Karian Estate, Historic estate in Znamenka, Tambov Oblast, Russia

Karian Estate is a country estate in Znamenka, Tambov Oblast, founded in the early 18th century. Its surviving main house is a large single-storey building with a high basement that held service rooms and servants' quarters, and a mezzanine above the central part. The oval state hall protrudes into the garden, and its wooden dome was assembled without nails. The house now houses local institutions and a museum exhibition of the Znamensk Regional Museum.

The estate arose in the early 18th century, when the land at the confluence of the Karian and Tsna rivers was granted to Lieutenant-General Artemy Zagryazhsky, who settled about 500 peasants here. In 1743–1745 his son Alexander built the stone Church of the Sign, one of the first stone churches in Tambov Governorate, which gave the village its name Znamenka. In 1812 Natalia Goncharova, the future wife of Pushkin, was born at Karian; the Zagryazhsky male line died out in 1813, and in 1851 the estate passed to Sergei Stroganov.

The estate takes its name from the Karian River, and the owner's surname was traditionally added: Karian-Zagryazhskoye, later Karian-Stroganovo. Natalia Goncharova, future wife of Alexander Pushkin, was born here on 27 August (8 September) 1812 and was probably baptised in the Znamenskaya Church. The Goncharov family lived at Karian until August 1813.

The property sits on Parkovaya Street in Znamenka and is accessible using local directions to find it easily. Visiting during daylight hours and in clear weather allows you to see the architectural details and condition of the building properly.

The oval hall's ceiling was built of wood without a single nail, and its wall projects into the garden. The estate's name came from the Karian River; the village was renamed Znamenka after the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign", built in 1743–1745 by order of Alexander Zagryazhsky.