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Eva Aurora Charlotta Karamzin (née Stjernvall) (1 / 7 August 1808
Ulvila Ulvila (; sv, Ulvsby) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is one of the six medieval cities of Finland, as well as the third oldest city in the country. Ulvila was granted charter as a town by King Albert of Sweden on 7 February 1365. How ...
– 13 May 1902
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
) was a Finnish philanthropist. Her better-known names are Princess Aurora Demidova and Aurora Karamzin, titles that were acquired after her first and second marriages, respectively.


Early life

She was born in
Ulvila Ulvila (; sv, Ulvsby) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is one of the six medieval cities of Finland, as well as the third oldest city in the country. Ulvila was granted charter as a town by King Albert of Sweden on 7 February 1365. How ...
, in Saaren Kartano,
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, into a Swedish-speaking Finnish family. She was the daughter of Carl Johan Stjernvall (1764–1815) and Baroness Eva Gustava (1781–1844). Her father was a high official in the
Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecessor ...
and became the First Governor of the
Viipuri Province Viipuri Province ( fi, Viipurin lääni'', commonly abbreviated'' Vpl, sv, Viborgs län or Wiborgs län, russian: Выборгская губерния) was a historical province of Finland from 1812 to 1945. History The predecessor of the ...
in 1812. Following Stjernvall's death in 1815, the Baroness remarried and became the wife of Finland's Procurator, Carl Johan Walleen. Karamzin had an older brother, Emil Stjernvall Walleen (1806–1890) who added his stepfather's name to his own and later became a Finnish Minister of State and a Baron. She also had two sisters, Emilie Stjernvall (1811–1846) and Alexandra (Aline) Stjernvall (1812–1851). She was a close relative of Finnish writer Marie Linder. Emilie married Count Vladimir while Alexandra became the second wife of Baron José Maurício Correia Henriques, later . They also had three half-brothers from their mother's second marriage to Walleen, of them Vladimir Alfons became a Major General and a Governor.


Life

Aurora was appointed as a
lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...
to Empress Alexandra Fedorovna the elder (consort to Tsar
Nicholas I of Russia Nicholas I , group=pron ( – ) was List of Russian rulers, Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Congress Poland and Grand Duke of Finland. He was the third son of Paul I of Russia, Paul I and younger brother of his predecessor, Alexander I ...
), and a lady of the bedchamber of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna the younger and Empress Maria Feodorovna. She was made a dame of the
Order of Saint Catherine The Imperial Order of Saint Catherine (russian: Императорский Орден Святой Екатерины) was an award of Imperial Russia. Instituted on 24 November 1714 by Peter the Great on the occasion of his marriage to Catherine ...
, the highest honour for ladies in Imperial Russia.
Evgeny Baratynsky Yevgeny Abramovich Baratynsky (russian: Евге́ний Абра́мович Бараты́нский, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ɐˈbraməvʲɪtɕ bərɐˈtɨnskʲɪj, a=Yevgyeniy Abramovich Baratynskiy.ru.vorb.oga; 11 July 1844) was lauded by Alexan ...
dedicated a poem to her, both in Russian and French (''"Go and breathe inspiration into us, you the namesake of dawn... for whom you will become the sun of happiness?"''), as he did to her sister Countess Emilie. In
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
on 9 January 1836, she married Pavel Nikolayevich Demidov (1798–1840). In 1846, after Demidov's death, she remarried to Colonel Andrei . After the death of Aurora's second husband, she occupied herself with the practical matters of her Järvenperä (Träskända) manor in
Espoo, Finland Espoo (, ; sv, Esbo) is a city and municipality in the region of Uusimaa in the Republic of Finland. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordering the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi whil ...
and with her growing interest in charity. Karamzin used the immense wealth inherited from her first husband to create benevolent institutions in
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, such as schools, public kitchens and the Deaconess Institution of Helsinki fi in 1867, which was the first institution in Finland for educating nurses. She was considered a great benefactor in many cities such as
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
and
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
. Her native language was Swedish and she was fluent in French and spoke also Russian and Finnish. Karamzin's only child was Pavel Pavlovich Demidov (1839–1885). In 1870, Pavel succeeded his childless uncle, Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov, as the 2nd
Prince of San Donato {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) The princedom of San Donato was created by Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, for the Russian Italophile Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov in 1840, so that Demidov could marry Mathilde Bonapar ...
. Her granddaughter and namesake Princess Aurora Pavlovna Demidova married
Arsen Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia Prince Arsenije "Arsen" of Yugoslavia ( sr, Арсеније Карађорђевић / ''Arsenije Karađorđević''; 16/17 April 1859 – 19 October 1938) was a dynast of the House of Karađorđević and ancestor of the current cadet branch ...
and became the mother of the Yugoslav regent, Prince Paul of Yugoslavia. Demidova's granddaughter is
Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia ( sr, italic=yes, Jelisaveta Karađorđević / Јелисавета Карађорђевић; born 7 April 1936) is a member of the royal House of Karađorđević, a human rights activist and a former presidential ...
, now living in
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
, and the mother of
Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...
and
Christina Oxenberg Christina Oxenberg (born December 27, 1962) is an American writer, humorist, and fashion designer. She has written seven books, and her writing has been featured in magazines and publications like '' Allure'', ''The Sunday Times'', ''Huffington ...
. She died aged 93 in Helsinki on 13 May 1902.


Places named after Aurora Karamzin in the Helsinki metropolitan area

* Aurora Street (Helsinki,
Töölö Töölö (; sv, Tölö, formerly spelled ''Thölö'') is the collective name for the neighbourhoods Etu-Töölö ( sv, Främre Tölö, lit=Front Töölö, links=no) and Taka-Töölö ( sv, Bortre Tölö, lit=Rear Töölö, links=no) in Helsinki ...
) * Aurora Hospital (Helsinki) * Aurora Hall, (Helsinki Deaconess Institute) * Karamzinin Street (Helsinki,
Töölö Töölö (; sv, Tölö, formerly spelled ''Thölö'') is the collective name for the neighbourhoods Etu-Töölö ( sv, Främre Tölö, lit=Front Töölö, links=no) and Taka-Töölö ( sv, Bortre Tölö, lit=Rear Töölö, links=no) in Helsinki ...
) * Auroragate (street in Espoo, Järvenperä) * Aurora Karamzin Park (Espoo) * Aurora Kindegarden (Espoo) * Aurora School (Espoo) * Aurora House (Espoo) * Aurora Chapell (Espoo) * Aurora reception home (Espoo) * Karamzin School (Espoo) *Art House Little Aurora (Espoo)


References


External links


Alexandra (Aline) Stjernevall from Geneall.net
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Karamzin, Aurora 1808 births 1902 deaths People from Ulvila Russian princesses by marriage Philanthropists from the Russian Empire Ladies-in-waiting from the Russian Empire 19th-century philanthropists 19th-century Finnish nobility Finnish people from the Russian Empire Finnish philanthropists Swedish-speaking Finns 19th-century Finnish women