Kuskovo is currently one of the most popular museums in the country. Constant interest in it is caused not only by the art monuments located there, but also by its history associated with the names of people who took part in its creation. Among them are famous architects, artists and actors, including serfs. The available literature on Kuskovo still does not reflect some aspects of its formation, its features as a historical and cultural complex are not fully revealed, the question of the role of serfs and the participation of individual architects and artists in the creation of the ensemble is not sufficiently resolved. Being fond of describing the preserved buildings and their interior, researchers almost did not dwell on the history of these structures. The names of the creators of a number of Kuskov buildings and the time of their construction remain controversial or unknown. Meanwhile, archival sources allow us to identify the process of evolution of Kuskov as a historical and artistic complex, which developed under the influence of the latest achievements of Russian and European culture. The history of Kuskov is closely connected with the process of transformation of the nobles into large landowners, who became the mainstay of the autocracy. "Own "or" personal " noble villages developed as aristocratic fiefdoms and stood out from other estates. They formed a specific way of life of rich nobles, which had a "pleasure" character. Judging by the preserved early descriptions of such villages, including Kuskov, initially (late XVI - early XVII centuries) they had purely utilitarian buildings: the "boyar's yard", the yards of "business" people, priests, and a church. In 1623-1624. Kuskovo was located on an area of 20 villages, and the population consisted of 8 peasants and 10 bobyli, who were engaged in breeding fish in artificial ponds and keeping livestock .11 TsGIA OF the USSR, f. 1088, op. 9, d. 19, l. 2. page 179 In the middle of the 17th century, psari, sokol ... Читать далее