Felix Youssoupov, from Russia to Brittany
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Félix, Rasputine : blood and orgies
When Zénaïde died, Keriolet was opened to the public. But not for a long time: a princess’ parent turned up, pretty interested by the estate… Let me introduce the famous Félix Youssoupov, Zénaïde’s grand-grand son! He was the man who murdered the monk Rasputine. In 19010, tzar Nicholas II went across Russia’s worst crisis. The imperial family’s customs gave people something to talk about: orgies, debauchery, maybe worst, said gossips…
The tzarina hosted in the imperial palace this horrible Rasputine, healer and mystic monk, one “God’s messenger”, said the tzarina.
Rasputine upset everyone. People said this yucky false monk gave bad advices to the tzar, leading his entire country on the edge of the abyss! Rasputine had to die.
Quick, quick, someone to do that?? But who, who wanted to save the imperial family’s honour? Félix.
Keriolet, a real plundering
A strange boy! Androgynous, handsome, fond of Oscar Wilde, he liked to wear women’s clothes for socialite parties… He left Russia in 1919 and moved to France.
And to keep his luxurious lifestyle, Félix (his fortune was seized by Soviets after the Russian Revolution) had to find a way to get money. Like with castle of Keriolet, for instance?...
He brought an action against the departement of Finistère and get the castle back in 1956. Whoosh, he closed the museum, plundered the collections, divided up the park and the estate slowly deteriorated.
Nowadays, there’s only 4 hectares of park (50 ha originally)! Fortunately, a monument lover bought Keriolet at the end of the 20th c. and saved it by a hair’s breadth.