Zubov
The Zubovs () were a Russian noble family, rose to occupy some of the highest offices of state in the 1790s, when Platon Zubov became the last favourite of Empress Catherine the Great (). The Zubovs were first noticed in the service of Muscovite dukes in the 15th century. Nikolay Vasilievich Zubov (1699–1786) served in the Collegium of Economics, and his son (1727–1795) reputedly enriched himself serving as Vice-Governor of Vladimir. Alexander Zubov had one daughter and four sons; in 1793, together with his sons, he received the title of Count. His children were: The lines of Count Nicholas and  of his brother Dmitry continue up to the present. Nicholas's great grandson Valentin (1884–1969) was a leading authority on the period of the reign of Emperor Paul I and authored several books on the subject. He was director of the Gatchina Palace museum and founded the Art History Institute in Saint Petersburg before emigrating to Paris in 1925. Dmitry's only son, Nicholas, merged with the local Lithuanian nobility and supported the Lithuanian National Revival characterized by cultural and educational activities. So did his descendants, Vladimir Zubov (born 1862) and his son (born 1887). The Zubovs had two family  vaults, one at the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow built in 1796–1798, and another at the Maritime Monastery of St. Sergius in Strelna near Saint Petersburg, completed in 1809.