Raysemyonovskoye, Estate and regional cultural heritage site in Serpukhovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Russia.
Raysemyonovskoye is an estate in Serpukhovsky District of Moscow Oblast featuring a main residence with traditional Russian architectural details and a church on its grounds. The house displays the building styles of its era, while the Church of the Holy Mandylion stands as both a religious structure and an integral part of the property's design.
The village of Semyonovskoye belonged to the Nashchokin family from pre-Petrine times; among its owners was the diplomat Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin. In 1765 the landowner P. F. Nashchokin began the Church of the Holy Mandylion, built under Mikhail Kazakov's supervision in 1774–1783. Around 1800 Alexander Nashchokin, court marshal of Paul I, added an Italianate villa and a terraced landscape park. In 1803 he opened Russia's first private spa here, with 27 houses and a bathhouse; it closed in 1820. In 1900 the factory owner Diomid Khutarev rebuilt the house, and a fire destroyed it on 5 December 2021.
The estate's name "Ray" (Paradise) was chosen to avoid confusion with the neighbouring Orlov estate "Otrada". In 1803 Nashchokin opened Russia's first private spa here, with three streets, a hotel, bathhouse and 27 houses, plus "temples" over the iron springs, a serf theatre in the lime park and a menagerie of wild goats. A brochure, "Wondrous Healing, or a Journey to the Waters of the Saviour", advertised it.
The estate lies on the right bank of the Nara in the village of Raysemyonovskoye, Serpukhovsky District. The main house was almost completely destroyed by a fire on 5 December 2021, so check current access before travelling. The park terraces and the Spasskaya Church are the surviving features to look for.
The church interior held a golden-brown marble iconostasis designed by Matvey Kazakov, and its finish used local limestone that resembled marble. The estate's spa, opened in 1803, had three streets with a hotel, a bathhouse and 27 houses, all now lost. A brochure titled "A Miraculous Healing, or a Journey to the Waters of the Saviour" advertised it.
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