In the late 1750s, Prince Golitsyn resided in
Paris, where he headed the Russian embassy during the
Seven Years' War. His wife
Catherine died there in 1761. Her liaison with actress
La Clairon gained great notoriety. Catherine was the daughter of
Dimitrie Cantemir, the former ruler of
Moldavia, by Princess
Anastasiya Trubetskaya. She was also the sister of
Antiochus Cantemir. From 1761 to 1792 he was the
Russian ambassador to Austria, with the poet
Ludwig Heinrich von Nicolay as his secretary.
Catherine the Great bestowed on him the
Order of St. Andrew for negotiating the
First Partition of Poland with
Emperor Joseph II. The prince was acclaimed for having returned to Russia the lands annexed by his patrilineal ancestor, Grand Duke
Gediminas. In the winter of 1782,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was engaged for all the concerts given by Gallitzin who "placed his carriage at my disposal both going and returning, and treated me in the handsomest manner possible".
Gallitzinberg is the hill near
Vienna where the Russian ambassador built his residence (with an artificial Roman ruin and a round temple still standing). Gallitzinstraße in Vienna is also named after him. The childless Prince Golitsyn, wishing to keep the memory of his wife alive for future generations, donated a large sum to establish the
Golitsyn Hospital in Moscow. His palace in Vienna boasted several hundred paintings by
Old Masters. After his death, these paintings were exhibited in the gallery of the Golitsyn Hospital before being auctioned off in order to finance the hospital's extension. == References ==