Numerous baroque aristocratic palaces and the extravagant magnificence of the summer residences still today are indicative of the former affluence of the Russian Tsarist Empire. A typical example of aristocratic palaces of St. Petersburg is the Yusupov palace that was build in the 1760s by Vallin de la Mothe. This palace served the Yusupov family, which was the richest aristocratic family of the empire until 1917, as a gallery for their collection of paintings and contains a small theater that can seat up to 180 persons. Fortunately the building was re-dedicated after the revolution to house the "Palace of the Employees of the System of Education" ("House of Teachers") and since the educators cared for the building, one can let the magnificence of the palace have its influence. The palace gained its fame mainly from the fact that the legendary failed monk and mystic Grigory Yefimovich Novykh (aka Rasputin) was supposed to be poisoned in this house. Once this tactic was not successful, the young Felix Yusupov tried to shoot him repeatedly without success. After he escaped, his followers caught up with him, beat him up and let him come to a miserable end by drowning him in the river. According to the police report, thousands of people filled bottles with water in which the corpse of the "servant of antichrist" had been, in hope of being able to absorb some of the diabolic powers of the murdered mystic.