum, and then it was completely liquidated.

funny coincidence

Close to modern French embassy in 1979, the building of the embassy office was built. Magnificent modern building. Angular, sharp, similar to a pyramid, painted in dark red. Ultra-new, nevertheless, it is very similar to another ... The mausoleum in which the body of Lenin rests.

Some historians attribute this mysterious coincidence to a semi-legend. Rumor has it that at the end of the 19th century, a certain young man was so struck by the grandeur of the Igumnov house that he decided to become this young man, allegedly Alexei Shchusev, the author of the famous Mausoleum on Red Square in Moscow.