 Upon gaining control of the estate, Peter Sheremetev built a theatre company widely recognized during Russia's golden age of nobility.Sheremetev fell in love with his star singer and actress whose stage name was “Pearl.” In 1801 Count Nicholas Sheremetev, aged 50 and the richest man in Russia, secretly married 32-year-old Praskovia Kovalyova in a ceremony that shocked the Tsar and all of the nation's aristocrats.Sheremetev's love for theatre was exhibited by his long-term relationship with Kovalyova as well as the high professional quality of his theatre.