In 1904 Polenov had a workshop built on the place of a mast near the Big House. On this occasion he wrote to his friend Ivan Tsvetaev: «We are still in the village where I set up a workshop this summer, but for some reason the Abbey came out. Nevertheless, I am very satisfied: the window is huge, the light is wonderful. All my life I dreamed about it, but now somehow I can not believe it».
And indeed, the above mentioned window gave the house the look of an Italian church, which is why it was nicknamed the «abbey». This was the name of Catholic monasteries in the Middle Ages.
The window facing north provided the painter with the necessary light, so that he could work on his pictures for a long time during the day. Props for a home theater that the whole Polenov family played in was also kept there. Now you can see a small exhibition devoted to this theater in the Abbey.
