Shcherbatova, Sofia Stepanovna

Sofia Stepanovna Apraksina was born in 1798 in the family of the godson of Empress Catherine II Stepan Stepanovich Apraksin (1757-1827) and Ekaterina Vladimirovna Golitsyna (1770-1854), daughter of the famous "Mustached Princess" . Sofia spent her childhood and youth with her sister Natalya in the Olgovo estate in an atmosphere of luxury. Apraksins lived openly, accepting all of Moscow. They had their own theater, their actors and musicians, balls, fireworks and hunting. Young A.S. Pushkin , his uncle V.L. Pushkin , P.A. Vyazemsky and other art lovers often visited the house.

Ekaterina Vladimirovna Apraksina was engaged in raising children herself. Her daughters studied languages ​​and literature, they were taught music and art. Of the two daughters, she preferred the older Natalia, who had a similarity of mind and character to her, but she found Sofia too serious, too unloving the big world, too simple in life. Sofia was fond of painting, painting landscapes ^[2] . She read a lot, besides books of various contents, from the most serious (she loved Plato , Seneca ) to novels and novels. She was very religious, but without bigotry ^[3] .

In 1817, Sofia Stepanovna married the widower of Prince Alexei Grigoryevich Shcherbatov , who was twenty-two years older than his bride. The first years of marriage traveled a lot with her husband in Europe. Returning to Russia, she settled with her family in St. Petersburg. From where did the Shcherbatovs leave for the summer at their Litvinovo estate near Moscow. Sofia Stepanovna was engaged in raising children herself. Not wanting to have a tutor, she herself drew up a curriculum for them, recruited the best teachers and attended the lessons almost all day.

In 1843, with the appointment of Prince Shcherbatov to the post of military governor-general, the family moved to Moscow. Their house on Sadovaya has long been the center of the entire old capital: patrimonial, secular and charitable. Very smart and educated, brought up in luxury and wealth, Princess Shcherbatova, who knew her, was the personification of “grande dame”, which did not stop her, however, she could boldly tell the truth in her eyes, love simplicity in everything, hate pampering and idleness. Burdened by great receptions and representation, Sofia Stepanovna did not shy away from them and, taking advantage of her high position and influence in society, took up charity work.

An important merit of Princess Scherbatova was that she tried to bring the right organization to the cause of public charity. In 1844, Sofia Stepanovna founded in Moscow "Ladies' Guardianship of the Poor", whose chairman she was until 1876. The purpose of society was to “discover people who are truly in need of help, especially those who are ashamed to ask for alms, and provide them, according to the circumstances and whenever possible, such benefits that would bring them substantial benefit and could not be used for evil ^[4] .”

After the death of her husband in 1848, she informed Emperor Nicholas I of her intention to transfer in favor of society cash payments granted to her for the merits of her husband ^[5] . In 1848, during the cholera epidemic in Moscow, Princess Sofya Stepanovna, together with Dr. Fedor Petrovich Haaz, organized a community to help those in need, called Nikolskaya . The sisters of this community continued their activities during the years of the Crimean campaign ^[6] .

Princess Shcherbatova owes its origin to the Komissarov technical school. With her light hands, shelters for children, almshouses for the elderly, homes for the homeless were founded in Moscow; the activity of the prison committees has revived. In 1847, charitable institutions were established near the Novospassky Monastery - an almshouse, a hospital, an orphanage and a church - bearing her name ^[5] .

Until her very old age, Sofya Stepanovna personally led the charitable institutions founded and organized by her, when, after 30 years of hard work, this difficult work became beyond her strength, she transferred it to other reliable hands, but she did not stop monitoring her establishments, visiting them and coming up with various innovations and improvements for them.

Until the end of her days, she retained remarkable mobility and activity, fresh impressions, clarity of mind and the ability to be interested in everyone. A week before her death, she wrote her will with her own hand, without forgetting anyone in it; she herself expressed a desire to partake and be unified . Princess Sofia Stepanovna Shcherbatova died of pneumonia on February 3, 1885, at 88, and was buried next to her husband in the Donskoy Monastery . Empress Maria Fedorovna wrote to her son, Prince A. A. Shcherbatov:

On April 30, Prince Shcherbatov transferred the possession of his mother to Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya to the Moscow Board of Trustees for the construction of a children's hospital (now Children's City Clinical Hospital No. 13 named after N.F. Filatov ), as well as a church under her.

Married:

• Ekaterina Alekseevna (1818–1869), was married to Illarion Illarionovich Vasilchikov (1805–1862), adjutant general, governor of Kiev, Volyn and Podolsk, member of the State Council.
• Natalya Alekseevna (1819-1826)
• Grigory Alekseevich (1819-1881), a graduate of St. Petersburg University, headed the Censorship Committee, was chairman of the Agronomic Society; as part of the militia participated in the defense of Sevastopol. He was married to Sofya Alexandrovna Panina (1825-1905), the granddaughter of Count N.P. Panin .
• Olga Alekseevna (1823-1879), maid of honor of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna , married to Prince S.F. Golitsyn (1812-1849) from 1847, a retired captain, tragically died in the hunt with V.V. Apraksin in the village of Brasovo, Orel province.
• Boris Alekseevich (05/28/1824 - 06/06/1826).
• Vladimir Alekseevich (1826-1888), secretary of the Russian mission in Stuttgart , current state adviser, Saratov provincial leader of the nobility, later - Saratov governor . He was married since 1851 to Maria Afanasyevna Stolypina (1832-1901).
• Alexander Alekseevich (1829-1902), graduated from the Law Faculty of Moscow University, served in the cuirassier regiment, Moscow mayor. He was married since 1855 to Maria Pavlovna Mukhanova (1836–1892), daughter of the historian and archaeographer P. A. Mukhanov .

• Children
•  

  Catherine

•  

  Gregory

•  

  Olga

•  

  Vladimir

•  

  Alexander

• A. G.,. Scherbatova, Sofya Stepanovna // Russian Biographical Dictionary : in 25 volumes. - SPb. - M. , 1896-1918.