In Memoriam 1992-1997/Anne-Marie Blagovestchensky Dupeyron

In Memoriam 1992-1997 Anne-Marie Blagovestchensky Dupeyron

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ANDRÉE BLAGOVESTCHENSKY 1910-1993

Serge Blagovestchensky was born in Russia, more precisely in Minsk, on August 13, 1898, of Orthodox parents. He was often called "Blago," and he enjoyed saying that his name signified "Good News." He said that he was a "Cossack" and that he liked horses very much, and at the time of the First World War, when he was about sixteen-an age to be a soldier-he enlisted in the cavalry. In the face of the collapse of the Russian army, he and his orderly and a group of other soldiers fled toward the West. They encountered serious difficulties, and Serge succumbed to typhus. In spite of it all, he had the good fortune to find a brave peasant who nursed him.

Once recovered, this small band headed toward Constantinople. It seems that Serge must have been separated from the group, because he arrived alone in Tunisia. There, his lucky star followed him; he met a Frenchman residing in Tunis who gave him lodging for some time and strongly encouraged him to go to France. In Paris Serge found other Russian émigrés.

His knowledge of horses and his short stature enabled him to find work as a jockey. This was not to his liking, and after a while Serge took up the study of law, working weekends as a taxi driver. Earning his diploma he established an office as an insurance consultant in Paris. During this time he married, but the union did not last.

Andrée Roche was born on September 15, of a French family from Le Raincy, near Paris. She married a Dupeyron, with whom she had a daughter named Anne-Marie, born in Tunis in 1936. The marriage did not last, and Andrée and Anne-Marie returned to Paris. Andrée later met Serge at the home of mutual friends, and some time later they decided to marry and divide their time between Paris and Juan-les-Pins on the French Riviera, where Serge owned a villa.

Serge took an active interest in Anne-Marie's education, and she considered him her real father and would never undertake anything unless Serge had formally given his consent. [Page 74]

Andrée Blagestchensky and Serge Blagovestchensky

About 1960 Serge and Andrée decided to settle in Monaco where Serge opened a financial office with Anne-Marie as his assistant. Anne-Marie had completed a bachelor of arts degree in English and a course of studies as an executive secretary. With her training and skills, she was Serge's right-hand.

The family lived first at the Grand Hotel, and afterward they rented an apartment in a block of flats called "The Victoria" where the Iranian pioneers ‘Azíz and Shamsi Navídí and their two children had been living for a number of years.

The Navidis invited the Blagos to Bahá’í meetings and firesides, and in 1961, while attending a summer school in Switzerland, Serge, Andrée, and Anne-Marie declared their faith in Bahá’u’lláh.

They held Bahá’í meetings in Monaco, sometimes in their home and sometimes at the home of the Navídís.

Serge, Andrée, and Anne-Marie had the joy of going on pilgrimage to Haifa, and accompanied by ‘Azíz and Shamsi Navídí, they also made a trip to Iran. From his visit to the House of the Báb in Shíráz, Serge brought home pips taken from the fruit of orange trees and planted them in the garden of a second house he was having built at Vence a home he called his dacha.

Serge translated Esselmont's Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era into Russian, his mother tongue. Anne-Marie spoke English fluently and practiced her translation skills with several works, among them Portals to Freedom by Howard Colby Ives. Andrée, having a thorough knowledge of French, would make the necessary corrections. Anne-Marie's translations of "The Fire Tablet" and "The Long Healing Prayer" ("Tablette du Feu," "Grande Prière de Guérison") were published by Maison d'édition baha'ies in Brussels.

Serge and Andrée served for a long time on the Local Spiritual Assembly of Monaco, and Anne-Marie was its secretary. [Page 75] for several years. Andrée also served for a year on one of the first teaching committees for Corsica, and Anne-Marie undertook journeys to Iran and to the Yucatan. Unfortunately, all became seriously ill. Anne-Marie who underwent two major pancreas operations died on October 6, 1992. A devoted daughter, she had never married. The Universal House of Justice remembered her in its message of October 13:

DEEPLY SADDENED PASSING DEAR ANNE-MARIE. RECALL WITH PROFOUND APPRECIATION HER DEVOTED SERVICES FAITH, FERVENT PRAYERS OFFERED PROGRESS HER SOUL KINGDOM ON HIGH. CONVEY BLAGOVESTCHENSKYS DEEP HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES.

Serge had been operated on in Paris for prostate cancer and continued treatment in Monaco. Several years went by, but the illness gained the upper hand, and he passed away quietly in Monaco on June 18, 1993, at the age of ninety-four:

The Universal House of Justice ... was grieved to learn of the passing of Mr. Serge Blagovestchensky, whose long and devoted services to the Faith are warmly remembered. The House of Justice will offer prayers in the Holy Shrines for the progress of his soul and for the healing of his dear wife. Department of the Secretariat June 30, 1993

Andrée, grievously hurt by these shocks, died peacefully within a few months:

The Universal House of Justice was saddened to learn of the passing of Mrs. Andrée Blagovestchensky. Her family and friends may be assured of the prayers of the House of Justice in the Holy Shrines for the progress of her soul in the Abhá Kingdom. Department of the Secretariat September 26, 1993

The Blagovestchensky family generously divided their fortune among their family, charities such as the Hector Otto Foundation in Monaco and the Little Sisters of the Poor in Vence, and the Bahá’í community of Monaco, to which it made a gift with a view to the purchase of a Bahá’í center for the country. All three are buried in a vault in the cemetery of Vence.

Adapted from translations of tributes written by Paulette Bodansen and Charlotte Campana