Rasputin, royalty, opulence and intrigue: murder at Yusupov Palace

 After a closure of nearly three months, Yusupov Palace is again open. Its opulent rooms and appointments reflect the grandeur of royalty in pre-revolutionary Russia. The mystic Rasputin was killed here in 1916. Yusupov Palace, or Moika Palace, is a grand 18th Century royal house.

Editor's Note: As Baltic countries reopen, St. Petersburg, Russia, is slowly opening up, too. Cruise lines are once again booking for stops in this beautiful coastal city, as early as spring of 2021. Get on an e-mail list with your favorite cruise line and check the web for good rates as cruise lines recover from the financial devastation of Covid. We sneaked in our latest Russia visit just before the travel industry went south.

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

Grigori Rasputin had peasant origins but rose to power as he charmed royalty.

ONE OF history's most talked about characters might well be that Siberian mystic, who charmed his way into the Russian court, but was killed by enemies who believed he'd gained too much power.

Yes, Grigori Rasputin was a real guy, and elegant Yusupov Palace in St. Petersburg is where he was murdered. The Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man befriended the family of Emperor Nicholas II, the last monarch of Russia and was invited to dinner by Felix Yusupov, who did not approve of his influence on Nicholas and Alexandra.

So in the winter of 1916, the influential and wealthy  playboy Yusupov plotted to poison him in the bright, yellow three-story 18th century building on the Moika River embankment in downtown St. Petersburg.

When he failed to die expediently, he was shot multiple times. Still he didn't succumb so his writhing, bullet riddled body was bound and thrown in the river. It was discovered several days later. Autopsy revealed death by drowning!

The story of Rasputin's murder is told with documents, photos and a tableau.

WE JOINED an international group of tourists fascinated by the gory story. It's colorfully told by guides -- the Russians are great story tellers, after all -- and illustrated with a tableau of the dining table and its doomed guest. The building is remarkable not only because of its intriguing -- if shady -- history but because it survived the Revolution and Soviet years relatively intact.

Its owner, Felix Yusupov, had several other palaces, but this was supposedly his favorite. Its well known facade only hints at its lavish interior, a unique architectural complex with a dizzying number of halls and living quarters. They illustrate the pampered life of the nobility before the Bolshevik Revolution -- and explain why their excesses were resented by the struggling masses.

The gilded halls and stairways lead to ornate bed chambers

and banquet rooms in the Yusupov Palace.

THE LAVISH digs also  reflect the city's life as the capital of the Russian Empire, from 1703 to 1918, when Moscow became the capital. Construction began in 1770 and renovation continues today. It was originally used by Andrei Shuvalov, a privy councilor to the court of Catherine the Great.

 Christene "Cookie" Meyers approaches Yusupov's second floor reception hall. 

Personalities to dine in the palace include Queen Elizabeth II, actress Liza Minelli, singer Sting, model Naomi Campbell and Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones.

Rasputin's "last supper" is depicted in a lifesize diorama.

While the guest list is impressive, its fame today is primarily because of the murder there.  Rasputin, Russia’s infamous “Mad Monk,” is the fodder for a great historical tale that blends fact and legend. Our guide said the death of the controversial holy man and faith healer had a combustible effect on the tense state of affairs in pre-revolution Russia when he was killed on Dec. 30, 1916 in the basement of the Palace, the St. Petersburg residence of Prince Yusupov, husband of the Czar’s only niece, Irina.

 IN THE DECADE prior, Rasputin had risen rapidly through Russian society, starting as an obscure Siberian peasant-turned--holy-man and becoming a prominent figure in the Czar’s inner circle. Born in 1869 in the village of Pokrovskoye, on the Tura river of the Ural Mountains, he seemed destined for an ordinary life -- marriage, three children, work on a family farm.

Frescoes, statues, gold and silver adorn the palace's many halls, corners and rooms.

That changed when in his 30s, he spent time at a monastery, continuing to see his family, odd for a potential monk. According to our guide, Rasputin's religious fervor, combined with an appealing personal charisma, brought him to the attention of some Russian Orthodox clergymen and then senior members of the Imperial family, who

introduced him to Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra. Nicholas wrote to one of his ministers in October 1906, “A few days ago I received a peasant from the Tobolsk district, Grigori Rasputin, who brought me an icon of St. Simon Verkhoturie. He made a remarkably strong impression both on Her Majesty and on myself..."

Rasputin would have walked these stairs to meet his host and begin his final meal.

The Imperial couple   consulted unconventional spiritual advisors but Rasputin filled this role by his ability to read their inner hopes and tell them what they wanted to hear. He encouraged Nicholas to have more confidence in his role as czar. Alexandra found that his counsel soothed her anxieties. By the First World War, Rasputin was also providing political advice and making recommendations for ministerial appointments, much to the dismay of the Russian elite. Rasputin cemented his relationship with the czar and czarina when he supposedly helped alleviate their only son Alexei’s hemophilia. Rasputin’s alleged healing powers continue to be debated today, but legend says he employed peasant folk medicine to treat internal bleeding in horses, and passed this knowledge on to help Alexei.

A visit to San Diego Zoo is possible again, after the longest closure in the

zoo's proud history. Here, Cookie in red, visits with her sister Olivia, left,

  niece Amarylla, and her children Peny and James. It opened this week.

 UP NEXT: As travel cautiously resumes, and some areas "re-close," there's news in  southern California. Some of its internationally known theme parks

zoos and other attractions are opening as well.  But not Disneyland or SeaWorld. Why? We'll explain. Meanwhile, precautions at newly reopened San Diego Zoo and Safari Park are carefully in place with social  distancing, smaller crowds allowed  and serious hygiene protocol.   

 Families yearning for freedom  to travel and enjoy again, have promising news. Still, there is much to be accomplished as we slowly regain our former lives and desperately await a vaccine. So explore, learn and live, and catch us Fridays for a novel look at travel, the arts, nature, family and more: whereiscookie.com