Palaces of imperial favorites. Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna Plan of the Summer Palace of Elizabeth on

Founded by Peter I of the royal estate. Here, near the junction of the Moika and the Fontanka, shortly before her death, Empress Anna Ioannovna ordered the architect F. B. Rastrelli to build the palace "with extreme haste." During her lifetime, the architect did not have time to start this work.

In late 1740 - early 1741, Anna Leopoldovna, who took power into her own hands, also decided to build her own house on this site. On her behalf, Governor-General Minich ordered Rastrelli to draw up an appropriate project. The drawings were ready by the end of February 1741. But the architect was in no hurry to provide them to Munnich, but took the documents to the Hof quartermaster's office, which delayed the approval of the project for several weeks. Probably, Rastrelli guessed about the imminent change in power and was in no hurry to carry out the order. The architect was right. On March 3, Petersburg was informed of Minich's resignation. On November 24, a palace coup took place, as a result of which the daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth, came to power. By this time, the Summer Palace had already been laid.

Concerning the date of laying the palace in local lore literature, there are different versions. Historian Yuri Ovsyannikov in the book "Great Architects of St. Petersburg" writes that it took place on July 24, 1741 in the presence of the ruler Anna Leopoldovna, her husband Generalissimo Anton Ulrich, courtiers and guards. Georgy Zuev in the book "The Moika River Flows" calls the month of laying the Summer Palace not July, but June. The same opinion is shared by K. V. Malinovsky in the book "St. Petersburg of the 18th century".

The new house became known as the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna. Immediately after her accession to the throne, she entrusted Rastrelli with the completion of its interior decoration. The draft building was ready by 1743. The palace became the first own home of Elizabeth Petrovna, in which no one had lived before her. As a reward for this work, the empress raised the architect's salary from 1,200 to 2,500 rubles a year.

The Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna was connected to Nevsky Prospekt by a road running along the Fontanka. The approach to the building was flanked by a one-story kitchen and guardhouse. Between them were gates decorated with gilded double-headed eagles. Behind them is the front yard. The main facade of the palace faced the Summer Garden, to which a covered bridge-gallery led through the Moika since 1745. The first floor of the building was made of stone, on it rested wooden walls of light pink color treated with plaster. Against their background, white window trims and pilasters stood out. The ground floor of the palace was lined with greenish granite.

In the central building there was a two-height Grand Hall with the royal throne against the western wall. The Empress lived in the eastern wing of the palace, on the side of the Fontanka. Courtiers lived in the west wing. Rastrelli wrote about the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna:

"The building had more than one hundred and sixty apartments, including here the church, hall and galleries. Everything was decorated with mirrors and rich sculpture, as well as a new garden adorned with beautiful fountains, with the Hermitage built at ground floor level, surrounded by rich trellises, all decorations which were gilded" [Cit. according to 1, p. 264].

In the aforementioned Hermitage, built in 1746, according to Jacob Stehlin, paintings of exclusively religious and biblical content were kept. Some of them are now in the State Hermitage and the Pavlovsk Palace. The halls of the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna were decorated with Bohemian mirrors, marble sculptures and paintings by famous artists.

Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli was not completely satisfied with this work of his. Ten years after the end of construction, he was still finishing and reworking something. The walls of the building were decorated with figured window frames, atlantes, lion masks and mascarons. In 1752, Rastrelli added "a new large gallery hall" to the northeast corner of the palace. The owner of the palace had little interest in the architectural integrity of the building. The main thing for her was only the luxury of the surrounding space.

On April 30, the Empress moved to the Summer Palace from the Winter Palace with her entire court. Return - 30 September. Here Elizabeth took a break from her public service. In the Summer Palace, she preferred only to relax.

Here, in 1754, Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, the future Emperor Paul I, was born and spent the first years of his life. The Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna in 1762 became the site of celebrations on the occasion of the conclusion of peace with Prussia after the end of the Seven Years' War.

For Catherine II, the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna became the place where she received official congratulations from the diplomatic corps on her accession to the throne. Within its walls, she heard the news of the death of Peter III.

In the very first month of the reign of Paul I, on November 28, 1796, a decree was issued: " for the permanent residence of the sovereign to build with haste a new impregnable palace-castle. He should stand on the site of the dilapidated Summer House". The emperor did not want to live in the Winter Palace. He preferred to live in the place where he was born. So, allegedly, the decision was made to build a new palace, which replaced the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna.

With the coming to power in Russia of Emperor Peter I, a grandiose era of transformations began in the state, which became the impetus for changes in urban planning and architecture.

Catherine's "Golden Mansions"

In 1703, the emperor founded a new city - St. Petersburg, and already 9 years later the construction of a small house for Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna, the wife of the monarch, began. It was located on the southern bank of the Moika and was a small house with a turret, which ended with a gilded spire. The building was named "Golden Mansions". Subsequently, this area was called Tsaritsyn Lug and became part of the Summer Garden - a large royal estate. Exotic fruits were grown on its territory for the Empress: pineapples and bananas.

A few years after the construction, it was decided to build a grandiose palace that would crown the tetrahedral dome, but the plan was not realized.

Failed construction

In 1730-1740. in power was Empress Anna Ioannovna, who a few years before her death instructed the architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli to build a palace on Tsaritsyn Meadow, and this should have been done as soon as possible. However, the death of the empress did not allow the architect to proceed with the execution of her order. Her successor, Anna Leopoldovna, also wanted to build her own palace on this site, the construction was entrusted to the same Rastrelli. In February 1741, the architect prepared the necessary drawings, but it was not possible to present them to the empress: in March, a coup d'état was carried out, and Empress Elizaveta Petrovna came to power.

Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli

Created the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli - the greatest architect of the 18th century. He came from an Italian aristocratic family and held the title of count. His father was the sculptor Carlo Rastrelli, who worked for a long time at the court of the French Sun King Louis, and after the death of the latter he was invited by the Russian emperor to Russia.

Bartolomeo from an early age was attracted by his father to work on various projects, went to study in Europe. The first documented work of Rastrelli in Russia was the three-story palace of Dmitry Kantemir, built in the style of Petrine baroque.

In the 1730s, Rastrelli was engaged in the construction of the Rundale Palace and the palace in Mitava, which he was building on the orders of the Duke of Courland. It was on the recommendation of Biron of Courland that Rastrelli became the court architect.

Architectural style of Rastrelli

Bartolomeo created a unique style in architecture. So, he began to use semi-circular window endings on the facades, and he usually assembled semi-columns in pairs and bundles. External columns usually did not play a constructive role, but were intended only for decoration. His palaces were characterized by huge ceremonial halls, covering the entire depth of the floor, and when designing interiors, he tried to avoid curved lines. All his buildings are characterized by screaming power, grandeur and solemnity, even pomposity. Rastrelli abandoned the strip foundations traditional for that time, preferring platforms made of brick and stone based on piles, which, in turn, made it possible to partially redistribute the loads, and this was very important for the weak soils of St. Petersburg.

Creations of the great architect

The great architect, in addition to the Rundale and Mitava palaces, built such buildings that became attractions:

1. Great Peterhof Palace.
2. Andrew's Church in Kyiv.
3. Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
4. Vorontsov Palace.
5. Hermitage.
6. Winter Palace.
7. Royal Palace in Kyiv, etc.

Lost buildings of the architect

Some of its buildings are currently lost:

• Kantemir Palace.
• Throne room on the Yauza.
• Winter Palace of Anna Ioannovna.
• Winter Kremlin Palace.
• Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna.
• Travel Srednerogatsky Palace.

The history of the construction of the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna

The exact date of laying the foundation of the palace has not been preserved. According to one version, during the laying of the foundation in July 1941, Anna Leopoldovna was present with her husband, Prince Anton Ulrich, according to another, the laying took place a month earlier. However, the spouses were not destined to live in the new palace.

Rastrelli received an order to complete the palace he had begun from Tsesarevna Elizaveta Petrovna, who became Empress. The construction was completed in 1743 - it was the first palace of the empress, built personally for her, and the empress liked it so much that she doubled the salary of the architect - up to 2500 rubles a year.

The Empress used the summer residence from May to September every year, she devoted this time to her rest, almost not doing important state affairs. In 1754, it was here that Grand Duke Pavel, the son of Ekaterina Alekseevna, was born, and here Elizaveta Petrovna staged celebrations on the occasion of the end of the seven-year war and the conclusion of peace with Prussia. Then the empress began to visit the palace less and less, spending more time in Tsarskoye Selo, and the palace gradually began to deteriorate.

Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna: description

The architecture of the Summer Palace is such that it is simply impossible not to notice that the author of the project was impressed by the French Versailles. The building is characterized by the closedness of the ensemble of the front yard in front of the palace, traditional for the Baroque. A detailed description of the brainchild of Rastrelli did not remain, but some memories of the imperial estate were found.

So, the summer residence of Elizabeth Petrovna consisted of 160 apartments, there were both the personal chambers of the queen, and numerous halls, galleries and even a church. In order to get to the territory of the palace, it was necessary to go through wide openwork gates made of lattices, crowned with gilded eagles. According to the architect, “everything was decorated with mirrors and rich sculpture, as well as the new garden, decorated with beautiful fountains, with the Hermitage built at the ground floor level, surrounded by rich trellises, all the decorations of which were gilded.”

The building had two facades. The main one was facing the Moika, flower beds and neat trees were placed in front of it, which turned this territory into a park. The second facade was turned towards Nevsky Prospekt, where, on the orders of Bartolomeo, a wide road was laid, along which there were numerous greenhouses with flowers and trees.

The first floor of the Summer Palace of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna was made of stone, but the second was completely wooden. The building is designed in pink tones, and the basement rooms are in gray. The ground floor was faced with green granite. Inside the palace, all rooms were decorated with Bohemian mirrors, marble sculptures and paintings by famous artists. The Hermitage was built at the level of the first floor, where paintings of religious and biblical content were kept, some of which have survived to this day.

In the main building there was the Great ceremonial hall, at the western wall of which the royal throne was located. In order to get to the Throne Room, it was necessary to pass a series of living rooms and a huge front staircase, decorated with gilded carvings. The throne room struck with its grandeur, which was further emphasized by the cunning arrangement of candelabra and chandeliers, which created the impression of a two-light volume. Several curly staircases also led to the Throne Hall from the side of the garden, each of which was supplemented by ramps. The imperial chambers were located in the eastern wing of the palace, and the courtiers lived in the western wing. Each of the rooms of the palace was lavishly decorated with various statues and vases. The facade of the building was crowned with numerous balustrades.

palace park

The entire territory of the palace complex was surrounded by a decorative park. The garden also had magnificent fountains, and the park itself was a complex labyrinth of green spaces. On the territory of the complex, Rastrelli created three unusual fountain pools of complex outlines. Small gazebos and benches were equipped throughout the park, and carousels, swings and slides were located in the center. Also, according to the architect's idea, two artificial trapezoid semicircular ponds were created, which, by the way, have survived to this day.

Subsequent changes

Francesco Rastrelli continued to work on the summer residence of the Empress for many years. So, he was engaged in decorating the walls with figured architraves, atlantes and lion masks, 9 years after the completion of construction, he added a new gallery hall from the northeast side of the palace. Such constant changes only pleased the Empress, while the owner the architectural integrity of the building was of little interest. The main thing is that new buildings are as luxurious as possible.

In 1745, by order of the Empress, a covered gallery was built to move from the palace to the Summer Garden, its walls were generously decorated with art paintings. In 1747, the architect created a terrace with a fountain in the center, located on the same level as the Hermitage pavilion. Around the perimeter, it was fenced with a gilded lattice.

A little later on the territory summer palace a church appears, which expands the palace complex from the Fontanka side, and bay windows appear on the facade from the western side.

On the territory of the palace, Rastrelli also built water towers with aqueducts, which were also generously decorated with paintings.

Catherine period

The Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna in St. Petersburg became the site of the triumph of Catherine II. It was here that she arranged an official reception for foreign diplomats after her accession to the throne, and here she learned about the death of Peter III. Not living in the residence, Catherine bestowed it first on Grigory Orlov, then Grigory Potemkin.

In 1777, a flood occurred, which greatly damaged the already dilapidated palace. No one began to restore the damaged water cannon, and the aqueduct was dismantled.

The Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna was demolished in 1797 by order of Emperor Paul I. A few weeks after his accession to the throne, he ordered the construction of a new impregnable castle-fortress on the site of the already dilapidated building, since the emperor did not want to live in the Winter Palace at all. There is a legend according to which one of the guard soldiers appeared to the Archangel Michael, who ordered that the tsar be told about the need to build a church on the site of the palace, which became part of the Mikhailovsky Castle complex. That is how the Mikhailovsky Castle grew up on the site of the Elizabethan summer residence in 1800. The decoration of the summer residence of Elizabeth was neatly folded and taken to other royal estates.

How to get to the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna? Unfortunately, it didn't survive. On the site of the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna (address: St. Petersburg, Sadovaya Street, 2), the Mikhailovsky, or Engineering Castle, is currently located. In order to get to the castle, it is enough to use the metro, you need to get off at the Nevsky Prospekt or Gostiny Dvor station.

The Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna is an unpreserved imperial residence in St. Petersburg, built by B. F. Rastrelli in 1741-1744 on the site where the Mikhailovsky (Engineering) Castle is now located. Demolished in 1796.

Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna (built in 1741, demolished in 1797).
M.I. Makhaev 1756

In 1712, on the southern bank of the Moika, where the pavilion of the Mikhailovsky Garden is now, a small manor house was built for Ekaterina Alekseevna, completed with a turret with a gilded spire, which bore the pretentious name "Golden Mansions". According to him, the Big Meadow (the future Field of Mars) on the opposite bank received the name Tsaritsyn Meadow: it will be used most often in the 18th, and even at the beginning of the 19th century. The territory near the palace is called the 3rd Summer Garden. On July 11, 1721, the chamber junker of the Duke of Holstein Berchholtz, having examined the estate, wrote:

“The garden has been recently planted and therefore there is nothing in it yet, except for already quite large fruit trees. Five nearby ponds were dug here to keep live fish brought to the royal table.

In the greenhouses of the queen, the gardener Ekliben grew fruits rare for the northern latitudes: pineapples, bananas, etc.

Even then, the idea appeared to close the alley of the Summer Garden opposite the Karpiev Pond with a palace building. This is evidenced by the project of 1716-1717, preserved in the archives. Its possible author is J. B. Leblon. It depicts a small nine-axis palace, the elevated center of which is completed with a tetrahedral dome. Wide one-story galleries cover the court d'honneur with a magnificent figured parterre, facing the Moika. Behind there is a garden with numerous bosquets of various shapes. Fruit plantings have been preserved on the territory of the current Mikhailovsky Garden.
However, things did not go further than plans.

MAKHAEV Mikhail Ivanovich
Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna and front yard in front of it. View from the south. B. g. Ink, pen, brush

Under Anna Ioannovna, the 3rd Summer Garden turns into a "jagd-garten" - a garden for "chasing and shooting deer, wild boars, hares, as well as a gallery for hunters and stone walls to prevent bullets and shots from flying." At the same time, the “Vegetable Garden” was moved to Liteinaya Street, where the Mariinsky Hospital would later be built.

In the early 1740s. B. F. Rastrelli began the construction of one of the most remarkable buildings of the developed Russian baroque - the Summer Palace in the 3rd Summer Garden for the ruler Anna Leopoldovna.

Ivan ARGUNOV (1727(29)-1802). Portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.

However, while the construction was underway, a revolution took place, and Elizaveta Petrovna became the mistress of the building. By 1744, the palace, wooden on stone cellars, was roughly finished. The architect, in the description of the buildings he created, spoke of him like this:

“This building had more than 160 apartments, including the church, hall and galleries. Everything was decorated with mirrors and rich sculptures, as well as a new garden, adorned with beautiful fountains, with the Hermitage built at ground floor level, surrounded by rich trellises, all the decorations of which were gilded.

Summer Palace.
Fragment of the "Axonometric plan of St. Petersburg 1765-1773 by P. de Saint-Hilaire".

Despite the location in the city limits, the building was decided according to the manor scheme. The plan was created under the clear influence of Versailles, which is especially noticeable from the side of the court d'honneur: the successively narrowing spaces enhanced the effect of the Baroque perspective of the courtyard, fenced off from the access road by a lattice of magnificent drawings with state emblems.
One-story outbuildings along the perimeter of the cour d'honneur emphasize the isolation of the ensemble, traditional for the Baroque. The rather flat decor of light pink facades (mezzanine pilasters with Corinthian capitals and rusticated stone plinth blades corresponding to them, figured window frames) was compensated by a rich play of volumes.
Complicated in plan, strongly developed side wings included courtyards with small flower stalls. Magnificent access porticos led to stair volumes, as always with Rastrelli, displaced from the central axis. From the main staircase, a series of living rooms, decorated with gilded carvings, led to the most representative hall of the palace - the Throne Room. Its double-height volume accentuated the center of the building.
Outside, curly staircases led to it, complemented by ramps from the side of the garden. The appearance of the palace was completed, giving it baroque splendor, numerous statues and vases on the pediments and balustrades crowning the building.
Rastrelli decorated the space up to the Moika with flower stalls with three fountain pools of complex outlines.

Summer Palace of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in St. Petersburg.
thin L. F. Bonstedt. (according to the drawing by M.I. Makhaev. 1753). 1847.

As is often the case with the creations of an architect, over time, a logical and harmonious initial plan changes to suit momentary requirements.
In 1744, for the transition of the Empress to the 2nd Summer Garden through the Moika, he built a one-story covered gallery, decorated with paintings hung on the walls. Here, in 1747, near the northwestern risalit, he creates a terrace hanging garden at the mezzanine level with the Hermitage pavilion and a fountain in the center of the stalls.
Along the contour, it is fenced with a magnificent gilded trellis grate, they arrange multi-march gatherings in the garden. Later, a palace church was added to the northeastern risalit, expanding it with an additional row of rooms from the Fontanka side.
Bay windows-lanterns appear on the western facade.

On the territory adjacent to the palace, a decorative park was laid out with a huge complex green labyrinth, bosquets, trellis arbors and two trapezoidal ponds with semicircular ledges (which have survived to this day, they acquired a free outline during the reconstruction of the park for the grand ducal residence). About his work in the park in 1745, Rastrelli reports:

“On the banks of the Moika, in a new garden, I built a large building of baths with a round salon and a fountain in several jets, with front rooms for relaxation.”

In the center of the park there were swings, slides, carousels. The device of the latter is unusual: revolving benches were placed around a large tree, and a gazebo was hidden in the crown, into which they climbed a spiral staircase.

Alexey Grekov. View of the Summer Palace of Empress Elizabeth

Another building located in the immediate vicinity of the northeastern corner of the palace is associated with the name of the architect: the water supply system for the fountains of the Summer Garden, made in the 1720s. no longer gave sufficient pressure, and did not correspond to the brilliance and grandeur of the imperial residence.
In the mid 1740s. Rastrelli builds water towers with an aqueduct across the Fontanka.
The technically complex, purely utilitarian building made of wood was decorated with palatial luxury: the wall painting imitated magnificent baroque modeling.

Despite the fact that the palace was the grand imperial residence, there was no direct communication with the Neva prospect: the road, which went among unpresentable random buildings (glaciers, greenhouses, workshops and the Elephant Yard stood on the banks of the Fontanka) turned onto Italianskaya Street, and only bypassing the palace and I. Shuvalov, built by Savva Chevakinsky, the crews through Malaya Sadovaya got to the central transport artery of the city.
A direct connection will appear only in the next century thanks to the work of C. Rossi.

Elizaveta Petrovna was very fond of the Summer Palace. In late April - early May (as the weather allowed), the solemn transfer of the Empress from the winter residence was arranged with a magnificent ceremonial with the participation of the court, the orchestra, regiments of the guard under the artillery salute of the cannon at the Winter Palace and the guns of the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Admiralty.
At the same time, the imperial yachts, which were on the roadstead opposite Apraksin's house, sailed to the Summer Garden. On the way back, the queen set off in the last days of September with the same ceremonies.

On September 20, 1754, the future emperor Paul I was born within the walls of the palace. After the death of the queen, the palace is still used: the conclusion of peace with Prussia is celebrated here.
In the throne room, Catherine II receives congratulations from foreign ambassadors on her accession to the throne. However, over time, the owner begins to give preference to other summer residences, especially Tsarskoye Selo, and the building deteriorates.
First, he is taken under residence to G. Orlov, then to G. Potemkin. A catastrophic flood in September 1777 destroyed the fountain system of the Summer Garden. The fashion for regular parks passed, and the water cannons were not restored, while the unnecessary Rastrelli aqueduct was dismantled.

Mikhailovsky Castle from the side of the embankment. Fontanka.
Benjamin Patersen.

At the end of the 1770s. The palace was dismantled by order of Paul I for the construction of the Mikhailovsky Castle, the laying of which took place on February 28, 1797.

There are two legends of the founding of the Mikhailovsky Castle: according to one, Paul I said: “I want to die where I was born,” according to another, the soldier standing on the clock in the Summer Palace, when he dozed off, the Archangel Michael dreamed and ordered to tell the king to build a church on this place .

Beggrov K.P.
View of the Engineer's Castle from the Summer Garden. 1830s

Be that as it may, in February 1796, due to dilapidation, the Elizabethan dwelling was broken down and the construction of a new imperial stronghold began. And today, only the volumetric construction of the facade of the castle, facing the Summer Garden (perhaps, at the request of the monarch) and the magnificent drawings of M. I. Makhaev remind of the disappeared building.

***

St. Petersburg and suburbs

In the 18th century, women were often in power in Russia, and, naturally, there were favorites in their lives. They were immensely bestowed with titles and estates, often had enormous political influence. Some received real palaces as a gift. Who was awarded such an honor, and which of these palaces have survived in St. Petersburg to this day?

Anichkov Palace (Nevsky prospect, 39)

Anichkov Palace - the first palace to appear on Nevsky Prospekt. So it was called a few years later, when the famous Anichkov Bridge appeared next to it.
Elizabeth Petrovna, daughter of Peter I, having ascended the throne in 1741 as a result of a palace coup, in honor of her triumph ordered to build a palace.

Although it was officially announced that the palace was being built for the new empress, everyone understood that in fact it was intended for Count Alexei Grigorievich Razumovsky, who at that time was her favorite. Razumovsky was famous for his beauty and good nature, and although he had great power at court, he never really used it.

The construction of the palace began immediately after the coronation, the architect Mikhail Zemtsov began to build it, and Bartolomeo Rastrelli completed it. The building was located in such a way that its main entrance and main facade faced the Fontanka embankment, and not Nevsky Prospekt. At that time, Nevsky Prospekt was not yet the central street of the city, and, moreover, many guests reached this palace along the Fontanka River, which was then the border of St. Petersburg.

In 1771, Razumovsky died, and Catherine II, having bought the palace from the Razumovsky family, gave it to her new favorite, Grigory Potemkin. He decided to rebuild the palace in a more classical style, which was done. In the future, the palace changed its owners more than once, and was seriously rebuilt more than once.

Shuvalov Palace (Italianskaya st., 25)

The mansion belonged to the young favorite of Elizabeth Petrovna, Ivan Shuvalov, a very versatile person who was interested in politics and art. Largely thanks to his efforts, Moscow University and the Academy of Arts were opened.

Instead of building a new mansion from scratch, it was decided, taking one of the existing buildings as a basis, to thoroughly rebuild it to your liking. The architect Savva Chevakinsky was involved in the construction of the mansion, who chose the Elizabethan Baroque style for it. The mansion was built very quickly - in just two years, and Shuvalov moved there with his wife.
However, later, under Empress Catherine II, Shuvalov was excommunicated from the court and was forced to leave Russia. By order of one of the subsequent owners of the palace, Prosecutor General Alexander Vyazemsky, the palace was rebuilt in the classical style.

Marble Palace (Millionnaya street, 5/1)

This palace was built for another favorite of Catherine II, Count Grigory Orlov. The empress made such a generous gift to the count for his courage and courage shown during the palace coup, thanks to which Catherine ascended the Russian throne.
To decorate the facades and interiors of this palace, marble was used, moreover, the most diverse - 32 varieties. Therefore, this palace was called the Marble Palace. And it was also called - the Palace for the favorite.
However, the construction of the palace dragged on for as much as 17 years and, unfortunately, Count Orlov, without waiting for the completion of the work, died. Now the Marble Palace has been placed at the disposal of the Russian Museum.

Gatchina Palace

The Gatchina Palace also belonged to Grigory Orlov. It was built in an unusual style for Russia - an English hunting castle. The project was carried out by the Italian Antonio Rinaldi. This palace was also built for a very long time - 15 years, and Orlov had a chance to live in it for a very short time - only two years.

Tauride Palace (Shpalernaya street, 47)

This palace, one of the largest in Europe, was built by Catherine the Great for Prince Potemkin. It was under his leadership that the Russian army, having won the Russian-Turkish war, annexed the Crimean peninsula, then called "Tavrida". After that, Potemkin began to be called Tauride. But Potemkin sold this palace as unnecessary a year later and left on business to the south. Catherine bought this palace and gave it to him again - this time for the capture of the Turkish fortress of Izmail.

The reign of Elizabeth I was marked by a new stage in the development of architecture in the state, the emergence of the Elizabethan (Russian) Baroque. Built under the guidance of the chief architect Empress R.F. Bartolomeo's architectural monuments had a clear European influence, however, they were characterized by Russian scope and monumentality. One of these masterpieces was the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna in St. Petersburg, which, in style, lightness of architectural forms and richness of decoration, was compared with the French royal palace at Versailles.

Geographical location and architectural features of the Summer Palace of Elizabeth

We can get an idea of ​​what the Summer Palace of Elizabeth looked like from paintings and engravings, as well as the memoirs of contemporaries. The imperial residence was located on the site between the street. Italian, Ekaterininsky canal, Moika and Fontanka rivers. The palace was built in the 3rd Summer Garden, where the Mikhailovsky (also known as Engineering) Castle is located today.

According to the project, the palace provided for the presence of two facades overlooking the Moika (main) and in the direction of Nevsky Prospekt. In front of the main entrance to the building, a regularly operating park was laid out with trees and figured flower beds, benches and fountains. Visitors entered the courtyard through a wrought-iron gate.

The Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli had a second name - the Wooden Palace. Only the basement and walls of the first floor were made of stone, the second floor was completely made of wood. The pink and gray exterior walls looked elegant and light. Inside the room was decorated with rich stucco with gilding, sculptures and a large number of mirrors. The luxurious and elegant palace included more than 160 rooms, including a hall for ceremonial receptions and galleries.

Favorite residence of Elizabeth Petrovna

The entire court of Elizabeth I moved to the Summer Palace from the Winter Palace as soon as it got warmer: in April - May. The move was arranged solemnly, with a cannon salute and an orchestra, accompanied by a guards regiment. The return to the winter residence at the end of September was no less pompous.

Elizabeth loved her Summer Palace. It regularly hosted official receptions and balls. The future Emperor Paul I was born here.

Summer Palace of Elizabeth: the history of construction

The idea of ​​erecting a summer imperial residence appeared during the reign of Anna Leopoldovna, regent under the young Ivan VI, to whom the throne passed after Anna Ioannovna. The architect began to develop drawings at the end of 1740, and in July 1741 construction work began. In the same year, a coup took place and Elizaveta Petrovna, the youngest daughter of Peter the Great, came to power. The new empress approved the continuation of the construction of the palace and the work was carried out from 1741 to 1744. Historically, the construction was carried out not exactly according to the project. So, at the direction of Elizabeth through the river. Moika, a covered gallery was built for the transition from the palace to the 2nd Summer Garden.

After the death of Elizabeth I, the palace remained an imperial residence, festive events were held here at the end of the seven-year war with Prussia, and Catherine II received official congratulations on her coronation from foreign ambassadors, although she spent most of her time in Tsarskoye Selo. By decree of Paul I, the Summer Palace was destroyed in 1797 (officially - due to dilapidation), and in its place the modern Mikhailovsky Castle, known to us, was built, which became the residence of the emperor.