Natalia Zagryazyskaya

Who was Natalia Zagryazyskaya?

Natalia Kirillovna Zagryazhskaya was a Russian philanthropist, salonist and lady-in-waiting. She was a leading member of Saint Petersburg society from the 1770s until her death in 1837, and is often mentioned in contemporary memoirs and diaries.

She was the daughter of Kirill Razumovsky, the last hetman of Ukraine, and Yekaterina Ivanova Narysykina; her brother was the diplomat Andrey Razumovsky. In 1762 she became a lady-in-waiting to Empress Catherine the Great, and — in contrast to other ladies-in-waiting — was allowed to live at home. In 1772 she married officer Nikolai Zagryazhsky, but their relationship soon ended and they lived their lives apart. She was a friend of Empress Maria Fyodorovna and in 1798 was given the order of Catherine. A frequent host of members of the Imperial family, she was known as a contact person who could successfully ask them for favours on others' behalf. The poets Vasily Zhukovsky, Pyotr Vyazemsky and Alexander Pushkin were guests at her salon.

Her niece and adoptive daughter Maria was the mother of Natalia Goncharova, Pushkin's wife.