Early Life
Maria was born in the Siberian village of Pokrovskoye, but came to St. Petersburg as a teenager, where her first name was changed from Matryona to Maria to better fit with her social aspirations. Rasputin had brought Maria and her younger sister Varvara to live with him and attend Steblin-Kamensky private preparatory school in St. Petersburg in 1913 with the hope of turning them into "little ladies." Maria was Rasputin's favorite child.
The writer Vera Zhukovskaya later described sixteen-year-old Maria as having a wide face with a square chin and "bright-colored lips" that she frequently licked in a movement Zhukovskaya thought was predatory. Her strong body seemed about to burst out of its cashmere dress and smelled of sweat. Society ladies kissed the tall teenager and called her by her pet names "Mara" and "Marochka" during one gathering at her father's modest apartment. Zhukovskaya thought it was odd to see Rasputin's daughter receiving so much attention from princesses and countesses.
Maria later told her grandchildren that her father taught her to be generous even in times when she was in need herself. Rasputin said she should never leave home with empty pockets, but should always have something in them to give to the poor.
Read more about this topic: Maria Rasputin
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