The pearl of the Romanov house. The life story of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. Goethe and Russia Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Duchess of Weimar

Maria Pavlovna's communication with Goethe lasted more than 25 years. It happened at a time of political cataclysms, and the personal and cultural maturation of Maria Pavlovna, and even during the first years of her independent rule together with Karl Friedrich (from 1828). For Maria Pavlovna, this communication was, although not as harmonious as with Wieland and Schiller (she could never say about Goethe, as, for example, about Schiller, that she feels special tenderness for him), but it gave her a lot in educationally and even in terms of political formation. Goethe, especially in the first years of Maria Pavlovna’s stay in Weimar, supports her in her desire to get used to Weimar cultural life, advises on issues of art and science, moreover, focusing on the practical direction of her activity - what he himself defines as “praktische Richtung” .

Already the very first meetings of Maria Pavlovna with Goethe were accompanied by a demonstration of works of art. This includes a collection of Carstens’s drawings, which was acquired by Karl August after the artist’s death, and sculptural casts and figures that Goethe himself collected. “...I was especially amazed and fascinated by Carstens’s drawings,” she immediately tells Maria Fedorovna. – ‹…› What a wealth of ideas and amazing composition. I am very indebted to Mr. Goethe for showing me his drawings, and especially for the way he showed them to me. He explains with amazing simplicity and erudition, which is, so to speak, characteristic of him; he really invited me to his place to look at various collections and other things, I would be happy to go to him at the end of this week.”

From that time on, she really begins to pay him morning visits. The formula “comme d’usage le mercredi chez Göthe” (“as always on Wednesday with Goethe”) is increasingly found in her letters. During one of these visits, Goethe shows her a plaster cast of the famous statue of Minerva Velletri, which he bought in Rome, with a description of which Maria Pavlovna’s youthful diary begins.

Goethe often accompanies the demonstration of works of art with a reading of his own - and not only his - works. In addition, according to established tradition, on Thursdays he gives lectures at his home, to which he invites a narrow circle of people close to him. And from 1805, Maria Pavlovna began to visit them quite regularly, considering her participation as belonging to “the circle of the chosen ones.” Goethe shows her the local library (now known as the library of Duchess Anna-Amalia in Weimar), famous for its book, manuscript and other art collections. During these years, Goethe literally formed Maria Pavlovna: “You can believe me, Mama, that it is very interesting when he gives free rein to his conversation, which does not always happen. ‹…› Listening to him, you become educated, because he is terribly learned, and what he says seems to flow from the very source. I swear to you, Mama, every time I listen to his thoughts, I think about you and tell myself that, of course, my good Mama would listen to him with great pleasure.”

Maria Pavlovna retells the contents of one of the lectures to Schiller in 1805, which the latter, in turn, tells his friend: “The Grand Duchess told me yesterday with great interest about your last lecture. She rejoices at the opportunity to see and hear a lot from you.” Goethe replied: “If our young Princess enjoys what we can tell, then all our wishes will come true ‹…› But also think about what you can generally tell her in such cases. It should be something short, but full of wisdom and art, and usually this kind of thing doesn’t always come to mind for me.”

The last phrase, however, indicates that mutual communication was given not only to Maria Pavlovna, but also to Goethe himself (Mrs. von Stein also testified: “Goethe seems to feel constrained with Her Imperial Highness. She asked him about the laws time and place in his plays. He clearly did not adhere too closely to them: I stood next to him, he answered indistinctly. It seems to me that he speaks French reluctantly").

And yet, his initial skepticism, associated with the hype around Maria Pavlovna’s arrival in Weimar in the fall of 1804, which forced him then to refuse a poetic greeting, was quickly replaced by admiration and sincere sympathy, although not without a share of irony, and perhaps self-irony : “Come to us, you will see a lot of new things here,” he wrote to A. Wolf in 1805. “The most beautiful and significant thing is the crown princess, just to meet whom it would be worth making a long pilgrimage.” Also in a letter to J. von Müller: “We now have one young saint here, to whom it is worth making a pilgrimage.”

In subsequent years, he dedicated more than one poem to her: “Epilogue to Schiller’s “Bell””; "Prologue to the opening of the Weimar Theater on September 19, 1807, after the happy reunion of the ducal family"; sonnet “To Her Imperial Highness the Crown Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach”; "To the Honorable Women's Society." The last work dedicated to her was a dramatization of the carnival of 1819, organized in honor of the arrival of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna in Weimar. Goethe took the work on the court staging very seriously this time, working on it “for six weeks continuously,” although he then wrote to Knebel that from now on “he intends to part with such vain affairs forever.” And yet... we should not forget that he used individual motifs and even fragments of the dramatization later in the second part of Faust (the scene of a masquerade playing out against the backdrop of the decay of the empire).

In general, Goethe’s universalism of these years, his immersion in poetry and the arts, combined with studies in the natural sciences, geology, botany, medicine, physiology, found, as it turned out, a deep and lively response in the very receptive and inquisitive nature of Maria Pavlovna, who, partly under the guidance , and partly under the influence of Goethe, in his first Weimar years he intensively engaged in self-education: he took a course in the history of art from the famous Professor Meyer, the author of the work “On Art and Antiquities” (1832), with the help of Professor Riemer he studied ancient literature, attended lectures on Gall’s phrenology (which for that time seemed, especially for a woman, almost a challenge, especially since the lectures had a bad reputation as “materialistic”), outlines in detail Goethe’s teaching on color, which he expounds in his home lectures in 1805 - 1806. And if back in 1805, not without a bit of irony, she wrote to Maria Feodorovna about another visit to Goethe and his supposed natural-scientific interest in her family jewelry (“the cabinet of natural history became the main plot of our conversation; he asked me to also show my diamonds, claiming that she wants to see them as a lover of nature"), then soon mineralogy will occupy a very large place in her own activities. And the collection of minerals at the University of Jena will subsequently be subsidized from Maria Pavlovna’s personal funds and at the same time enriched by her own mineralogical collection.

Maria Pavlovna Romanova (1786-1859) was the daughter of Russian Emperor Paul I and Empress Maria Feodorovna, née Sophia Dorothea Augusta Louise, Princess of Württemberg. Catherine II supervised the upbringing and education of her granddaughter, calling her a “guardsman in a skirt.” The Grand Duchess received a comprehensive education

In 1804, the marriage of Maria Pavlovna to Prince Karl-Friedrich of Saxe-Weimar took place in St. Petersburg. At the end of the year, the Russian princess left Russia.

In the centre of Europe

The ducal family, with which the Romanovs were to become related, was one of the most ancient and powerful in Europe. The Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach emerged as an independent state in the sixteenth century. Karl Friedrich's grandmother, Duchess Anna Amalia, turned the duchy into the cultural center of Europe. It served as a place of residence for many poets, musicians, philosophers, artists. Goethe lived here for almost six decades. Thanks to his efforts, the philosopher and historian Johann Gottfried Herder and the “true romantic heart of Germany”, Friedrich Schiller, moved to Weimar.

The marriage with the Russian princess was of great political importance for the small duchy. At that time, Napoleon was a great threat to all of Europe. The Duchy managed to maintain its independence only because at that time Napoleon was interested in maintaining peace with the Russian emperor.

Schiller dedicated a play to Maria Pavlovna - the cantata "Greetings to the Arts", where in an allegorical and elegant form he expressed admiration for the beauty and nobility of the future duchess:

A tree from another country,

Transplanted by us

Grow up, take roots,

In this soil, which is dear to us.

Quickly intertwined

Tender bonds of love,

Our Fatherland will be there

Where we make human happiness!

In 1828, after the death of Grand Duke Karl-August, Maria Pavlovna's husband took the throne and she became Grand Duchess.

Meeting Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The Russian princess continued the work of Anna Amalia, who turned Weimar into a “palace of the muses” and created a unique library, which is still known today. The country residence of the Grand Dukes, Belvedere, became one of the largest cultural centers in Europe.

Goethe himself advised the duchess on matters of art and introduced her to the basics of modern philosophy. Their communication lasted until the poet's death in 1832.

Charity played a large role in the life of the Grand Duchess. Throughout the country she organizes loan offices for the poor, workhouses, vocational schools, exhibitions of new industrial products, gardening courses, and homes for orphans. He invests considerable personal funds in all this.

Already being a dowager duchess, Maria Pavlovna founded the History Society, strongly encouraging the study of relics and documents of the Weimar region and its neighboring principalities. She continually established incentive scholarships, music competitions with prize funds, and with her personal donations the Falk Institute, famous throughout Europe, was founded, with a shelter for street children with two hundred places. Theatrical performances, festivities in the ducal garden, musical performances - all this was available to the general public at the insistence of the Russian princess of the blood, the Weimar ruler.

The Grand Duchess died in 1859. She is buried in the Protestant cemetery near Belvedere in an Orthodox chapel built especially for her.

Years and was the fifth child and third daughter in the family of the Tsarevich, later Emperor Paul and Maria Feodorovna. She was brought up in her parents' home with her sisters, but already in early childhood she differed from them in her playfulness and “boyish” habits. “This one should have been born a boy... she is a real dragoon,” Empress Catherine II wrote about her granddaughter, “she is not afraid of anything, all her inclinations and games are masculine; I don’t know what will come of it. Her favorite pose is to put both fists on her sides, and that’s how she walks around.” As a child, Maria suffered from smallpox, which left marks on her face. Catherine II noted this circumstance in a letter: “... my third granddaughter is unrecognizable: she was as good as an angel before the grafting, now all her features have become coarser, and at this moment she is far from good.” But with age she became so prettier that she was called the “pearl of the family.” Maria Pavlovna was her father's favorite, who singled her out for her firmness, will, direct and sincere manner of behavior. In addition, Maria Pavlovna early showed a desire for serious studies and extraordinary musical abilities. In April of this year, Catherine wrote: “... Sarti (Italian composer and conductor Giuseppe Sarti) says that she has a wonderful musical talent, and in addition, she is very smart, has the ability for everything and will eventually be a very sensible girl. She loves reading and, as General's wife Lieven says, she spends whole hours reading a book... Moreover, she has a very cheerful, lively disposition and dances like an angel.”

Children

Maria Pavlovna and Karl Friedrich had a son and two daughters:

• Pavel Alexander (-), the first-born, named after his father and brother Alexander I, died in childhood.
• Marie Louise (-), wife of Prince Charles of Prussia;
• Augusta (-), German Empress and Queen of Prussia, wife of William I;
• Charles Alexander (-), next Grand Duke of Weimar (married Wilhelmina Sophia, daughter of King Willem II of the Netherlands and Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna).

Thus, Maria Pavlovna was the grandmother of Kaiser Frederick III and the great-grandmother of Wilhelm II.

Life in Weimar

The young couple was still spending their honeymoon in Pavlovsk, and letters were already coming from Weimar asking them to speed up the arrival of the prince and his wife. They were waiting impatiently for the young duchess. Friedrich Schiller wrote to his friend Wolzogen: “... We are all eagerly awaiting the appearance of a new star from the East.” Goethe, as director of the Weimar theater, turned to him to write a theatrical play to greet Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. In four days, Schiller created "Salute to the Arts" in honor of the young wife of the Crown Prince. On the title page it was written: “Most respectfully dedicated to Her Imperial Highness Maria Pavlovna, Crown Princess of Weimar, Grand Duchess of Russia.” The performance took place at the Royal Theater Weimar on November 12th. The entire content of the short play was that the villagers plant a foreign noble tree, the orange tree, “so that it becomes related to our land,” emphasizing the connection of the foreign princess with her new homeland.

A tree from another country,
Transplanted by us
Grow up, take roots
This soil is our home!

This work, which Schiller himself called “the work of the minute,” became his last completed work. The young crown princess was moved to tears by this reception.

Maria Pavlovna made the most favorable impression on Weimar society. Wieland wrote to his friend:

She is inexpressibly charming and knows how to combine innate greatness with extraordinary courtesy, delicacy and tact in her manner. She masters the behavior of a ruler perfectly. One cannot help but be surprised how, in the very first hours after her arrival, when the courtiers were introduced to her, she tactfully treated each of them... With her, a new era of Weimar will probably begin. She... will prolong and bring to perfection what Amalia began forty years ago.

Cultural activities

Gifted with a natural mind, and, according to Schiller, with “great abilities for painting and music and a real love of reading,” Maria Pavlovna in the first years of her marriage largely supplemented her education with conversations with outstanding people and lessons from professors at the University of Jena. Under the guidance of Professor Kerstner, she seriously studied logic, history, and philosophy. When her husband became the Grand Duke, Maria Pavlovna took upon herself the patronage of the sciences and arts, which to some extent compensated the poets and artists of Germany for the loss they had suffered in the person of her famous father-in-law. Through the works of Maria Pavlovna, an unusual museum was created, dedicated to the memory of Goethe, Schiller, Christoph Martin Wieland and Herder, who glorified Weimar with their literary activities. In the new part added by the architect Coudray to the old palace, chambers were allocated, which were called Dichtersale - “Halls of Poets”. Each of the chambers was dedicated to one of the four poets. And on the stairs leading to these rooms there were busts of people who at one time contributed to the glory of Weimar: the artist Lucas Cranach, the composer Johann Sebastian Bach, the conductor Johann Hummel. She was the first to come up with the idea in 1842 of bringing Liszt to Weimar, which again raised the fame of the small cities. Goethe, who was one of Maria Pavlovna's friends, called her one of the best and most outstanding women of our time. Having already ascended the ducal throne, she organized literary evenings at court (this was the “Weimar circle”, famous throughout Europe), at which Jena professors gave lectures, usually Maria Pavlovna herself chose the topic of reading. The Duchess encouraged the study of the history of the Duchy of Weimar and its neighboring principalities. Subsequently, the accumulated materials made it possible to found the History Society in the year.

With the support of Maria Pavlovna, the most modern astronomical instruments, physical instruments and chemicals were purchased for the university in Jena, and the collections were replenished. One of them - a collection of oriental coins - owes its wealth exclusively to the acquisitions of the duchess. The collection of geographical maps, manuscripts, seals, and archaeological finds has been expanded. Maria Pavlovna expanded the Weimar library founded by Duchess Anna-Amalia. In the same year, with the assistance of Goethe and Mayer, Maria Pavlovna founded the Society for the Dissemination of the Best Works of New Literature in Germany.

Maria Pavlovna contributed to the opening of a gardening school and supported the establishment of new parks and gardens. The Duchess donated significant sums to plant trees along the roads. Test scientist Alexander Humboldt brought from Brazil the seeds of a plant unknown in Europe as a gift to Maria Pavlovna, to which he gave the Latin name Paulovnia imperialis. Under Maria Pavlovna, new gardening ideas began to appear in the ducal park: “Russian garden”, “nature theater”.

Years of the war with Napoleon

Twice the Grand Duchess was forced to leave Weimar for a long time. In the autumn of the year, due to the advance of the French army, she moved to Schleswig for several months. In April of the year, she hastily left Weimar again, so as not to end up in the hands of Napoleonic troops that occupied some German cities. This time she went to Austria under the protection of the Russian army. In - years, together with her father-in-law, who received the title of Grand Duke, and her brother Alexander I, Maria Pavlovna participated in the Congress of Vienna, which brought together the heads of European principalities and prominent statesmen.

Charity

After the end of the Napoleonic War, after a long period of disaster, it was necessary to restore normal life in Weimar. Seeing before her eyes the example of her mother, who founded a whole network of charitable institutions, Maria Pavlovna also began to establish similar departments. Loan banks began to be created to “help the poor,” workhouses for adults and various vocational schools appeared. Maria Pavlovna created the Women's Benevolent Society and wrote its charter. These committees used donations to organize maternity wards at hospitals to care for poor women, provide free medical care at home, supply the poor with medicines, and organize social nurseries.

Last years

Despite her worries in Weimar, Maria Pavlovna tried to maintain relations with the imperial family and Russia. After the early death of her elder brother Alexander I and sisters Alexandra and Elena, Maria Pavlovna became the eldest in the family (Konstantin was still alive, but he kept to himself). Her younger brothers Nikolai I and Mikhail Pavlovich remained in St. Petersburg, but both of them were children when she left Russia, and she was not connected with them by any common childhood memories or games. Nicholas wrote: “I honored her like a mother, and I confessed to her all the truth from the depths of my soul.” Her authority was undeniable due to her intelligence and strength of character.

On July 8, 1853, Maria Pavlovna’s husband, Grand Duke Karl Friedrich, died in Belvedere. Then his body was transferred to Weimar, carried past the Russian church (as the Duke bequeathed, emphasizing respect for his wife’s faith). A new reign began - the Grand Duke Charles Alexander and his wife Sophia Wilhelmina.

In the year after the death of Nicholas I, his son Alexander II ascended the throne. Despite her venerable age (she was seventy years old), Maria Pavlovna went to his coronation. This was the last visit to my homeland.

On June 11 (23), Maria Pavlovna died. Even in the year of her husband’s death, she said she was buried next to him in the mausoleum, but in Russian soil. The soil was indeed brought from Russia, and the sarcophagus with the body was solemnly installed on it to the sound of bells from all Weimar churches. Three years after his death, an Orthodox chapel was erected next to the mausoleum, decorated with an iconostasis created by the hands of craftsmen from Russia.

Literature

• Pchelov E.V. Romanovs. History of the dynasty. M.: Olma-press, 2004.
• Grigoryan V.G. Romanovs. Biographical reference book. - M.: AST, 2007.
• Danilova A. Five princesses. Daughters of Emperor Paul I. Biographical chronicles. - M.: Izograph, EKSMO-PRESS, 2001.

Wed. Lily von Kretschman, “Die literarischen Abende der Grossherzogin Maria Paviovna” (“Deutsche Rundschau”, 15 Juni und 1 Juli 1893).

Maria Pavlovna, Duchess of Saxe - Weimar and Eisenach: “The lovely swan of “Paul’s Nest” and the decoration of the Weimar crown.”

On February 4, 1786, the family of Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich was replenished with a fifth child and a third daughter. The newborn Grand Duchess was named after her mother - Maria.

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Borovikovsky V.L.

In 1790, Empress Catherine II gave her granddaughter the following description: “She is a real dragoon, she is not afraid of anything, all her inclinations are reminiscent of a boy, and I don’t know what will come of her, her favorite pose is to lean her hands on her sides and so on.” walk around".

Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna A.,Roslin

Five years later, Catherine writes to Baron Grimm: “...Maria, who is nine years old... has already graduated from Sarti as a general bassist, since she is distinguished by an extraordinary love of music... Sarti says that she is endowed with great talent for music, and that in general she shows great intelligence and ability in everything and will be a reasonable girl. According to General Lieven, she loves to read and spends several hours a day reading, despite all that, she is very cheerful and lively...”

Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. D. Levitsky, 1793

As one of the courtiers remarked: “Maria Pavlovna, if not as beautiful as Elena, is so attractive and kind that they looked at her like an angel.”
However, the angel was distinguished by a strong-willed character, a sharp mind and a quality so valuable for a royal person, such as the ability to understand people.
However, the Grand Duchess’s appearance, despite some troubles after being vaccinated with smallpox in childhood, was not offended by nature. No wonder she was called “perle de famille” - “pearl of the family.”

Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. P. Zharkov.

Prince Eugene of Württemberg (nephew of Empress Maria Feodorovna), who arrived in Russia in the winter of 1801, spoke of his cousin like this: “...Maria was already 15 years old and, therefore, for me an impressive person, but nevertheless so meek and kind that I immediately felt a heartfelt attraction to her. She had a compassionate, gentle heart. An indisputable proof of this was her always cautious presence on guard in order to prevent in advance any possible mistake on my part and thereby protect me from a difficult situation.”

Emperor Paul I, despite his sharply negative attitude towards the traditions of the reign of his mother, Catherine II, still retained one of them, namely: choosing grooms for the Grand Duchesses in advance.
According to various sources, negotiations about the possible marriage of Maria Pavlovna began in 1800 or 1802.
The Crown Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Karl Friedrich, was expected to be the husband of the Grand Duchess.
The Saxe-Weimar envoy, Baron Wilhelm von Walzogen, a very intelligent and educated man, was able to fully appreciate the natural talents and high spiritual qualities of Maria Pavlovna: “She had a sympathetic and tender heart, meekness and perfect kindness...”.

Pavel I, Andrey Filippovich Mitrokhin

In 1803, Crown Duke Karl Friedrich arrived in St. Petersburg. The Duke was awarded the rank of lieutenant general of the Russian army, and was awarded the highest order of the Russian Empire - St. Andrew the First-Called; but, “this groom, despite his complete outward pleasantness, is too simple in mind for our dear princess...”*.
Even this vague, truly diplomatic characterization makes it possible to understand that such a carefully prepared and expected marriage was supposed to unite two completely different people forever.

Maria is active, smart, educated, excellent at playing the piano and drawing, open to the world and at the same time able to see things as a whole, delve into the very essence, always busy with something - that is, an active and successful person. Karl Friedrich, unlike his bride, lacked strength, determination and initiative. During the year that he spent in St. Petersburg, he was practically completely inactive.

However, all the Duke’s shortcomings were more than offset by the fact that in the future he was to become the ruler of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar.
Despite its small size, the duchy was considered the cultural center of Germany, and its capital, Weimar, was called the “German Athens”.

It is especially worth noting that Weimar owed its fame primarily to women, the first of whom was the mother of the reigning Duke Karl August - Dowager Duchess Anna Amalia, née Princess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel: “Philosophers, poets, artists and writers crowded around Princess Amalia, the woman of the great mind and sublime heart. She was a sorceress who attracted and summoned geniuses. It was the German Medici, who borrowed some of their virtues from their Italian colleagues.”

Portrait of Anna Amalie von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1739-1807), unknown

Therefore, it is quite understandable that Duke Karl August, who had both intelligence and character, received an excellent education, and worthily continued the work of his mother, patronizing and helping many people of science and art. His wife, Louise Augusta, born Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, was an equally extraordinary person. (I note that the duchess was the sister of Grand Duchess Natalya Alekseevna, the first wife of Paul I, and even came to Russia). Her “white table conversations” about the arts and science gathered the entire elite of Weimar’s intellectual elite.

Moreover, we can safely say that it was the color of not only Weimar, but of the whole of Germany - for this it is enough to list only a few names: the philosopher and writer Wieland, the famous poets Goethe and Schiller, the historian and philosopher Herder, the playwright and publicist Ifland.
Perhaps this atmosphere of high spirituality that developed at the Weimar court so attracted Grand Duchess Maria? One way or another, but in the year that the Crown Prince spent in Russia, Maria and Karl Friedrich managed to get to know each other quite well and were imbued with mutual sympathy, which for a political marriage was already a very significant plus.

The solemn betrothal of Maria Pavlovna and Karl Friedrich took place on January 1, 1804, and six months later the marriage took place. On the day of which a manifesto was published: “By the grace of God, Alexander the First, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, and so on and so forth and so on. We announce to all our loyal subjects: By the power of Almighty God and His wise care, on July 22nd, according to the rite of the Orthodox Eastern Church, the wedding of our beloved sister Maria Pavlovna with His Serene Highness the Crown Prince of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach Karl Friedrich took place......".

Portrait of Karl Friedrich, Hereditary Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

According to the marriage contract, Maria Pavlovna's dowry was one million rubles, of which she received the first quarter after the wedding, and the second six months later; from the second half she received 5% of the rent annually. Along with this, Maria Pavlovna received many things, among which were contributions to the future Orthodox church in Weimar...
Until October, the newlyweds remained in the residences of the royal family - in Peterhof and Pavlovsk, and then went to Germany. Maria Pavlovna arrived in Weimar on November 9, 1804: the ringing of bells and cannon shots announced the arrival of the newlyweds. According to eyewitnesses, this arrival caused general joy among the population. Many rushed to see and greet the married couple of heirs. Some time later, they appeared on the balcony of the palace - and thousands of people exclaimed in joyful animation, “Long live, many years!” The rejoicing continued on November 12 at Maria Pavlovna’s first visit to the theater. On this day there was the premiere of the play “Adoration of the Arts” by Friedrich Schiller, which had just been written and dedicated to Maria Pavlovna. The preface to the text states: “To Her Imperial Highness Madame Crown Princess Maria Pavlovna of Weimar, Grand Duchess of Russia, is respectfully dedicated and presented at the court theater of Weimar on November 12, 1804.”
A tree from another country,
Transplanted by us
Grow up, take roots,
In this soil, which is dear to us.
Quickly intertwined
Tender bonds of love,
Our Fatherland will be there
Where we make human happiness!

The Crown Princess very quickly won the love and respect of her subjects and her new family - the Dowager Duchess Anna Amalia spoke about her in letters like this: “With joy and true love I tell you that my new granddaughter is a real treasure, I love and respect her endlessly. She had the good fortune—and perhaps even the blessing—to charm us all.” Many people agreed with Anna Amalia. Maria Pavlovna settled with her husband in Belvedere, the country residence of the Weimar dukes. Here she ordered the creation of a park, the layout of which exactly corresponded to the layout of Pavlovsk Park. In Weimar, Maria Pavlovna began organizing music festivals, literary evenings, and organized celebrations. One of the closest friends of the crown duchess was Johann Wolfgang Goethe.
Maria Pavlovna's acquaintance with the “great Weimar man” took place in November 1804, and from then on their communication was not interrupted until the death of the greatest of poets. He actively supported the Duchess in her desire to quickly integrate into the cultural life of Weimar, advised on matters of art, and introduced her to the basics of modern philosophy. A feature of the cultural life of Weimar was that the houses of Maria Pavlovna and Goethe - these two cultural centers of the city - were, as it were, one whole , complemented each other. This combination, the interpenetration of two cultures, could not help but attract attention, arouse keen interest, and gave the cultural life of Weimar a special, incomparable flavor. “Everyone who came to visit Maria Pavlovna ended up visiting Goethe, and vice versa,” contemporaries noted. Among them were members of the Russian imperial family, including Alexander I, as well as A. Turgenev, V. Zhukovsky, S. Uvarov, Z. Volkonskaya. Leaving Weimar, Volkonskaya, sincerely attached to Maria Pavlovna, left the following lines: “Moving away from the pantheon of great German writers, my soul is filled with reverent feelings. Everything there breathes science, poetry, reflection and respect for genius. Genius reigns there, and even the great lands are his courtiers. There I left an angel shedding tears on the earth.” During her long life in Weimar, Maria Pavlovna became famous for her charity, and she was not without reason called the mother of the nation. Having become a patriot of her new country, she trampled on the passport given to her by Napoleon, and later asked the Russian minister Count Arakcheev for help and attention for the Weimar prisoners whom Napoleon forced to fight with Russia during the war. The Crown Duchess created the Patriotic Institute of Women's Associations in the country; the goal of its members was to provide assistance to the wounded and injured during the war.
Maria Pavlovna's charity was carried out in various directions: first of all, overcoming poverty, then encouraging the sciences, arts, culture and development of society. Thus, she supported work workshops for adults, spinning mills for elderly poor women, and care for women in labor. The population owes Maria Pavlovna many fountains built in Weimar. The first savings bank in Weimar was opened on Maria Pavlovna’s birthday, February 4, 1821. At the same time, Maria Pavlovna helped individual people, remaining for the most part an “unknown donor.”

Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Crown Princess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. J.-A. Banner.

Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna wrote in her memoirs: “Dad loved this elder sister of his with almost filial love. To me it seemed like duty incarnate. Married for 35 years to a funny husband, she has never known weakness. She is a kind, great philanthropist, very capable in matters of financial management (she inherited this from her mother, Empress Maria Feodorovna, and was the first to introduce loan banks in Germany). From six o'clock in the morning she was already writing, standing at her bureau in her office, conducting all negotiations on behalf of the Grand Duke and still trying to preserve the tradition of Weimar as a German literary Olympus.
She patronized artists, mainly musicians - Weber, Hummel and Liszt. Her courtyard was a gathering point for all the small courtyards of the German North. There was a lot to learn from her; she knew how to treat people. Her politeness towards others, including the simplest people she met, knew no bounds. She never forgot to thank for the slightest favor. When she got out of the carriage, she turned to nod her head to thank the coachman, and this was by no means a formality, but a heartfelt need. She always thought about those who showed her attention in order to respond to them in kind.”
In June 1828, Grand Duke Karl August died, and Maria Pavlovna's husband assumed the throne. The charitable and cultural activities of the now Grand Duchess became even more active: she continually established incentive scholarships, music competitions with prize funds, with her personal donations the Falk Institute, famous throughout Europe, was founded, with a shelter for street children with two hundred places . Theatrical performances, festivities in the ducal garden, musical performances - all this was available to the general public at the insistence of the Russian princess of the blood, the Weimar ruler. In the interests of science, Maria Pavlovna established literary evenings that took place in the palace, at which various Weimar scientists and professors from the University of Jena gave presentations. This was by no means a simple pastime; on the contrary, Maria Pavlovna thus cared about both her own education and the education of others. “Probably, her court ladies often sighed secretly when their crowned mistress demanded that they write down scientific reports from memory the next day.” Maria Pavlovna was a real gem of Weimar - in the words of Goethe: “The Grand Duchess<...>shows an example of both spirituality and kindness, and good will; she is truly a blessing to the country. And since people in general tend to quickly understand where good comes from, and since they revere the sun and other elements that bring good, it does not surprise me that all hearts are turned to her with love and that she easily saw how she deserves it.” Maria Pavlovna, for her part, always tried to do something pleasant for Goethe. Later, after the death of the poet (in 1832), the Grand Duchess wished to somehow contribute to perpetuating the memory of Schiller and Goethe. The result of this desire was the creation of memorial rooms in the ducal palace, for the decoration of which they took velvet from Maria Pavlovna’s dowry. These rooms not only serve to honor the memory of poets; they are a material monument of cultural trends and Maria Pavlovna’s personal assessment of those who were the princes of German poetry.
Maria Pavlovna made a significant contribution to the flourishing of the arts in Weimar. At her request, composers Jan Nepomuk Hummel and Franz Liszt were invited to Weimar, who lived in Weimar for 13 years and it was there that he created his most significant works. In 1852, on the initiative of Maria Pavlovna, the History Society was organized.
As for political events, the French Revolution of 1848 had the greatest consequences for the duchy.
Its echoes appeared in Weimar in the form of popular unrest: “People were walking everywhere and discussing something, and the general direction of their movement was towards the palace. From a distance we saw that the entire square in front of the palace was filled with people shouting and demanding something... Until one in the morning people did not leave the square, demanding freedom of the press, a reduction in taxes, a change in the ministry, a revision of the court budget and the like..."

The culmination of rebellious sentiments was a pogrom organized by students of the University of Jena in one of the villages located near Weimar.
Everything that happened undoubtedly left a heavy mark on Maria Pavlovna’s soul.

Unknown artist Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna 1851

However, she managed to return the life of the duchy to its usual course: in August 1849, Weimar solemnly celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Goethe.
Just a year later, in August 1850, Herder’s birthday was celebrated no less magnificently. But fate was already preparing new trials for the Grand Duchess.
On June 26, 1853, at the age of 70, Maria Pavlovna’s husband, the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Karl Friedrich, died.
Their union lasted an unusually long time - 49 years. Having become the Dowager Duchess, Maria Pavlovna by no means lost her influence on the life of the duchy. Her truly multifaceted - cultural, educational and charitable - activities continued: “Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna lives in the Belvedere<...>She is distinguished by spirituality, dignity, sophistication and special directness. Now, having been widowed, she does not take money from the treasury, but is content with what she receives from Russia - approximately 130,000 thalers a year; she gives the surplus to her daughters and especially to the poor, distributes and helps everywhere.” In 1854, the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach celebrated the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Maria Pavlovna. Schiller’s “Adoration of the Arts” was again staged in the Weimar theater, but at the request of the Grand Duchess, this event was not celebrated with much solemnity. Medal in honor of Maria Pavlovna’s fifty-year stay in Weimar:

Maria Pavlovna banned the planned illumination, dedicating the money to the poor.
At the beginning of March 1855, news arrived in Weimar about the death (February 18, 1855) of Maria Pavlovna's younger brother, Emperor Nicholas I.
This sad event, however, gave Maria Pavlovna the opportunity to visit her homeland: after a long absence, the Grand Duchess arrived in Russia for the coronation of her nephew, Emperor Alexander II. Two years later, Maria met her younger sister Anna - of all the children of Emperor Paul I, only two of them remained alive. The sisters were very elderly: Maria was 71 years old, Anna was 62 years old. And, probably, they had already thought more than once about the end of their earthly journey... but Maria Pavlovna, of course, did not know that she only had two years. On June 6, 1859, she caught a cold. But so that people would not worry about her, the Grand Duchess forbade the publication of bulletins about her health. After a short illness, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna retired on the eve of the birthday of her son, Grand Duke Charles Alexander - June 11. Death occurred at half past seven in the evening. The reigning Grand Duke said goodbye to his mother, unaware of her imminent death, and set off from Belvedere to Ettersberg. But before he had time to arrive there, a messenger on horseback caught up with him and informed him about the death of Maria Pavlovna. At first they did not want to believe this sad news. The day of death was Thursday, and on Sunday the inhabitants of the duchy learned that “By the highest command, the most illustrious remains of Her Imperial Highness the most eminent deceased Grand Duchess and Grand Duchess will be exhibited (by urgent order of the deceased - in a closed coffin) in the Greek church located in the Weimar park, on Sunday the 26th of this month from four o'clock in the afternoon until midnight. The ceremonial burial will take place on Monday the 27th of this month at 8 am.” Like her sisters, Maria Pavlovna always remained Russian. In her will, she wrote: “I bless the beloved country in which I lived. I also bless my Russian homeland, which is so dear to me, and especially my family there. I thank God that here and there He directed everything for the better, contributed to the flourishing of goodness and took both my local and my Russian family under His powerful protection.”
On June 26, the anniversary of the death of her husband, Grand Duke Karl Friedrich, the foundation stone of the Orthodox cemetery chapel was laid. Fulfilling Maria Pavlovna’s last will, they began construction of an Orthodox church over her grave.
In 1862, the temple in the name of St. Mary Magdalene, Equal to the Apostles, was consecrated.
The memory of the Crown Princess and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna is still preserved in Weimar.
Children of Maria Pavlovna and Karl Friedrich: Pavel Alexander Karl Friedrich August (September 1805 - April 1806); Maria Louise Alexandrina, Princess of Prussia (1808 - 1877);