Fyodor Ivanovich Glebov — a general-in-chief, a senator, a veteran of the Russian-Turkish war, knight of many orders, in 1772 married Elizabeth Petrovna Streshneva, the last representative and sole heiress of the ancient noble family of the Streshnevs, to which Evdokia Lukyanovna, wife of Tsar Mikhail Romanov, belonged. Elizabeth's father, Peter Streshnev, was against the marriage of his only daughter with a widower with a child 17 years older than her. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Glebov's wife was distinguished by a strict despotic disposition. Elizabeth wrote about her choice of husband: "I have never been in love with him, but I realized that this is the only person over whom I can rule, whilst respecting him." Fyodor Glebov, on the contrary, loved her dearly, often admitted that she is his only purpose to exist, was completely devoted to her and in order to please his young spouse, he decided to build a white stone manor for her on the site of a wooden one on his patrimony in the Tver region.

Fyodor Glebov wanted to build not just a house, but a place worthy of receiving imperial persons: the Glebov family had a long-standing relationship of trust with the reigning Empress Catherine II. Catherine was the godmother of the Glebovs' eldest son, Peter, and stayed at the estate at least once. In memory of her visit, the family kept candelabra, which were carried in front of the Empress. Thus, Glebov entrusted the design of the new estate to the Palladian architect Nikolai Lvov, to whose genius and taste Catherine II herself, and later Emperor Paul I, appealed. Construction began in the summer of 1787. The place for the new estate was chosen in the southwest of the former one, in a bend of the Logovezh River. The churchyard was moved, and all the main buildings were laid around the Znamenskaya Church. The material for construction was taken from brick and tile factories in Znamenskoye village, white stone was brought from the neighboring town of Staritsa.

The architectural ensemble was built for 12 years. The estate in the classical style was nicknamed the "necklace for Elizabeth", as it resembled an jewel that Glebov gave to his wife: a circular colonnade of almost two hundred columns — a chain, four outbuildings with towers — faceted diamonds, the front gate — a lock, the main house of the estate — a pendant.

Entrance to the estate is paid — 50 rubles.
Daily from 10:00 to 17:30 (from October 9, 2023 to April 15, 2024).
Guided tours are available on Saturdays and Sundays. Sessions are at 10:00, 12:00 and 15:00.
The cost is 300 rubles / person.
Tickets can be purchased online on the website of the All-Russian Historical and Ethnographic Museum in the "Buy a ticket" section or at the ticket office of the estate.

Всероссийский историко-этнографический музей. Знаменское-Раёк. Купить билеты