FATE OF SANCT-PETERBOURG KIN VISCONTI
The following information about the kin of Visconti is extracted from the notes by S8, who had summarised them from materials collected by Eugene Visconti, C7, the last representative of the kin in Sct.-Peterbourg, during his visit in Italy in 1888. These materials show the genealogy of the kin being not older than 400 years. Nevertheless this was only a Swiss branch of a much older kin, with a name probably originating in the appellation of duties: Lat. *vice-comes > Engl. viscount, Fr. vi(s)comte (?).
First news of the kin go back to the 17th c. when Morando Visconti, son of Parisio Visconti, presented to the Church his house and land in Ronco, in Italian province of Crolio, by the beneficium of 8 June, 1616. After that the family of Morando moved to Curio. His descendats were Carlo (1630) and the son of the latter Giovanni Pietro (1670). The latter had 2 sons, Mario Visconti, who was a monk at the church of Madonna del Piano in Ronco, and Carlo Visconti. Sons of Carlo Visconti were Placido and Pietro Santino.
The Peterbourg kin of Visconti goes back to Placido
Visconti. The latter was an architect and had 5 children: David
(the eldest), Domenica, Carlo Domenico, Annunziata
and Pietro. David, Carlo Domenico and Pietro were architects too.
Family legend, going back to Carlo Domenico, says that Placido was at variance
with the family of his father Carlo Visconti. Together with his son David he
left Curio for Piemont, where they were engaged as architects.
In 1784 Placido with all his family left for Sct.-Peterbourg where he
became engaged as an architect under Catherine II and Paul I, when the latter
created his residence in Gatchina. On 10 June, 1800, Placido Visconti
together with his wife Marianna and son Pietro left Sct.-Peterbourg for his
hometown Curio. He died there on 16 May, 1823.
His brother Carlo Domenico Visconti (1774-1852) remained in the history of the architecture of Sct.-Peterbourg and its Imperial suburbs as the most glorious representative of the kin. In Paulovsk he was author of Mausoleum of Paul I in New Silvia. In 1809 Carlo Domenico with his wife and 2 daughters left Sct.-Peterbourg for Curio having been granted by Alexander I in the similar way as his brother Pietro by Paul I.
Their eldest brother David Visconti, author of Visconti's Bridge in Paulovsk, married in Sct.-Peterbourg and never left it. He had 7 children: Catherine, Madelene, Theodore, Alexandre, Marianna, Emilia and Eugenia. Of them Alexandre Visconti was married to Emilia Reinhold with whom he had 2 children: Emilia (she died on the 1st year of her childhood) and Alexandre, a military serviceman. The latter married a Georgian Eudocia Djavakhov and had 9 children: Barbara, Militine, Eugen, Maria, Olga, Rimma, Donat, Marsalia.
Of them Eugene Visconti, C7, was married to Maria Ekimov, C6, but had no children. Therefore they adopted a girl, Alexandra (Sanda), J3, and left their name to her.
C7 was engaged as an architect
till 1900 when he went to the diplomatic service at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in the rank of college’s counsellor and was egaged as Head of
Division. He retired from the post of Vice-Director of the Department of Common Affairs in 1916, being a real state counsellor and having achieved a firm
social position. The family was rich, having relations with the elite. Their
house was on Demidov By-Str. in Sct.-Peterbourg.
After 1917 C7 was
arrested and imprisoned in the concentration camp on the island of Solovki
but soon was released and got a position of an architect at the construction of
the Volkhov Dam and the Power Station in Zvanka.
Eugene Visconti in 1928.
C7 died in 1929. He got apoplectic stroke while going upstairs
together with C4 at his home on Demidov By-Str. Having tumbled he had time to
say his last words to C4: "Do not say to Manya!". He was buried in the
Catholic part of the Volkov's Cemetery in Sct.-Peterbourg among family
graves of other Viscontis.
His wife C6 died on the 4th of April next year, 1930.
Their foster-daughter Alexandra (Sanda),
J3, married a Russian Nikolai Voronov, J4, and moved to her
husband to Siberia after World War II. She died there but her descendants are
still living in the town of Tavda in the region of
Ekaterinburg.
A family legend survived about 2 brothers of C7 - Donat and Marsalia Visconti. These youths were travelling through Italy when came to a place with ruins of an old castle or church. There was a tower with rests of stairs leading to the top. Marsalia, who was younger, began to ascend the stairs but Donat was afraid and shouted to his brother not to go up. Marsalia paid no attention to this but when he was high above, the stairs collapsed, Marsalia fell down and lost his life. His corpse was brought to Sct.-Peterbourg. When praying during the funeral, Donat stood under the coffin. In his thoughts he addressed his brother: "I am guilty having not restrained you. Give me a sign if you have excused me!" In a moment a great wreath from the coffin fell down on Donat and the latter fainted.
According to 'All Peterbourg', Donat Visconti dwelled on 48,
the 1st Line of Basily's Island in 1897. He had 3 children: Catherine,
Alexandre and Marsalia. Their fate remains unknown.
A snake on a circle background is depicted on the nobiliary
coat of arms of Visconti, which was the same in Sct.-Peterbourg and in Italy.
Almost all representatives of the Peterbourg kin of Visconti, the brothers Donat
and Marsalia too, were buried on their family plot at Volkov's Cemetery in
Sct.-Peterbourg, the graves being destroyed by ethnic Russian hooligans after
1917.
Several descendants of this kin of various feminine lines underwent the
process of final Russification in the Soviet period.
The family name still
survives in Italy only among descendants of very remote relatives.
The kin of Visconti is related to that of Ekimov through the marriage of C7 and C6.