The only place in Moscow where you can get acquainted with the patriarchal life of the aristocracy of the times preceding the era of Peter I is the Chambers of the Romanov boyars. The building, a branch of the Historical Museum, is an architectural monument of the 15th century. According to legend, the founder of the royal Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, was born here.
On the territory of the ancient center of Moscow, behind the shopping malls located there, in the place, which in ancient times was called Zaryadye, there is the only building that has survived from the huge patrimony of the Romanovs.
Historic Complex
Today, the historical complex invites tourists to get acquainted with eleven buildings of the 16th-18th centuries, different in their purpose and style. One of the buildings is the Museum of the Chambers of the Romanov Boyars. This place is one of the first museums in the capital, which became an architectural monument by order of Alexander II, who ruled at that time as a tsar. The three-story building in Zaryadye (the Chambers of the Romanov Boyars) is famous for its unusual architecture.
Fund museum exhibits are represented by ancient weapons and household items of that time. In the underground levelhouses the archaeological museum. Here you can see a real pottery workshop, where Moscow artisans of the 15th century worked.
Other buildings of the complex
On the territory of the historical architectural ensemble there are churches - cathedrals, a temple and the Old English Court, which is one of the most ancient buildings, as well as the Chamber of the Romanov Boyars in Moscow. The Church of the Great Martyr Varvara gives the street its name - Varvarka.
Features of the Museum "House of the Romanov Boyars"
In issuing a decree on the creation of the museum, the emperor set the task of recreating the life and environment in which his ancestors lived. F. F. Richter, an architect at the court, collecting materials from available sources, was able to bring the idea of Tsar Alexander to life, and since 1857 the building was designated as a historical monument. After the October Revolution of 1917, the museum was partially reconstructed, and it received the name "Museum of Boyar Life". In 1932 it became a branch of the State Historical Museum. In its original form, the building has not survived to this day. A well-preserved white stone cellar built in the 16th century. Currently, the Historical Museum houses some of the original museum exhibits in the old chambers, reflecting the culture and lifestyle of the Russian boyars of the late 17th century.
Premises for the boyar family
Territories for living had a clear division. Above the basement level, where the men lived, there were additional rooms - the refectory, the largest and most spacious room. Here the whole family gathered for a meal. Guests invited to the feast were received here. On the same floor there was the office of the boyar, a spacious room for the eldest sons and a large library. Boyar children from 6-7 years old were taught various sciences. They were taught arithmetic, geography and were taught, using a goniometer and compass, to draw maps. A compulsory subject was the study of foreign languages, which included Latin.
Women lived on the top floor, completely made of wood. Such a room was called a tower.
The lightest and most spacious room - the room - had windows on three sides, there were spinning wheels, a hoop, a loom and all kinds of materials for needlework. The boyar daughters sewed, spun, embroidered along with the servants.
In this atmosphere, a calm and measured life flowed, where well-being and harmony in the family were at the forefront.
A visit to the Museum of the Chambers of the Romanov Boyars is an excursion that is very popular not only among visitors. Muscovites bring their children here to acquaint them with the history of Ancient Russia.
What do the exhibits say?
The Museum of the Chambers of the Romanov Boyars is not just a place where objects and materials of antiquity are exhibited. Theatrical performances and specially prepared excursions are held here, designed for schoolchildren of different ages. Children are told and shown, using the example of a boyar family, how great and valuable the well-being of a family is, in which everyone has their own role. To create it, you need a house where a woman- a good mistress and keeper of the way, and the man is a servant of the tsar and the Fatherland. How it was possible to achieve such harmony is presented in the exposition.
Thematic excursion programs
Excursion review "Hello Museum"
Pupils of 3rd and 4th grades at the first visit to the museum in Zaryadye "Romanov Boyars' Chambers" are introduced to such concepts as "museum exhibits", "restoration work", "expositions". Sophisticated technical solutions that enhance the visual effect, an interesting exposition never leave this category of visitors indifferent.
For middle and high school students (sightseeing tour)
Excursions are regularly held to the "Romanov Boyars' Chambers" in Moscow. Pupils in grades 5-11 get acquainted with historical and architectural monuments of the XV-XVII centuries. They study the way of life and life of the representatives of the Romanov dynasty during the pre-Petrine era. The first underground archaeological museum in the capital, located in the basement, provides an opportunity to get in touch with the history of Zaryadye and learn more about the estate of the boyars.
For students in grades 8-11 - "The First Romanovs"
Students will get acquainted with the history of formation and little-known pages of the Romanov family. They learn that Mikhail Fedorovich, elected by the Zemsky Sobor to the kingdom, became the founder of a new royal dynasty. During his accession to the throne, he was barely 16 years old, but it was from that time that the unrest in Russia came to an end. AtDuring this tour, the film "The First Romanovs" is shown and visitors get acquainted with the exhibits of the museum. Students will also learn more about the exploits of Ivan Susanin.
When a museum becomes a theater
Theatrical performances - some organized especially for children, others for adults - allow us to understand the meaning of many expressions that have come to us from antiquity.
A special event is also being organized - a theatrical performance in the Museum of the Romanov Boyars' Chambers for the New Year. Reviews of numerous visitors allow us to understand that the museum staff professionally, with high skill and incredible sincerity cope with the task. After all, it is not so easy to “transfer” visitors to the days when representatives of the Romanov dynasty celebrated their favorite holidays to this day, such as Christmas, Christmas time, New Year, Maslenitsa. After visiting the museum on holidays, children remain impressed for a long time. They have a special relationship with them. In addition to the days of big holidays, entertainment events are developed for them, special classes are held. But most of all, children love to visit theatrical excursion performances, in which the organization and scenario are thought out to the smallest detail.
New Year and other holidays in the Chambers of the Romanov Boyars
When going with children to the Chambers of the Boyars for the New Year holidays or Christmas, you need to be prepared for the fact that this is not an educational excursion, in the literal sense, but still more entertainment with a historical component.
For foreigntourists
Do not disregard foreign tourists who visit the museum with amazing enthusiasm. For them, a special extended excursion program is provided. During the tour, they are told not only about the history of the formation and centuries-old rule of the Romanov family, but also get acquainted with the main historical moments of Russia itself.
In 2008, the Chambers of the Romanov boyars on Varvarka again acquired an element that was lost in troubled times, which is the coat of arms of the Romanov dynasty - a griffin. The stucco molding was made by the architect Chernousov on the wall of the house. The descendants of the court architect Richter and Pavel Kulikovsky-Romanov, who belongs to the branch of the last Russian tsar, helped to reproduce exactly the royal symbol.
Employees of the Museum "House of the Romanov Boyars", which is already more than 150 years old, were able to create a fascinating and so intriguing contemporary atmosphere of the time of the Romanov dynasty.
