Moscow, Russia
1751--1831
In the mid-eighteenth century, the Golitsyn family hired French architects to design a palatial country estate on the outskirts of Moscow. Prince Nikolai Yusupov bought the property in 1810 and remodeled the palace extensively to display his large art collections. The complex today encompasses the palace, a church and mausoleum, French sculpture garden, and numerous decorative structures and outbuildings, including a theater with original curtain and sets designed by Pietro Gonzago. Arkhangelskoye remained a Yusupov family residence until 1917, whereupon it became, simultaneously, a sanitarium and a museum and theater. In the mid-1980s, the palace was closed for renovations, and its collections, including paintings by Tiepolo, Boucher, and Van Dyke, were warehoused in an insecure wing. Then work on the palace ceased. The Ministry of Culture, which acquired Arkhangelskoye in 1996, cannot maintain the neglected property. Exterior columns and plaster work are damaged; the theater's roof and main staircase are unsound. If the deterioration process were reversed, the museum and theater could reopen, generating revenues to make the complex self-sufficient.

The following video provides you with the correct English pronunciation of the word "Arkhangelskoye State Museum", to help you become a better English speaker.