Information about the building

Until the mid-19th century, Bolshaya Lubyanka was part of Sretenka Street. In 1926, it was named Dzerzhinsky Street, and in 1991, it regained its historical name.

In the early 17th century, the stone chambers of Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky stood on the site of the current properties No. 12 and 14 on Bolshaya Lubyanka. In 1611, near Pozharsky's courtyard, a battle took place between the Russian militia and Polish invaders of Moscow. In this battle, Prince Pozharsky was severely wounded and sent to the Sergiev Monastery.

The chambers suffered from a fire and took a long time to restore. After Dmitry Mikhailovich's death in 1642, the estate passed to the relatives of his wife, the Golitsyns, and by the end of the 17th century, it was divided. Property No. 14 went to the Naryshkins, while No. 12 remained with the Golitsyns. A stone two-story house was built on the Naryshkin's plot, which has been rebuilt multiple times but has survived to this day. It is possible that parts of Pozharsky's chambers were used in its construction.

Until 1811, the estate changed hands among various noble families: Dolgorukovs, Golitsyns, Naryshkins, Khovansky, and Volkonsky. Under Anna Ioannovna, the Mint was located here, and under Elizabeth, the Chamber Collegium. In the 1770s, during Prince M. N. Volkonsky's time, the chambers were reconstructed with the involvement of architect Francesco Camporesi.

In 1811, the estate was purchased by Count Fyodor Vasilyevich Rostopchin, who became the Moscow commander. Here, a courier from Kutuzov delivered the order to surrender Moscow to the French. The estate is described in Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace." The merchant's son Vereshchagin, suspected of treason, was killed here. Rostopchin left Moscow, surrendering it to Napoleon. The French detachment, stationed at the estate, saved it from fire. Before leaving, the French attempted to blow up the house, but the stoker prevented the explosion. After the liberation of Moscow, Rostopchin returned and held a grand reception here in 1814.

In 1842, the estate was acquired by the hero of the 1812 war, Count Vasily Vasilyevich Orlov-Denisov. In 1856, it was bought by D. A. Shipova, who established a house church of the Annunciation.

In the 1860s, wings were built on either side of the main house, and elegant pylons for the gates appeared.

In the early 1880s, the estate was sold to State Councillor E. E. Mattern, and later passed to the Moscow Insurance Society. The Russian Society for the Insurance of Capital and Income was located here until 1918.

After the revolution, the estate housed state security agencies, and since the 1990s, commercial organizations. In 2009, it became federal property.

In the courtyard of the estate grows a rare tree for Moscow, the Daurian buckthorn, a protected natural monument.

Reconstruction and Restoration

The estate was in an emergency state and needed repairs. Work began in 2016 and was completed in 2020. The object became a laureate of the "Moscow Restoration, 2020" competition for the organization of work, the best restoration project, and high-quality work on the painted ceilings.