Chambers in Zaryadye

This reconstructed palace was the home of the Romanovs before they became Russia's ruling family. The palace was built in the sixteenth century by Nikita Romanov. It is believed that later Mikhail Romanov, the founder of the ruling dynasty, was born here in 1596. The Romanov palace was restored in 1859 by architect Richter who added stairways, galleries and a small superstructure. Since then the palace has served as a public museum, in fact the first museum of Russia. The house itself is a low building with thick walls and small windows. This manor interiors show the distinguishing features of Russian culture and way of life in the 16-17th centuries. The museum now houses a collection of unique pieces of applied art of the 17th - 19th century. Behind it stands the Monastery of the Apparition. When the Romanov house was vacated by its owners, it was taken over for use as the residence of the abbot of the monastery.Excavations in the courtyard of the manor uncovered a pottery dating from the late 15th-early 16th centuries.