Ancestors, contemporaries, descendants

To the history of the family of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov 1 The Brianchaninovs belonged to that middle Russian nobility, through whose labors over the centuries the great state that bore the name of the Russian Empire was assembled, settled, and created. The tree of the Bryanchaninov family consists of several highly branched trunks. Various sources reduce all the trunks to one ancestor, the famous boyar of the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, Mikhail Andreevich Brenko. Ivan Afanasyevich Brianchaninov also began his genealogy with him, who did this in the last quarter of the 18th century. a huge amount of work to restore the chain of names of its kind. Mikhail Andreevich Brenko was also considered their ancestor by representatives of another famous family - the Chelishchevs. According to their family legend, Mikhail Andreevich’s ancestor was the great-grandson of Otto, Elector of Luneburg, Wilhelm of Luneburg. In the appendix to the coat of arms of the Chelishchevs the following is written about this: “In the summer of 6745 (1237) to Prince Alexander Nevsky at the Nevsky Battle, an honest man came from the German regiments to serve from the Luneburg land from the generation of King Otto, with the name Wilhelm and, having served a little in Lithuania, came to Veliky Novgorod and was baptized, and in baptism the name was given to him Leonty. ...The great-great-grandson of this Leonty, Mikhailo Andreevich Brenko, was a boyar for Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich.” If this message is true, then we can say that the Bryanchaninovs retained several drops of the blood of the German emperors in the offspring of Mikhail Andreevich. However, the legend is dark. One of the commentators on the genealogy of the Chelishchevs cites the following entry from a document stored in the Moscow Archive of Foreign Affairs: “Andrei Maksimovich Brenko left the Semigrad land for the Grand Duke Ivan Danilovich, Kalita, and he, Grand Duke Ivan Danilovich, baptized him and married him to the Ugletskys” (that is, to Princess Ugletskaya). This news seems more reliable, since in the 14th century, during the reign of Ivan Danilovich Kalita, his sons, Simeon and Ivan, and grandson Dmitry Ivanovich, Moscow attracted numerous immigrants from other Russian lands and from abroad. It was at this time that the founders of a number of famous families left for Moscow. As a rule, these were extraordinary people, Moscow accepted them “in love”, giving each honor according to their merits. The word “honor” then meant not only honor and material benefits, but also a position at court, which these people could count on for their service. By giving honor, the princes could enter into kinship with them, as happened with the father of Mikhail Andreevich Brenko, whom the prince “married to the Ugletskys.” The sons and grandsons of such immigrants from other lands joined the Moscow boyars, forming a strong core on which the princely power rested. Together with the oldest Moscow boyars, they became advisers to the prince, assistants in managing the principality, organizers of military forces, and commanders in battle. Among such boyars under Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich was Mikhail Andreevich Brenko. Chronicle sources are generally very stingy with the characteristics of individual characters of the era. Only from the legends about the Battle of Kulikovo can one learn that Mikhail Andreevich occupied a special position under Dmitry Ivanovich, since the Grand Duke loved him beyond measure. Out of love there was also an honor given to him... On the morning before the battle, the Grand Duke toured the regiments for the last time, urging the soldiers to fight without fear of death. “Having strengthened the regiments, (the prince) returned again under his black banner and got off his horse, and sat on another horse, and threw off the royal clothes, and put on another one. He gave his former horse to Mikhail Andreevich Brenk and put those clothes on him, for he loved him beyond measure, and he ordered his squire to hold his squire over Brenk.” Dmitry Ivanovich knew that during the battle, opponents would strive to reach and overturn the main banner, and kill him or capture him. He also knew that his death would have made the most disastrous impression on the army. By leaving a double with the banner, he could more safely fulfill his role as commander-in-chief and travel to hot spots, inspiring soldiers with his presence. The Nikon Chronicle reports that the Tatars paid the main attention to Brenko, and in the end “the great banner of the Grand Duke was cut down and his beloved confidant, Mikhail Andreevich Brenko, was killed.” Mikhail Andreevich died a hero's death on the Kulikovo Field. His descendants continued to serve the state. After his son Ivan, the Brianchaninovs' genealogy names his grandson Ignat, the first who began to write as Brencheninov, then the great-grandson of Sophrony and the great-great-grandson of Vasily. The names of the latter's sons, Boris and Maxim, are also preserved in the patronymics of their sons, about whom there is already direct information in various archival sources. The earliest mentions of the Bryanchaninovs, known from documents, date back to 1551, when Afanasy Ivanovich Bryanchaninov participated in the Polotsk campaign, and to 1592, when Grigory Bryanchaninov was a bailiff for the Persian ambassador. But the names of these Brianchaninovs are not in the genealogy; obviously, they belonged to dried up lines. The first news about the Bryanchaninovs, placed in the family tree, is in the materials of the Local Order for the Vologda Uyezd published by V.N. Storozhev and dates back to the beginning of the 17th century. The oldest person among them was “Kirill, nicknamed Lyubach, Borisov, the son of the Brenchenins.” Kirill Borisovich, just like his father and grandfather, like his brothers, sons and grandchildren, belonged to the class of service people - nobles. The duty of service people was to perform military service. The service began at the age of 15 and continued throughout his life. Only frail old age and illness, which made a person incapable of service, were exempt from it. For their service, the government awarded (compensated) serving people with a land salary. Its dimensions were different and depended on military rank, length of service, zeal, courage, and wounds received in war. By providing service people with a land salary, the government often left them to find free land on the estate themselves. From here two concepts emerged: salary and dacha. Salary is what the services of a person were nominally valued at; dacha - how much was actually given to him. The government, as it progressed in service, increased the land salary, and transferred part of the estate to the estate. But it could also deprive the estate for failure to appear on time, negligence, or a crime. Therefore, the size of the land salary, to a certain extent, was, as it were, a service characteristic of a person if other information about the service was absent. Documents relating to land salaries and the actual possessions of service people - letters of import for estates, petitions in controversial cases and verdicts on them - were concentrated in the Local Order. The publication of V. N. Storozhev’s materials from the Local Order for the Vologda Uyezd should be considered a great success for studying the genealogy of the Brianchaninovs, since they contain information about their official position, family ties, relationships, the history of their possessions, etc. All the Bryanchaninovs discussed in the materials had the fate to participate in the most difficult events of Russian history during the Time of Troubles and the first decades after it. So, about “Kirill, nicknamed Lyubach, Boris’s son Brencheninov” we learn that in 1613 and 1615 he received from Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich an addition to the estate “for the Moscow parish,” in other words, this means that Lyubach Borisovich participated in the Nizhny Novgorod militia of Minin and Pozharsky. Vologda residents, as you know, were among the first to respond to the call of Nizhny Novgorod residents to go save Moscow. Using the example of Lyubach Borisovich, one can judge the attitude of service people to their duty. At that time he was a very elderly man: if we take into account the age of his sons, at that time he was already over 60 years old. In 1615, Lyubach Borisovich re-registered the lands in the Vologda district. His salary was 500 quarters, and his estate was 157 quarters. He died in 1617. Lyubach Borisovich was married twice. From his first wife he had three sons: Peter, Ivan and Boris. His second wife was Irina Petrovna Ushatova, from her he had a son, Vladimir (born in 1615) and daughters, Ponaritsa (died in infancy) and Marfina. The main source of information about the eldest son of Lyubach Borisovich, Pyotr Kirillovich Brianchaninov, are petitions to the Emperor in connection with the division of the estate between him and his stepson Matvey Besedny. From the extract from the Vologda scribal book made to clarify the issue, “letters and measures of F.I. Izmailov and clerk M. Bukharov of 1620 on the estate of Pyotr Kirillovich Brianchaninov,” it is clear that, in addition to the disputed estate, “behind him, for Peter, not measured, written in separate books, under the signature of clerk Luka Efimiev, 84th year (1576) - the village of Orefino on the river on Lukhta, and in it there were peasants: in the yard of Titko Garasimov, in the yard of Vaska Garasimov, the yard is empty Istomki Kondratiev, went unknown..., for Peter, according to the import document, with the signature of clerk Ivan Efanov in the 118th year (1609), and the arable land in the document was written according to Scribe books of Prince Ofonasy Vyazemsky from the 93rd year (1585).” Thus, it turns out that Pyotr Kirillovich received awards not only from Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, but also earlier ones, dating back to the turn of the 16th–17th centuries. The controversial case ended in 1627 with an amicable agreement between the disputants, approved by the Emperor. By this time, the salary assigned to Pyotr Kirillovich was 550 people, and there were 213 people in the dachas. He died around 1630. From the same petitions you can find out that Pyotr Kirillovich married late, in 1611, to the widow “Ivanov’s wife, Bekhteyar’s son Besedny, Anna, Grigoriev’s daughter,” and they had three sons: Vasily, Moses and Semyon. All three were killed in 1660 during the Second Polish War under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in the battle of Chudnov (Volynsky). Moreover, Vasily and Semyon each had one son left, and Moses, apparently, did not have time to get married. The last of the descendants of Pyotr Kirillovich was his great-grandson Vasily. About the second son of Lyubach Borisovich, Ivan Lyubachov's son Bryanchaninov, it is known that he “was near Smolensk,” that is, he participated in the heroic 20-month defense of Smolensk from Polish invaders in 1609–1611. and in subsequent battles around it, in which troops from servicemen elected from different cities played a large role. In 1622, “for the courage shown in the battle against the Lithuanian king... who stood near Moscow in 127 (1618) with Polish, Lithuanian, German people and from Cherkasy,” he was given an estate with his local salary of 350 quarters in the Vologda district of the Komel volost. Here we were talking about a new attempt by the Polish prince Vladislav to seize the Moscow crown. In 1618, he approached the capital, but after an unsuccessful assault he was forced to conclude a truce and return to Poland. On January 24, 1641, Ivan Kirillovich received a new charter for this estate to replace the one that burned down in 1639. At this time his salary was already 500 quarters. The last time his name was mentioned was in a peasant petition in 1654. He was married to Marfa, and they had two sons: Gerasim and Denis. The second died in 1656 near Kovno. And it is known about Gerasim Ivanovich that in 1662 he was the Poshekhonsky governor. In 1686, his name was mentioned in a petition from peasants from his estate to Archbishop Gabriel, in which they asked to send them a new priest instead of the previous one, “who had moved away unknown.” Gerasim Ivanovich had five sons, of whom Matvey is recorded as a tenant, and Fyodor in 1672 was the half-head of the Moscow archers, and in 1704 - the Romanov governor. The last descendant of Ivan Kirillovich was his great-grandson Dmitry Matveevich - sergeant in 1782. The third son of Lyubach Borisovich, Boris, will become the progenitor of the three most famous lines of the Bryanchaninovs; we will talk about him further. And the fourth son, Vladimir, died in 1639, without having time to prove himself and leaving no offspring. About Lyubach Borisovich's cousins, Vasily and Ivan Maksimovich Brianchaninovs, is known only from the materials of the Local Order: neither they themselves nor their descendants are named in the Brianchaninovs' genealogical lists. This is explained by the fact that by the time the paintings were submitted at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries. this branch of the family has already died out. But in the 17th century. they participated in public life no less actively than the sons and grandsons of Kirill Lyubach Borisovich. Nothing is known about Vasily Maksimovich’s military service in the 16th century. But already in his declining years, in 1617, he was a watchman in the Syamskaya volost, and in 1623 he was a census taker for households and shops in Vologda. It can be assumed that he was a literate and respected person if he was entrusted with a responsible matter, the decree of which read as follows: “To the scribes, according to this sovereign order, in Vologda, in Posad and in settlements, Posatsk living tax and non-tax yards, and courtyard places, and vegetable gardens, and benches, and onbars, and benches, and shelashi, and forges describe and find the truth about all sorts of lands, according to the sovereign's kiss on the cross; do not write down living households in vain, and from any quitrent plots do not add up any of the sovereign's revenues for business purposes, and do not make promises and commemorations from the landowners and all sorts of people, do not have anything to do with anyone, and do not add anything extra to the dues for any business, and do not add anything extra to the sovereign's letter and quitrents, and seek profit in everything for the sovereign, as if it were the sovereign's treasury more profitable, and it would be possible for the townspeople to pay the sovereign's taxes in advance. And keep the scribe’s books behind your seals for safekeeping.” Vasily Maksimovich also had to be a witness in controversial cases. So, in 1630, during the interrogation and confrontation of the widow of his cousin Lyubach Borisovich, Irina Petrovna, with her stepson, the boyar’s son Boris, Irina Petrovna “is sent from the guilty to that estate to the uncle of cousin Boris, to Vasily Maximov’s son Brianchaninov.” In the same year, Vasily Maksimovich, together with his son, prisoner Fyodor Vasilyevich, witnessed the recording of Elizary Denis’s son Besedny: “And on the original recording, the hand of the prisoner Fyodor Brianchaninov writes back, ... and in the back writes: Vasily Brianchaninov had a hand.” In the petitions of relatives from 1617–1630. Vasily Maksimovich's own nephew, Voin Ivanovich, is also mentioned, about whom it is known that he owned estates even before 1613, that in 1615 he received an addition to them from Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich and that by 1620 his salary was 300 chety, and in his dachas there were 100 chety. In the Scribe Book of the city of Vologda for 1629 it also appears: “The yard is empty of Warrior Ivanov’s son Brianchaninov, 10 fathoms long, the same across.” Vasily Maksimovich Bryanchaninov had six sons, which can be learned from petitions to the Emperor, in connection with their dispute over estates with the Oleshev brothers. The case began in 1621, when Shestunka Oleshev accused the Bryanchaninovs’ elder brother, a tenant of Pyotr Vasilyevich, of illegally seizing part of his estate. In his response petition, Pyotr Vasilyevich writes that his salary is 450 chety, and the estates in Vologda and Beleozero - 113 chety, “and 337 chety did not reach his salary.” He asks him to welcome, “tell him to that non-revenue date in Vologda in the Komel volost from the netchiks from Semenov, and from Borisov, and from the Ignatiev estate of the Grigoriev children of the Oleshovs, the village of Krivudino and the wasteland of Oblubki...” He justifies his request by the fact that “Semyon Oleshov, according to the letters of the governor of Prince D. M. Cherkaskov, in the neth from near Smolensk of the past December 122 (1613) on 21 days, but it is not written whether he escaped or not.” Meanwhile, in the “sentence” on the punishment of such “netchiki” it is stated: “who were Moscow nobles, and tenants, and nobles, and boyar children of the rose cities near Smolensk, and take half of those estates... and who, having been, ran away, and take a third of those estates and distribute them irrevocably.” To sort out the mutual accusations, the Sixth Oleshev and Pyotr Vasilyevich Bryanchaninov were assigned a confrontation, to which Pyotr Vasilyevich presented “Written Speeches”, which he himself had read. It is noteworthy how competently and clearly the essence of the matter is stated in them: “... And he is the Sixth now at the age of 50, and in the sovereign’s service he did not show up anywhere, and before the selection and the cross-country salary he did not set out, but he owns his share of the estate, which he inherited after his father, and now; and in his petition he wrote inappropriately, wanting to make us non-servants for the sovereign, the same as himself,” at the end it is added: “Peter Brianchaninov gave these speeches at the confrontation, and said that these speeches were written by the hand of Peter.” This matter was decided in favor of Pyotr Vasilyevich; the village of Krivudino (Krivodino) mentioned in his petition was in the possession of the Bryanchaninovs until 1917. By the end of his life, Pyotr Vasilyevich had 450 people in salary and 310 people in his dachas. From the Scribe Book for the city of Vologda it is also clear that “Peter Vasilyevich Bryanchaninov had a courtyard 16 fathoms long, 10 fathoms and half a fathom, behind the cathedral church towards the Ilyinsky Gate.” In 1629, Pyotr Vasilyevich died. After his death, Shestunka Oleshev began litigation again. But here, with a petition dated January 14, 1630, Peter Vasilyevich’s placeless brothers spoke out against him: Fyodor, Boris, Bogdan and Semyon - Vasily’s children, and on March 15, 1630, their youngest brother, Ivan, also turned to the Tsar, asking to give him the Knyaginino wasteland: “and that Knyaginino wasteland is related to my dear brother Peter.” This case was also decided in favor of the Bryanchaninovs - the widow of Pyotr Vasilyevich Mavritsa with children Konstantin and Marya and his brothers. At least three brothers of Pyotr Vasilyevich survived him by many years. Thus, Fyodor and Semyon Vasilyevich were engaged in the exchange of their estates with their cousins ​​back in 1663. And it is known about Bogdan Vasilyevich from the petition of his wife Avdotya Mikhailovna that he died in 1657. However, nothing is known about the offspring of Pyotr Vasilyevich’s five brothers. His own son, Konstantin Petrovich Brianchaninov (b. 1620) was a governor in Likhvin in 1664 and died around 1670, leaving behind three children: Peter, Arina and young Stepan. However, by 1682, of the two sons, only Stepan remained alive, who died around 1700 without issue. Thus, in the seventh generation from the ancestor Mikhail Andreevich Brenko, out of twelve Bryanchaninovs - full, first and second cousins ​​- as a result of military losses, eleven either had no offspring at all, or it died out in the third and only in two cases - in the fourth generation. Of the twelve, only one, Boris Kirillovich, will continue the family line. Thanks to his offspring, the Bryanchaninov family will again grow into a branchy tree, which has given the state many useful figures. Boris Kirillovich was born at the end of the 16th century and died in 1676. Having entered service at the age of 15, he immediately found himself “near Smolensk,” where heavy fighting took place. There was no news of his further military service. It is only known that in 1626 his salary was 350 rubles. This year he decided to separate from his stepmother Irina Petrovna and brother Volodymyr and filed a petition in which he wrote that “he has no estate; but in other cities they will not give him estates and he will not be allowed into the mine.” That is, he refers to the established procedure, according to which he, as a Vologda resident, could only be given an estate in the Vologda region. Moreover, in order to find an estate, he had to obtain preliminary permission, which was called “put into the mine.” In 1639, his salary was already 400 rubles. Boris Kirillovich was married twice. The first wife was N.N. Gnevasheva, and they had no children; second wife Marfa Mikhailovna Shenurova, they had (who survived to adulthood) seven sons and three daughters. Of the daughters - the first was Grigory Grigorievich Monastyrev, died shortly after the wedding; the second, Marya - in Vlasev’s first marriage, Volotskaya in the second; the third - Fedora - in 1671 the brothers married Mikhail Grigorievich Shubin. The eldest sons of Boris Kirillovich - Semyon, Fedor and Peter - died, just like their three cousins, in 1660 near Chudnov. Moreover, Semyon and Fedor had two sons by that time. Their last known descendants were two great-grandsons of Boris Kirillovich, Grigory and Alexander Nikitichi. The surviving sons of Boris Kirillovich are Afanasy, Vasily, Ivan and Mikhail. Of the middle sons, Vasily Borisovich had eight sons; his last known descendant was his great-grandson, Nikolai Ivanovich Bryanchaninov, who died on September 5, 1848. In the Vologda Provincial Gazette, an extensive obituary was dedicated to him: “His service began in 1786. He devoted the years of his blossoming youth to military service in the grenadier regiments. From December 20, 1806 to May 31, 1808, he was a company commander in the Zemstvo police, for which he was awarded a Gold Medal. Since 1811, he served in elections from the nobility, was elected for seven three-year terms as the Provincial Leader of the Nobility, and the seventh three-year period was the last for his service and life. He was awarded the following orders: St. Anne 2nd Art. and St. Vladimir 4th century. and 3 tbsp., and also had the insignia of impeccable service for 35 years. He died quietly and went to the upper monastery to meet there with his wife Maria Fedorovna, who died about two years ago.” The second, middle, son, Ivan Borisovich, had two sons, of whom Kiryan died without issue, and Mikhail, in turn, had five sons, two of whom served in the navy; but Ivan Borisovich’s offspring ended with his grandchildren. As for Afanasy Borisovich and Mikhail Borisovich, they were destined to become the ancestors of the most famous from the 18th century. Brianchaninov lines. Having separated in the first half of the 17th century, their descendants, by the will of fate, would unite again at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries. and as a result of their union, one will appear who will glorify the Brianchaninov family for all times to come. The first mention of Afanasy Borisovich Bryanchaninov dates back to 1659, when, as a tenant, by order of the Sovereign, he “fed” the Georgian Tsarevich Nikolai Davidovich. In 1660, the year of the death of his brothers, he was already a solicitor; in 1679 - Galich voivode. On February 19, 1682, he filed a petition for his release from Kazan to Moscow due to illness, due to which he was released from the voivodeship. At the end of 1666, Afanasy Borisovich married Alexandra Perelishina, and they had one son, Ivan, who lived to adulthood. Dating back to 1676, Vasily, Ivan and Mikhail Borisov, the children of the Bryanchaninovs, wrote separately to their brother Afanasy about the division of their father’s honored estate, according to which Afanasy Borisovich, among other properties, received the village of Yurovo, which remained with his descendants until 1917. Afanasy Borisovich is the only one of the Bryanchaninovs XVII century, after which a large number of sales and exchange records remained for the period from 1663 and almost until the end of his life, that is, already in those days he was actively engaged in putting his estate in order, increasing it, rounding the borders, etc. By the end of his life, he was already one of the wealthiest landowners assigned to Vologda. He died in 1704 and all his estate passed to his son Ivan (b. 1668/69 - sk. 1710), about whom it is only known that in 1694 he was granted a stolnik and that in 1693 he married Avdotya Vasilyevna Poskochina. They had three sons: Peter, Fyodor and Avram, but only the middle son survived his father: “in 717, on January 4, the widow Avdotya Vasilyeva, daughter Ivanovskaya, the wife of Afanasy’s son Brianchaninov, with her son Fyodor in the last year of 710, was beaten. By the will of God, her husband Ivan passed away, and after him she was left with her son Fyodor...” The service of Fyodor Ivanovich (d. 1767) is evidenced by two of his patents located in the archives of the Heraldry. The first is from Peter II: on November 13, 1727, Life Guards Corporal Fyodor Brianchaninov was transferred to ensign; the second - from Anna Ioannovna: on September 5, 1736, he was appointed regimental quartermaster. He rose to the rank of collegiate assessor. Fyodor Ivanovich was married to Nastasya Ivanovna. Their children: Matvey, Alexander, Izosim and Irina. From the two eldest sons came two branches of the Bryanchaninovs, the youngest died young, and the daughter married Alexander Fedorovich Khvostov. There is a dark spot on the name of Matvey Fedorovich Brianchaninov (born 1770). In all genealogical paintings, he is spoken of only indirectly. For example, in a separate deed of his estate dated 1767, it is written: his brother Alexander Fedorovich “with his daughter-in-law, Anna Vasilyeva’s daughter (sometimes Vlaseva’s daughter), the wife of the former Chief Secretary of the Governing Senate Matvey Fedorov’s son, and his nephews of the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment, Sergeant Afanasy and the undergrown Fedor Matveyev’s children...” Why Matvey Fedorovich was written as a former Chief Secretary of the Senate, this can be learned from the following extract from the file stored in the Archive of Ancient Acts: “Former Chief Secretary of the Senate Matvey Brianchaninov in the case of the late Count Alexei Petrovich Bestuzhev-Ryumin. In 1762 concealment of things. It was determined: Brianchaninov should be deprived of his ranks, taken to the square in front of the Senate with the inscription on his chest: “criminal and bribe-taker” and placed at a post for a quarter of an hour, then imprisoned for six months and henceforth not allowed to participate in any state affairs or service, neither in the people’s business nor in the particular. Brianchaninov’s estate is divided according to the law between his wife and children” 3. Thus, the case, apparently, was connected with the property of the chancellor, Count Alexei Petrovich Bestuzhev-Ryumin, who was convicted as a result of political intrigues under Elizaveta Petrovna in 1757 and restored to all rights by Catherine II in 1762. If the conviction of Matvey Fedorovich was fair, then this did not affect his sons Afanasy, from his first marriage, and Fedora, from his second marriage with Anna Vasilievna. The name of Afanasy Matveevich is currently known to literary scholars from the notes to the works of K. N. Batyushkov: “Brianchaninov Afanasy Matveevich - died in 1786; Vologda landowner." And this is almost all that is known about him: neither his biography nor his memories have been written down by anyone. All the more valuable are several recently discovered letters of his own. Letters refer to the last years of his life. His life was short, for Afanasy Matveevich lived only 40 years. The letters, as usually happens, attracted news from other sources, until finally, as if in a foggy mirror, the features of this most interesting man began to appear, whose social, literary, friendly and family connections passed on to his famous grandson and were of considerable importance in his life's path. The father, apparently, managed to give Afanasy Matveevich a brilliant upbringing. Even as a child, he was assigned to one of the army regiments, and in 1764 he was “taken” as a fourier in the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment, in which many outstanding personalities of that time served. In 1779 he was discharged from the army as a lieutenant. For two or three years he was engaged in his farming on the Fomino estate near Vologda with villages and hamlets. He was a landowner of average income; he had 666 male souls behind him. At the same time, in 1780–1781. Served as an election assessor of the Vologda Upper Zemstvo Court. And in 1782 he entered the public service as a prosecutor in the Arkhangelsk province, and since July 1784 he has been a provincial prosecutor. Living in the capital, serving in a privileged regiment, Afanasy Matveevich, naturally, moved in aristocratic circles. There he met his future wife Olga Fedorovna Muravyova. Marriage with her introduced Afanasy Matveyevich into the large family clan of ancient Russian nobles, the Muravyovs, which gave the Fatherland a number of major statesmen and military figures (and from which seven Decembrists emerged). Olga Feodorovna’s cousin was Mikhail Nikitich Muravyov, a remarkable personality of the 18th century. – dignitary, teacher, historian and poet; educator of Alexander I, fellow minister of education and first trustee of Moscow University; “an ardent zealot of education”: his petition to the Emperor was important in obtaining N. M. Karamzin the necessary content for writing “The History of the Russian State.” In his youth, while with his father in Vologda, Mikhail Nikitich became very friendly with Afanasy Matveevich, despite the ten-year age difference. The reason for friendship, undoubtedly, was a mutual passion for poetry. “Without comrades, in a city where writing and science are only names, sharing my hunt with A. M. Brianchaninov, who had a lot of friendship for me, I practiced very diligently in writing poetry,” Mikhail Nikitich later recalled. Afanasy Matveevich did not consider himself a professional poet; his poems were not found in any printed publication, but if he “practised in writing them,” then, probably, a lot of them were scattered across various albums and in messages to friends. Several of his poems and even a whole humorous “heroic” poem (“Enmity between Tea, Coffee and Water”) were preserved in a family album that first belonged to him and then to his daughter Sophie Brianchaninova. “The chronicler of his love frolics,” Mikhail Nikitich addresses him in one of his poetic messages. But the surviving poems show that Afanasy Matveevich was not alien to philosophical reasoning, for example, about the meaning of life: [v] It shines with pleasantness in our eyes, [v] When we are tenacious, what is in the light comforts us. [v] We see someone who just begins to build a house for himself, [v] Thinks: I will, tenacious, have fun in it, [v] He will find peace, he will be blissful, he will be proud... [v] But my thought now strives towards this: [v] Of course, in the light everything is transformed by fate: [v] Tomorrow he who was high yesterday will fall down, [v] Even a flower will wither when the hand of the man touches it - [v] Human life like a Perervet resident. [v] There is no eternity in anything, an empty sound of glory, [v] He who is tenacious in the world touches the sciences, [v] Nature equates him with a peasant: [v] He also moves, lives and dies. [v] If we were to lead our lives to that end, [v] Then we would all mentally wither, not bloom, [v] We would spend the days of our lives in despondency, in melancholy, [v] We would not expect any joy for ourselves, [v] And, aggravated by that sorrow of the heart, [v] We would not think about anything else, but would all wait for the end, [v] Which no mortal can escape, [v] Even though everyone grumbles about death and is indignant. The gloomy tone of these poems is opposed by the “Ode,” dedicated to the Empress and, on the contrary, praising the basic values of life: Beauty, Peace, Calm: The rising sun's ray darkens, My tongue, speaking, becomes rigid, I will sacrifice anything for you. The flowers will all wither in the middle of summer, Turn my gaze towards you. Source of reverse current, And the irritated lion of the humble man, The tops of the trees bend, Everything that serves us for glory, How the feelings of mortals captivate everyone, Where is tenderness, reason dwells After so many years since you were born, Since then, nature has become proud, How were you born? The universe advertised: “I feed on you, You seduce all mortals with yourself, You turn your gaze to yourself, You lead your life happily.” The country that nourished you Where did you grow up from infancy? Her joy is endless, that she distinguished herself from mortals, You will leave it as a memory for posterity, It was you who decorated the world. You will restore peace and calm, You will drive away the darkness of threatening troubles. Your gaze renews all senses, Drives anger away from the heart. Premenitsa light system, Where is your spreading mind? You transform night into day. I saw how glory thundered, With a trumpet flying above you, Said: “This is my fun - Bliss of all and peace of all. That pride despises mortals, She deserves to live in the world, By loving, force yourself to love. She will glorify her age, Trying to eradicate evil." Hear that I did not say flatteringly, That is contrary to the rights of reason, So that when I flatter you. Doesn't feel like what I'm saying, There's just a lot of fuss here: Flatter and pretend to be a teacher, A laborer in vain without a conscience, When there is no holy truth. I seem powerless to sing praises, I know that to the glory of the world God will increase the blossoming summer. He will delight in crowning happiness. Live and be calm in life, I have nothing more to wish for. Mikhail Nikitich also rarely published his works, although, as a researcher of his work says, “his best poems were aesthetically significant for Pushkin and are still of interest today” 4 . After his death, they were collected and published by his friends K. N. Batyushkov and V. A. Zhukovsky. In 1967, a collection of his poems was published, supplemented by many poems found today. And not so long ago, a researcher 5 discovered his poems again, and, what is especially important, in the same album were found poems written in the hand of A. M. Brianchaninov, and two poems begun by Afanasy Matveevich and completed by Mikhail Nikitich. Published and newly discovered poems by M. N. Muravyov indicate that he maintained friendly feelings for A. M. Brianchaninov throughout his life: he did not devote as many poems to any of his friends as he did to Afanasy Matveevich. He addressed sonnets, odes, epistles, and poetic letters to him. And among them are poems that belong to the best in his work: “Rural life. Message to Afanasy Matveevich Bryanchaninov" and "Message about an easy poem. To A. M. Brianchaninov.” It is also believed that Afanasy Matveevich served as the prototype for the image of the ideal landowner Osanov in the prose works of M. N. Muravyov. Among his unpublished poems is one: “To A. M. Brianchaninov,” written in 1780, in which he explains by what qualities Afanasy Matveevich attracts people’s love: The day in the month of May is pleasant with tranquility And a clear mind, healthy without grief, But the soul is tender, the influences of the heart are audible; Stretched out in the soul, indestructible by anything Happiness is borrowed from the happiness of others; Carried with joy by the beloved yoke; And a gift for the elegy of passion. But most of all to those who love participation. A secular radiance with an innocent life, In which the idle helmet rusts under thorns, And the pasture promises delight Fun with the importance of mutual agreement. These features, dispelled in the weak There is a pattern in the world: but in the heart Afanasy Matveevich and Olga Fedorovna had one son, Ivan, and she died shortly after his birth. For his second marriage, Afanasy Matveevich was married to the daughter of Lieutenant General Pavel Matveevich Olsufiev, Elizaveta, with whom he had a daughter, Varvara. Elizaveta Pavlovna also died early - in 1775. M. N. Muravyov dedicated two poetic messages to Afanasy Matveevich to her death. Judging by them, Afanasy Matveevich had a hard time bearing the loss. And Varvara Afanasyevna, having matured, married Colonel Fyodor Markovich Poltoratsky, thus connecting the Bryanchaninovs with another famous surname. Her husband’s grandfather was a cathedral archpriest in Sosnitsa in Ukraine, and her father, Mark Fedorovich Poltoratsky, became a court singer during one of their recruitments in Ukraine. He turned out to be a capable singer and musician, sang solo parts in operas, was the regent of the court choir for ten years, and then the first director of the St. Petersburg Singing Chapel, and he himself trained many wonderful singers, composers and instrumentalists. His sons made a brilliant career in the military and civilian fields, and his daughters left their mark on the cultural life of Russia, which will be discussed further. Having taken the position of provincial prosecutor in Arkhangelsk, Afanasy Matveevich Bryanchaninov came under direct subordination to the Yaroslavl and Vologda Governor-General A.P. Melgunov. Alexey Petrovich was one of the remarkable figures of Catherine’s time. He took the post of governor general in 1777 and “died there after 11 years of governing a vast region, to which he brought a lot of good.” He was distinguished by his education, honesty and humanity; tried to take care of all segments of the population; Whenever possible, he tried to improve the situation of the serfs and defended the interests of the merchants. He lived openly, had his own theater and orchestra, patronized literature and wrote poetry himself. It is clear that A. M. Bryanchaninov’s official correspondence with him soon turned into a friendly one: Melgunov felt a kindred spirit in Bryanchaninov. Their relationship can be judged at least from Afanasy Matveevich’s letter dated August 24, 1783: “Nikolai Stepanovich Levashov, by letter on the orders of Your Excellency, notifies me that you deigned to reprimand why I did not come to the opening in Vologda, therefore I did not keep my word and that my friends do not recognize me. Accepting this as a sign of your favor and that mercy, which I have the honor of using not because of my merits, I decided to justify myself in this before you, dear sir. My poor health, which almost always worries me, but even more so, is the main reason for the failure to fulfill my own desires.” Their correspondence, along with reports on the fulfillment of official assignments, also reflects their personal interests. For example, A.P. Melgunov asked A.M. Brianchaninov to get him the notes of the opera. Afanasy Matveevich writes that “the opera will be in German, I am not able to translate it, but I will try to get it and send it to you.” Afanasy Matveevich’s friendly relations with M.N. Muravyov did not break. It was to Arkhangelsk that the latter addressed “Message on Light Poetry” - an entire poem with discussions about the meaning of poetry. He begins it with the following address: The chronicler of his love frolics Comrade and friend of my tenderest years, What are you doing now near the Northern Dvina? Are you completely immersed in Femidin’s teachings? Daedalus sneaks through the curves And leaving love adventures forever? But no, Afanasy Matveevich found himself in a new cycle of love adventures. While serving in Arkhangelsk, he naturally entered into relations with merchants, who made up a significant proportion of the population there. So, he met Pyotr Petrovich Latyshev, a merchant and shipbuilder, who approached him with a request to help him receive an order for the construction of two fin ships. Afanasy Matveevich fussed about this order with A.P. Melgunov, and in the meantime he wooed Latyshev’s daughter: “Dear Sovereign Alexey Petrovich! Knowing Your Excellency’s constant favors to you, I am sure that, of course, you will take part in my pleasure. The day before yesterday I talked about marrying Daria Petrovna Latysheva, whom I recommend to Your Excellency and, testifying to my deepest respect, I have the honor to be called Your Excellency’s most humble servant So, we find out the name of the grandmother of St. Ignatius on his mother’s side - Daria Petrovna Latysheva. The marriage to the merchant's daughter, of course, was to some extent a misalliance. But with the Bryanchaninovs, as will be seen later, something different happened. Afanasy Matveevich and Daria Petrovna got married at the beginning of 1784, a year later their son Rostislav was born, who soon died, and a year later, just before the death of Afanasy Matveevich, a daughter, Sofia Bryanchaninova, was born, the future mother of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninova). In the last years of his life, Afanasy Matveevich was sick a lot. Since February 1785, having received leave, he was treated in St. Petersburg. In July of this year he returned to Arkhangelsk. On November 28, 1785, he was awarded the rank of court councilor for honorable service. Less than a year later, on October 13, 1786, he died. The famous Vologda landowner, later a major government official, Kirill Stepanovich Ryndin, was appointed guardian of his two daughters Varvara and Sofia. Afanasy Matveevich especially became friends with him in 1784–1785, when Kirill Stepanovich was chairman of the Arkhangelsk Civil Chamber. In the following years, the family ties of the Bryanchaninovs themselves, as well as the Muravyovs, Poltoratskys and their sister house of the famous admiral Semyon Ivanovich Mordvinov, married to one of the Muravyovs, intertwined in the most bizarre way in the following years. Let's return to the first marriage of Afanasy Matveevich Bryanchaninov with Olga Fedorovna Muravyova. One of her brothers, Alexander Fedorovich Muravyov, was married to Varvara Mikhailovna Mordvinova, in her second marriage she was to Pavel Markovich Poltoratsky. Her sister, Alexandra Mikhailovna Mordvinova, was married to Nikolai Nikolaevich Muravyov (senior) - his sons will be discussed below. Further, the daughter of Afanasy Matveevich Bryanchaninov from his second marriage, Varvara Afanasyevna, as was said, married Fyodor Markovich Poltoratsky. Both sisters of Fyodor Markovich Poltoratsky played their role in the fate of young Dmitry Alexandrovich Bryanchaninov. One of them, Elizaveta Markovna, was married to the director of the Public Library, president of the Academy of Arts Alexei Nikolaevich Olenin; the second, Agathoklea Markovna, is for Privy Councilor Alexander Dmitrievich Sukharev. If we continue to describe the family ties of this intertwined family tangle, we could name a very large number of historical figures who were included in it at the end of the 18th - 19th centuries, but for now this is not part of our task. However, it should be noted that from those who were related to him, a whole Pushkinian can be compiled. For example, one of the sisters of Olga Fedorovna Muravyova-Brianchaninova, Anna Fedorovna, was married to Ivan Petrovich Wulf from Bernovo and became the grandmother of Anna Petrovna Kern, née Poltoratskaya... These were the family ties that young Dmitry Alexandrovich inherited from his grandfather Afanasy Matveevich and who met him upon his arrival in Petersburg in 1822. However, let's return to our topic. The son of Afanasy Matveevich, Ivan Afanasyevich Bryanchaninov (second) (November 23, 1769 - August 5, 1839), in the year of his father’s death, a cavalry regiment was assigned to the Life Guards, but did not serve long and already in 1790 he retired with the rank of cornet “due to illness,” or rather, so that, having entered into an inheritance, he could take care of his household: after his father and mother, he inherited a rather rich estate by Vologda standards of 900 male souls. He subsequently served by election in 1817–1820. was the provincial leader of the nobility. In 1791 he married Varvara Grigorievna Barteneva. In marriage they had six children: Olga (1794–1833), married to P. A. Mezhakov, a poet, friend of K. N. Batyushkov, Sophia (November 28, 1795 -?), married to Ryndin, Ekaterina (November 28, 1795 - April 26, 1884), never married, Nikolai (15 April 1800 - September 15, 1848), Athanasius (August 18, 1805 - 1870) and Anna (1807 - ?). Ivan Afanasyevich was buried in Moscow at the Lazarevskoye cemetery. Without marking his life with any memorable action, Ivan Afanasyevich Bryanchaninov would have been lost in the memory of his relatives if he had not given them the work to which they all turned again and again until the 20th century. This work is a description of the Brianchaninov family tree, repeatedly copied by representatives of different branches and different generations and therefore preserved in many lists in the Heraldry archive. The need to prove that the Bryanchaninov surname belonged to an ancient family in order to include it in the sixth part of the Noble Genealogy Book forced Ivan Afanasyevich to start compiling the genealogy. It is possible that it was he, as the heir of the eldest branch, who had the family documents. But what came from his pen was not a formal document, which in most cases was limited to representatives of other clans, but a real genealogical study with a description, starting from the 17th century. letters of grant, composition of dachas, transfer of estates to heirs, their disputes, etc. Of course, he was mainly interested in those branches of the complex Bryanchaninovsky tree that existed before his time, but it is remarkable that the names painted on them coincide with the names named by L. M. Savelov in the “Genealogical Records”, as well as mentioned in the materials of the Local Order published by V. N. Storozhev, and in other documentary sources. From now on, all representatives of the Brianchaninov family, in order to prove their right to be included in the sixth part of the Noble Genealogy Book, could only refer to the painting submitted, as they wrote, by “my relative of the Life Guards, cornet Ivan Afanasyevich Brianchaninov.” Ivan Afanasyevich, apparently, inherited the sweet, even character of his father. Indirect evidence of this was the emergence of warm family feelings between him and his famous nephew. In any case, Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov did not write the following words about any of his relatives: “The heart gives the message to the heart. During my illness, Uncle Ivan Afanasyevich Brianchaninov, who was in Novoyezerskoye last year and you liked him, came to see me, and the conversation turned to your monastery. The old man remembers you very much, and both he and you came to his heart very much.” Unfortunately, the offspring of Ivan Afanasyevich himself in the male line dried up already in the third generation. His eldest son Nikolai had two children: daughter Olga (October 21, 1824 - June 5, 1854) and son Nikolai (October 21, 1836 - 1876) - the last in this Brianchaninov line. And the second son, Afanasy Ivanovich, did not marry at all. He lived as a landowner, served in elections and was remembered in Vologda society for the fact that in 1857–1860, as an honorary trustee of the gymnasium, he insisted on the introduction of dance lessons there, the costs of which he assumed. Also, the line of Afanasy Matveevich’s half-brother, Fyodor Matveevich Bryanchaninov (1765 - around 1835), soon ended. He began his service on March 5, 1783 in the same Semenovsky regiment where his brother served before him. On January 1, 1786, he was transferred as a captain to the Absheron Musketeer Regiment and on February 23, 1787, he was discharged due to illness with the rank of second major. In 1783, he exchanged estates with his brother and he got the village of Garitsa, Ukhara volost, Romanovsky district, Yaroslavl province. Since 1788, he was an assessor of the Yaroslavl court and was remembered in Yaroslavl society for submitting a note to the Highest Name about the illegal actions of the civil governor A. M. Bezobrazov. From 1801 to 1805 he served in the Commissariat staff, and then again in elections from the nobility. When Napoleon entered Russia, he returned to the army and took part in the Battle of Borodino. Contemporaries who knew Fyodor Matveyevich noted his honesty, nobility, and generous attitude towards his serfs. This last quality of his was manifested in two extraordinary actions. Among his servants was Ivan Alekseevich Maykov, who was fond of writing poetry. Fyodor Matveevich himself, like his brother Afanasy Matveevich, was no stranger to poetry, and he even left his poetic mark in N. M. Karamzin’s “Aonids”, publishing there the poem “Mirza and the Nightingale.” Therefore, he was sympathetic to his fellow writer and in 1790 released him “with an annual poster passport for viewing Russian cities and writing poetry.” Arriving in Sarskoe Selo, I. A. Maikov “began to write odes and poems and presented them to various gentlemen, received remuneration from them, which is why he had food.” 28 of his odes are known. But he signed his poems with the surname Rozov, as demanded by his contemporary, famous poet Apollo Aleksandrovich Maykov, who, however, provided him with patronage. In 1793, Fyodor Matveevich gave I.A. Maikov was granted freedom, for which he thanked him in his own way: Epistle to his Highness to my gracious Sovereign Fyodor Matveevich Brianchaninov. June 22, 1793 Most humble offering from the most diligent servant Ivan Rozov I was born in captivity, by you I am free, Your soul is pure in heart, your image is noble You are the shepherd of your flocks, they taste peace The peasants are happy, they live in bliss; Oh you! A treasure for people's subjects. I'm in the northern country! Your freedom You have been honored with the attention of generosity Sing Catherine, Her beauty and kindness Her wisdom! there is a sound of splashing in the light; A generous hand sprinkles glitter everywhere. Listen, your neighbor is following your example; He became famous for you, sang love and faith. Rek Bryanchaninov, duty to serve the Fatherland: In honor of Catherine! show zeal. Your fruit is weak, but my spirit rejoices Your mind cannot sing to the wise mother. The gift of God influenced you as long as Mike was there, Freedom to Rozov, fortunately I opened the way. You were born in truth, you die for truth, You will never sit with the wicked; Rivers: glorious Yaroslavl of the Fatherland, who is the son, That Brianchaninov is a zealous citizen, He cares for the common good as if he were a friend. Happy gentleman in the Raman district; Loved by the whole community, the whole City thanks The viceroy will establish bliss there. The servant watches for His salvation in the Hall, Poetry praises where God dwells He gave freedom to the servant so that he could thunder with his lyre, In pleasant silence! Sing the glory of the wise. Another interesting fact from the biography of Fyodor Matveevich relates to his marriage. From his formal lists it is clear that until the age of 50 he was a bachelor, and at this age he apparently experienced a strong feeling for his own serf courtyard girl Nastasya Semyonovna, who was 30 years younger than him. In 1815, on August 30, their son Alexander was born. Three or four years later, Nastasya Semyonovna received her freedom, was assigned to the bourgeois class, and Fyodor Matveevich formalized an official marriage with her. In 1822, their second son, Ivan, was born, and two years later, their daughter, Nastasya. In 1826, Fyodor Matveevich asked the Tsar to be allowed to legally adopt Alexander and give him his last name. The request was granted, Alexander Fedorovich was recognized with all rights to the Brianchaninov family name. From 1832 to 1857 He served in the Perm Infantry Regiment and retired with the rank of staff captain. He was married to Natalya Mikhailovna Ostrovskaya. His younger brother, Ivan Fedorovich, was married to Olympiada Ivanovna. Neither of them had sons. The second branch of the Bryanchaninovs, which spun off in the 18th century, descended from the youngest son of Fyodor Ivanovich, Alexander Fedorovich. It is known about Alexander Fedorovich Brianchaninov (b. 1728) that in 1764 he received a patent from Catherine II for the rank of provincial prosecutor with the rank of land lieutenant colonel, and in 1779 he had the rank of state councilor. According to the deed of separation of the estate of his elder brother Matvey Fedorovich, in 1767 the village of Yurovo passed to him, among other real estate, which in subsequent generations always went to the eldest son. After retiring at the age of 49, Alexander Fedorovich married Praskovya Andreevna, who was 28 years younger than him, they had one son, Peter. The last confession sheet in which the three of them are recorded dates back to 1779; Apparently, Alexander Fedorovich died around this time. Pyotr Aleksandrovich Brianchaninov (June 15, 1777 - May 19, 1829) began his service in army regiments and already on January 1, 1796 received from Catherine II a patent for the rank of Army captain, with which he retired. Since 1800 he served in elections from the nobility, in 1802–1808. was Velsky and in 1808–1814. Gryazovets leader of the nobility in the Vologda province. In 1819, he was a retired captain, holder of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class, owner of 600 male souls. Like his cousins, Pyotr Alexandrovich in his youth was fond of literary experiments: in “Useful Exercises of Youth,” published in 1789 by students of the Free Noble Boarding School at the Imperial Moscow University, his “Example of the Honesty of the Chief Vizier” was published - a translation from French. And although his other experiences in this area are not known, until the end of his life he moved in the literary environment and, when visiting the capitals, diligently attended literary salons. Through Vologda connections, K.I. Batyushkov knew him so well that he even knew his distant family connections. So, in a letter dated January 26, 1811, Konstantin Nikolaevich wrote to his friend Nikolai Ivanovich Gnedich: “...Do you want news? Mezhakov will marry Brianchaninov’s niece!” We were talking about Olga Ivanovna Bryanchaninova, who was the great-niece of Pyotr Alexandrovich. Pyotr Alexandrovich’s own desire for the elegant was expressed in the construction of a manor house in Yurovo. “The composition of the façade of the house facing the garden is very simple, but at the same time quite unusual. Between two pylons, decorated with semicircular arches, there is a colonnade, covered with a common roof and forming a wonderful terrace.” Having survived all the vicissitudes of the 20th century, the house, “protected” as an architectural monument, burned down as a result of arson by local children in 1993. Pyotr Alexandrovich's wife was Elizaveta Alekseevna Chulkova (August 15, 1778 - December 16, 1840). They had seven sons and three daughters: Sophia (April 27, 1802 - January 6, 1891), married Voeykova, Elizaveta (1813 -?) - Grevens and Paraskovya (1814 - ?) - Merkurova. The marriage of the middle daughter brought Pyotr Alexandrovich’s family even closer to the literary environment. Elizaveta Petrovna married Grigory Abramovich Grevens, nephew of K. N. Batyushkov through his sister Anna Nikolaevna (sk. 1808). Konstantin Nikolaevich was friends with his nephew and his entire family. Elizaveta Petrovna carried out his various small assignments. The Grevenses were the guardians of Konstantin Nikolaevich during his long serious illness and until his death. The eldest son of Pyotr Alexandrovich, Alexander Petrovich Bryanchaninov (April 27, 1798 - October 1, 1861), at the age of 20, was enrolled in the Life Guards Uhlan Regiment, then served in the Ministry of Internal Affairs as a prosecutor for the gendarme corps and rose to the rank of major general. His wife was Elena Pavlovna Volkova (April 14, 1815 – February 5, 1857). They had two sons: Anatoly and Leonid (b. May 20, 1844 - died young), and two daughters who were brought up at the school of the Order of St. Catherine: Faina (November 30, 1841 - 1923), married to A. A. Mezhakov, grandson of P. A. Mezhakov, and Galina (November 8, 1845 - about 1917 g.), in his second marriage to V. M. Rodzianko, the father of Mikhail Vladimirovich Rodzianko - since 1911 Chairman of the State Duma. From a young age, Alexander Petrovich Brianchaninov was on friendly terms with K. N. Batyushkov. During the sad years of illness, memories of their past relationship flashed in Konstantin Nikolaevich’s memory. In a letter dated July 8, 1849, addressed to his great-niece, he wrote: “Ask your mother (Elizaveta Petrovna) to send me perfume; money for the purchase can be borrowed in my name from Ivan Andreevich Krylov. He knows how honestly I pay what I borrow. I ask Elizaveta Petrovna not to show my new poems “Imitation of Horace” to Alexander Petrovich Brianchaninov, for he despises my poor talent, living, like Apollo, among such great poets, in the city of St. Peter...” The second son of Pyotr Alexandrovich, Nikita Petrovich Bryanchaninov (March 2, 1801 - April 14, 1886), just like his older brother, at the age of 20 was assigned to the Life Guards Uhlan Regiment and later served in the gendarmerie, in 1831 - lieutenant colonel, in 1843 - colonel and cavalier, and also rose to the rank to the rank of major general. His first marriage was to Princess Elizaveta Alekseevna Trubetskoy (January 15, 1810 - February 17, 1829), who died shortly after her marriage; second marriage to the daughter of Lieutenant General Alexander Alexandrovich Volkov, Vera (September 11, 1813 - June 23, 1891), and they had three sons: Alexander, Pavel and Dmitry and two daughters: Olga (1836 - February 18, 1907), never married, and Sophia (1839 - ?). Memories have been preserved about Nikita Petrovich Bryanchaninov in connection with the sensational case of Irkutsk Archbishop Irinei (Nestorovich). In 1831, Archbishop Irenaeus suffered a nervous shock due to the difficult situation that had developed in the Irkutsk diocese. Some of his actions were considered strange and they decided to remove him from the Diocese, but he did not want to leave it. I had to resort to force. “The Emperor wanted this order to be carried out quickly, decisively and without publicity and asked Benckendorf if he had people capable of this. Benckendorff pointed him to Nikita Petrovich Brianchaninov, and when the latter appeared before the Sovereign, he remained satisfied, remarking: “This one will take him out.” The place of residence of Archbishop Irenei was assigned to the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery near Vologda. Upon receiving the order to leave, Archbishop Irenaeus expressed doubt and displeasure. “Then Brianchaninov, of enormous height (11 inches), approached Irinei and whispered something in his ear. Suddenly the scene changed. Irenaeus stood up with a humble look, folded his hands on his chest, kissed the Sovereign’s signature on the rescript and submitted unconditionally” 6 . On December 18, 1831, he was safely delivered to the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery. He “didn’t hold any grudge” against Nikita Petrovich, and the latter, when coming to Vologda, visited him and talked with him. Of the three sons of Nikita Petrovich: Alexander (July 21, 1834 - February 10, 1879) - staff captain, never married; Dmitry (1843 - ?) died young and was also not married; Pavel (July 27, 1836 - June 14, 1908) had one son, Orestes, with whom the Nikitich line ended. The following sons of Peter Aleksandrovich Bryanchaninov are: Vladimir (b. 1804) and Pavel (b. 1809) - died young, Peter (1808 - after 1855) also died without marrying; Victor (b. 1807) - guard captain and cavalier, was married to Sofya Alekseevna Bobrovskaya, died without issue. The youngest son of Pyotr Alexandrovich, Nikolai Petrovich Brianchaninov (February 26, 1810 - January 11, 1894), lived a long life - former Vologda district leader of the nobility, retired lieutenant colonel of the guard. After graduating from the course for guards ensigns, on July 2, 1828, he joined the Izmailovsky Life Guards Regiment as a non-commissioned officer and on January 18, 1842, he retired with the rank of staff captain to take up farming, which he loved very much. During the formation of the militia during the Crimean War in 1855, he commanded a squad with the rank of lieutenant colonel. “Kind and gentle, without any difficulty he established new relations with the peasants after the reform on February 19, 1861. The peasants called him “Soulful Master.” He was a respectful son, a gentle and loving husband." He married the daughter of Major General, Baron Osten, Elizaveta Karlovna (March 26, 1823 - September 15, 1858), and had four sons from her, but only one lived to adulthood - Valerian. Thus, of the seven sons of Pyotr Alexandrovich, only two continued this branch of the Bryanchaninov family: the eldest, Alexander Petrovich, through his eldest son Anatoly, and the youngest, Nikolai Petrovich, through his youngest son Valerian. Anatoly Aleksandrovich Bryanchaninov (April 6, 1839 - August 4, 1918) graduated from the Nikolaev Engineering Academy (his brother Leonid, who died early, also studied there); from 1860 to 1862 served in the Life Guards 1st Rifle Battalion and retired as a lieutenant. Then he served in elections in the Vologda province, in 1873 - 1875. was in the Department of Customs Duties, in 1875–1881. was director of the Land Bank in Orel. In subsequent years, having returned to Vologda, he again served in elections from the nobility, was a member of various committees and commissions; was the editor of the unofficial part of the Vologda Provincial Gazette; rose to the rank of actual state councilor. In his first marriage, Anatoly Alexandrovich was married to the daughter of the Vologda landowner, Kadnikovsky leader of the nobility Alexander Mikhailovich Kasatkin, Elena (May 6, 1846 - April 21, 1870). After her early death, he was survived by two small daughters, Maria (b. February 11, 1867) and Vera (b. August 10, 1868). The girls were raised by their aunt Faina Aleksandrovna Mezhakova. Anatoly Alexandrovich's second wife's name was Vera Alexandrovna (1848 - July 11, 1926), they had one son, Vladimir (b. October 25, 1875). Brought up in a literary environment, Anatoly Alexandrovich naturally felt a desire to write and he managed to achieve some fame in this area. At the age of 20, he published his first story, “Happiness in the Fog.” But to the poems sent at the same time to Ivan Sergeevich Aksakov, I received the following response: “Dear Sovereign Anatoly Alexandrovich. Sorry that I have been slow to respond until now. This slowdown was completely involuntary due to the multitude of worries and activities. – Your poems are good, but they were not published by me because, as it seems to me, they do not represent anything original. The motives and techniques are old and well-known, and the second poem “On the poor roads there are two nags” is reminiscent of Nekrasov. However, there is a sincere feeling everywhere and the verse itself is good, light and obedient, but, in my opinion, this is not enough. You probably have poems where your talent is more powerful. Poems are not always included in my newspaper, and therefore I inevitably treat the poems sent more strictly than other magazines. Accept the assurances of your utmost respect and devotion June 6, 1862 Iv. Aksakov. P.S. I hope you will forgive me for my frankness.” This letter did not cool the literary fervor of Anatoly Alexandrovich. He continued to publish his stories, and in 1870 he published a collection of “Tales and Stories” - from the life of noble estates. The poisonous review of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin and the doubts that arose in connection with this prompted Anatoly Alexandrovich to write the following letter to F. M. Dostoevsky on September 23, 1877: “Dear Sovereign Fyodor Mikhailovich. Please generously forgive a stranger who is a stranger to you for the courage with which he sends you his work; do not look for anything else in this act other than complete respect for you as a writer and friend of the Russian people and the ardent desire of an aspiring writer to hear from you a short answer to a question that is painful for him: can he benefit his native literature? I dare to hope, dear Sovereign, that you will not consider my present letter as importunate and will condescendingly accept the assurance of the deepest respect of your humble servant A. Brianchaninov.” What Fyodor Mikhailovich’s answer was is unknown. But I. S. Turgenev, to whom Anatoly Alexandrovich addressed with a similar request, treated him favorably and correspondence even began between them (12 letters from Turgenev to A. A. Bryanchaninov are known). Ivan Sergeevich spoke approvingly of Anatoly Alexandrovich’s two plays, but his letters of recommendation to the publisher of “Bulletin of Europe” M. M. Stasyulevich did not make an impression on the latter. Later the plays were published in a separate edition. In 1878, Anatoly Alexandrovich met Ivan Sergeevich personally. In 1885, A. A. Brianchaninov published the book “Russian Folk Tales in Verse” (republished in 1895) with a preface by I. S. Turgenev: “We consider Mr. Brianchaninov’s idea of translating some of them (fairy tales) into poetry happy, especially since he fulfilled his task with remarkable art and tact, maintaining tone and color throughout.” originality and variety of size giving it more life and movement. The poetic form has the advantage that it - so to speak - brings the content of fairy tales closer to the memory and sensitivity of readers, especially young ones. Illustrations executed in a folk and fairy-tale spirit bring similar benefits. They speak to the eye as poetry does to the ear, and equally excite the aesthetic sense.” In 1910, Anatoly Aleksandrovich repeated the successful experiment, translating “Ancients and epics of the Pechora region” into verse. In addition to these poetic works, several of his stories were published in various magazines. And in the last years of his life, two novels were published - “In the Time of Hard Times (1905–1906)” and “In the Sixties (1862–1863).” Although, according to some reviews, these novels are “artistically inexpressive,” they are of undoubted interest, since without any allegories they reveal the attitude of the layers of society to which the author belonged to certain phenomena of that time, so similar to our time: “All these big bureaucrats, thirsting for ranks and distinctions with which St. Petersburg is teeming, with a few exceptions, aren’t they revolutionaries? What do they care about Russia, the Russian people? They do not need the good of the fatherland, but turmoil, so that in this chaos it is more convenient to carry out their dark affairs! They don’t care who will rule Russia: a Pole, a German or a Jew... These degenerates of the Russian Land do not value honor, glory, or its prosperity... They are not only completely indifferent to the disasters and suffering of their tormented Motherland, to its humiliation and shame, they are not even afraid of its death! They call the heroism of her best sons stupidity, patriotism - absurdity! The end of Anatoly Alexandrovich’s life was sad: in 1915 (June 8), at the age of 39, his son Vladimir died of chronic pneumonia; a few days later (June 23), Vladimir’s wife, 27-year-old Evgenia Vasilievna, died of heart paralysis. They left behind three children: Daniil (b. 1910), Irina (b. July 30, 1909) and Maria (b. 1914). On December 3, 1915, Anatoly Alexandrovich writes that his grandchildren are suffering from a severe form of scarlet fever and Masha has already died. In 1918, his eight-year-old grandson Daniil became seriously ill again. This was probably the last test: Anatoly Alexandrovich died on August 4. Daniel survived him by only ten days. After October 1917, the family lived only on a pension of 163 rubles and rented out part of the apartment to tenants. All their remaining property consisted of home furnishings and clothing. There were no funds for the burial of the dead, and the widow was forced to ask for help from the new authorities. In subsequent years, Vera Alexandrovna and her granddaughter Irina lived “from selling things.” When Vera Alexandrovna died (July 11, 1926), Irina again had to ask Gubono for funds for burial. The last news about Irina Vladimirovna dates back to 1927, when she, at the age of 17, was about to enter university. Anatoly Alexandrovich’s cousin, Valerian Nikolaevich Brianchaninov (December 14, 1845 - after 1915) lived abroad for several years due to his wife’s illness. On his return he served by election, 1899–1900. was an honorary justice of the peace with the rank of titular councilor, and later a member of the noble Land Bank in Moscow. Without making a big career, Valerian Nikolaevich was not happy in his family life. His first wife, Natalya Borisovna Obukhova, died on April 19, 1875 in San Remo, leaving an 11-month-old son, Nikolai. His second marriage was to a French citizen, Countess Sofya Denisyevna Guidobini Visconti, née Davydova, daughter of Denis Davydov. From her he had a son, Vladimir, who died at the age of 11 (1879 - January 14, 1891). Sofya Denisyevna died three or four years after their marriage. Secondary widowhood had a hard impact on Valerian Nikolaevich; he even thought of retiring from the world and lived for some time in a monastery, “experientially learning the heights and difficulties of ascetic feat.” Having recovered, however, he married again. His third wife, Vera Pavlovna Kuznetsova, came from the Vologda philistine class; she bore him (December 1, 1890) a daughter, Maria. However, Vera Pavlovna also did not survive her husband. The only son of Valerian Nikolaevich who survived to adulthood, Nikolai Valerianovich Bryanchaninov (March 14, 1874 - May 28, 1943), spent most of his adult life abroad. Already in 1907, he published his first book, “Impressions of Being,” in Paris. The book covers several years of his life from 1900, when he was a visitor to the World Exhibition and salons of famous artists in Paris, and then traveled through France, Germany, Spain... Isn’t the author writing about himself in the preface? “Pursed by some demon of “gluttony,” we rush along the roads of life, barely managing to capture in our minds and hearts a tenth of what we see and feel. Isn't it true that this is some kind of misunderstanding? Why are we rushing, where are we rushing? Who do we want to overtake, who do we want to see, or what do we want to see that we haven’t seen before?..” In the second book, published in 1908 in Moscow, entitled “Wanderings,” he describes his exotic journey through Egypt, Nubia, Sudan, Palestine, and Lebanon. The book is read easily and with interest, since he does not mince words, but summarizes his impressions. For example, after visiting the churches of Abu Simbel, he writes: “All this is amazing, but not at all touching. There is no connecting thread between these deities and humanity. They do not attract us and do not speak to us a single word of comfort and hope. Sitting indifferently in petrified poses, they only look at our “world of sadness and tears.” The book is equipped with magnificent photographs, presumably the author's. Regarding this book, Professor I. I. Shchukin wrote: “As far as I know, almost nothing has appeared in the Russian press that touches on this interesting region in many respects, and therefore a work dedicated to it by a person who has independently studied the state of affairs there may be of significant interest.” From this time on, Nikolai Valerianovich’s permanent address was Paris. In recent years he lived with his friend, to whom he left his notes and memories. And, finally, the youngest branch of the Bryanchaninov family, coming from the youngest son of Boris Kirillovich, Mikhail. Mikhail Borisovich Brianchaninov was much, 20–25 years younger than his older brother Afanasy Borisovich. Documents call him a Gryazovets landowner. His name is mentioned in the deed of separation of his father's estate in 1676/77. and in exchange records with his brother Afanasy Borisovich. His wife's name was Pelageya Ivanovna. About his service it is known that he was a commissar and died in Poland around 1700. He had two sons. The eldest, Afanasy, an artillery captain, also died in the battle; He did not have time to get married. The youngest son, Andrei Mikhailovich Brianchaninov, was born in 1694; He had been in service since 1713, and for diligence and zeal, by the Decree of Anna Ioannovna of January 1, 1735, he was transferred from quartermaster to artillery captain. On January 27, 1754, he submitted a petition to the main office of artillery and fortification with a request for resignation, in which he wrote that “in the service, de, he is one of the nobles since 713 and during that service he was on various business trips and on assigned commissions, also in campaigns, and battles, and attacks, and from that service he received illnesses and now has: half of his head is broken, and is constantly being great noise, and hears little in the right ear, and over time there is blood in the larynx, and there is also a constant pain in the body from the strong grief that is in it, and it is aggravated by the kidneys and hippochondria and many other seizures. And according to the examination of the artillery doctor Bacherakht and the staff doctor Ritter, it is shown that he, Brianchaninov, has a kidney disease, from which great attacks occur, namely: great noise in the head, fainting, aching in the sacrum and throughout the body and great shortness of breath. And although he has been used for a long time, he has little benefit for himself and will not have one in the future, for these diseases are old, and besides, he is old and, in their opinion, cannot be in any service or work...” “And with a skat in the college, he, Brianchaninov, showed himself to be fifty-six years old in the current year of April 749 on the 25th day. And he served in campaigns in the lower corps and in many parties and battles: in Poland during the attack of the city of Gdansk, and in the Turkish war he was sent to the post office in Achakov, and in the campaign to the Dnieper expedition, and in other campaigns, business trips and commissions without fault. Three hundred souls were placed in different districts of the man behind him.” For this reason, it was decided to resign him, Brianchaninov, with a reward for his impeccable service with the rank of brigadier. Continuous service, campaigns and battles tore the nobles away from home. Many of them could start a family only when they retired or were approaching it. So Andrei Mikhailovich got married around his 50th birthday and had only one son, Semyon. Semyon Andreevich Brianchaninov was born around 1745. You can learn about his service from the Decree of Catherine II on his resignation: “The announcer of this army, lieutenant Semyon Brianchaninov, first served in the artillery in the 2nd fuselier regiment from one thousand seven hundred and sixty-five, in the Preobrazhensky Life Guards regiment - from seven hundred and seventy-first, and now seven hundred and seventy of the second year of January on the first day by the force of Her Highest Imperial Majesty (Decree) on the confirmation report presented from the regiment at the request of his illness from the military and civil services and from all affairs from the furzers he was dismissed with a reward for honorable service with the rank of lieutenant shown from the army. For this reason, he can live freely in Russia.” Thus, the period of military service of Semyon Andreevich’s father was 40 years, and he himself served only seven years. He was the first in this line of Brianchaninovs, whose time of service passed after the Decree on granting liberty to the Russian nobility. Like many of his peers, he chose to leave the hardships of military life and, returning to his estate, start farming. His further activity in the public sphere was expressed in participation in the newly created local government bodies: in 1780–1790. he was an assessor in the Upper Zemstvo Court in the Vologda province. Semyon Andreevich Brianchaninov was married to the daughter of the collegiate assessor (later full state councilor) Dmitry Ivanovich Volotsky, Pavel Dmitrievna. They had two sons - the eldest Alexander, who lived a long life, and the youngest - Nikolai, born on July 17, 1788 and did not live to adulthood. Semyon Andreevich was a well-educated man. This is evidenced by the library he collected, some of the books from which (with ownership records and imprints of the SB seal) are in the Vologda Regional Library. Among them: “Candide, or Optimism” by Voltaire, a list of Fontenelle’s treatise “Conversations on Many Worlds” translated by Cantemir, a number of dramatic works: “Comedies from the Theater” by Molière, the tragedy “Sinav and Truvor” by Sumarokov and others, as well as Grétry’s comic opera based on the play “Two Stingy Men” by Fenzilo de Falbert. The presence of these particular books in Semyon Andreevich’s library is not accidental: information has been preserved about his serious passion for theater and the fact that he was the owner of the “free theater” in Vologda, the performances of which were watched by both city residents and landowners who came to see them. At the same time, Semyon Andreevich, apparently, was not only the “owner” of the theater, but also the director of the performances. This can be judged by the inscription he made on Sumarokov’s tragedy: “In the role of Gostomyslova - 304 lines, in the role of Ilmenina - 431 lines.” His passion for theater, however, was expensive; by the end of his life he went bankrupt and left his heirs with nothing but debts. The last time the name of Semyon Andreevich Bryanchaninov appears in archival documents was in 1798, when he was the successor of his fifth great-grandnephew, Alexander Petrovich Bryanchaninov. Pavel Dmitrievna survived her husband and was present at the birth of her grandchildren. The son of Semyon Andreevich, Alexander Semenovich Brianchaninov (May 7, 1784 - April 19, 1875), was remembered by his contemporaries primarily for the fact that he was a page under Pavel Petrovich: “In 1797, by personal decree, he was assigned to the Imperial Corps of Pages as a page.” The Corps of Pages was a privileged educational institution in which children from noble families were brought up together with the children of the imperial family. The aristocratic touch that Alexander Semenovich acquired in the Corps of Pages was his distinctive feature throughout his life. From the Corps of Pages he was “released into the Alexandria Hussar Regiment as a cornet in 1802 on August 10; discharged from field service on civil affairs on October 1, 1803 to the Vologda militia in the Selected Regiment, where upon completion he received a Gold Medal.” In subsequent years he served in the province. Then “from 1812 to 1814 he was under Senator Khitrov on various assignments in the Vologda and Vyatka provinces; in 1814–1818 – leader of the nobility of the Gryazovets district, awarded the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class. Dismissed from all services in 1825." In 1826, he corrected the position of Vologda provincial marshal of the nobility. Alexander Semenovich belonged to the circle of highly educated people of his time, with broad views; according to some information, he was a Freemason, in any case, he was close to O. A. Pozdeev; his library was one of the best in the province. Contemporaries called him a lover of enlightenment. Understanding the need for education not only for the nobility, but also for the peasants, he was the first in the province to open (May 19, 1814) and throughout his life maintained a two-year parish school, where up to 50 peasant children studied. Having inherited an estate burdened with debts from his father, he was forced to retire in order to take care of the farm. He settled in the family estate - the village of Pokrovskoye, which was granted by Brianchaninov back in 1617 for the Smolensk seat and the expulsion of the Poles. “His will and taste created (from Pokrovsky) a small Versailles.” Indeed, even today, despite all the losses, this estate amazes with the beauty of its ancient stone house in the style of early classicism and a park with linden alleys. He outlived almost all of his children. According to the memoirs of his granddaughter A.N. Kupreyanova 7, he “took care of himself... I knew my grandfather in a very old age, but a beautiful and kind old age: his former severity disappeared. His clear eyes shone with condescension, purchased at the cost of life experience. He cared about his appearance. What noble calm was in his face, with his delicate features, in his manner - important, friendly and old-fashioned! How beautiful was his graceful head with thick, silvery hair, his straight figure and leisurely, sweet, condescending speech!..” “In full memory, Alexander Semenovich lived to be 90 years old and died without much suffering from pneumonia.” He was buried in Pokrovskoye, in the family necropolis near the church he built. The wife of Alexander Semenovich was the daughter of Afanasy Matveevich Bryanchaninov, Sofya Afanasyevna. Their marriage united two branches of the Bryanchaninovs, which separated in the middle of the 17th century. Sofya Afanasyevna (1786 - July 25, 1832), according to the recollections of her relatives, was a beautiful secular woman. The Vologda Regional Library contains an album that belonged to her, indicating that she received an excellent upbringing - she had an excellent command of both Russian and French, was fond of poetry and knew well the poets of her time, especially French. It remains, however, unknown who her teacher was, since her father Afanasy Matveevich died in the year of her birth. Alexander Semenovich and Sofia Afanasyevna had 16 children, nine survived. “At the beginning of their marriage, they had two children, but the parents did not console themselves for long with them; both children died in the first days of infancy, and the young couple remained childless for a long time. In deep sadness about their prolonged childlessness, the young couple turned to the only help - heavenly help. They undertook a journey to the surrounding holy places in order to obtain a solution to their infertility through fervent prayers and charity. The pious enterprise was crowned with success; the fruit of the prayers of the grieving spouses was a son, named Demetrius, in honor of one of the first miracle workers of Vologda - St. Demetrius of Prilutsk. So it's obvious the infertility of the young Brianchaninovs was an arrangement of God’s Providence, so that the firstborn born after infertility, requested by prayer, would subsequently become a zealous worker and an experienced mentor.” Their next child was daughter Alexandra (b. 1808), married Zhandre, then the closest in spirit to his older brother Peter (b. 1809), Sophia (b. 1810) - Boborykina, Mikhail (b. 1811), Elizaveta (b. 1813) - Parensova, Alexander (b. 1814), Semyon (b. 1815), Maria (b. 1817) – Kupreyanova. Alexander Semenovich, who himself did not at all adhere to ascetic rules in life, especially after the death of his wife, however, raised his children with great severity. According to the memoirs of A. N. Kupreyanova, “the mood of the entire Pokrovsky Bryanchaninov family was deeply Orthodox and ecclesiastical. The harsh upbringing of children played for them the role of a heavy hammer, which “breaking glass, forges damask steel.” It forged from them people of strict honesty and a serious attitude to life; there was nothing vulgar in them, but there was, perhaps, not enough gentleness of character, tolerance for the feelings and ideas of others.” The deeply Orthodox and church upbringing of the children definitely affected their fate: of the five sons of Alexander Semenovich who lived to adulthood, only one - Semyon Alexandrovich - remained in the world until the end of his life, the rest of the brothers ended their earthly journey in monasteries. There is quite an extensive literature about Dmitry Alexandrovich (St. Ignatius) Brianchaninov (February 5, 1807 – April 30, 1867). His Biography, compiled by his family and friends, is placed in the 1st volume of this edition; you can read about how his fate unfolded in his young years in the popular story “Unmercenary Engineers” by N. S. Leskov; L. Sokolov’s extensive 2-volume monograph “Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov),” published in 1915, is dedicated to his life and works; a number of publications about him are available in periodicals of the Moscow Patriarchate of the 1960–1990s. But the most accurate idea of ​​him, of course, can be obtained only by deeply delving into his works: “All works in general, and spiritual and moral ones primarily, have the property that they quite accurately express the inner life of their authors... In order to accurately depict the life of the Most Reverend Ignatius, one must oneself study and experience something that he studied and experienced...” According to the recollections of relatives and friends, Dmitry Alexandrovich’s religious mood was revealed from early childhood and became increasingly stronger over the years. Since he was distinguished by outstanding abilities, his parents predicted a brilliant career for him, which could be facilitated by the attention to him from the Sovereign Emperor Nicholas I and his family. Therefore, in order to fulfill his desire to enter a monastery, Dmitry Alexandrovich had to come into conflict with his parents and show persistence in obtaining permission in higher spheres. Upon entering the monastery, he had to go through the stages of difficult novitiate, which were all the more difficult for him because he had poor health (all his life, one illness after another undermined his body). In 1831 he became a monk. In 1834 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and appointed rector of the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage near St. Petersburg. In 1857 consecrated Bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea with the see in Stavropol. In 1861, following a petition submitted to the Sovereign Emperor Alexander II, he received permission to retire in the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery of the Kostroma Diocese. Of course, the strict upbringing that Dmitry Alexandrovich received from his father left a certain imprint on his character. But the outstanding literary talent, which Saint Ignatius was able to transform into a means for the spiritual edification of his neighbor, he apparently received from his mother and maternal grandfather, Afanasy Matveevich Brianchaninov. His first literary experiments found their recognition in the house of Alexei Nikolaevich Olenin, director of the Public Library, president of the Academy of Arts, into which he was “introduced by family ties” of his grandfather. The biographies of the saint say that at literary evenings in the Olenins’ house “he became a favorite reader, and his poetic and literary talents in general gained him the attention of the then celebrities of the literary world: Gnedich, Krylov, Batyushkov and Pushkin. Such a society, of course, had a beneficial influence on the literary development of the future writer. Until the end of his life, Right Reverend Ignatius spoke sympathetically about the advice that some of these individuals gave him at that time.” To the names listed here, one could add the names of many young writers of that time, because A. N. Olenin was known as a philanthropist who supported emerging talents, and his wife, Elizaveta Markovna (née Poltoratskaya), surrounded them, one might say, with maternal care, for which they repaid her with unfailing love. K. N. Batyushkov wrote: Twenty versts from the capital, They are waiting for the rural holiday... The atmosphere was somewhat different in the house of “good Eliza’s” sister, Agathoklea Markovna. Her husband, Alexander Dmitrievich Sukharev, was a prominent government official, a privy councilor, and she herself was a very serious and respected public figure, philanthropist, chairman of the women's board of trustees for prisons, and for more than sixteen years the chairman of the St. Petersburg Women's Patriotic Society, who also headed other women's organizations. The biographies of Saint Ignatius tell that when his father, Alexander Semenovich Brianchaninov, saw that the school authorities were unable to distract his son from his decision to go to the monastery, he wrote about this to his relative Sukhareva. “Sukhareva, an influential person, took the trouble to bring to the attention of the then Metropolitan of St. Petersburg Seraphim that her nephew Brianchaninov, beloved by the Sovereign Emperor, had made acquaintance with the Lavra monks, that the Lavra confessor Afanasy was inclining him to monasticism, and that if this was found out at the Court, then he, the Metropolitan, would not avoid trouble. The Metropolitan summoned his confessor Athanasius and gave him a severe reprimand, forbidding him from henceforth to accept Brianchaninov for confession...” The published biographies of Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov can now be significantly supplemented by information extracted from archival materials, mainly from the surviving letters of the Saint himself, which gives this information special value. For example, the biographies emphasize a certain alienation in the relationship between father and son, but from the letters it is clear that the son always treated his father with great respect and the connection between them was not interrupted. Indicative in this regard are the letters written immediately after the transfer of St. Ignatius to St. Petersburg 8. “Most Honorable Parent! - he wrote on December 12, 1833. - Thanks to the Merciful Lord, I arrived safely in St. Petersburg on the evening of the 5th and stopped at the Trinity Compound. The reason for my journey here was explained - and confirmed your and my guesses. I saw Mikhail and Semyon. I hope to see Alexandra soon. My case has not yet received a real solution; for I have not yet introduced myself to the Emperor. Both metropolitans, St. Petersburg and Moscow, especially the latter, are very merciful to me. The Synod Chief Prosecutor also will not hesitate to notify you of what will happen next. I sincerely bow to my dearest sisters. With the most sincere respect and devotion, I have the honor to remain Your most humble son, Abbot Ignatius." Particularly interesting is the following letter, dated January 1, 1834: I congratulate you on the upcoming holiday of the Nativity of Christ and Happy New Year; I wish you all the best, pleasant and useful! On the 12th of this month, in the evening at six o’clock, I presented myself to the Sovereign Emperor alone, in his office. This performance was touching and interesting. The Emperor hugged me - I hugged him, he repeated repeatedly: My friend! My friend! – I shouted: My father! My father! – I deigned to ask in detail about the circumstances of my life as a monk, by the way I told him about Mama’s illness and death, which he deigned to listen to with great condolences. He asked about the brothers; I told them separately about each one; he didn’t know that Mikhailo and Alexander were my brothers. Finally, he announced his will to me, so that I would remain near St. Petersburg in the Sergius Desert, located fifteen miles from the capital along the Peterhof road. (This desert is a second-class monastery, with an income of up to seventy thousand; its rector is the local suffragan bishop.) And in order to give me time to receive treatment from Dr. Arndt, the Emperor did not reveal his will to the Synod for some time. Meanwhile, I continued to live at the Trinity Compound, taking advantage of the special favors of Metropolitan Philaret, which is a rarity in this day and age. He combines Christian activity and a natural insightful mind with a strong commitment to the Orthodox Church. Every day, if I am not called away, I have dinner with him, and he is so indulgent that he talks with me for a very long time about spiritual subjects. Arndt, a very kind man, visits me and uses me with good success; gives me mucus powders and iced yarrow tea, and, thank God, I feel much better. Mikhailo visits me quite often and serves quite well; Semyon is very nice, helpful, modest and careful. I haven’t seen Alexander yet, although from the first days of my arrival I sent him a message and asked him to come to me for a date and 15 rubles for the trip. Sukhareva is busy. I dined with her once, and she visited me twice. Alexander Alexandrovich sat with me for quite a long time in the evening. Pavel Joakimovich often appears. On the 31st of December, having arrived from the Winter Palace, where I introduced myself to the Empress, I again saw the Emperor and the whole family around them - I find your letter informing me of the death of my sister, Sofia Alexandrovna! Feeling sad involuntarily, I don’t know whether to grieve, because no matter how much I looked, I was all the more convinced that she had not fallen into my hands, and I was afraid that my ears would be struck by the sad news about the unsuccessful ending. And how difficult it was for her, poor thing, to suppress her heartfelt feelings and constantly force herself - that she confided everything to me with complete frankness. What remains is the consolation that she was wholeheartedly attached to the Lord and to His holy commandments and suffered enough. “He took her and in His hands she will be more faithful.” On December 31, Mikhailo was with me, and today Semyon, a lovely young man. I received your letter from him in response to my first: it lay in the mail for an extra week. This day, at mass, by order of the Sovereign Emperor, he was promoted to archimandrite in the Kazan Cathedral in the Sergius Hermitage; and the vicar bishop was given another means to support him. I wanted to tell you and others quite some news, but the news I received from you takes away the feeling of writing about them. Sorry! Most Honorable Parent! Do not indulge in sadness: your cheerfulness is needed by many. Sorry! With sincere devotion, I have the honor to remain Your most humble son, Archimandrite Ignatius. P.S. Do not order my horses to be sold: I will send for them; but I’m ready to pay for food, and don’t send me money, or get it from Hercules, thanks to God, I don’t need anything here. I am sending you the book: “Journey to Jerusalem.” Receive favorably!” Unfortunately, only small fragments have survived from the correspondence between father and son. So, on August 4, 1838, Archimandrite Ignatius thanks Alexander Semenovich for the fulfilled request. “Christ is Risen! Most Honorable Parent! I have the honor to congratulate you on the joyful holiday of the Resurrection of Christ. May the God-man who suffered for us and resurrected us with himself fill your life with eternal blessings. I most humbly thank you for your gracious attention to my most humble request. The people arrived here safely with a horse and roe deer, and delivered a note about the amount of money spent on these items. I sent 300 rubles with my sister Alexandra Alexandrovna. ass., which is why I humbly ask you to give the rest of the money to the two households, Vasily and Ivan Nikolaev, each in an equal part: they told me that they really need it for the house, for hiring workers, and for Ivan to buy a horse. Then, wishing you good health, with true high esteem and devotion, I have the honor to be the Most Honorable Parent! Your most humble son A Ignatius." In February 1839, Alexander Semenovich came to St. Petersburg for two weeks to see his son “after a five-year separation.” The brother of Saint Ignatius, Peter Alexandrovich, wrote about this meeting: “... I arrived at the Sergius Hermitage on Wednesday at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, found my brother healthy, and, having learned from him that my father was in St. Petersburg, I, almost before I had time to recover from the pleasure of meeting with my beloved brother, went to the city, where I found an old man who was very happy about my arrival. We stayed with him (all the brothers and the Archimandrite were with us) the day and evening of Thursday, after saying goodbye, we each set about our own business...” In subsequent years, Alexander Semenovich traveled anywhere very rarely, preferring to stay in his beloved Pokrovsky. He rarely corresponded with his sons, who now each lived their own lives - no letters from this period have survived. However, in archival documents there is news that Archimandrite Ignatius repeatedly worked on his various requests and instructions. Among those who regularly visited the Olenins’ house during the years of Dmitry Aleksandrovich Bryanchaninov’s studies at the Main Engineering School were the sons of Nikolai Nikolaevich Muravyov (senior): Alexander - Decembrist, participant in the Patriotic War of 1812, as well as the Crimean War, lieutenant general, senator, memoirist, publicist; Mikhail (Vilensky) – count, major statesman and military figure; Nikolai (Karsky) - an outstanding military figure, participant in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Caucasian Wars, in 1854–1856. commander-in-chief and governor in the Caucasus, conqueror of Kars, author of a number of military history books; Andrey is a spiritual educator, publicist, poet, and memoirist. Despite the fact that all four brothers were older than Dmitry Alexandrovich, he developed friendly relations with them. Moreover, over the years, for Mikhail Nikolaevich and Nikolai Nikolaevich, Saint Ignatius became not only a friend, but also a spiritual mentor, to whom they turned in difficult periods of their lives. He developed a particularly close relationship with Nikolai Nikolaevich Muravyov-Karsky, evidence of which is their correspondence, which lasted 20 years. The surviving letters of Saint Ignatius reveal his inner world from several unexpected sides, not always noted in his biographies, and supplement his biography with some hitherto unknown details. Letters from Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov to N.N. Muravyov-Karsky were published in 1998 in the book: Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov. “The future of Russia is in the hands of Divine Providence.” In this edition they will be included in Volume 4. …On October 13, 1861, Saint Ignatius arrived at the Babaevsky St. Nicholas Monastery of the Kostroma diocese, which from now on became the place of his last stay in this life. He lived there for six and a half years. Contemporaries noted that his stay in the monastery turned out to be extremely beneficial: “With his high spiritual authority, he raised the morality of the brotherhood subordinate to him to an unprecedented height, ... the number of pilgrims who flocked here to venerate the miraculous image of St. Nicholas increased, and to receive the archpastoral blessing of His Grace Ignatius, ... the influx of material resources increased, which gave the Bishop the opportunity to begin his work in 1865. the construction of a vast, majestic, beautiful two-story church..." Saint Ignatius died on April 30, 1867 and was buried in the crypt of the hospital church of St. Sergius, the Wonderworker of Radonezh. In the 1920s The monastery was abolished, its main church was blown up, and the remaining premises were adapted into a children's sanatorium. Currently they have turned into ruins. Through the openings in the walls of the altar of the hospital church you can see hanging rags of wallpaper with funny pictures that covered the frescoes; above the crypt where Saint Ignatius was buried, there was a bedroom for the children. Saint Ignatius was glorified by the Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988. His memory is celebrated on April 30/May 13. On May 26, 1988, the relics of St. Ignatius were transferred to the Yaroslavl Tolgsky Monastery. The second son of Alexander Semenovich and Sofia Afanasyevna, Pyotr Aleksandrovich Bryanchaninov (1809 - June 25, 1891), chose a military career. After graduating from the Military Engineering School, on November 20, 1827, he was released as a field engineer and a year later assigned to the 7th Pioneer Battalion; On August 30, 1829, for distinction in the battle against the Turks, he was transferred to second lieutenant, a year later - to lieutenant; November 23, 1834 - staff captain in the Borodino regiment with an appointment as adjutant to Adjutant General N. N. Muravyov. Saint Ignatius played a large role in the appointment of Pyotr Alexandrovich as adjutant to N.N. Muravyov. “I also wrote to you about Peter,” he informed his father on July 23, 1834, “that I am working on placing Peter at the headquarters of the first army; for it would be very difficult for me to bother transferring him to the guard. With this, a most advantageous opportunity opens up for him. With the intention of placing him at the headquarters of the 1st Army, I wrote a letter to Adjutant General Muravyov together with his brother, who is serving in the Synod here. I am enclosing Muravyov’s response to me and my brother. It seems that fate itself presents this officer with a decisive turn in his service and you have the opportunity to complete your good deeds. By increasing your assistance for a short time, you will bring him into a state of not needing your help at all. Moreover, transferring him to the guards and guards equipment would not have cost any less. Muravyov is a rare person, according to his rules, a strict Christian and his service is used in important circumstances: for example, he was sent to Egypt to negotiate with Pasha, then he commanded a detachment sent to help the Turkish Sultan against Ibrahim. What do you think about this, please kindly notify me by the first mail, so that I can make arrangements according to your instructions.” The joint service of Pyotr Alexandrovich with Nikolai Nikolaevich did not last long, but left an imprint on their entire lives. Until the very death of N.N. Muravyov-Karsky, Pyotr Alexandrovich felt filial piety and love for him, as evidenced by more than 150 of his letters. A year later, Pyotr Alexandrovich was promoted to captain, then to major, and in 1847 he became a lieutenant colonel. In March 1848, tired of military service and disagreements with his superiors, he retired. However, financial insecurity does not allow him to remain out of work. He tries his hand at various fields, and finally, on December 16, 1852, by the highest decree he is appointed vice-governor of Kostroma; three years later he was transferred to the same position in Stavropol. On January 26, 1856, he writes to N.N. Muravyov: “At the call of my old parent and brother O. Ignatius, having been released from service in Kostroma on November 30, I stopped by Vologda and St. Petersburg to say goodbye to them and on December 25 I left Kostroma for Stavropol.” On August 1, 1859, by the Supreme Decree he was appointed to the post of Stavropol governor. Soon after Saint Ignatius retired, he also resigned, moved to his brother in the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery and settled there in the position of a novice. The surviving letters of Pyotr Alexandrovich to N.N. Muravyov-Karsky cover a 30-year period. They are so frequent and so detailed that they allow us to trace in detail his life path, his participation in battles and parades, relationships with people famous in our history, whose names appear in his letters, his personal joys and sorrows. Among the latter is the story of his marriage, about which even his relatives knew very little. On January 19, 1841, he writes to Nikolai Nikolaevich: “You do not expect the news that this letter brings you. My joy cannot but be heard by you without pleasure; my heart vouches for this participation. Your Brianchaninov has got married and, if God helps, he will get married one of these days. Olga Sergeevna Levshina, my fiancée, came with her father, a colonel dismissed from the Artillery service, to see her uncle, our Levshin, during the latter’s quarters in Aleshny. As a close neighbor, I often visited there then and, finding in the girl a pleasant appearance, an education equal to mine, a lively mind and, most importantly, the firm rules of the Orthodox confession, I decided, after prayer, to make an offer, accepted by the daughter and approved by the father.” On the same day, he writes to Nikolai Nikolaevich’s wife, Natalya Grigorievna: “... I don’t stop to give you a short sketch of the girl in whom all my hopes of happiness, all my expectations are now concentrated. Olga Sergeevna Levshina is 20 years old, short, brunette, beautiful eyes, large forehead and Roman nose; She is not a beauty, but to me she is sweet and even seems very pretty, her manners are not pretentious and in general her manner is simple, noble...” A year later their daughter Maria was born, but she lived only six months. Another year and a half later, my son Alexey was born: “My wife is such a homebody that she doesn’t go anywhere, she feeds her son and that’s all she does.” Their marriage lasted less than five years; On December 15, 1845, Pyotr Aleksandrovich writes: “... to this day I myself cannot believe what happened, I cannot remember what happened in this, by human reckoning, short period of time; I am a widower with two young children, the last of whom is 9 months old. Olga fed him for the last time on November 20th, 5 days before his death, which happened on November 26th at 6 am... the loss was irreversible and unexpected; ...died a righteous sleep, as a reward for her hardships and labors incurred while feeding her children, she was 25 years old! ...I fled from the village.” But troubles continued to haunt Pyotr Alexandrovich: “...I received your letter a long time ago,” he writes on March 27, 1846 from Novo-Georgievsk, “and I still haven’t answered, because, according to the Russian proverb, trouble doesn’t come alone, it’s always the third one. On the day I received your letter, I received notification that my youngest son was dying, the next day the news of his death; Of course, I dropped everything and went to look at the deceased and take in the rest. My third problem is the reception of the settler’s district; You know settlements by hearsay, by looking at them; but you need to see very closely to be convinced of the bitter situation of these hard-working farmers. Imagine a huge estate of 100 souls, in which, under the influence of the whimsical arbitrariness of the chief manager, all the clerks are trying to cover up the internal disorder with an outward appearance. If it weren’t for Launitz, Nikolai Nikolaevich, I wouldn’t be able to stay, and even now I’m still not sure. Varpakhovsky (to whom I fell under the command) is a thief in word and deed, and he hated me, trying to present me as an impudent person, but my insolence is only the truth. All the latest theories are applied to a military settlement, but bread is scarce. But the main problem with the buildings is economic, they undermine the well-being of the military villagers and are the cause of theft and deception, the reason for the removal of control...” Peter Alexandrovich has always been the closest of all relatives to Saint Ignatius, being for him a brother “not only in the flesh, but also in spirit, his constant life companion, especially since the time of joint service in Stavropol.” In correspondence between brothers, Saint Ignatius is always the leader, mentor and spiritual patron. For example, in a letter dated September 18, 1854, he writes: “You are doing very wisely in not making a close acquaintance with any clergy: such an acquaintance can very easily lead to harm and very, very rarely to benefit. Consult the books of St. Tikhon, Demetrius of Rostov and George the Recluse, and from the ancients - Chrysostom; tell your confessor your sins - and that’s all. The people of our century, whether in a cassock or a tailcoat, first of all inspire caution. Read the following prayers in the morning and evening: Trisagion, Our Father, 12 Lord have mercy, Psalm 50, Creed, Theotokos and some remembrances; after this, make 10 bows from the waist with the prayer: God, cleanse me, a sinner.” In turn, Pyotr Alexandrovich always tried to support his brother, carrying out his various assignments, and during his governorship in Stavropol he helped him in matters of managing the Diocese. The letters of Pyotr Alexandrovich himself from the Stavropol period, under the influence of constant communication with his brother, completely changed. The personal has disappeared from them, the everyday details that filled many pages in the past have disappeared. Now he concentrates more on the general course of events, of which he had to be a witness and participant. For us, what is especially important in these letters is what relates to his brother. The fact is that Saint Ignatius in his letters, as a rule, did not at all touch upon his activities either in the Sergius Hermitage or now, at the Caucasian and Black Sea Sees, focusing the attention of his correspondents on “the only thing needed” - the salvation of man. From the letters of Peter Alexandrovich one can obtain some additions to the information about this activity given in the biographies of the Saint. Thus, in a letter to N.N. Muravyov-Karsky dated October 2, 1858, he writes: “The Reverend Ignatius recently returned from Kizlyar; On his way, in Chervlennaya Stanitsa, he had a long conversation with the Old Believers, in Mozdok - with the Circassians, in Kizlyar - with the Armenians. Your word about the influence of faith is fair, but without the patronage of the worldly authorities it would be difficult to achieve significant success, even with the jealousy of the main clergyman in the region.” Immediately after Saint Ignatius retired and moved to the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery, Pyotr Aleksandrovich Brianchaninov began to solicit his resignation. On March 16, 1862, he writes to N.N. Muravyov-Karsky: “All the circumstances surrounding my service have developed in such a way that the best thing I can do is resignation. In my way of thinking, in my beliefs about what is useful, in my concept of good and evil, I am so at odds with the understandings and aspirations of the majority of public figures that I either have to violate the sanctity of my conscientious convictions or (mostly unsuccessfully for the cause) fight and irritate the majority. In this tense state, I am noticeably aging, the loss of abilities becomes more noticeable every day. I have in mind life with my brother and son with the pension that I earned by serving the Fatherland and society for more than 35 years. The rest is not mine - I surrender to the will of God, and I pray to the Lord to grant me what is most useful for preparing for the outcome; but I sincerely tell you: I am burdened even by the thought of remaining among the environment in which I stand - alone, in convictions and aspirations, thanking God for this very sorrow! Having received his resignation, he informed Nikolai Nikolaevich on July 1, 1862: “I received your letter dated May 26 at my new place of residence, where I sailed along the Volga on June 22, after a 17-day journey from Stavropol. …On June 22nd I came to my brother the Right Reverend and my son. I don’t have any closer people in the world, I don’t have any property that actually belongs to me, and therefore I intend to stay here as a guest, not constrained by time restrictions. The pension I receive will give me the opportunity, financially, not to be a burden to either the Bishop or the monastery, and at the same time, connecting me with my son, it gives me the most significantly useful position. ...Today I received a notification from Butkov that, in addition to the legalized pension (860 rubles), I was assigned to the All-Merciful One, on the proposal of Prince Baryatinsky. Orbeliani 1716 r. additional". Arriving at the monastery, Pyotr Alexandrovich settled there “as a guest” with the right to unhindered absences from it, which he needed to organize various affairs. He often has to travel to St. Petersburg. After several years spent in the Caucasus, he was struck by the changes that had taken place in the capital’s society: “You are wrong to think,” he writes to Nikolai Nikolaevich on October 11, 1862, “that I have become so cold in heart that what happens outside the walls of my residence would not concern me, would be completely alien to me. It is impossible not to pay attention to what is happening before your eyes. The lack of conscientious people who understand the matter correctly is felt everywhere. Literature, such as it has developed in our country, does not help this shortcoming, and cannot help, because, with a few exceptions, the writers themselves, imbued with materialism, and therefore complete immorality, sow more evil than they eradicate it, with the imaginary benefit of publicity, under the cover of which envy, revenge, slander and lies often operate. The moral rules they spread can only destroy the little good that is held in the people by their religious traditions. ... It is difficult to foresee what outcome is being prepared for this formidable struggle, in which, in the person of literaryists, supporters of progress, and progressives of non-literature, the evil principle has risen, hell has risen, against the principles of good - against the faith of Christ, in its necessary application to life.” These thoughts greatly worry Pyotr Alexandrovich. “On the evening of the 13th I arrived here and took a break from the busy life of St. Petersburg,” he writes on December 24 of the same year, “where, with all my little attention to what was happening, it was impossible not to see, and especially not to hear about the terrible development and cynicism of the depravity of literary and active progressives. That this depravity penetrates everywhere, that it spreads from the capital to the provinces, from the infected to the uninfected, and there it spreads its poison - this is undeniable. But how and when can morality be restored among the mass of the people - when will it be lost among them? And to religion - the Orthodox faith - war was openly declared by literature and the spreaders of schism - its defenders, as a political phenomenon. Censorship missed many works - expositions of the teachings of various heresiarchs - gave reason to the common people to believe that these books were published by the will of the Sovereign, and the schism intensified to an immense extent. This phenomenon is closely similar to the phenomenon of Protestantism in the West - the difference is that it is formed in the same State. God save us from those consequences that are shown to us by examples of obsolete peoples or, even worse, unparalleled consequences! - due to the unparalleled character of the people.” It is known that in Babayki Saint Ignatius worked hard and fruitfully, thanks to which the previously run-down monastery turned into a first-class monastery. Peter Alexandrovich provided him with great assistance, using his governor's pension for the needs of the monastery. Their niece, A.N. Kupreyanov, describes Pyotr Alexandrovich in this period of his life: “Majestic with us, Pyotr Alexandrovich behaved respectfully towards his brother... He lived in Babayki with his lay brother... everyone understood that he was a monk at heart and kept the monastic rule, although he did not take tonsure, perhaps in order to make it more convenient for him to bother about the works of the Bishop. He published them at his own expense and he had to tinker a lot, not just because of the material side of the matter... he went to explain things to high-ranking officials, taking advantage of his position as a former governor.” The work on publishing the works of St. Ignatius can be considered the main work of the last years of Peter Alexandrovich’s life. “With me to St. Petersburg,” he wrote to N.N. Muravyov-Karsky on October 11, 1862, “I brought some of the works of the Most Reverend Ignatius and intend to try to publish them. Whether I will succeed in this, I don’t know, but I will try as hard as I can to fulfill it. It is difficult because the Eminence has made it a condition that he will not accept any censorship amendment that changes or weakens the thought he expressed.” The reason for this concern of Saint Ignatius can be learned from his own letter to his brother dated October 14 of the same year: “When I lived in the Sergius Desert, then they did not favor my works to be published in print, having their own reasons. Perhaps these reasons still exist. ...At first they did not directly indicate to me: we used our own method for refusal, namely: they smeared up the manuscript and changed the work in such a way that the manuscript became worthless, and the work was already made alien to me and received a distorted appearance that could seduce the reader and make the author a laughing stock of the public... In general, the writings of people who led an ascetic life are much more convenient to print after their death...” As is known, the many years of efforts of Pyotr Alexandrovich were not wasted. We can safely say that it is thanks to them that we now have almost all the works of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) published. The measured life in the monastery was occasionally disrupted by unexpected events, one of which Pyotr Alexandrovich reported to Nikolai Nikolaevich in a letter dated September 2, 1863. We are talking about the meeting of Saint Ignatius with Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, the eldest son of Alexander II, who was declared the Heir, but died on April 12, 1865 (after which the future Alexander III was declared the Heir): “Are you asking if I was in Nizhny during the Tsar’s arrival? – No – but I saw the devotion of the people to the Royal House during the visit of the Heir, who visited us on Babayki on June 29, listened to the Liturgy, at the end of which the Right Reverend presented him with an icon (a copy of the miraculous one) of St. Nicholas, saying: “Your Imperial Highness! Saint Nicholas of Christ, who taught the most soul-saving advice to the kings, may he speak to your heart all the good things about you and about the Orthodox Russian people.” - Thousands of people (common people, exclusively peasants, and all former landowners, because in our corner the State is unheard of) gathered and lovingly received and looked at the Royal Youth. He visited the Eminence, drank tea and had breakfast with him, and was surprised that he had never seen the Eminence before, although he constantly lived near St. Petersburg. But the Babayki were not on the route even now, and this visit was arranged completely unexpectedly.” The correspondence between Pyotr Aleksandrovich Brianchaninov and N.N. Muravyov-Karsky continued until the death of Nikolai Nikolaevich. From the last letters of Pyotr Alexandrovich it is clear that life in the monastery did not immediately bring him peace: “That our fatherland, due to its strength and the peculiar character of the mass of the people, is destined to have a strong influence on the affairs of the European continent, there is also no doubt about this, but what will come of these trials? what fruit will deprivation, loss, shock bring?..” Similar premonitions worried many of his contemporaries. But years have passed, decades have passed since the death of his brother, the Most Reverend Ignatius, since the death of his friend, to whom he confided his experiences almost his entire adult life... “I am amazed,” wrote A. N. Kupreyanova, “thinking about what enormous internal work had to be done in these people (Petr Alexandrovich and his younger brother Mikhail Alexandrovich) so that their character, bent, bowed under the yoke monasticism, and their monasticism was not only external. All their lives two forces fought in them: the innate power of pride, passion and autocracy and the enormous power of undoubted faith and devotion to God and the Church. And the last one always won.” After the death of his brother, Pyotr Aleksandrovich Brianchaninov remained to live in the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery, with which he was connected by memories of his brother, friendship with the abbot Archimandrite Justin and the desire to assist in the construction of the cathedral. He continued his work on publishing the works of the Most Reverend Ignatius and therefore visited St. Petersburg and Moscow. There is a mention of him in the recently published diary entries of the abbess of the Sretensky Monastery Evgenia (in the world Evdokia Semyonovna Ozerova) 9. On October 13, 1880, she wrote down: “Today we were at the Alekseevskaya Monastery. There I met a new friend of mine, Pyotr Aleksandrovich Brianchaninov, brother of the famous Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov), who ended his life in retirement in the Babaevsky Monastery and underwent the feat of the mental Jesus Prayer. Pyotr Alexandrovich was a smart man, an old man, and was the governor of Stavropol, where his brother was bishop at the same time as him. A well-read and spiritually oriented man, he has seen a lot, heard from different people, and is very pleasant. While talking about books and ascetics, we touched on Fr. Seraphim of Sarov, his wondrous life, extraordinary feats, patronage and the death of the Diveyevo monastery. Pyotr Aleksandrovich, while on business in St. Petersburg, met at his brother, who served there, the collector of the Diveyevo Hermitage Elizaveta Andreevna Tatarinova (now Abbess Seraphim of the Blachernae Cenobitic Monastery) and her cell attendant. They stayed with the Alexandrovs, but were familiar with the Brianchaninovs. Anxious people came to them and said that they had been invited to a house with promises of alms, but when they entered, the owner of the house closed the door and began to shower them with curses. His harsh treatment continued for a long time. Elizaveta Andreevna burst into tears, and her companion, who had previously stood silent and motionless, finally said decisively: “How long will the swearing continue?” She unlocked the door and led me away crying Elizaveta Andreevna. She had a headache from the tension, they put her to bed, and in the evening it got worse. They stayed overnight with the Brianchaninovs, letting the venerable Alexandrovs know that they would not be going home due to illness in their cell. The next day they sent a physician who announced that the patient had a fever, and on the 9th day of her illness he decisively said that she should be prepared for the end of this life, because there was no way to save her. It was in the evening. Finally everyone left, the tired Elizaveta Andreevna fell asleep. The patient sees that the door opens and O. Seraphim enters in a white robe, as he wore during his lifetime. As a sign of silence, he holds a finger on his lips and, approaching the patient, quietly says: “Let everyone fall asleep, I will follow you.” During the night he served her, even got her up, carried her out for the necessary needs, and when it began to dawn, he said: “Now they have all slept, and you are healthy,” and disappeared. When they came to the sick woman, she was sitting on the bed and reported on what she had seen and experienced, saying where O. Seraphim placed his hand, she felt relieved, and that now her illness was over. In the morning, the life doctor came in, asked if the patient was alive, saw her healthy and directly stated that this was a miracle of God. He was a Lutheran and, of course, did not believe either in the power of the righteous or in their supernatural phenomena. After some time, the novice falls ill with cholera. The same doctor uses her, finds her condition hopeless, but no longer claims that she will certainly die. The patient recovers again, and the physician, struck by the power of faith and everything that has happened, converts to Orthodoxy. Pyotr Aleksandrovich also talked a lot about the Diveyevo Hermitage and about the intercession of Fr. Seraphim for the Diveyevo orphans, as he called them. Many biographies have been written about Fr. Seraphim, but the fairest legend about him is the hieromonk of the Sarov desert, Father Abel. But now it is difficult to find, it has not been reprinted. We spent a very pleasant day. When you meet a serious and spiritually oriented person, your soul rests. The conversation is conducted without judgment, without emptiness; it feels like grown-up Christians are talking, and not children in mind and dispositions. Nowadays even in the spiritual there is little, or, better to say, you do not find what the soul desires and seeks. Famine and bread and spiritual food of the word of God. You encounter either spiritual infancy or complete emptiness. Glad, glad, how to meet a person who lived under spiritual guidance and understands the path of living and active faith. After having seen and heard great, holy, pious things in your life, you involuntarily compare and come to the sad conviction that the time has come not for a famine of bread, but for a famine of the Word of God.” The last letter from Pyotr Aleksandrovich Brianchaninov discovered in the archive was written on March 13, 1889: “Venerable Mother Abbess Antonia! I had the honor and consolation of receiving your gracious letter dated February 20th. I sincerely thank you for your words and feelings of mercy towards me, expressed both in kind greetings and in the edifying example of true unity in the Lord. Please accept my most respectful congratulations on the upcoming church holiday of your Holy Abode. Father Archimandrite Justin instructed me to convey to you his congratulations and sincere best wishes for finding the joy of spiritual consolation. O. Justin is not overjoyed that the Lord sent us a monk Bishop. Entrusting myself to the protection of your holy prayers and asking for your gracious blessing, I remain with a feeling of sincere devotion to the Lord as your constant novice P.S. I sincerely bow to all your sisters, asking for their holy prayers. P. P. S. Is M. Paisiya alive? She fell silent or fasted or left, maybe where?” Pyotr Aleksandrovich Bryanchaninov died in Babayki on June 25, 1891. P.P. Yakovlev wrote: “The funeral service for Pyotr Alexandrovich took place on the 29th of Fr. Ilya with Hieromonk Veniamin, who arrived from the Nevsky Lavra. He died on the 25th at 11 am. The grave is next to the late Archimandrite Arseny - to his right, if you go to the Cathedral. His son Alexei Petrovich did not capture him alive for one hour. The funeral service was a monastic one with the name of Paul (he was tonsured by Father Archimandrite Justin 6 years ago). It gradually faded away over the course of the year.” The hieromonk Veniamin mentioned here in his adolescence was the cell attendant of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov and was taught to read and write by him. Pyotr Alexandrovich sought his appointment as rector of the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery after the death of Father Justin, which happened shortly before the death of Pyotr Alexandrovich himself. The son of Pyotr Alexandrovich, Alexey Petrovich Brianchaninov (June 11, 1844 - May 27, 1907), at the age of 1.5 years, was left without a mother, in the arms of his father, who was very attached to him, but due to official duties, did not have the opportunity to raise him. After the unexpected death of his wife, Pyotr Alexandrovich was forced to leave his son in the care of his sister-in-law, who took care of him until he was almost ten years old. Pyotr Aleksandrovich shared his worries about the fate of his son with N.N. Muravyov-Karsky and was very glad when Nikolai Nikolaevich invited him to give his son to his family so that he would be raised together with his daughters. “You will do very well,” Bishop Ignatius wrote on this occasion on June 11, 1856, “by giving Alyosha to the Muravyov family, both because it is much more convenient to educate him in Tiflis, and because you will probably have to spend a lot of time traveling. In addition, a young man, being brought up in the hands of others, wipes himself off better; The Muravyov family has strict morality.” Saint Ignatius treated Alyosha with love and he often visited his uncle. His uncle’s example had a strong effect on the young soul, and gradually Alexei’s desire to become a monk arose and strengthened. This desire seemed natural to my father and he encouraged it. But his uncle did not rush him into making a final decision, believing that Alyosha was too young for this. Time has shown how right Saint Ignatius was: March 1, 1862 – “What worries me most is Alexei. Child! He wishes to be tonsured into the ryassophore; but I put it off until your arrival. Times are difficult! Further even more difficult! He does not see this and does not suspect that when acting for the present, one must think very seriously about the future. Morally it is comforting. Has a very soft heart." April 26, 1862 – “Alexey Petrovich is growing up. Your remark is correct that God had a special mercy for him, which brought him to the monastery at the most difficult time of his life in moral terms. The local monastery is especially precious for its solitude from objects of temptation; In addition, the young man entered into close and frequent communication with his confessor, Fr. Theophan, who both consoles him and scolds him: both are beneficial. It is impossible to demand from Alexei that he understand modernity, but it is my duty, especially yours: to protect him from the abyss into which he can easily fall due to his blindness. May the merciful Lord, who began to arrange his path, arrange it to the end.” February 10, 1864 - “The monastery brought undoubted benefit to Alexei, gave him a pious direction, which usually remains for the rest of his life, sometimes falls asleep for a while, but then awakens again. Don’t be at all embarrassed by Alexei’s exit from the monastery. His forced and false position in the monastery was bound to have some outcome. Thank God that the outcome is reasonable and not comical or tragic. ...I see, as I saw before, that Alexey was not at all prepared for monastic life. ...Why do I recognize Alexei’s departure from the monastery as a necessity due to his lack of will, and therefore the necessary abilities for monastic life.” A. N. Kupreyanova writes: “Alyosha was externally and internally similar to his mother; the cheerful gentleness of his character and his full-flowing cheerfulness prevented him from becoming a monk in his soul. ...Having reached adulthood, he left the monastery, maintaining, however, his deep devotion to the Orthodox faith throughout his life.” Upon leaving the monastery, Alexey Petrovich entered service in the office of the Vologda governor. “Alexey needs life experiences,” wrote St. Ignatius. – Experiences always have their sorrow and their work. But without them, a person remains an empty doll for the rest of his life. The experiences while living in Vologda will be the easiest. There are no such storms and abysses as there are in the noisy world...” Soon Alexey Petrovich moved to the capital and passed the university exam. He completed his service in the position of comrade manager of the affairs of the Committee of Ministers with the rank of Privy Councilor, with the rank of senator. He died without a family. The third son of Alexander Semenovich and Sofia Afanasyevna was Mikhail Alexandrovich Bryanchaninov (b. August 13, 1811), his wife was Anna Modestovna Okulova (1810 - June 11, 1837), they had no children. Mikhail Alexandrovich began his service in the Semenovsky regiment. A. N. Kupreyanova tells about his further fate: “Mikhail Alexandrovich rushed around St. Petersburg, leaving military service due to lack of funds. Thanks to the connections of his brother, Archimandrite of the Sergius Hermitage, he received good positions several times, but did not stay in them. He bought a carriage factory on credit, but went broke on it. He married a worthy girl in St. Petersburg, but simple and poor; her relatives did not recognize her. Finally, his father allocated him a profitable estate in the northern wilderness, and subsequently lived there due to its impracticality, although he managed the farm himself. His wife died there. ... Due to the breadth of his nature, he did not fit into any generally accepted framework, he spoke directly about what was most sincere, he hated convention, and any untruth outraged him almost to the point of a fit. He was the "By the Grace of God" speaker. He sowed a lot of good feelings into people's souls. Lively, original thoughts were boiling in his smart head. ...Seven years later I saw him as a quiet, slightly hunched monk, with careful speech and slow movements. He apparently controlled himself every minute... Mikhail Alexandrovich died in Optina as a humble and silent monk..." Their next brother was Alexander Alexandrovich Bryanchaninov (May 1, 1814 - April 7, 1835), who served in military service and died in his young years. Before his death, he was tonsured a monk by his brother Ignatius and buried in the Sergius Hermitage. The youngest of the brothers, Semyon Aleksandrovich Brianchaninov (December 3, 1815 - December 7, 1863), began his service in the same place as his older brothers, in the Semenovsky regiment. After leaving military service, he returned to Vologda, lived with his father, and served as peace mediator of the 1st convocation. The definitions “beloved” and “darling” stuck to Semyon Alexandrovich. Archbishop Gabriel of Kherson and Tauride, recalling his Vologda meetings, asked in a letter to Archimandrite Ignatius: “Where is the beloved Senyusha?” Archimandrite Ignatius himself writes in a letter to his father: “Semyon is a very nice, discreet, modest and careful” or: “Semyon is a very nice young man.” A. N. Kupreyanova: “My grandfather had a son, Semyon Alexandrovich, unlike the others - a kind and cheerful gentleman, “Uncle Senya,” as he remains in my memories. He loved my mother as a brother and as an equal... He died while still a relatively young man. He didn’t frown at me, but smiled at me and spoiled me.” And the father, Alexander Semenovich, singled out this youngest son of his, who eventually became his main heir, receiving 3/4 of his fortune during his father’s lifetime. Semyon Alexandrovich was married twice. From his first wife, Nadezhda Petrovna, he had two sons - Alexander and Nikolai. From his second wife, Anna Ilyinichna, he had sons, Evgeniy (November 15, 1862 - April 17, 1891), and Dmitry, who died as an infant, as well as a daughter, Evdokia. Semyon Alexandrovich, the only one of the brothers who remained in the world until the end of his days, having raised “two valiant servants of the Church and the Fatherland,” was convinced of the righteousness of his older brother. Sending his student sons to the university in 1862, he instructed them to visit their uncle in Babayki. According to the testimony of the youngest of the sons, Nikolai Semenovich, their meeting with Saint Ignatius left a deep impression of kindred cordiality, unusual simplicity, and spiritual closeness for the rest of their lives. The eldest of the sons of Semyon Alexandrovich, who bore the name of his grandfather, Alexander Semenovich Bryanchaninov Jr. (October 28, 1843 - December 26, 1910), entered St. Petersburg University, but dropped out from the third year and in 1864 entered the Nikolaev Cavalry School, in 1866 he graduated first and was recorded on a marble plaque, and was designated a cornet in Cavalry Regiment. In 1868 he was appointed regimental treasurer, and did not leave front-line activities, and at the competition of officers of the guards and army cavalry in the highest officer riding he received the first in 1869, and in 1870 the Imperial prize. In 1872, with the rank of captain, he left military service and devoted himself to local social activities. In 1879, he was elected honorary justice of the peace of the Gryazovets magistrate district, and from 1880, for 8 years, he was the Gryazovets district leader of the nobility, and from 1882 - chairman of the congress of justices of the peace. In 1888 he was appointed vice-governor of Samara. A complete failure of the grain harvest in 1891, which occurred in the Samara province, and only partly, in the month of July, due to a more or less significant shortage of grain in the vast expanse of central Russia; the lack of preparation of local forces to deal with such a natural disaster; almost empty bakery stores; lack of information about the existence of grain reserves within the province among private individuals; the impossibility of receiving locally, due to the insufficient transport capacity of the railways, bread purchased by order of the zemstvo outside the province; the need to put into effect the Highest command, which followed on November 21, 1891 and caused by the seriousness of the situation, on the withdrawal of food affairs from the zemstvo in the Samara province and its transfer to the disposal of the provincial administration - these were the conditions in which the province was when on December 19, 1891, the Most Gracious appointment of A. S. Bryanchaninov as Samara governor followed. Since 1895 He was also the chairman of the local branch of the Red Cross and an honorary trustee of parochial and literacy schools in the Samara diocese. He was repeatedly called to St. Petersburg to participate in various serious commissions under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On May 6, 1892, he received the title of chamberlain for special services. Since 1904 he has been a member of the State Council and a senator. He was also an honorary lifelong member of the Samara Trusteeship of Children's Shelters, a member of the Highly Approved Special Committee for Strengthening the Military Fleet with voluntary donations, a member of the main directorate of the Imperial Russian Musical Society, a member of many charitable institutions and had the title of honorary citizen of the cities of Samara and Stavropol of the Samara province and an honorary justice of the peace for the Buguruslan district. He was awarded many orders up to and including the Order of Alexander Nevsky. He died in St. Petersburg, where he was buried in the church of the Cavalry Regiment, after which his ashes were transported to Pokrovskoye and buried in the family necropolis. Forty-nine letters from Alexander Semenovich Brianchaninov to Senator Alexander Dmitrievich Sverbeev, with whom he was on friendly terms, have survived. The letters were written when Alexander Semenovich was Samara vice-governor and governor. In them, he talks about his main concern - the plague in the Buzuluk region, especially among the Tatars, about the drought that aggravated the plight and the rise in bread prices. It also concerns personal and family news. For example, in a letter dated February 22, 1890, he writes: “In Moscow, to our great surprise, we met brother Alexei Petrovich, who went to Babayki to see his sick father. Pyotr Alexandrovich was greatly influenced by the unexpected death of Archimandrite Justin.” The intense work of these years was the cause of the onset of a serious illness: “In mid-June,” he writes on May 20, 1892, “I would like to visit St. Petersburg. But I don’t know if it will be possible. I recently worked out to the point of fainting; the doctors told me not to exercise so much; on their advice, I went to the Stavropol district to freshen up a little.” And a year later, on May 17, 1893: “I’m going to Moscow to consult with Zakharyin and, of course, I’ll go to St. Petersburg. Repeated fainting makes me think a little about myself.” Alexander Semenovich's wife's name was Sofya Borisovna. Their marriage was not happy, in the sense that they did not have children. Probably this circumstance was the reason or reason for Alexander Semenovich’s relationship with his wife’s young companion. This story was told to me in Pokrovsky by Kapitolina Vasilievna Razina, who heard it from her mother, who was Sofia Borisovna’s maid before 1917. When his companion became pregnant, Alexander Semenovich apologized to his wife, but Sofya Borisovna did not forgive him for his infidelity. The girl was driven away and when she died around 1905, her daughter was left an orphan and grew up with her mother’s relatives. Only shortly before the death of Alexander Semenovich, Sofya Borisovna forgave her husband. The girl was taken into the house and raised as a young lady, and when she grew up, she was married to the manager of the estate. During the years of reprisals against the nobility, this daughter of Alexander Semenovich turned out to be the only support for the old, sick and completely blind Sofia Borisovna. She took her to Vologda and hid her for several years in her house, in a dark room without windows. But, apparently, in Pokrovsky they knew this secret... Alexander Semenovich's brother, Nikolai Semenovich Bryanchaninov (September 17, 1844 - 1915), entered the law faculty of St. Petersburg University and, when the latter was closed due to the unrest taking place there, entered service as a non-commissioned officer in the Cavalry Guard Regiment in 1867; the following year promoted to cornet; in 1871 he was approved as a member of the regimental court, two years later he was seconded to the General Staff for writing classes; in 1874 he was appointed an official of special assignments of the VIII class under the chief of the General Staff, and in 1876 - of the VII class; in the same year, he was sent to Tambov and Rostov-on-Don to oversee the shipment of 3,100 horses purchased for the artillery of the Caucasian Military District by rail; in 1877 he was sent to supervise the rafting of lower ranks along the Kama and Belaya rivers, then to the rear of the active army in Frateshti and Zimnitsa to manage the evacuation of sick and wounded soldiers. In 1882 he was assigned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs; in 1885 seconded to the disposal of the St. Petersburg governor; the following year he was elected to the post of Velikoluksky district marshal of the nobility; in 1890 he was appointed vice-governor of Pskov. February 16, 1893 By the highest decree he was transferred to the post of Ryazan governor - until August 11, 1904, when he was appointed present in the Government Senate. In 1896, on May 14, he was granted the rank of equestrian master of the Imperial Court. Awarded many orders up to and including Alexander Nevsky; On August 22, 1913, he was awarded the insignia for 40 years of impeccable service; his last rank is actual privy councilor. After the death of his cousin, Alexei Petrovich, in 1907 and in 1910 - his brother, Alexander Semenovich, who died without male offspring, Nikolai Semenovich remained the last representative of the Pokrovsk line of the Bryanchaninov family, responsible for preserving the memory of the family and worthy continuation of it. It was to him that Alexey Petrovich gave documents and various materials of St. Ignatius, which he provided to L. Sokolov for work on a monograph on the life and works of the St. Also, he alone had the responsibility of raising three children - sons Alexander and Vladimir and daughter Maria, since he was widowed very early. The surviving fragments of his correspondence with Anatoly Viktorovich Polovtsov indicate that he took this responsibility very seriously. Anatoly Viktorovich Polovtsov served in the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty, and was also a famous historian and archaeologist. The reason for the start of correspondence between N. S. Bryanchaninov and A. V. Polovtsov was that the first was a governor in Ryazan, and the second was a Ryazan landowner who took a fairly active part in the life of Ryazan society. Their personal acquaintance took place in 1893 and soon grew into friendship. Both provided each other with some services. For example, Nikolai Semenovich assisted Polovtsov’s wife, Ekaterina Nikolaevna, in building a lace making school in Borisovka and in obtaining a loan for the construction of another school. He also carried out the instructions of Anatoly Viktorovich concerning his relationship with the local Ryazan authorities. Nikolai Semenovich himself asked Polovtsov, as a person close to the Court, to work for the dedication of his daughter Maria as a maid of honor: in order to “strengthen during my lifetime the social position of my daughter Marusya, deprived of a mother, and to ease the difficult duty that lies on her, as the daughter of a governor of the province who does not have a wife, to be an assistant to her father at all official public service receptions, in the organization and management of charitable work and for unity and unification society in order to raise its spiritual strength. Although everyone in Ryazan loved Marusya and caressed her very much, her external difference will significantly help the young girl to occupy the social position that is usually occupied by the spouses of governors in a provincial city and to play in society the role that fell to her lot immediately after leaving the Institute (Smolny) ... ". This letter was written in February 1898. By the beginning of the next year, Masha was called to St. Petersburg and she stayed with the Polovtsovs. January 6, 1899 Polovtsov informs Nikolai Semenovich that “Baron Frederica visited the Empress and said that Masha had nothing to wear (that is, there was no court dress). This made the Empress laugh, but there were no appointments.” On February 15, he wrote that “Masha is delighted with the reception from the Empress” and on May 12, 1899: “There is nothing to say about how happy we are for Maria Nikolaevna. Ekaterina Nikolaevna leaves (for Ryazan) with a copy of the 15th...” Polovtsov also had sympathy for the sons of Nikolai Semenovich, who were in St. Petersburg at that time: “We saw your dear son,” he writes on April 20, 1895 about his youngest son; August 14 congratulates Nikolai Semenovich on the transfer of his eldest son to the guard; and on October 20 he reports: “I saw your son Alexander Nikolaevich several times, I gave another a whole library with me to brighten up his stay in Little Russia.” Nikolai Semenovich himself was interested in Anatoly Viktorovich’s works on history and archeology (which he studied together with his wife): “Your articles in the Moscow Gazette,” he wrote to him on March 21, 1898, “are not only read with great interest by me, but are marked in colored pencil and sent to Paris to my eldest son, to whom, I am sure, it gives great pleasure. I look forward to the continuation of the description of the Alexander III Museum. ...What style, what erudition - it’s simply amazing how you manage to acquire so much information and your ability to convey to others in an interesting presentation and understandable language...” In general, the letters characterize Nikolai Semenovich Brianchaninov as a highly cultured person, which was also evident in the events that he held in the province. So, in 1895 he organized a solemn celebration of the anniversary of Ryazan. Polovtsov wrote two articles about this “unforgettable anniversary” published in metropolitan magazines. To celebrate the New Year of 1898, Nikolai Semenovich invited the Maly Theater troupe to Ryazan, about which he informed Polovtsov: “All the celebrities of the Maly Theater have visited and now we are waiting for Yuzhin.” And in 1899 he organized the “Pushkin Holiday”. He also took advantage of the friendly attitude of Polovtsov, who, at his request, spoke to the Ryazan society with his lectures. Nikolai Semenovich's official position and the cultural atmosphere in which he lived could not but affect his sons. Both of them received an excellent education and from their youth were accustomed to moving in aristocratic circles close to the Court. However, their future life paths diverged more and more. In all likelihood, the reason for this was the unstable, addictive character of the eldest son. Alexander Nikolaevich Brianchaninov (June 6, 1871 - 1960) studied at the university for several years, then entered military service. From a letter from A.V. Polovtsov it is known that in 1895 he was transferred to the guard. But in 1897 he already retired. You can learn about his further steps in life from his letters to A.V. Polovtsov, with whom he also corresponded. In the summer of 1897, he is in London (he reports that he cannot find a novel there that interests Anatoly Viktorovich’s wife, as well as his impression of Wagner’s music). Since 1898 he has been in Paris. On April 15, 1899 he writes: “I am now terribly busy with my essay on Russian historiography, the 17th part of which I am going to submit in the form of a dissertation to the school (nrzb.) and another work, which I hope to publish before July.” In addition, he is engaged in music, “which captivates me more and more (I managed to form a quartet, we are analyzing Schumann, Mozart, Borodin) ... I do everything I can here for Russian artists - I met and became friends with Brandukov. The idea is to show Russian opera and ballet.” A year later, May 29, 1900 from St. Petersburg: “Knowing your ardent sympathy for the fate of the unfortunate Boers, I am sure you will treat well the initiative of general protest against the openly committed lawlessness that I have just adopted.” On July 24, 1900, advice was given on the installation of a monument to Alexander III: “Facing the station or Nevsky?” And after some time: “I leave you this new play of mine, remembering how kindly and warmly you have always treated my literary experiments.” But most of all he is fascinated by journalism and social activities. He was especially active during the Balkan War, which began the First World War. He was one of the organizers and a member of the editorial commission, and from the eleventh issue, the editor-publisher of the Church and Public Bulletin, published in 1912–1914. Participating in it were professor-priest K. M. Ageev, S. N. Bulgakov, members of the State Duma I. N. Efremov and N. N. Lvov, professor V. I. Ekzemplyarsky, N. A. Berdyaev, Prince E. N. Trubetskoy and others. The main content of the magazine was “issues of religion and the Church, both in their fundamental formulation and in their “application” to the historical conditions of life.” Alexander Nikolaevich published a number of articles in the magazine, the content of which is determined by their title: “The Balkan War”, “On the Eve of the War”, “It Happened”, “What kind of world does Russia need”, “The fight of the Cross with the gilded calf”. He was also one of the initiators of “a meeting of a group of progressive public figures, which set as its task the discussion of issues highlighted by the Balkan war”: “On January 18, 1913, after listening to a lengthy report by A. N. Brianchaninov, who had just returned from a tour of Western European capitals, the meeting adopted the following resolution: “... The impending resumption of hostilities in the Balkans and the fact of serious military preparations of Austria-Hungary and Romania... demand that now Russia, in full combat readiness, meet possible future complications and aggressive actions of powers that did not participate in the Balkan War... We desire and demand not a European policy, but a Slavic, and only Slavic.” Several letters and telegrams from Alexander Nikolaevich Bryanchaninov were preserved in the archives of Vyacheslav Ivanovich Ivanov: on January 24, 1914, he invites V.I. Ivanov to take part in a meeting where there will be a “Bulgarian Report”; May 19, 1915 asks him to perform at a concert in memory of Scriabin; November 17, 1917 - invites you to attend a meeting - political. New ideas were another impetus for the vigorous activity of Alexander Nikolaevich: on May 29, 1917, he gave a speech at the opening of the All-Russian Society for Countering Luxury and Extravagance, of which he is a member of the Council: “The revolution overthrew tsarism... but did it overthrow the bureaucracy that cost the Russian people so dearly? ...Bankruptcy and foreign economic bondage are inevitable if we do not reduce our way of state and public life...” At the very end of 1917, he was in Paris, never to return to Russia. His family lived in Paris since 1916. He continues his activities abroad: in 1926 (from May 30 to June 6), on his initiative and under his chairmanship, the First Congress of Psychosociologique Convoque sur l'initiative de L'Internationale des Amis de l'Ordre Spirituel (L'Organisateur Responsable Briantchaninoff) was held; and from May 13 to May 20, 1928 - the Third Congress, etc.; in 1927, on September 4, the Association Nationale Russe Pour La Ligue des Nations meets in Geneva. Le President: Briantchaninoff, P. le President de la section de Geneve Prince A. Bagration-Mouhransky, etc. It can be assumed that his passion for ideas unacceptable to people in his circle was the reason that he did not become the last owner of the family nest - Pokrovsky. It is possible that this same reason, as well as the unstable character of Alexander Nikolaevich, explains his unfulfilled family life. Although he made a brilliant game. He was married to the granddaughter of State Chancellor Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov, His Serene Highness Princess Maria Konstantinovna Gorchakova. They separated shortly after moving to Paris. Maria Konstantinovna died on May 25, 1924, and was buried in the Batignolles cemetery. Their only daughter Tatyana - the last Brianchaninova - was born on September 22, 1907, lives in Paris. She doesn't like to talk about her father, whom she barely met. But her stories about the past mention the most brilliant names of the Russian Empire. The last owner of Pokrovsky was Alexander Nikolaevich’s younger brother, Vladimir Nikolaevich Bryanchaninov (September 15, 1875 – August 11, 1963). He was a worthy successor to the traditions of the family: he studied at the University, began his service in the Cavalry Regiment, retired with the rank of captain, entered the public service, and until 1917 he was the Arkhangelsk Vice-Governor. “Due to the death of Alexander Semenovich and the absence of heirs in the male line, the estate (i.e. Pokrovskoye), by agreement with Sofia Borisovna, his widow, was transferred to his nephew, the son of Nikolai Semenovich, Vladimir Nikolaevich, now the vice-governor of Arkhangelsk,” wrote L. Sokolov in 1915. After 1917, Vladimir Nikolaevich Brianchaninov and his family emigrated to France. He died in the House of Russian Military Invalids in Montmorency. He is buried there, in Montmorency. His wife Sofya Alekseevna, nee Tatishcheva (April 30, 1882 - September 19, 1966) was buried next to her husband in Montmorency. They had two daughters: Natalya (February 23, 1905 - March 17, 1992 in Italy), her son Alexei lives in Italy; and Ekaterina (22 June 1906 - 18 July 1993 in Perth Western Australia), her daughter, Tatyana Alexandrovna, née Schubert (b. 24 March 1934 in Prague, Czechoslovakia), now living in Australia. Tatyana Alexandrovna has a husband, Englishman D. Watson and children: Peter (b. November 16, 1957), Susanna (b. January 6, 1959), Ivan (b. September 20, 1962) and Mikhail (b. October 11, 1964). Since 1994, Tatyana Alexandrovna and her husband come annually to the homeland of her ancestors, visiting Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vologda and the village of Pokrovskoye, where she provides financial assistance in the restoration of the church built by her great-great-great-grandfather Alexander Semenovich Bryanchaninov. Based on materials from the Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA) - St. Petersburg, the State Archive of the Vologda Region (GAVO), the State Archive of the Yaroslavl Region (GAYARO), the Manuscript Department of the Russian State Library (OR RSL), the Manuscript Department of the Russian National Library (OR RNL), the Vologda Regional Library, the Vologda Regional Museum, the Department of Written Sources State Historical Museum (OPI GIM), Manuscript Department of the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House). Chelishchev N.A. Collection of materials for the history of the Chelishchev family. St. Petersburg, 1893. Town on the Moscow road. Vologda, 1994. P. 44. Kulakova L.I. Poetry of M.N. Muravyov in the book. Muravyov M. N. Poems. L., 1967. Alyokhina L. A. Archival materials of M. N. Muravyov in the collections of the manuscript department // Notes of the manuscript department (RSL). M., 1990. P. 49. Proceedings of the Imperial Theological Academy for 1914 No. 9–12. Kiev, 1914. P. 81. Theological Bulletin. M., 1914. April–June. Department of Manuscripts of the Vologda Museum of Local Lore. F. 11. D. 6. Partially published: Christianity and Russian literature. Sat. 2. St. Petersburg, 1996, pp. 9–23. Almanac "Assembly of Nobility". No. 6. M., 1997. pp. 163–165.