House Church

The Yusupov Palace acquired its own house church in the early 1880s. It was designed by Vasily Aleksandrovich Kenel (1834–1893), an Academician of Architecture commissioned by Prince N. B. Yusupov the Younger.

Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov became the sole owner of the residence on the Moika River in the mid-1850s. His wife, Countess Tatyana Aleksandrovna, née Ribopierre, a lady-in-waiting, was known for her refined aristocratic beauty and delicate health. Their daughters, Zinaida (born in 1861) and Tatyana (born in 1866), were growing up. Princess Tatyana Aleksandrovna died in Switzerland in 1879. The idea of building a private church within the palace arose in memory of his beloved wife, who had passed away so prematurely.

The exact reason why the Yusupov family church was dedicated to the Feast of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary is unknown. Prince N. B. Yusupov the Younger, widowed before his time and a deeply devout Christian, may have hoped that the prayers and protection of the Queen of Heaven would bring spiritual support and intercession to his family. The revered image of the Holy Intercession came to symbolize the hope of divine protection for the palace on the Moika and the entire princely family.

The Yusupovs' house church was richly decorated, with ancient icons in precious covers displayed in wall-mounted icon cases. Embroidered runners, napkins and covers made by the young princesses Zinaida and Tatyana gave the church a particular sense of warmth and intimacy.

All the most important events in the lives of the Yusupovs were associated with the House Church. On April 4, 1882, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova and Count Felix Felixovich Sumarokov-Elston were married here. Two years later, the Yusupovs' private church was visited by Archpriest John Sergeyev of Kronstadt, a celebrated contemporary who would later be canonized as a saint.

In 1887, Felix, the younger son of F. F. and Z. N. Yusupov, was baptized here. In the sorrowful days of June 1908, the funeral service for their elder son Nikolai, who had been killed in a duel, was held in the same church.

In the spring of 1915, the daughter of Prince Felix and Princess Irina was baptized in the church. She was named Irina (Bébé) after her mother. Emperor Nicholas II and the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna served as the child's godparents.

After the Revolution, the church fell into neglect and ceased to function entirely in 1926. In the 1930s, its interior was dismantled and the premises were converted into a spacious lecture hall, which remained in use for many decades. Yet a benevolent star seemed always to watch over the palace: the protection of its Heavenly Patroness did not allow the church to disappear forever, even through the years of devastation and hostility to religion.

The idea of reviving the church emerged with the dawn of the 21st century. The restoration took almost a decade. On December 21, 2014, Metropolitan Barsanuphius of St. Petersburg and Ladoga celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the restored church.

In the summer of 2017, the palace welcomed cherished guests: Princess Xenia Nikolaevna Sheremeteva-Sfiri, accompanied by her daughter Tatyana and granddaughters Marilia and Yasmine-Xenia. The Princess praised the restoration work and expressed particular gratitude for the opportunity to attend a service and pray in the church where her mother, Irina Felixovna, had been baptized.

Visitors can discover the history of the Yusupov princes' private church, fascinating episodes from its construction and the famous people who visited it at the exhibition “The Revival of the Temple,” which opened in 2014.