The Tsvetaev family House-Museum is located in the village of Novo-Talitsy, 8 kilometers from the center of Ivanovo. In the 19th century it was located far from the city, but now Novo-Talitsy can be called the western suburb of Ivanovo. The museum is located in a wooden house of the 19th century. Three generations of the Tsvetaev family lived here, and the father of the great Russian poetess Marina Tsvetaeva was born.
As a child, Marina Tsvetaeva lived in a wealthy family. Her father, Ivan Tsvetaev, was an honored professor at Moscow University and the founder of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow. However, his background was not noble, and his parents lived poorly. You can find out about this by visiting the Tsvetaev Family Museum in Ivanovo.
Vladimir Tsvetaev, Marina Tsvetaeva`s paternal grandfather, was a priest. He was born in the small village of Stebachevo, near Suzdal. His father was also a priest and served in the local parish church. In 1841, Vladimir Tsvetaev received a parish in the village of Drozdovo near the city of Shuya, Vladimir region.
His wife`s name was Ekaterina Vasilyevna, she was an orphan. In Drozdovo, she gave birth to two sons, Peter and Ivan (Marina Tsvetaeva`s future father). The parish in Drozdovo was poor, so at that time the priest`s family lived in extreme need.
In 1853, Vladimir Tsvetaev received a parish in St. Nicholas Church, in the village of Novo-Talitsy, Ivanovo region. This church was built in the style of Peter the Great Baroque in 1775. The priest`s family settled in a wooden house near the church. Here Vladimir Tsvetaev had two more sons, Fedor and Dmitry.
In 1859, his wife died. However, despite this loss, Vladimir Tsvetaev did everything possible to give his sons a good education. Ivan Tsvetaev achieved the greatest success. He became a scientist, historian and art critic, member of the Academy of Sciences, professor at Moscow University.
Ivan Tsvetaev studied at the Vladimir Theological Seminary, and later at the University of St. Petersburg. He was a very capable student, knew many languages, and soon he was invited to teach at Moscow University.
From 1881 he worked at the Rumyantsev Museum, and in 1901 became its director. In 1912, he founded the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, which gained worldwide fame. Now it is called the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.
Since 1881 Ivan Tsvetaev lived in Moscow. Ivan`s first wife was named Varvara Dmitrievna Ilovaiskaya. Her portrait hangs on the wall of one of the rooms in the Tsvetaev Museum in Ivanovo. She died in 1890. Tsvetaev had two children from this marriage.
In 1891, Ivan Tsvetaev married Maria Mein. Her parents were Polish aristocrats. In 1892, their daughter Marina Tsvetaeva was born, who became one of the most famous poets of the “Silver Age” in Russia. Marina Tsvetaeva has never been to her father`s house in Novo-Talitsy, but the city authorities decided to perpetuate the memory of the Tsvetaev family. In 1988, they created a museum in the house where Ivan Tsvetaev was born.
