ST PETERSBURG - HISTORY
Micha Jelisavcic
John Sloan
Table of Contents
To see photography of these and other buildings in St Petersburg please go
to peteburg. We now have new photography from 2005 visit.
Summary history
The region around St. Petersburg, called Ingermanland, was critical for
trade between Russians, Finns, and Baltic peoples and between Europe and the
Orient from ancient times. The Neva River flows for 42 miles emptying Lake
Ladoga into the Baltic Sea. The lake, in turn, is connected by numerous rivers
with the interior and ultimately via the Dnieper with the Black Sea and via the
Volga with the Caspian. Thus the region was fought over by Novgorodians and
Swedes, both of whom built fortified bases in the vicinity. The famous battle
of the Neva that earned Grand Prince Alexander his honorific title
"Nevski" was fought on the banks within the present city limits of
St. Petersburg.
In 1143 the Swedes were repulsed when attacking the Novgorodian posts on Lake
Ladoga. In 1240 Alexander drove off an expedition lead by Jarl Birger,
brother-in-law of the Swedish King Erik. The Swedes built a castle on the coast
at Vyborg in 1300 and then fortified a camp at Landskrona in the Neva delta.
The Novgorodians replied by fortifying the island at the entrance of the Neva
from Lake Ladoga (Oreshek) in 1323. These fortifications were constantly
captured and recaptured by both sides. In the last years of the 15th century
Novgorod lost its independence to Moscow and with its decline Swedish power
increased. Moscow continued the struggle throughout the 16th century, but was
greatly weakened during the reign of Ivan IV and Boris Gudonov. In 1617 the new
Romanov Tsar, Michael, was forced to sign the Treaty of Stolbova, giving firm
possession of the St. Petersburg region to Sweden. The Swedes further fortified
Noteburg on Oreshek island. In 1632 they built a new fortified camp at
Nyenshantz, near the former Landskrona, on the river bank in the region now
called Okhta, opposite the present Smolny Institute. The Smolny area was
occupied by Russian tar distillers, hence the name from "smola"
meaning tar. There also was the Swedish fort, Sabina. The remainder of the
region was well populated with farming and fishing villages and much of it was
included in extensive hunting preserves of various Swedish noblemen. Nyenshantz
itself was a major trading center at which sea-going and riverine craft
transferred cargos.Return to TOP
Peter's first attempt to wrest the Baltic coast from Sweden failed at Narva on
the Navrona River (see below) in 1700. He then turned to the Neva River,
capturing Noteburg (renamed Schlusselburg, Oreshek) in 1702 and Nyenshantz in
1703.
St. Petersburg (current pop. 5,020,000; pop in 1784 - 192,000; in 1825 -
425,000; in 1881 - 861,000; and in 1914 - 2,075,000) was founded by Tsar Peter
I in 1703 on the flat plain at the mouth of the Neva River and the Gulf of
Finland down stream from Nyenshantz. At this point the river makes a broad
horseshoe bend and then divided into three major estuaries before entering the
Gulf of Finland. Peter personally oversaw the planning and layout of the city
and its early construction projects. Among the first (within 16 days of taking
Nyenshantz) was the fortress of Sts. Peter and Paul on Hare Island. (see below)
Quickly thereafter Peter constructed Kronstadt fortress on Kotlin Island in the
Gulf of Finland along with other islands. The Swedes attempted an attack in
1708, but failed The first living quarters and government buildings were on
islands on the north bank of the Neva. On the south side Peter built his
Admiralty shipyards. For years this side was occupied by ship builders and
other workers.
In 1702 Peter the Great captured the Swedish outpost at Noteborg, located where
the river Neva leaves lake Ladoga. He immediately renamed it Schlusselburg
(presently Petrokrepost) i.e. "Key fortress" of the sea. The
following year, on May first, he took another Swedish fort, Nyeunschanz, built
on the opposite end of the Neva where the river runs into the Baltic Sea. Not
far from it he ordered the construction of anew fortress, named Saints Peter
and Paul. A short time later he had the idea of laying the foundations of his
new capital, Saint Petersburg, there, to open to Russia the much desired
"Window to Europe." Peter used the outpost often to look at Western
countries, and from the first days he made it clear that his new capital would
be built without any influence by the ancient habits and customs. He wanted to
live in a new, wester-type capital and turn the country and his people
decisively toward western civilization. Return to TOP
Peter built the new city of Saint Petersburg with the same speed and
determination he had demonstrated when constructing his boats and military
fortifications. He took an active part in the planning of the city and often
supervised the construction of major edifices. Whatever Peter did not like was
immediately torn down and replaced. He changed the direction, size and length
of many streets and did the same with the size and placement of several
squares. His personal taste, the result of his special liking for Dutch
baroque, was most visible at first, but with time French and Italian influences
prevailed. In 1702 he issued an ukaz that helped bring hundreds of foreigners
and thousands of Russians from all parts of the country to help build his new
capital. News of good salaries and working conditions spread rapidly through
Europe, and soon Russia was flooded with architects, painters, sculptors,
decorators, engravers, tailors, and teachers. Originally a German architect was
invited to handle the construction of Saint Petersburg, but he died on the way
to Russia. He was promptly replaced by an Italian, Dominico Tresini, who
happened to like and better understand the Dutch and northern-European
architectural forms than his own Italian traditions. Tresini arrived in 1703
and immediately started preparing blueprints for Peter's model houses. These
and other buildings planned and constructed by Tresini and other Italian and
German architects who helped or came after him, reflected the Central European
contemporary trends and styles and were quite modest. Saint Petersburg received
its first one or two story, typical Dutch buildings in 1704, with their wooden
frames, long windows and their transoms and, of course, many spires, of which
the young emperor was very fond.
His taste and style was obligatory for everybody. Not only did he force many
Russians to leave their residences in Moscow or elsewhere, move and build a new
home in Saint Petersburg, but he also imposed what type of house should be
built. For himself he erected in 1703 his first home on the right side of the
Neva river; a very modest wooden cottage, known as the house of Peter the
Great. In order to preserve it, Catherine later built a stone wall around it.
In 1711 he moved to the Summer Palace, better known as Peter's Palace, which
had just been built in the park which was also named after him. A year later
the Winter Palace, in the vicinity of which German colonists had already built
several of their houses was finished. A few years later the French organized
their "Quartier" (quarter) on the Vasilevskii Isle. Return to TOP
In 1709 Peter established a special office for construction, which took control
of all construction in Saint Petersburg. Several decrees further regulated
planning and construction details. At this point Peter's taste became more
demanding as he rushed to build his "Paradise" on the Neva. In 1712
he invited the French architect J. B. Leblond, who brought to Saint Petersburg
his refined Renaissance taste. He designed plans for several important
buildings and parks, including the palace in Strelna, near the new capital,
which Peter built for himself but later gave to his daughter Ann. Leblond also
executed the new general plan of Saint Petersburg. Impatient with the pace of
construction, Peter, nevertheless in 1712 solemnly proclaimed Saint Petersburg
the new capital of the Russian Empire. Two years later a new decree
"Ukaz" forbade construction of stone buildings throughout the country
until the building of Saint Petersburg had been well advanced, and he exiled
many to Siberia for not obeying his orders.
Peter built and populated the city by decree. Within ten years there were a
thousand houses. By the year of his death the population had reached 75,000.
Construction stopped during the short reigns of Catherine I and Peter II, but
under Empresses Anna Ivanovna (1730-40), Elizabeth Petrovna (1741-61) and
Catherine II (1762-96) the splendid palaces and public buildings followed one
after the other. Anna built the Admiralty spire and started the Winter Palace.
Elizabeth built the Anitchkov Palace, and most of the other main buildings were
at least started by Catherine. Her son, Paul (1796-1801) built the Engineer
Castle and the Kazan Cathedral. And Alexander I (1801-1825) built the Exchange,
the New Michael Palace and began St.Isaac's Cathedral (1819-1858.
Return to TOP
The downtown or central portion of the city preserves an architectural unity
with many impressive facades of four or five story buildings. Tsar Nicholas I
promulgated a height restriction (similar to Washington DC) in that no
buildings except church spires were authorized higher than 7 feet lower than
the Winter Palace. The city now includes and area of 193 sq miles. It includes
101 islands, numerous canals, and 620 bridges. It was the capital of the
Russian Empire from 1712 until 1918. During the summer solstice season from the
end of May to early July, night consists of only 40 minutes of semi-darkness.
Although the city began on the northern bank, from the time of Elizabeth and
Catherine the southern bank became the heart of the fashionable section. It is
divided by three semicircular concentric canals that begin and end at the Neva
above and below the quarters. The Admiralty Quarter lies directly between the
Neva and the Moika Canal. Here are the Admiralty, St. Isaac's Cathedral, the
Winter Palace and Hermitage. The Kazan quarter is between the Moika and
Catherine Canals and contains the Marienski Palace and Kazan Cathedral. The
Spasskaya Quarter comes next, between the Catherine and Fontanka Canals and
contains the Cathedral of the Resurrection and main public libraries. West of
these is the Kolomenskaya Quarter. The Narva Quarter is south of Kolomenskaya
and contains the main industrial section, the harbor, and railroad stations for
lines to the south. The Moscow Quarter is between the Fontanka and Obvodni
Canals. The Liteinaya Quarter is north of this. East of Liteinaya is the
Rozhdestvenskaya Quarter containing the Tauride Palace. The Alexander Nevski
Quarter, containing the monastery of that name lies to the south, against the
curve of the Neva river.
The main and longest street is Nevski Prospect, which begins at the Admiralty
and ends at the Alexander Nevski Monastery. Among the many hotels in the city,
the Moskva, is located on Nevski Prospect near the Monastery. Return to TOP
On the south bank the major buildings start at the river bend by the Smolny
Convent. Peter originally continued the practice of maintaining the tar
distillery for the shipbuilding industry at this location. Later this facility
was moved and a summer palace for Peter's daughter, Elizabeth, was constructed
here. In 1744 this palace burned down and Elizabeth as Empress built a convent
on the location. Rastrelli designed the building begun in 1748 centered on the
five-domed Cathedral of the Resurrection. Catherine II converted the convent
into a school for young ladies. During the revolution the Petrograd Soviet and
Central Executive Committed occupied the premises and then the Revolutionary
Military Committee headed by Trotsky. Finally, Lenin established the first
Soviet Government headquarters here.
The quarters on the right (north-west) bank begin with the Vasilyevskaya on
Vasili Ostrov Island. Here are the Academy of Sciences, the former stock
exchange, and mining academy. The St. Petersburg Quarter is between the Neva
and Bolshaya Nevka branches and contains the fortress and oldest part of the
city. To the east is the Vyborg Quarter containing major factories.
Return to TOP
Peter and Paul Fortress
The Peter and Paul Fortress was founded in May 1703. (for photos) The first parapets were of earth, but it
quickly mounted 300 cannon. Construction employed 20,000 laborers. The first
wooden church was dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul on 29 June, 1703.
The fortress was designed with six bastions and six curtain walls in an
irregular hexagon incorporating the best theories of Vauban, Coehoorn and von
Rimpler. Peter took personal charge of one bastion (named Tsar) and designated
a high ranking favorite to supervise each of the others. They were then named
accordingly the Naryshkin, Trubetskoi, Zotov, Golovkin, and Menshikov Bastions.
(Three bastions were renamed at various later times to honor reigning
monarchs). The main gate was placed between the Tsar and Menshikov Bastions.
This was protected by a transverse moat and ravelin. A gate in the left face of
the ravelin, in turn, was connected to the next island by another bridge.
Between 1705 and 1708 the northern side was further strengthened by the
addition of a kronwerk (hornwork) of earth outside the Golovkin Bastion. In
1706 construction of replacement works of brick and stone commenced with the
Menshikov Bastion being the first. In the following year work began on the
Golovkin and Zotov Bastions. The entire work was to require 35 years. Domenico
Trezzini was the architect-engineer. The walls were 12 meters high. During the
reign of Anna in the 1730's additional outer defenses were added with ravelins
and counter guards at both ends of the fortress. During the reign of Catherine
II the walls were re-faced with granite. This was purely a decorative step as
it did nothing to strengthen the military value of the fortress.
With the fortification of Kronstadt and the other islands in the Gulf the
fortress lost its importance. It then was converted to a military prison,
housing many famous personages from Tsarevich Alexei on.
The main entrance is the Ioanovskie Vorota (John Gate), the only part of
the fortress in its original condition from 1717-18. The bas-reliefs designed
by Konrad Osner represent the story of Peter defeating Simon the sorcerer.
There are statues of Mars and Venus in niches nearby. The other principal gate
is the Nevski Vorota (Neva Gate) through which prisoners were taken to
their execution or to Schussleburg fortress. In the fortress is the
Petropavlovski Sobor (Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul) built in Dutch
style from 1712 to 1721 by Trezzini, and reconstructed by Rastrelli and
Chevakinski in 1750. The interior contains many important artistic works. Here
are buried all the Tsars from Peter I on, except Peter II and Nicholas II.
There are other interesting buildings inside the fortress, including the state
mint.
In 1849 Tsar Nicholas I authorized construction of a three story arsenal within
the hornwork. During 1874-77 the remains of the old hornwork were removed. The
area of the glacis was laid out as a park beginning in 1842. This arsenal now
contains the Museum of Artillery, Engineer, and Signal Troops. On the opposite
side of the fortress is the original cottage of Peter I, built in 3 days in
1703. Peter lived here during the summer, while supervising construction, until
the original Summer Palace was built across the river.
Nearby is the mooring of the cruiser Aurora, which fired a blank shot at the
start of the attack on the Winter Palace in 1917.
Immediately to the west, downstream, from the fortress is Vasilyevski Ostrov.
On the eastern tip, Strelka, are the Central Naval Museum in the former stock
exchange, the customs house, and several parts of the Academy of Sciences. Next
along the embankment is the university. The large white building is the
Menshikov Palace, the first stone building in St. Petersburg, dating from 1707.
Return to TOP
The Cathedral of Saints Peter
and Paul, 1714-1733.
Among the buildings that stand out among Peter's standard architecture is
the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Paul which Dominico Tresini started building
in 1714 within the walls of the fortress that carries the same name. Peter
wanted the Cathedral to serve as a burial place for himself and his descendants
and was very much interested in its construction, though he did not live to see
it finished in 1733. He wanted its belfry to be higher than any in western
Europe, and even thought of its carillon. Together with its gilded sharp spire
with an angel on top, the belfry is almost 400 feet high. Russians followed the
taste of their ruler and the Cathedral became a landmark that for many years
served as a model for many churches later erected in Russia; however, with the
exception of its size and blistering gold that pleasantly reflects in
the Neva's waters, architecturally it does not differ much from an average
contemporary German church. Return to TOP
Naval Museum
This is one of the oldest and largest maritime museums in the world. It was
founded in 1709 by Peter I and contains his many models for his future navy. It
also has naval flags, weapons, medals and paintings covering the entire history
of Russian and Soviet naval affairs. There is a 3000 year old dugout canoe and
Peter the Great's first boat. There are many artifacts from the Great Northern
War including Russian and Swedish flags. There is a fine display of Russian
naval uniforms from 1700 to the early 1800's. The beautiful ship models include
famous Russian vessels from the Russo-Japanese War and the Revolution and Civil
War. Contemporary models include nuclear submarines. Return to
TOP
The first Winter Palace was built by Peter the Great in 1718. The much
larger, main Winter Palace was constructed during 1754-62 by the architect
Bartolomeo Rastrelli. It contains 1,057 rooms, 117 staircases, 1,786 doors, and
1,945 windows. Tied to it are a number of other buildings including the Old
Hermitage (1775-84) and the New Hermitage (1839-52). This is the most famous of
Russian museums. It has extensive military art and other military related
holdings, much of which is not open to the public. The art collection was begun
in 1764 with the acquisition of 225 paintings from Berlin. Now the collection
includes 2,790,000 items. for photos of the Winter Palace and Hermitage go to
Hermitage.
In the construction of the Hermitage, now one of the richest museums in the
world, several foreign architects participated. It all started with a small
winter palace, planned by Vallin de la Mothe, which Catherine II erected in
1765 next to the main winter palace. In addition to an apartment, the palace
contained a few halls filled with paintings, which prompted the empress to
rename it Hermitage. Steady acquisitions of new art objects required more
space, and Catherine commissioned Velten, who, in 1771-1775, added the second
or Grand Hermitage. Then in 1779-1785, the architect Quarenghi added to the two
buildings the Gallery of the Loges. All three were connected to each, other and
to the winter palace. In 1840 Nicholas I commissioned the German architect Leon
de Klenze and the Russian architect Andrei Ivanovich Stakenschneider to
completely reconstruct the Hermitage, and its present appearance dates from
1852. Return to TOP
The Palace at Peterhof.
More remarkable than the Cathedral is Leblond's very important
accomplishment, the Great palace at Peterhof, presently Petrodvorets erected in
1720. Go here for photos of Peterhof
place. The palace resembles Versailles, with its beautiful fountains. Leblond
also brought the French type of garden to Russia, an art he had learned from
his teacher Le Notre. Their large and long alleys, monumental stairways and
large pools fit nicely into the immense Russian landscape, offering a grandiose
sight. Russian royalty and aristocrats quickly developed a liking for water,
pools and fountains often embellished with statues, and they became an
important decorative element of their palaces. Catherine II enlarged the palace
without disturbing its harmony. Le Blond is also credited with bringing to
Saint Petersburg the first lanterns, illuminated with burning oil.
The palace became the center of the social life of the new capital. The main
event became Peter's so-called "Assemblies" (Assemble), arranged to
copy the meetings and halls that French kings were giving at Versailles. The
difference was that Russians more often turned them into revelries after
consuming much vodka. Nevertheless, at these reunions discussions often touched
serious problems and undoubtedly were the best place for intellectual
exercises, where prominent foreigners shared their views with the Russians.
Most of the halls were decorated with objects of art brought by Peter from the
West. While avoiding the luxury of French or Italian palaces, he did much to
enrich his capital with western art pieces, mainly brought from Holland and
Germany, which he exhibited to his people who had not yet developed a taste for
travel, or those for whom travel was impossible.
To lessen Russia's dependance on foreign artists and architects, Peter decided
to send young Russians to Western Europe. Among those who went abroad to study
"Military and civil architectures" were a few who were later quite
successful. Thus P.M. Yeropkin, 1690- 1740, planned the streets and boulevards
of Saint Petersburg, including the Nevskii Prospekt. I. K. Korobov, 1700-1747
was commissioned to build the Admiralty. Among the better known was also M. G.
Zemtsov, 1688-1743, though several others left very little that deserves
mention. For most of them the difficulty of departing from traditional forms
won out over their desire to imitate foreigners. There was hardly any other way
to pull Russian architecture out of the middle ages. With the exception of a
few Russians, who eventually could be favorably compared to prominent European
architects, most other depended on what foreigners brought into their country.
One exception to this dependence, though, was the native sense of the
picturesque, and of pastel colors. The palaces that mushroomed throughout the
country often escaped the monotony of horizontal lines that in many instances
overburdened the classic architecture of the West. However, Russian monumental
architects continued to depend on foreigners for any novelty, and the situation
has not changed much since. The difference is that now, the Soviet union looks
for inspiration and models to imitate not to nearby Europe but to distant
America. Return to TOP
Another boom in Russian architecture was caused by Count Bartholomeo
Rastrelli, 1700-1771, during the reign of Peter's daughter Elizabeth. Rastrelli
was the son of an Italian sculptor who brought his family to work in Russia.
Though educated abroad, he showed interest in ancient Rus architectural
monuments and grew to like Russian kremlins, monasteries and churches, but the
preference of Russian royalty and nobility was for the styles of Western
Europe. They wanted turn their backs on the ancient forms and traditions, and
found that the talented and highly qualified Rastrelli could best satisfy their
new taste. In the course of time he became the leading architect of his
generation and the founder of the western version of the baroque school in
Russia. His fame grew very rapidly. Princes and dukes, rich merchants and court
favorites impatiently wait their turn to have Rastrelli design their homes.
They did not care about the price they had to pay, and Rastrelli was busy. In
Saint Petersburg and vicinity, in Moscow and n several other places throughout
Russia there are palaces and churches that were either planned or erected by
him. Rastrelli gave the Russians exactly what they wanted, and to Russia, what
she needed to make an important step in catching up architecturally with the
West. Rastrelli's buildings were grandiose, sometimes oversized, with beautiful
and colorful facades, and luxurious details. He used gold in profusion, and
surrounded the palaces with large beautiful parks dotted with fountains and
monuments. Estates were usually enclosed by wrought iron fences with beautiful
gates. A gifted architect and an accomplished artist, Rastrelli ingeniously
responded to the demands of Russian high society for
"Europeanization," particularly for the empresses who needed palaces
and parks to satisfy their ever-increasing desire for luxury and pleasure and,
of course, churches in which to pray.
Rastrelli's first works date back to 1723, after he returned from his first
trip to Western Europe. Both Anna Ioanovna and Anna Leopoldovna used his
services, but his major work begun in 1744 when Elizabeth commissioned him to
build the Anichkov palace, which she offered to her favorite, Count
Razumovskii. Later this palace was given by Catherine II to another famous
lover, Prince Potemkin, and has since been reconstructed several times.
Rastrelli, if he were alive, could hardly recognize it. In 1743-1745 he built a
palace for Count M. I. Vorontsov in Saint Petersburg; in 1750-1754, another for
Count Stroganov. From 1747- 1752 he reconstructed the Peterhof (Petrodvorets)
palace originally planned by Leblond; and in 1752-1756 the palace in Tsarskoye
Selo, presently Pushkino, a vast, very impressive, highly decorated building in
the rococo style, almost 800 feet long, with a mass of Corinthian orders,
statues, vases etc. This palace became the summer residence of the imperial
family. Rastrelli added to it a beautiful park with triumphal arches,
monuments, grottoes, and hermitages, and a large lake with lovely bridges and
kiosks, some in the Chinese style.
When in 1748 Elizabeth I wanted to replace the old Smolnii Monastery in Saint
Petersburg and build modern buildings to house young orphan girls in its place,
she invited Rastrelli to prepare the blueprints. Rastrelli saw a great
opportunity to create a magnificent complex of buildings, similar to the
ancient Russian kremlins, with which to crown all his life's work. The Kremlin
in Moscow, with its palaces, cathedrals and monasteries, served him as an
inspiration and, to a certain degree, as a model. He wanted to follow the
classical Russian pattern and build a Bell tower, higher than the Kremlin's
Spaskii, with two smaller towers on its sides, to serve at the same time as the
main gate to the Monastery. Inside the gate there would be a very impressive
cathedral with five poles, several churches and chapels, various buildings,
dormitories etc. However, very little came of all these grandiose projects with
the exception of the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. Its construction
started in 1748, as planned, but it was completed almost a century later (1835)
by the Russian architect Stasov. The cross shaped cathedral has the tradtional
five cupolas, but is executed quite differently from the usual Russian model.
Instead of the short drums that usually carry larger cupolas, Rastrelli decided
to put at the four corners very tall two-story towers, and replace the drum of
the central cupola with a much larger dome, ending in a small drum, instead of
a lantern, and crowned with a cupola.
The Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg was one of the last edifices that
Rastrelii built. It was erected on the site where the mansion of Peter's
admiral, Fedor Apraxin, had once stood. Initial blue-prints for the new palace,
a large rectangular baroque building, of about 460 by 360 feet, heavily
decorated with ornaments, statues etc., were made and approved by Empress Anna.
Her death interrupted the work for a while, but it was resumed under Elizabeth,
and yet the palace was completed only in 1762 under Catherine II. A good part
of the palace was destroyed by fire in 1832 and rebuilt a few years later.
The Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Kiev is one of the best existing architectural
monuments designed by Rastrelli outside of Saint Petersburg. It has many things
in common with the one in Saint Petersburg. The cathedral was built in
1747-1767 under the supervision of the Russian architect Michurin, on the spot
where, according to legend, Saint Andrew planted a cross and thus laid the
foundation of the future city of Kiev, while propagating Christianity among the
Scythians and other tribes of the region. When a Jesuit missionary tried to
convince Ivan the Terrible to accept the Pope's supreme authority over the
Orthodox Church, based on the fact that Saint Peter had lived and worked in
Rome, the Tsar remembered Saint Andrew's stay in his country and retorted that
Andrew, Peter's brother, was in Kiev at about the same time and nobody there
claims special privileges because of that. Saint Andrew was a popular saint and
was the patron of seaman. When Peter the Great established the first flag of
his navy, he added to the national banner the blue cross of Saint Andrew, the
same cross that Scotland has on her flag.
Another impressive monument related to Rastrelli is the five-tiered bell-tower
in the Trinity-Saint Sergius Monastery, built in 1741-1769. The original plans
were drawn by Rastrelli and the construction started immediately afterwards,
but it dragged on for almost thirty years. During this long period of time a
few other architects added some changes which qualified them to share credit
for the building. It appears that Rastrelli's plan for a three-story tower was
revised by Schumacher, that the construction was supervised in the beginning by
Michurin, and that Ukhtomskii later added two more stories. Soviet historians
sometimes forget Rastrelli's share and tend to refer to Ukhtomskii as the man
who built the tower. He did add many decorative elements to the entire tower
and gave it a rococo look, and crowned it with a strange pillow-like cupola.
Rastrelli's influence on Russian architecture was enormous and spread
throughout the country, where sometimes unexperienced builders clumsily
produced their own "Baroque" variations and over-decorated very
modest one or two story buildings. But Rastrelli also had hundreds of followers
and imitators, some of them trained in his school, and gradually a new
generation of Russian architects was formed. Among them should be mentioned one
of the doyens of Russian architecture, Ivan Michurin, along with A. P. Evlashev
(Yevlashev) who built the bell-tower of the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow, S. I.
Chevakinskii, and Prince D. V. Ukhtomskii, called by some the "Moscow
Rastrelli," primarily because he exercised considerable influence on
Moscow and provincial architecture and established around the middle of the
18th century, the first Moscow School of Architecture, in which some talented
Russian architects were trained such as P. R. Nikitin, A. F. Kokorinov etc. For
many years Ukhtomskii was in charge of construction and planning in the city of
Moscow. Under his guidance the two top Russian architects of the second half of
the 18th century worked for a while: Bazhenov and Kazakov. While the West was
returning to simpler and more sober classical forms, Russia needed more time to
completely digest the baroque style. Severed from their tradtional native
forms, and eager to "Westernize," Russian architects would continue
to depend on foreign architects and even more on the adaptation of foreign
trends. Return to TOP
The palace complex is located four kilometers from Pushkin. In 1777
Catherine II gave the area to her son, Paul. Construction of a palace began
under direction of Charles Cameron. When Paul became emperor he dismissed
Cameron and Catherine's other favorites. Instead, Vincenzo Brenna took over
control of design and construction as the palace complex continued to expand.
Alexander I brought Cameron back to restore damage from the fire of 1803. Go
here for photos of Pavlovsk.
During World War II as much of the moveable art treasures as possible were
moved or hidden prior to the German arrival. Nevertheless, the Germans managed
to destroy practically the entire place. Restoration began in January 1944 and
continues today. Return to TOP
Pushkin - Tsarskoye Selo
This region was retaken from Sweden early in the Great Northern War. Peter
the Great gave the existing small country estate to Prince Alexander Menshikov.
Later, when he became angry at Menshikov's financial fraud and other dealings,
he took it back and gave it to his wife, Catherine I. During 1718-24 Catherine
began work on a mansion, entrusting the design to Johann Braunstein. Each
successive sovereign made changes. In 1744 the architect Alexei Kvasov added
side wings. In 1747 Savva Chevakinski added more buildings. Then, in 1752
Empress Elizabeth ordered Bartolomeo Rastrelli to redo the whole place. The
genius surpassed himself and integrated all the previous parts into a unified
design. During the reign of Catherine II the palace underwent further changes
and many extensive additions. Alexander I made a few further additions to the
park and added some new buildings, but the main, Catherine Palace, remains much
as it was during Catherine's reign. Go here for photos of
Catherine Palace.
Tsarskoye Selo was the center of innovations in city planning in the late 19th
century. It was the location of the first railroad in Russia in 1834 and was
connected to St. Petersburg by rail in 1837. In 1887 running water and sewage
systems were built. An electric power plant made it the first town with
electricity in Europe.
The palace area was renamed for Pushkin in 1937. During World War II the German
forces did their best to destroy or steal everything of beauty or value.
Restoration work began immediately with liberation in January 1944.
Return to TOP
Cathedral of our Lady of Kazan
The first half of the 19th century produced many capable architects, both
Russians and foreigners who continued to journey to Russia, of whom Andrei
Nikiforovich Voronikhin, 1759-1814, is one. Though already a grown man at the
start of the century, he is classified with the next generation because of his
style and one of his major works, the Cathedral of Kazan in Saint Petersburg,
which he built in 1801-1811. Voronikhin was born as a serf of Count Strogonov.
Even as a boy he attracted the attention of the count with his excellent
drawings, who decided to send him to Moscow for schooling and then to Saint
Petersburg. Bazhenov and Kazakov were among his teachers. After he graduated
from the Academy, he was sent abroad by Stroganov to study the painting and
architecture of the west. Voronikhin visited several countries and was among
the first Russians to cross the Channel and stay for some time in England. Upon
his return he designed a summer home for Stroganov in Saint Petersburg which no
longer exists and can be seen only in the painting the architect left after
completion.
Voronikin is principally known for the Cathedral of the Virgin of Kazan, named
after the famous icon of the Virgin which dates from the time when Ivan the
Terrible captured Kazan, the Tatar capital. The icon, considered miraculous by
the Church and believers, was brought to Saint Petersburg by Peter the Great.
It was carried by the militia, lead by Prince Dimitrii Pozharskii, which
liberated Moscow from the Poles in 1612. The following year Mikhail Romanov was
elected Tsar and the icon became the patroness of the Romanovs. His son Aleksei
decreed a holiday to commemorate the appearance of the miraculous icon. It is
not surprising that after three centuries of veneration and royal gifts, the
icon was decorated with several pounds of gold, over 1,500 diamonds, more than
600 rubies and 150 emeralds, not to mention less valuable jewelry.
The Cathedral is considered to represent a revolutionary design for Russia,
more because of its unorthodox forms and its relation to the surrounding area,
in which it became a center of an architectural ensemble with a square and
streets, in the heart of the city, than because of its classical style, which
clearly belongs to the Russia of the previous century. The semicircle of
Corinthian colonnades and the dome remind us of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome,
but, of course, are not as impressive by far and much smaller. Voronikhin's
Cathedral is in the form of a cross, almost 240 feet long and 186 feet high,
with a single bronze dome about sixty feet in diameter. Yellow-grey lime-stone
found near the village of Bolshaya Pudost was used to build the Cathedral.
Curiously enough, it also resembles the stone used for building the Basilica of
Saint Peters in Rome. The head of the special Commission appointed by the
Emperor to supervise the construction was none other but Voronikhin's former
master, the count Stroganov. The sculptor Martos cast in silver figures of the
four evangelists, one in each of the four niches in the exterior walls, but
Prince Golitsin found them "Too naked," and they had to be melted.
They were replaced by bronze statues: Saint John the Baptist by Martos, Saint
Vladimir and Alexander Nevskii by Pimenov, and Saint Andrew by Demut-
Malinovskii. The interior of the Cathedral is decorated with 56 granite
Corinthian columns, with capitals and bases in bronze. The iconostasis is made
of silver that the Cossacks recovered from the French soldiers after they fled
from Russia, and is divided by four beautiful columns made of jasper. The icons
for the iconostasis were painted by the best contemporary artists, among whom
were Bdrovikovskii, Kiprenskii, Bessonov, and Ugriumov.
The famous conqueror of Napoleon, Prince Kutuzov was buried in the Cathedral in
1813 with many trophies, including over a hundred standards and colors captured
from the French army, used to decorate its interior. In front of the Cathedral
are two statues on a granite pedestal: one of Kutuzov and the other of Prince
(Mikhail Bogdanovich) Barclay-de- Tolly, supreme commander of the Russian army
at the front who preceded Kutuzov in that post in the war against the french;
they are the work of the sculptor Boris Ivanovich Orlovskii, also a former
serf. After the revolution the Cathedral continued to be open for worship, but
faced almost daily the anti-religious propaganda of the Bolshevik government.
An attempt by the Church to build a chapel in the basement of the Cathedral to
commemorate Patriarch Ghermoghen, who resisted the Polish invasion, died in
prison in 1612, and attached miraculous qualities to the icon of the Virgin of
Kazan, prompted the Soviet government to expropriate the Cathedral in 1932 and
turn it into a Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism. As for the icon,
the Soviets stripped it of its gold and jewelry and now, according to some it
is in a working church. There are several copies of the icon; the controversy
over which one is the original started practically in the beginning of the 17th
century and would be hard to settle with certainty. Return to
TOP
St Isaac's Cathedral
Not far from the Neva river and the Admiralty Garden, in the middle of a
huge square, stands the largest and most luxurious cathedral of the former
Russian capital and indeed, of all Russia. Its astonishing proportions cannot
be fully realized from a distance because of the open space of the square and
the buildings around it, which are also of gigantic size. Even more amazing is
the fact that this magnificent structure was built entirely of granite and
marble, weighing hundreds of tons, and that entire forests were driven into the
swampy soil to prevent it from eventual sinking. The spot had been chosen over
a century earlier by Peter the Great, who built the first wooden church not far
from there, and later replaced it with a stone one. In 1868 Catherine II began
to build a new marble church which Rinaldi designed, but it was finished in
bricks, after architect Breno shortened its dimensions. Finally Alexander I
commissioned the French architect August-Ricard de Monferrand to design the
existing cathedral, dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia.
The first granite foundation for the Cathedral was laid down in 1819, and it
took 39 years to finish the construction. This magnificent, heavy and rather
simple edifice is in the form of a cross crowned with a large dome. It is over
340 feet long and about 300 feet across, built entirely of polished red Finland
granite, with some parts done in bronze or marble. On three sides massive
granite steps, made of single blocks, lead to the entrances under magnificent
porticos. The fourth, eastern side, where the altar is, has instead three oval
windows under the portico. The main entrances are on the north and south, each
with two rows of eight highly polished red granite monolith columns, almost
sixty feet high and seven feet in diameter, on mighty pediments decorated with
bronze bas-reliefs. The western and eastern sides are similar though their
porticos are smaller and have only eight columns. The bases and Corinthian
capitals of the columns are made of bronze. The bas-reliefs were sculptured by
Lemaire and Vitali, and depict scenes from the life of Christ and Saint Isaac.
One, which shows Saint Isaac with Emperor Theodosius, has the head of the
latter sculpted to resemble Alexander I's. There are statues of evangelists and
apostles on pediments, and at the corners of the roof are statues of angels. A
large central dome over eighty feet in diameter rests on a high drum,
surrounded by 24 granite Corinthian columns, each thirty feet high. The dome is
elongated and is surmounted by a lantern, crowned with a twenty-foot long
golden cross. The dome is made of iron and covered with glittering, gold-plated
copper. It dominates most of the skyline of Leningrad and, like the Basilica of
Saint Peter in Rome, which it resembles, is visible from many sides. Four small
domes at the corners of the Cathedral contained the bells, an obligatory item
in any Orthodox church. The heaviest weighed almost three tons.
Three enormous and richly sculptured bronze doors lead to the interior of the
Cathedral, whose thick walls are recovered with marble, a gift of the Demidov
family. Inside the ceiling of the dome is an enormous painting of the Virgin
surrounded by saints, the work of Briulov and Bassin. The ceiling above the
main iconostasis was painted by Bruni, and one of the two chapels by Pimenov.
In he absence of apses, the eastern part of the Cathedral is reserved fro the
iconostasis and altars. There are three: a large one in the center and two on
the sides. This is the most splendid and gorgeous part of the Cathedral, with
malachite columns and pilasters that decorate the white marble iconostasis,
royal doors with pillars of lapis lazuli, mosaic pictures framed in silver, and
a splendid stained-glass window representing the Resurrection of Christ, which
was made in Germany. Before the revolution there were inside the Cathedral
about two hundred icons and paintings, and hundreds of various religious and
decorative objects, comprising several tons of silver and tens of pounds of
gold. This fantastic wealth and splendor, enhanced by hundreds of burning
candles and lamps, by magnificent chanting, and by gorgeous vestments of
priests and bishops, could not but bewilder anybody who entered the Cathedral.
It is indeed a brilliant spectacle that no theater could offer for free, yet as
far as admission is concerned the Orthodox church never discriminated against
anybody. It was in Saint Isaac's Cathedral that the Russians came closest to
imitating the lavishness of the Hagia Sofia and offering the people, to use the
words of Saint Vladimir, "The feeling of being in Heaven." The
Soviets confiscated everything and emptied the cathedral of all valuables and
finally turned it into a museum. Return to TOP
Cathedrals of Guards Regiments
Many of the churches in the city not only are architectural monuments by
themselves, but also are closely connected with military history. Religion was
an inseparable component of any sphere of life of Russia before 1917. As Peter
the Great won the battle at Poltava in 1709 on St Samson's day, Sampsonievski
(St Samson's) cathedral was built in the new capital. It was a monument to the
victory of Russia over Sweden in the Great Northern War, and even the Soviets
did not destroy it. Only the clergy were shot, and the building was used as a
potato warehouse. They say it was recently returned to the church and restored.
Kazanski cathedral in the Nevsky prospekt (To the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan')
was finished right after the war with Napoleon, and became a kind of the
monument to the victory of Russia. Field Marshal Kutuzov is buried in it, and
many war trophies like banners and keys of taken fortresses were kept in it.
Most obviously, you can still see them inside, though the cathedral was made
into a "museum of atheism" and is now a functioning cathedral again.
Peter the Great founded 3 regiments of the royal guard: Semyenovski,
Preobrazhenski and Izmailovski. They all had their own cathedrals in the
imperial capital. Vvedenski cathedral of the Semynovski regiment was built by
architect K. Thon, the author of the Cathedral of Christ Our Saviour in Moscow
and creator of the Russian-Byzantine style. It was opposite the Vitebsky
station. As the Semyenovski regiment was the oldest, only the acting emperor
was its chief. The cathedral was very richly decorated. It had the tomb of
prince Volkonsky, the chief of staff of the Russian army during the Napoleon
war, and graves of its commander and other members of the regiment, who were
killed during the revolutionary terror of 1905-07. The cathedral was demolished
in the 30s together with the tombs.
Preobrazhenski cathedral is situated near Liteyny prospekt. It was built in the
middle of the 18th century after Elizaveta took power with the help of the
Preobrazhensky regiment. It was decorated with the trophies, and on the walls
there were bronze boards with the names of the officers of the regiment who
perished in battles. The small park surrounding it is closed by cast iron chain
links with large cannon embedded muzzle first into the ground as posts. Strange
enough, it was not closed in the Soviet time, only robbed. We have photographs
of this one.
Troitsky (The Holy Trinity) cathedral of the Izmailovsky regiment is very
impressive. We have photos of this one also. According to accounts, there were
very solemn services to the memory of its members, heroes of the Russo-Turkish
war of 1877-78. There was a statue of Glory in front of it based on captured
Turkish canons. It was robbed and used as a warehouse in Soviet times, but it
was recently returned to the church.
Those are only some of the shrines connected with the military history of
Russia. In fact, all the military units with headquarters in St Petersburg had
a temple of their own in the capital, and churches in places of their summer
camps. The units had their own hierarchy, and their churches were one of the
ways to display their level within that hierarchy. Most churches were destroyed
in the 30s, like the temple of Christ Our Saviour on the bank of the Neva. It
was to the memory of the Russian seamen perished in Tsushima battle. There were
boards with the names of all the seamen on the walls, under the icons of the
patron saints of all the ships. Despite the petition not to destroy it, the
temple was demolished in 1932, and as the city legend goes, the boards with the
lists of the perished were thrown into the Neva. Some temples are used as clubs
or cinemas, like the Marine Cathedral in Kronshtadt. While the history of the
churches in the city is rather well documented, the temples of the regiments
and military victories are still not studied well. Return to
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