Under the cover of a poet. How Pushkin helped hide the betrayal of Elizaveta Vorontsova

01.03.2024 | Cars

September 8 marks the 213th anniversary of the birth of His Serene Highness Princess Elizaveta Ksaverievna Vorontsova, one of the “best representatives of the best people of the good old days.” Her whole life with all her deeds constitutes a precious heritage of the history of Odessa, the Novorossiysk region and the entire state. She devoted the best years of her life to them; she worked long and fruitfully for their benefit.

She was born in the family of Count Xavier Branicki, the great crown hetman of Poland, an infantry general. His portrait, painted by the court artist Lampi the Elder, is kept in the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka. Elizabeth Ksaveryevna's mother, née Countess Engelhardt, G.A. Potemkin's beloved niece, received special attention from Empress Catherine II. As a child, Elizabeth, living with a strict mother in the village, received an excellent education and upbringing. Due to the family's proximity to the court, at the age of 15 she was awarded the title of maid of honor.

During her first trip abroad, she met military general Count Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov; on April 20, 1819, their wedding took place in Paris in an Orthodox church. She was then twenty-seven years old, he was thirty-seven. “All the pleasures of life appeared to her at once and surrounded her,” wrote F. Wigel.

Catherine II, having expressed her consent to the marriage, wrote to Mikhail Semenovich’s father: “The young countess combines all the qualities of an outstanding character, to which will be added all the charms of beauty and intelligence: she was created to make happy a respected person who unites his destiny with her.”

Solidly and comprehensively educated, she possessed diverse information on many sciences and had a comprehensive knowledge of history, especially the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries. Extensive knowledge of botany helped her supervise the work: creating the upper and lower gardens in Alupka, and the winter garden in the palace. According to her plan, the famous labyrinth was built, delighting everyone who saw it. She especially loved roses and herself bred several different varieties, named after great people.

At the beginning of 1820, Elizaveta Ksaverevna gave birth to a daughter, who died a few days later. Trying to somehow soften the bitterness of loss, the young couple often changes their place of residence: Moscow, the Vorontsov estate in the village of Andreevskoye, and visited the Branitsky estate in Bila Tserkva several times. While traveling, they visited Italy, came from Turin to Paris, then went to England, and then to St. Petersburg.

On May 7, 1823, Mikhail Semenovich was appointed governor-general of Novorossiysk and plenipotentiary governor of the Bessarabia region. A new, long Odessa period began in the life of Elizaveta Ksaverevna. And all these long years she was at the center of Odessa society, and not only in connection with her husband’s official position, but also in her personal qualities. Elizaveta Ksaverevna left an indelible mark among her contemporaries. Everyone saw it in their own way and assessed it in their own way.

Here are some impressions of contemporaries: “Countess Vorontsova is full of lively and unconditional charm. She is very sweet...” (A. O. Smirnova). “She is very pleasant, she has a sharp, although not very broad, mind, and her character is the most charming that I know” (A.N. Raevsky). “She was already over thirty years old, and she had every right to seem like the youngest. With innate Polish frivolity and coquetry, she wanted to please, and no one succeeded in doing this better than her. She was young in soul, young in appearance. She did not have what is called beauty, but the quick, tender gaze of her cute little eyes pierced right through...” (F.F. Wigel). “I don’t find words that could describe her charm, intelligence, charming pleasantness in her manner” (N.S. Vsevolozhsky) “And at the same time... she was not distinguished by family virtues and, like her husband, had connections on the side "(K.K. Ashliman).

Small in stature, obese (in the early 50s - author), with somewhat large and irregular features, Countess Elizaveta Ksaverevna Vorontsova was, nevertheless, one of the most attractive women of her time. Her whole being was imbued with such soft, charming, feminine grace, such friendliness, such strict panache that it is easy to explain to yourself how people like Pushkin, the hero of 1812 Raevsky, many, many others, fell madly in love with Vorontsova (Count V A. Sologub).

A special place in the biography of Elizaveta Ksaveryevna is occupied by her attitude towards Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. One way or another, contemporaries and many researchers wrote about their relationship, sometimes speculating. They are still writing about them. And, despite this, the relationship of these two extraordinary people still belongs to the “most perplexed” and still needs the most serious special development and, I think, they will remain so forever.

Elizaveta Ksaveryevna Vorontsova was written about in reputable publications of that time: in the Russian Archive, the Historical Bulletin, and the Bulletin of Europe. And the majority retained a good memory of her. Articles about her are still published today in “Ural Pathfinder”, “Forest Industry”, “Art”, “Preschool Education” and other publications.

More than half a century of Elizaveta Ksaveryevna’s life in Odessa is “an unbroken chain of the most diverse and most touching monuments of her Christian soul.” Many, many of her good deeds, well known in the city, remained forever in its history. And first of all, this is her charitable work, in which she was one of the pioneers, uniting the most worthy women of Odessa - devotees of mercy - with the noble idea of helping the suffering. Already the first results of this activity were appreciated by Emperor Nicholas I in the Highest Certificate addressed to the residents of Odessa for the care they provided in supplying the army with everything necessary, during the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829, for the construction of hospitals for wounded and sick soldiers .

For many years, Elizaveta Ksaverevna’s efforts were focused on active participation in the work of the Odessa Women’s Charitable Society, which she headed for more than 20 years. The activity of the society was especially evident in its constant attention to the charity of the poor during the difficult years for Odessa and the entire region, when famine was raging there. In 1933, through the efforts of the community, more than 4,300 people were fed and warmed. In the society's stores, bread was sold to those in need three times cheaper. In specially hired houses, the society cared for more than 400 street children and set up a temporary hospital with 40 beds. Over 400 people were provided with work, which saved their family from starvation. Abandoned children were collected, assigned to various useful activities, and on March 25, 1035, the first private orphanage was opened in Odessa near the cemetery, which later became an orphanage.

The society's capital was constantly replenished both through commercial activities and private donations, primarily from Elizaveta Ksaveryevna herself. Concentrating its efforts on helping the most vulnerable sections of society, over time it was possible to organize departments for infants, elderly and infirm women, people of other faiths studying the dogmas of the Orthodox faith under the supervision of clergy and preparing to accept Christianity. For the poor traveling to holy places and in need of temporary shelter, a special house was hired.

The Women's Charitable Society, as defined by one of its contemporaries, was “a breeding ground for charitable institutions in Odessa.” So, after the Crimean War, when many were ruined and the city was in dire need, the “Committee for the Care of the Poor”, which existed for more than 28 years, was organized, caring for more than 3 thousand people in the winter of 1856-1857, including 1,200 Christians and 260 Jews. families.

Before the eyes and heart of Elizaveta Ksaveryevna, any difference of religions disappeared when they appealed to her help, when they turned to her noble soul. “You are human - that’s enough. You are poor - more than enough. You are a child of my God” - this is the truth that she professed all her life.

After the death of her husband in November 1856, Elizaveta Ksaveryevna retired from social life, remaining permanently in Odessa. In those years, she paid much attention to the family archive and its disassembly. Contemporaries claim that she destroyed part of the archive. This also affected her correspondence with A.S. Pushkin. She devoted herself entirely to charity, providing help and support to those who needed it most. This was expressed in a number of donations for the benefit of the poor, the number of which increased noticeably after the Crimean War. For many years, the Mikhailo-Semyonovsky Orphanage, built in memory of her unforgettable husband on the site of a women's charitable society, remained her brainchild, a “living monument” of her great public services. The princess allocated 135 thousand in untouchable capital for its construction, and constantly allocated large sums for its maintenance. In 1873, a church was opened there in the name of Archangel Michael.

The name of Elizaveta Ksaveryevna is also associated with the activities of the Sturdzov Almshouse for Compassionate Sisters, named after its founder A.S. Sturdza. She donated about 120 thousand rubles to them, not counting a number of benefits.

One of Elizaveta Ksaveryevna’s favorite concerns was a well-organized school for the children of the princess’s employees that operated for many years in the Vorontsov Palace. Up to 40 children studied there, including “outsiders” from among the poor.

“She had only one ministry - service to God, one duty - the duty of the heart and obeyed one voice - the voice of mercy. And wherever the poor man sighed, she appeared. Where the patient moaned, she helped. Wherever the widow's complaints were heard, she was a comforter. Where the orphan cried, she dried her tears. Where shy poverty shyly hid from human eyes - there a heavenly angel called Elizaveta Vorontsova looked for her and came to her aid,” - this is how the Odessa city rabbi Dr. Schwabacher described the charitable activities of Elizaveta Ksaverevna in a speech in memory of the deceased.

Old age (she was 84 years old at the time) and a painful condition forced Elizaveta Ksaveryevna to resign as chairman of the women's charitable society, to which she had devoted 43 years of most useful and fruitful activity. The Most Serene Princess Elizaveta Ksaverevna Vorontsova, the wife of Novorossiysk and Bessarabian Governor-General Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov, died at 7 pm on April 15, 1880 - Odessa newspapers reported this the next day. Contemporaries did a lot to preserve her memory.

Elizaveta Ksaveryevna’s multifaceted social activities were crowned with the highest award of the Russian Empire, the Order of St. Catherine or the Liberation of the 1st Art. His motto “For Love and the Fatherland” was written on the insignia of the order in silver letters on a red ribbon with a silver border and gold letters on a silver eight-pointed star.

Several portrait images of Elizaveta Ksaveryevna, commissioned at one time by the Vorontsov spouses from the most famous masters, mainly European, have survived. A fairly detailed list of them was compiled by the Odessa researcher Yu. Pismak and the head of the department of the Alupka State Palace and Park Museum-Reserve G. Filatova. Among them is the portrait of E.K. Vorontsova, painted by P. Sokolov, published by us, dating back to 1823.

On Friday, April 18, the Odessa mayor G.G. Marazli received a telegram addressed to the son of Elizaveta Ksaverievna, His Serene Highness Prince S.M. Vorontsov from the Minister of the Court of His Majesty Count Adlerberg, which reported the subsequent permission to bury the ashes of Elizaveta Ksaverievna Vorontsova in Odessa cathedral, where her husband was previously buried.

It is no coincidence that Elizaveta Ksaveryevna was awarded this honor. And, I think, not only because she was a radiant person. This rare case of a woman’s burial in a cathedral convincingly confirms the fact that Elizaveta Ksaverevna Vorontsova is an exalted Christian.

The ceremony of transferring the body of the deceased from the palace to the cathedral was attended by relatives and friends of the princesses, senior military and civil leaders, members of the city government and public councils headed by the city mayor G.G. Marazli, all the city clergy, pupils of the Mikhailo Semenovsky orphanage, numerous residents of Odessa.

A number of sources, including those dedicated to the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa, preserve descriptions of the burial of Elizaveta Ksaverevna there. It was located next to the grave of her husband, at the same altar wall inside the Refectory Church. The monument was a modest marble slab with the inscription: “Princess Elizaveta Ksaverevna Vorontsova. Born on September 8, 1792, ended on April 15, 1880” and the words taken from the Gospel: “Blessed are the merciful ones who will be remembered.”

In a word before her burial on Holy Saturday, April 19, 1880, the Most Reverend Plato, Archbishop of Kherson noted that “her long life, both by birth and by marriage, stood at one of the highest levels of Glory and Happiness.” Before her death, she bequeathed to the Eminence Plato: “When I die, ask everyone to pray for me, and therefore remember me.”

It seems that with her noble deeds, Elizaveta Ksaverevna Vorontsova has earned the grateful memory of her descendants. Her name should not be forgotten.

It is believed that the name of Elizaveta Ksaveryevna Vorontsova was immortalized by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, who was infatuated with her. Yes, this is quite convincingly evidenced by the so-called “Vorontsov cycle” related to the masterpieces of his work. On the pages of his manuscripts there are more than 30 images of the Countess, made by his hand. And it is no coincidence that, despite living 88 years, Elizaveta Ksaveryevna remained in the memory of her contemporaries and descendants as young and attractive, as the great poet sang about her. We can say that the name of Elizaveta Ksaveryevna went down in history thanks to her marriage. Yes, for almost 40 years she was close to Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov - this extraordinary man, an outstanding military man and administrator, awarded the highest military rank of Field Marshal General and the title of His Serene Highness Prince. She always tried to help him in his diverse activities. She was the mother of his children. He died in her arms. But her name and memory of her must be preserved thanks to her special personal qualities and good deeds, her participation in charitable activities and the development of culture, especially in the south of Russia, in Odessa.

Unfortunately, we often witness the opposite. In Odessa, where her best years were spent in fruitful work, where her ashes rest, she remained in oblivion for many years. Her centenary anniversary passed unnoticed, while on the initiative of the Vorontsov Society and the Polish Society “Polonia”, this date was widely celebrated in Moscow, Leningrad, and other cities. Neither in word nor in deed did they remember her during the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Odessa.

Now, when the revival of the Transfiguration Cathedral, destroyed in 1936, is in full swing, it is understandable that public attention to the problem related to the memory of the Vorontsov spouses has increased. On November 9 of this year, the Black Sea Orthodox Foundation, which is leading the work to revive the temple, plans to restore historical justice and return the ashes of the Vorontsov couple to their original resting place. And I would like to hope that the memory of our wonderful countrywoman will never disappear from our hearts and from the memory of our children and grandchildren. And this largely depends on us - those living today, on our attitude towards human memory and the monuments created by people about themselves and their deeds, on the continuity of generations.

Among the poet's biographers there is no consensus on what role Vorontsova played in the poet's fate. It is believed that it was Vorontsova that Pushkin dedicated such poems as “The Burnt Letter”, “The Rainy Day Has Extinguished...”, “The Desire for Glory”, “The Talisman”, “Keep Me, My Talisman...”. In terms of the number of portrait drawings made with Vorontsova by Pushkin’s hand, her image surpasses all others.

Elizaveta Ksaverevna Vorontsova amazed her contemporaries not only with her beauty, but also with her lively mind and good education. She was the wife of Novorossiysk Governor-General M. S. Vorontsov, under whose command was the exiled Pushkin. Their acquaintance took place in the fall of 1823. The first impressions of this acquaintance were reflected in the drawings in the margins of the first and second chapters of Eugene Onegin. This love was tragic in many ways, its significance in the spiritual and creative biography of Pushkin is extremely great.

Some researchers talk about the love “quadrangle” Pushkin - Vorontsova - Vorontsov - Alexander Raevsky. The latter was a relative of Countess Vorontsova. Having received an appointment to Odessa, Raevsky, as his own man, settled in the Vorontsovs’ house. He was passionately in love with Elizaveta Ksaveryevna, was jealous of her and once caused a public scandal. But in order to ward off the count’s suspicions, he, as contemporaries testify, used Pushkin.

Count P. Kapnist wrote in his memoirs:

Soon Pushkin felt hostility toward Vorontsov, who had recently treated him well. In March 1824, Pushkin’s famous epigram “Half Milord, Half Merchant...” The relationship between the count and the poet deteriorated more and more, but the forces were unequal. In the summer of 1824, Pushkin's southern exile was replaced by exile to the village of Mikhailovskoye.

On August 1, Pushkin was supposed to leave Odessa, exiled to Mikhailovskoye. Now that he is separated, and poems will begin to emerge that reflect the reflection of his love for E. Vorontsova, these are the lines in the famous poem “To the Sea”:

Enchanted by powerful passion,

I was left by the shores.

When Pushkin left Odessa, Vorontsova gave him a ring as a farewell gift. The poet sealed his letters with it and never took it off, calling it his talisman. Zhukovsky took it off Pushkin's dead hand. The poet refers to this ring in the poem “Keep Me, My Talisman.”

Protect me, my talisman,

Keep me in the days of persecution,

In days of repentance and excitement:

You were given to me on the day of sorrow.

When the ocean rises

The waves are roaring around me,

When the clouds burst into thunder,

Keep me safe, my talisman.

In the solitude of foreign countries,

In the bosom of boring peace,

In the anxiety of a fiery battle

Keep me safe, my talisman.

Holy sweet deception

A magical luminary of the soul...

It hid itself, changed...

Keep me safe, my talisman.

May the eternity of heart wounds

It won't spoil the memory.

Farewell, hope: sleep, desire;

Keep me safe, my talisman.

New names and new hobbies will appear in the poet’s life, but the profile of E.K. Vorontsova will appear more than once in the margins of the drafts of both 1828 and 1829. Echoes of this feeling will be heard in individual stanzas of the poem “Gypsies” and in the drama “Rusalka”, in the poem “Angel” and in the unfinished novel “Arap of Peter the Great”.

Boldinskaya in the fall of 1830, preparing for a new, family life, mentally looking back at his past, the poet said goodbye to E. Vorontsova:

Farewell

For the last time your image is cute

I dare to mentally caress,

Awaken your dream with the strength of your heart

And with bliss, timid and sad

Remember your love.

Our summers are changing,

Changing everything, changing us,

Are you for your poet?

Dressed in the twilight of the grave,

And for you your friend has faded away.

Accept it, distant friend,

My heart's farewell

As a widowed wife,

Like a friend hugging a friend in silence

Before his imprisonment.

When preparing this poem for publication in 1832, the poet designated it with the letters “K.E.W.”

Vorontsova outlived the poet by more than forty years and read his works every day until the end of her long life.

“When her vision completely failed her, she ordered them to be read aloud to herself, and in succession, so that when all the volumes ended, reading resumed from the first volume,” as P. I. Bartenev wrote about her.

There is an assumption that Elizaveta Ksaveryevna gave birth to a daughter, Sophia, from Pushkin on April 3, 1825. However, not everyone agrees with this point of view: as evidence, the words of V. F. Vyazemskaya, who lived at that time in Odessa and was the former “the only confidant of his (Pushkin’s) sorrows and a witness of his weakness,” are cited that the feeling that he had in At that time, Pushkin was “very chaste” towards Vorontsova. And it’s only serious on his part.”

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Miniature by Moritz Daffinger, 1835/1837


Birth name:	Branitskaya
Occupation:	maid of honor, lady of state
Date of Birth:
A country:	Russia
Date of death:
A place of death:
Father:	Branicki, Francis Xavier (1731-1819)
Mother:	Branitskaya, Alexandra Vasilievna (1754-1838)
Spouse:	Vorontsov, Mikhail Semenovich (1782-1856)
Children:	3 sons and 3 daughters
Awards and prizes:	Order of St. Catherine
Elizaveta Ksaverevna Vorontsova

Your Serene Highness Princess Elizaveta Ksaverevna Vorontsova, born Branitskaya(September 8, 1792, - April 15, 1880, Odessa) - lady of state, honorary trustee in the management of women's educational institutions, maid of honor, cavalry lady of the Order of St. Catherine; addressee of many poems by A. S. Pushkin; wife of Novorossiysk Governor-General M. S. Vorontsov; sister of Major General Count V. G. Branitsky.

Content

Biography
- Youth
- Marriage
Governor General's Wife
- Pushkin and Vorontsova
- Raevsky and Vorontsova
- Vorontsov and Naryshkina
Mistress of the Alupka Palace
Place of burial and fate of the body
see also
Notes
Literature
Links

Biography

Youth

The youngest child of the Polish magnate Count Xavier Branicki and the niece of His Serene Highness Prince Grigory Potemkin Alexandra Engelhardt, the family had five children, two sons and three daughters. Elizabeth spent her childhood and youth on her parents’ rich estate in Bila Tserkva.

Raising children for Alexandra Branitskaya was the main thing in life. All five received an excellent education at home and were under her care for quite a long time, especially her daughters. From her own experience, she knew that the longer the girls stayed away from the temptations of capital and court life, the better it would be for them.

In 1807, Elizabeth, together with her sister Sophia, was granted maid of honor. Soon Sophia married an officer of the Polish troops, Arthur Pototsky, while Elizabeth continued to live with her strict mother on the estate. Gustav Olizar recalled how at one time Xavier Branicki complained that there were no good suitors for his youngest daughter:

Alexandra Vasilievna was in no hurry to marry off her youngest daughter. Until the age of 26, Elizaveta lived almost constantly with her parents in Bila Tserkva, although she had been listed as a maid of honor for more than ten years. At the beginning of 1819, Countess Branitskaya and her daughter went on a long trip around Europe, primarily to Paris. This trip became decisive in her fate.

Marriage

In Paris, Elizaveta Branitskaya met 36-year-old Lieutenant General Count Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov and became his bride.

Mikhail Vorontsov, 1812/1813 Artist A. Molinari

Wigel F.F. described the story of the count’s marriage as follows:

On the pages of his diary, Mikhail Vorontsov wrote:

The wedding took place on April 20 (May 2), 1819 in Paris in the Orthodox Church, for both it was a brilliant party. Elizaveta Ksaveryevna brought her husband a huge dowry, Vorontsov’s fortune almost doubled. Alexandra Branitskaya gave all her daughters a significant dowry, so that later, according to the will, she would not divide the family estates, but would leave everything to her son Vladislav.

Elizaveta Vorontsova. Artist J. Doe, 1820

But still, not without hesitation, Count Vorontsov decided to marry the daughter of a Polish magnate; in his letter to Count Rostopchin F.V., the newlywed solemnly promised not to allow a single Pole to join him in government activities. About the relationship between Vorontsov and Countess Alexandra Branitskaya, A. Ya. Bulgakov wrote:

After the wedding, the young couple settled in Paris and led an open lifestyle there. They visited aristocratic salons, met famous European scientists, musicians, and artists. In September, the Vorontsovs left Paris and arrived in Bila Tserkva in November. Having stayed there for a short time, in December they arrived in St. Petersburg, where at the beginning of 1820 Elizaveta Ksaveryevna gave birth to a daughter, who died a few days later. K. Ya. Bulgakov wrote to his brother:

On January 31, at five o’clock, after lunch, Vorontsov’s daughter Katerina gave birth, both quickly and safely. The next day I dined with Count Mikhail Semyonovich, who was delighted; everything is going well for them... Poor Vorontsov did not enjoy the happiness of being a father for long; the child has already died. I feel sorry for Vorontsov, his wife, his old father, to whom it was written... Yesterday evening (February 3) at 6 o'clock we buried a baby in Nevsky. Pushkin, Vanisha, Loginov, Benkendorf and I went there and lowered the angel into the ground. Poor Vorontsov is extremely upset. They won’t tell his wife before ten days; It couldn't be better for her health. She was assured that she could not bring the child because it was cold in the hallway. She agreed to wait ten days. Poor mother!

In an effort to soften the bitterness of loss, the Vorontsov couple left for Moscow in June, then to Kyiv, and abroad in September. Traveling, they visited Vienna, Venice, then Milan and Verona, from Turin they came to Paris, then in mid-December to London. In June 1821, K. Ya. Bulgakov informed his brother:

In July, the Vorontsovs attended the coronation of George IV, and then went to the Countess of Pembroke at the ancient estate of Wilton House, and then to Leamington. In October 1821, the Vorontsovs returned to London, having stayed there for 15 days (it was at this time that T. Lawrence completed the portrait of M. S. Vorontsov), they went to Paris for the winter, where they stayed until mid-April 1822. In the summer, the Vorontsovs returned to Russia and settled in Belaya Tserkov, where in July Elizaveta Ksaveryevna gave birth to a son, Alexander.

Governor General's Wife

Elizaveta Ksaverevna Vorontsova, née Branitskaya

In May 1823, M. S. Vorontsov was appointed governor-general of the Novorossiysk region and the Bessarabia region, and on June 22 (July 4), 1823, Elizaveta Ksaveryevna was granted a knighthood of the lesser cross. She arrived in Odessa to join her husband on September 6, in the last months of pregnancy, and lived in the country while the city house was being rebuilt. In October she gave birth to a son, Semyon, and in December she appeared in society.

A brilliant court of Polish and Russian aristocracy developed around the Vorontsovs. Countess Elizaveta Ksaverevna loved fun. She herself and her closest friends Countess Choiseul and Olga Naryshkina participated in amateur performances and organized the most sophisticated balls in the city. Elizaveta Ksaveryevna was an excellent musician; in Odessa she had her own portable organ and was considered one of the first performers on this instrument in Russia.

Elizaveta Ksaveryevna enjoyed success with men and was always surrounded by admirers, among whom was the poet A. S. Pushkin during his southern exile (June 1823 - July 1824).

Pushkin and Vorontsova

Elizaveta Vorontsova.
Drawing by Pushkin, 1829

Count P. Kapnist wrote in his memoirs:

Soon Pushkin felt hostility toward Vorontsov, who had recently treated him well. In March 1824, Pushkin’s famous epigram “ Half my lord, half merchant...“Relations between the count and the poet deteriorated more and more, but the forces were unequal. In the summer of 1824, Pushkin's southern exile was replaced by exile to the village of Mikhailovskoye.

There is an assumption that Elizaveta Ksaveryevna gave birth to a daughter from Pushkin on April 3, 1825 Sophia. However, not everyone agrees with this point of view: as evidence, the words of V. F. Vyazemskaya, who lived at that time in Odessa and was the former “the only confidant of his (Pushkin’s) sorrows and a witness of his weakness,” are cited that the feeling that he had in At that time, Pushkin was “very chaste” towards Vorontsova. And it’s only serious on his part.”

G. P. Makogonenko, who devoted an entire section to the relationship between Pushkin and Vorontsova in the book “The Work of A. S. Pushkin in the 1830s,” came to the conclusion that the novel between Vorontsova and Pushkin was “a myth created by Pushkinists.” Biographers of N. N. Pushkina, I. Obodovskaya and M. Dementyev, believe that the poet’s wife, knowing about all his hobbies, did not attach importance, despite the fact that she was very jealous, to his relationship with Vorontsova: in 1849, having met Elizabeth Ksaveryevna at one of the social evenings, she talked warmly with her and was going to introduce her to the poet’s eldest daughter Maria. It is known that Pushkin’s wife was introduced to Vorontsova in 1832.

At the end of 1833, Elizaveta Ksaveryevna, in connection with the publication of a literary almanac in Odessa for charitable purposes, turned to Pushkin with a request to send something for publication. The poet sent her several scenes from the tragedy and a letter dated March 5, 1834:

No other letters from Vorontsova to Pushkin have survived.

The name of Elizaveta Ksaverevna appears in the Don Juan list. When Pushkin left Odessa on August 1, 1824, Vorontsova gave him a ring as a farewell gift. The poet's biographer, P.I. Bertenev, who knew Vorontsova personally, wrote that she retained warm memories of Pushkin into old age and read his works every day. The memories of her youth were connected with him.

Raevsky and Vorontsova

Alexander Raevsky, 1821

Raevsky’s romance with Elizaveta Ksaverevna had a rather long continuation. After Pushkin left Odessa, Mikhail Vorontsov’s attitude towards Alexander Raevsky remained friendly for some time. Raevsky often visited Belaya Tserkov, where Vorontsova also visited with her children. Their connection was known, and Count Vorontsov could not help but guess about it.

Raevsky managed to avert his suspicions for a while with the help of Pushkin. Perhaps Alexander Raevsky was the father of Elizaveta Ksaverevna’s daughter. Count Vorontsov knew that little Sophia not his child. In his memorial notes, written by him in French for his sister, Vorontsov lists all the dates of birth of the children, only he does not mention the birth of Sophia in 1825 in the notes.

At the beginning of 1826, Raevsky was arrested in Bila Tserkva on suspicion of involvement in the Decembrist conspiracy, but was soon released with an apology and returned to Odessa in the fall to be near his beloved. But Elizaveta Ksaverevna removed him from her. At the beginning of 1827, the Vorontsovs left for England to improve the health of Mikhail Semyonovich.

At the beginning of 1828 they returned to Odessa, Elizaveta Xaverien continued to avoid Raevsky. Raevsky began to act strangely and indulge in acts that were clearly indecent.

In June 1828, a loud scandal broke out. At this time, the Vorontsovs received Emperor Nicholas I and his wife in Odessa. The guests lived in the luxurious Vorontsov palace on Primorsky Boulevard. One day, Elizabeth Xaverien was heading to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna from her dacha. On the way, Vorontsova’s carriage was stopped by Alexander Raevsky, holding a whip in his hand, and began to speak insolently to her, and then shouted to her:

Raevsky considered three-year-old Sofia his child. The scandal was incredible. Count Vorontsov again lost his temper and, under the influence of anger, decided to take a step that was completely unheard of; he, the Governor-General of Novorossiya - as a private individual - filed a complaint with the Odessa police chief against Raevsky, who was not allowing his wife passage. But Vorontsov soon came to his senses. Realizing that an official complaint could make him ridiculous, he resorted to another means; three weeks later, the highest order was received from St. Petersburg for the immediate deportation of Raevsky to Poltava for talking against the government. So Raevsky parted with Vorontsova forever.

Vorontsov and Naryshkina

Olga Naryshkina. Artist Rizener A.F., 1820s

The story with Raevsky was discussed for a long time in the Moscow and St. Petersburg world. In December 1828, A. Ya. Bulgakov wrote to his brother:

Not everything went smoothly in the Vorontsov family life. Count Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov had a love affair with his wife’s best friend and mistress of the Crimean estate Miskhor, Olga Stanislavovna Naryshkina, née Pototskaya (1802-1861).

Sofya Naryshkina.

In the world it was believed that Vorontsov arranged the marriage of Olga Pototskaya with his cousin Lev Naryshkin in 1824 to cover up his own affair with her. Even before marriage, Olga Pototskaya had an affair with P. D. Kiselyov, who was married to her older sister Sophia. Sophia was never able to forgive the betrayal, although she continued to love her husband all her life, but lived separately from him.

Count Vorontsov not only took on many of the costs of maintaining Miskhor, but also paid Naryshkin’s gambling debts. In 1829, the Naryshkins had a long-awaited child, a girl, who was named Sophia.

Evil tongues claimed that she was the daughter of Mikhail Vorontsov. Indeed, Sofya Lvovna Naryshkina had a much greater resemblance to Vorontsov than his own children. Portraits of Olga Stanislavovna and her daughter were always kept among Vorontsov’s purely personal belongings and even stood on the desktop of the front office of the Alupka Palace.

In 1834, Pushkin wrote in his diary what he heard from the official Ya. D. Bologovsky, who came from Odessa:

Mistress of the Alupka Palace

Having assumed the post of governor, Mikhail Vorontsov begins to buy vast lands in Crimea, especially on the southern coast. By 1823, he owned estates in Martyan, Ai-Danil, and Gurzuf. In 1824, Vorontsov acquired Alupka from the Greek Colonel Revelioti and decided to make it his summer residence. The palace in Alupka, a real castle in a romantic style, its beauty and luxury of decoration, and the magnificent park that surrounded it, were remembered with delight by everyone who had ever visited here.

Elizaveta Ksaveryevna took upon herself all the worries regarding the artistic design of the palace and park. Possessing a subtle artistic taste, brought up in the bosom of one of the most beautiful parks in Europe, she tried to delve into the smallest details of the landscapes created in Alupka. Impressed by the tales of the Alhambra, she visited Spain in 1838, after which she ordered the Generalife gardens to be reproduced in Alupka.

In 1837, during a trip to the south of Russia, Nicholas I, Alexandra Fedorovna and their eldest daughter Princess Maria stayed in Alupka. During the impromptu performance, which was staged in honor of the guests, Countess Vorontsova, playing the piano, replaced the orchestra.

The life of the Vorontsovs in the palace on the seashore, according to Wiegel, could be compared with the life of a “ruling German duke.” The doors of their palace were wide open to local society, and not only representatives of the aristocracy and officials, but also foreign merchants and bankers were allowed to attend luxurious balls and receptions. With her constant friendliness, luxury of clothes and jewelry, Elizaveta Ksaveryevna overshadowed the former secular “queens” of Odessa, Countesses Guryeva and Langeron, and was for them “a sharp knife in the heart.”

There were many artists among the Vorontsov couple’s entourage. The Vorontsovs patronized the theater decorator A. Nannini, the architect G. Toricelli, the artist N. Cherentsov, C. Bossoli, I. Aivazovsky, G. Lapchenko, K. Galpern. They were trained at their own expense, sent abroad, and encouraged with orders and recommendations to others.

The Vorontsovs used every trip outside Russia to acquire new paintings, books, and archaeological rarities.

Place of burial and fate of the body

His Serene Highness Prince Vorontsov was buried in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral of Odessa “in recognition of their services to Odessa, in view of their pious lifestyle and numerous deeds of mercy.” When Elisaveta Ksaveryevna died, her body was buried next to the ashes of her husband.

In 1936, the Soviet government decided to destroy the cathedral and it was demolished. Before the explosion, the remains of the Vorontsov couple were removed from the sarcophagus by workers in the presence of police officers. The coffins were plundered as if by looters - the jewelry that the deceased was wearing and a gold-embroidered robe were stolen from E.K. Vorontsova’s coffin. As a result, only skeletons remained, which were transported to a cemetery located in a poor district of Odessa - Krasnaya Slobodka. There they were simply thrown out at the cemetery fence. Only thanks to the efforts of ordinary Odessa residents were the remains properly buried in the cemetery.

In 2005, the city authorities of Odessa decided to rebury the ashes of the Vorontsov couple in the lower church of the revived Transfiguration Cathedral, exactly under the place where the sarcophagus with the ashes of the Vorontsovs stood in the upper church. The reburial ceremony took place on November 10, 2005.

see also

Riznich, Amalia

Notes

Collection of the Imperial Russian Historical Society. Volume sixteen St. Petersburg 1887 // Alphabetical index of the names of Russian figures for the Russian biographical dictionary. In 2 parts. Part I. A-L. - M.: Aspect Press, 2003. - P. 117. - 513 p.
1 2 Danilova A. Necklace of the brightest. Nieces of Prince Potemkin. Biographical chronicles. - M., 2006. - 608 p.
Vigel F. F. Notes: In 2 books. - M.: Zakharov, 2003. - ISBN 5-8159-0092-3
Archive of Prince Vorontsov. Book 37. - M., 1891
Vorontsova Elizaveta Ksaverevna - Your Serene Highness Princess.
Russian portraits of the 18th-19th centuries. T. 2 Issue. 4. No. 171
1 2 Bulgakov brothers. Correspondence. T. 1. - M.: Zakharov, 2010. - 606 p.
Bulgakov brothers. Correspondence. T. 2. - M.: Zakharov, 2010. - 670 p.
Varvara Grigorievna Choiseul-Goffier (1802-1873) - maid of honor, daughter of Senator Prince G. S. Golitsyn; since 1822, the wife of Viscount E. O. Choiseul-Goffier (1802-1827), colonel, adjutant of Count Vorontsov. She was the niece of Elizaveta Ksaverevna Vorontsova.
The last year of Pushkin's life. - M.: Pravda, 1988. - P. 117. - 704 p.
Kapnist P.I. Works, 2 T.-M., 1901.
Myth: the relationship of A. S. Pushkin with E. K. Vorontsova and Reality: A. S. Pushkin and V. F. Vyazemskaya. Our heritage. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
Letter from V.F. Vyazemskaya to P.A. Vyazemsky TsGALI, f. 195, op. 1, No. 3275, l. 200. Vyazemskaya does not name Vorontsova directly.
1 2 Makogonenko G.P. The work of A.S. Pushkin in the 1830s /1830 - 1833/. - L.: Fiction, 1974. - P. 53-76. - 374 p.
T. G. Tsyavlovskaya. “Keep me safe, my talisman...” // Prometheus. M., 1974. P. 76.
It is assumed that it was "Rusalka". The almanac, however, was published without Pushkin's work.
A. S. Pushkin. Collected works in 10 volumes. Letters 1831-1837, T.10.- M, 1962.
When Pushkin left Odessa, you can find out from Vera Fedorovna Vyazemskaya’s letter to her husband. It was written on August 1, 1824. This letter also sheds light on his relationship with Vorontsova. " I have to start the letter with what occupies me most now - with the exile and departure of Pushkin, whom I now accompanied to the top of my huge mountain, kissed tenderly and about whom I cried as if about a brother, because in the last weeks we were with him just like brother and sister. I was the only confidant of his grief and a witness to his weakness, since he was in despair at leaving Odessa, especially because of a certain feeling that had grown in him in recent days... Be silent, although it is very chaste and serious only from his side».
Guber P. N. Don Juan list of A. S. Pushkin.-Kh.: Delta, 1993.-219 p.
Bulgakov brothers. Correspondence. T. 3. - M.: Zakharov, 2010. - 621 p.
Anastasia Mikhailovna Shcherbinina (1760 - 1831), née Dashkova, daughter of the famous Countess E.R. Dashkova; cousin of Count M.S. Vorontsov; since 1776 she has been married to Andrei Evdokimovich Shcherbinin.
Fadeeva T. M. Two Sophias and Pushkin. The origins of the inspiration of the Bakhchisarai fountain.-Simferopol, 2008.-216 p.
Pushkin A. S. Diary 1833-1835.
Alupka: Historical essays.-M., 1997.- 159 p.
Samoilov F. A. From the history of the Odessa Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior // group of authors Vorontsov collection: Collection of scientific articles / Shklyaev I. N. d. i. n.. - Odessa: Negotsiant Studio, 2009. - V. 2nd. - pp. 122 - 128. - ISBN 978-966-691-247-6.

Literature

Makogonenko G.P.. The work of A.S. Pushkin in the 1830s / 1830-1833 /. - L., 1974. - 374 p.

Partially used materials from the site http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Elizaveta Ksaverevna Vorontsova

E.K. Vorontsova.
Artist Zh.E.Telcher. 1803

Vorontsova Elizaveta Ksaverevna (1792-1880), née Branitskaya, wife of a count, later a prince (1844) M.S.Vorontsova , state lady (1838). The wedding of Eliza Branitskaya and Count Vorontsov took place in Paris in 1819. One of her earliest images dates back to this time - a portrait by M.-V. Jacotot on porcelain (National Museum, Stockholm). A.S. Pushkin met Vorontsova in Odessa at the end of 1823. The poet was deeply passionate about Vorontsova and dedicated a number of poems to her. In the manuscripts of A.S. Pushkin has preserved more than 30 drawings depicting her. One of his contemporaries describes the character and appearance of E.K. Vorontsova: “She was already over thirty years old, and she had every right to seem young... With innate frivolity and coquetry, she wanted to please, and no one was better at that than she. She was young in soul, young in appearance. there was what is called beauty; but the quick, tender gaze of her cute little eyes pierced right through; the smile of her lips, the like of which I had never seen, seemed to invite a kiss.” Indeed, Elizaveta Ksaverevna was considered one of the most charming women of her time. A.S. Pushkin dedicated poems to her: “Burnt Letter”, “Angel”, “For the last time your image is dear...”. Vorontsova became one of the prototypes for Tatyana in his novel Eugene Onegin. Elizaveta Ksaverevna traveled outside of Russia only once. She spent her childhood and youth in the village and ended up abroad only in 1819. Here she met Count M.S. Vorontsov, whom she soon married. The young couple remained in Europe for another four years and, in particular, visited England. In 1823, in connection with the appointment of Vorontsov as Novorossiysk governor-general, they returned to Russia.

Elizaveta Ksaverevna Vorontsova.

Vorontsova Elizaveta Ksaverevva (1792-1880), born Countess Branitskaya. Wife of Count M. S. Vorontsov. Pushkin met her in the fall of 1823, began to often visit the countess’s salon and fell deeply in love with her. Vorontsova is the heroine of many of Pushkin’s lyrical poems: “The Burnt Letter”, “The Desire for Glory”, “Everything as a Sacrifice to Your Memory”, “The Talisman” and others. The poet retained his feelings for her for many years.

Book materials used: Pushkin A.S. Works in 5 volumes. M., Synergy Publishing House, 1999.

Vorontsova and Pushkin

Vorontsova Elizaveta Ksaverevna (1792-1880).

Wife of M. S. Vorontsov. A contemporary wrote about Elizaveta Ksaveryevna in her youth: “I can’t find words with which I could describe the charm of Countess Vorontsova, her intelligence, her charming pleasantness in manner. Combining beauty with easy politeness, the destiny of education, high upbringing, noble, large society, the Countess is captivating for everyone...”

When, intoxicated with love and bliss,
Silently kneeling before you,
I looked at you and thought: you are mine...
When, bowing your languid gaze towards me
And quietly laying his hand on my head,
You whispered: tell me, do you love, are you happy?
Tell me, won’t you love someone else like me?
Will you never forget me, my friend?

Vorontsova showed a keen interest in Pushkin and appreciated him as an extraordinary poet. At the end of July 1824, Pushkin was expelled from Odessa to Mikhailovskoye. There were many reasons for this: the wounded pride of Vorontsov, the husband and boss, also played a certain role. During these days, A. N. Raevsky wrote to Pushkin about Vorontsova: “She took a lively part in your misfortune; She instructed me to tell you about this, I am writing to you with her consent. Her gentle and kind soul sees only the injustice of which you have become a victim.”

In Mikhailovskoye, Pushkin received letters from Vorontsova and, at her request, destroyed them after reading them.

Farewell letter of love, farewell! She ordered...
How long did I hesitate, how long did I not want to
Hand consign all my joys to fire!..
But it’s complete, the hour has come: burn, a letter of love.
I'm ready; My soul listens to nothing.
The greedy flame is already accepting your sheets...
Just a minute!., they burst into flames! blazing... light smoke,
Wandering, lost with my prayer.
Having already lost the impression of the faithful ring,
The melted sealing wax is boiling... Oh providence!
It's finished! Dark sheets curled up;
On the light ashes are their cherished features
They turn white... My chest feels tight. Dear ashes,
Poor joy in my sad fate,
Stay forever with me on my sorrowful chest...

For many years (1823-1829) Pushkin painted portraits of Vorontsova in the margins of his manuscripts.

The masterpieces of his lyrics “Burnt Letter”, “Keep Me, My Talisman...”, “Talisman”, “All as a sacrifice to your memory...” and others are addressed to her. Vorontsova died at a very old age and until the end of her days she retained memories of Pushkin that were dear to her heart. When she lost her sight, the poet's works were read to her every day. “She herself was gifted with a subtle artistic feeling and could not forget the charms of Pushkin’s conversation. The memories of her youth were connected with him.”

L.A. Chereisky. Contemporaries of Pushkin. Documentary essays. M., 1999, p. 139-140.

Elizaveta Ksaverevna Vorontsova, née Brannitskaya, wife of the Governor-General of the Novorossiysk Territory and Governor of Bessarabia, Field Marshal General, participant in the War of 1812, appeared in Odessa two months after Pushkin. She was 31 years old, but hardly anyone would have given her those years. Pretty, youthful, sophisticated...

At this time, she was in an “interesting position”; she did not appear in public or in society, and therefore the poet did not discover the “beautiful Pole” immediately, only two months after giving birth. Later they saw each other quite often, at receptions hosted by Elizaveta Ksaveryevna, in the theater, and at Langeron’s balls.

Her father was the great crown hetman Count Ksaviry Petrovich Brannitsky, a Pole, a supporter of Russia, the owner of the large estate Belaya Tserkov in the Kyiv province. Mother, Alexandra Vasilievna, née Engelhardt, Russian, was Potemkin’s favorite niece, in her youth she was known as a beauty and an immensely rich heiress. She couldn’t even accurately indicate the size of her fortune and in conversation casually threw out: “It seems that I have twenty-eight million rubles.”

There was no spiritual closeness between the daughter and mother. Elizaveta was raised with exceptional severity; she lived in the village until she was twenty-seven years old, and only in 1819 did she go on her first trip abroad, during which she met Count Vorontsov in Paris and married him. So social and love experience was unfamiliar to this pretty young lady.

Meanwhile, the innate Polish frivolity and grace, exceptional femininity allowed her to turn the head of Emperor Nicholas, a great hunter of women, but she “out of pride or out of calculation dared to slip out of the hands of the king,” which was usually not possible for inexperienced court ladies, “and this is unusual behavior brought her fame" in secular circles.

Her passionate and easy nature, apparently, was difficult to combine with the character of her husband, and it was difficult to be in love with the count. He, brought up in England almost until the age of 20, had “the whole English fold, and he spoke the same way through his teeth,” he was just as restrained and impeccable in his external techniques, just as proud, cold and powerful in foro interno (before his subordinates), like any of the sons of aristocratic Britain...

“She was already over thirty years old,” recalls Vigel, “and she had the right to seem like the youngest. With innate Polish frivolity and coquetry, she wanted to please, and no one succeeded in doing this better than her. She was young in soul, young in appearance. She did not have what is called beauty; but the quick, tender gaze of her cute little eyes pierced right through; the smile of her lips, the likes of which I have never seen, seemed to invite kisses.” The Countess turned many heads, and she seemed to enjoy it.

A brilliant court of Polish and Russian aristocracy developed around the Vorontsovs. Countess Elizaveta Ksaverevna loved fun. She herself and her closest friend Choiseul participated in amateur performances, organized the most sophisticated balls in the city. Eliza, as many called her, was an excellent musician, which, however, was not uncommon in those days.

Count, and later Prince Vorontsov, a statesman and somewhat vain, broad-minded Anglomaniac, gathered his own society, in which state, political and court affairs were discussed, visiting philosophers or charlatans reigned, and in any case, poetry was not read. “Like all people with a practical mind, the count valued poetry very little; the genius of Byron himself seemed insignificant to him, and the Russian poet in his eyes stood hardly higher than the Laplander.”

At first, he received Pushkin very kindly, allowed him to use his most valuable library, the archives stored in it (in particular, A.N. Radishchev), kindly provided him with the opportunity to get acquainted with new book releases that arrived in Odessa almost earlier than in St. Petersburg. But it was all somewhat dry and boringly clever.

It’s much more pleasant in the countess’s salon, she is more kind and friendly, she is witty and plays music beautifully, there is something about her that attracts and promises... She is not without a literary gift, and her style and conversation enchant everyone around her... She is with Pushkin in some kind of verbal rivalry, and an internal connection arises between them. The Countess lacks real passion; she seems to be running away from secret meetings and at the same time preparing for them.

Undoubtedly, the magnetism of her quiet, enchanting voice, the courtesy of her enveloping sweet conversation, the slender figure and proud aristocratic posture, the whiteness of her shoulders, rivaling the radiance of her beloved pearls - however, thousands of other elusive details of deep beauty captivate the poet and many surrounding men.

“The legends of that era mention a woman, superior to all others in power, with whom she controlled the thoughts and existence of the poet. Pushkin does not mention it anywhere, as if wanting to keep the secret of this love for himself alone. It is revealed in him only by numerous profiles of a beautiful female head of a calm, noble, stately type, which appear in almost all of his papers from the Odessa period of his life,” they write about this period of the poet’s life. This profile will haunt him for a long time... Up to thirty images of E.K. were found in manuscripts from 1823 to 1829. Vorontsova.

But Pushkin wrote in 1824:

My words, my tunes, with their insidious power, were sometimes able to subdue in the heart of a maiden the excitement of fear and shame...

And then on the eve of love:

I recognize these signs, these harbingers of love...

The name of Vorontsova is associated with such poems by Pushkin as “The Desire for Glory”, “The stormy day has gone out; stormy night haze...", "Burnt Letter", "Talisman", "Farewell" and some others.

The more the poet’s passion for the Odessa beauty queen inflames, the more his relationship with her husband cools, to say the least. Their mutual hostility grows. One of his most evil epigrams appears: “Half my lord, half merchant...”

It was not possible to hide the epigram from society, and Eliza decided to take offense and show the proud contempt of the queen of society. When Vorontsova went on a yacht in a large society from Odessa to the Crimea, to Gurzuf, Pushkin, who hoped to go with them, now could not count on an invitation. And Eliza became incredibly bored in Crimea without his witticisms and courtship, without his light ironic conversation and passionate touches, without his notes and poetic impromptu. She returned ahead of time; instead of the expected two months, she spent one and a half months in Crimea, leaving the guests with her husband.

Only Princess Vera Vyazemskaya, with whom Pushkin was very friendly, knew about the meetings between Vorontsova and Pushkin, or maybe she didn’t know, but only guessed. And suddenly some harbingers of trouble appear. Vorontsov sent an order from Simferopol to the mayor of Odessa - to announce to Pushkin the highest order to exclude him from the list of officials of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs and send him immediately to live in the Pskov province. Everything is over.

As a farewell, Eliza gives him a talisman - a carnelian ring with a mysterious Hebrew inscription carved on the stone. Pushkin vowed never to part with him, and fulfills his vow. Until the very end of his days, Pushkin did not part with the ring. And he goes to the duel with the talisman. Zhukovsky will take it off the poet’s already dead hand. Eliza leaves the same ring for herself. Later, in Mikhailovsky, Pushkin would receive letters sealed with the same ring.

On September 5, Pushkin received a letter from her, decorated with a monogram and seal, with a request and entreaty to destroy the letter. Pushkin did not mention the contents of the letter to anyone. I only let it slip in poetry - I wrote down the poem “To the Baby.” Everything crossed out, redone, it was read much later:

Farewell, child, of my love. I won't tell you the reason.

And the child appeared exactly 9 months after the hot July, on April 3, 1825. Eliza gave birth to a daughter, Sophia, who differed from all the other fair-skinned and fair-haired members of the Vorontsov family in her dark complexion and liveliness of nature. For those who guessed about the novel, her sweet dark complexion was probably not a mystery. The poet, having received this letter in October, will not say a word about it. Only in poetry...

And also in “The Arab of Peter the Great” - there will be a touching story about a dark-skinned baby and the countess’s secret passion for the Arab, which in fact did not happen in the historical details of the Arab’s life. And only then, apparently, does he confess to his Natalie before the wedding, so that there are no omissions between them, and she will pass this on to her children in old age, keeping in the family the legend about her father’s illegitimate child from Vorontsova. But maybe this is just a guess...

In the late autumn of 1827, Prince Vorontsov and his wife arrived in St. Petersburg from England. Having learned about her arrival, Pushkin immediately writes a jubilant love dithyramb, a kind of antithesis to his previous “Talisman”:

There the sorceress, caressing me, handed me a talisman. And caressing her, she said: “Keep my talisman: It has a mysterious power! It was given to you by love. . . . . . . . . . . . Dear friend! from crime, From new heart wounds, From betrayal, from oblivion My talisman will save!

And then there were several secret meetings, several notes, a basket of flowers, an English store with separate offices and access to another street... She could trust Pushkin, he, despite his passionate and somewhat eccentric character, despite his openness and, at times, bravado in front of friends about their heartfelt victories, never, ever, betrayed their secret to anyone, did not discredit or betray her feelings. All that remained were the poems, behind which one could guess the various stages of their relationship and her image...

Her destiny as a woman seemed to force her to pay for the misfortune of loving. By 1828, the Vorontsovs’ two children had already died. Alexander's father's favorite will die in 1830 at the age of nine. Three will remain, daughter Sophia, perhaps the fruit of secret love, and two sons, Mikhail and Semyon. The prince periodically, in order to distract his wife, took her to England, to his sister Lady Pembroke.

In the summer of 1832, Vorontsova was returning from England to Odessa. On the way, she again stopped for two weeks in St. Petersburg. It was then, at one of the evenings, that she suddenly saw Pushkin’s wife. Having difficulty coping with her excitement, Eliza was amazed by Natalie's blossoming beauty. Probably, thoughts about her own age tormented the princess; she was already forty... She may still be as pretty, but Natalie is so fresh with her youthful charm...

In 1837, Emperor Nicholas I, the empress, heir, and future Alexander II came to Odessa. They stayed at Vorontsov's palace. In honor of the sovereign, a brilliant ball was given in the Exchange building. The Empress shone in a crimson crepe dress, the front of which was covered with diamond chatons. She was sitting in a boudoir specially decorated with Turkish shawls.

Next to her, like a precious cameo, in a white velvet dress, sat Elizaveta Ksaveryevna on the sofa. She was well aware that her complexion, noble pallor, Greek profile, and extraordinary hairstyle, created that morning by the French hairdresser Leonard, would attract the attention of the capital's public.

All the most refined, artistic, poetic and musical things resonated with the subtle nature of Elizaveta Vorontsova. And even at 60, according to Sollogub, she could turn men’s heads: “Short in stature, with somewhat large and irregular features, Princess Elizaveta Ksaveryevna was, nevertheless, one of the most attractive women of her time. Her whole being was imbued with such soft, charming, feminine grace, such friendliness, such strict panache that it is easy to explain to yourself how people like Pushkin, and many, many others, fell madly in love with Princess Vorontsova.”

She took an active part in the artistic life of Odessa, in the Odessa Society of Fine Arts, created in 1865, which united artists and musicians, especially in its music department. All this happened after the death of her husband, who died in 1856.

Once, when Vorontsova was sorting out her correspondence in her old age, she came across a bunch of letters from Pushkin. The housekeeper who was present managed to read only one French phrase over her shoulder: “What is your idiot husband doing?” Neither Pushkin nor her husband were alive for a long time...

“To the end of her long life, Vorontsova retained warm memories of Pushkin and read his works every day. When her vision completely failed her, she ordered them to be read aloud to herself, and in a row, so that when all the volumes ended, reading resumed from the first volume. She herself was gifted with a subtle artistic feeling and could not forget the charms of Pushkin’s conversation. The memories of her youth were connected with him,” - this is evidence and her attitude towards the poet.