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Pavlovsk Palace (Pavlovsk)

20 Revolutsii Street, Pavlovsk (tel.: +7 812 452-15-36, +7 812 452-21-55). Directions from Saint Petersburg: 1) regional trains from the Vitebsky Train Station (metro station: Pushkinskaya) to the Pavlovsk Train Station (27 km (16.5 miles) from Saint Petersburg, travel time: around 30 min.); 2) minibuses from the Moskovskaya or Zvyozdnaya metro stations.

Map

http://www.pavlovskmuseum.ru

Placed on the high bank of the Slavyanka River, the Pavlovsk Palace (the Palace, for short) built by Charles Cameron consisted of a central three-storey block, similar to a cube in shape, and two symmetrically situated one-and-a-half-storey service side wings. They were connected with semicircular, open, one-storey galleries decorated with columns. This formed a small state courtyard in front of the main facade facing south east. Guests used to approach the courtyard through a splendid lime-tree avenue called the Triple Avenue. As was typical of mansion buildings, the first floor of the central block housed state rooms, the ground one — a living quarter, and the second one — the semi-service rooms. The service side wings were occupied by storerooms, kitchens, servant quarters, etc. The Palace was erected on the location of the Paullust, which had been disassembled at Cameron's urging; the construction of the Palace proceeded relatively fast: started in 1782, it was completed in four years.

Cameron decorated the main facade of the central block with eight paired, Corinthian-order columns raised over the rusticated ground floor. Their regular spacing emphasises the slight lengthiness of the facade. The architect rejected the traditional pediment in order to reinforce the impression of having been stretched or even flatted, which was made by this side of the building; this impression was reinforced by the colonnades of the semicircular connecting galleries, which seem to continue the "movement" of the columns of the central block. The facade contains few sculptural decorations: there is only a narrow band of acanthus ornament of a frieze stretched under the carnice of the top floor, and the eye catches three round medallions depicting antique scenes on the smooth surface of the wall. Like other masters of the Classicism, Cameron was fond of, and an expert in, using the "still" surface of the wall in his art designs.

The interior decorations of the Palace built by Cameron delighted his contemporaries no less than its exteriors. For design and finish of the interiors, the architect masterfully used antique motives, naturally combining them with elements of the Baroque that was nearing its end. There is usually no strict rectangularity in the floor plans of the rooms designed by Cameron: the rooms have extremely varied shape, and the master did not try to avoid various combinations of curved and broken lines; he was also not averse of using decorations. Cameron's sense of proportion and perfect taste helped him to create artistically whole interiors that pleased the eye with noble restraint, very different from the eye-piercing luxury of Baroque rooms. For finishing rooms, Cameron enthusiastically used marble antique fragments and their cast copies in the form of vases, statues and paintings based on ancient mythology. At the same time, the architect also boldly applied new materials: white as well as coloured glass with bronze, colourful inserts made of artificial and natural marble and Urals gems. Cameron painted the walls over plaster, upholstered them with silk or covered them with silk wallpaper, and his usual main decorative elements were moulded cornices and pilasters, also done in plaster.

On 6th November 1796, Catherine the Great died. After six days, the new emperor Paul I issued a decree that renamed the Pavlovskoye village into the town of Pavlovsk. It is clear that the fact that Pavlovsk became one of autocrat's summer residences decisively influenced the type of construction works done here during the following years.

Under these new circumstances, not only Paul I, but also his wife Maria Fyodorovna, who considered herself connoisseur and patron of arts, demanded state and solemnity rather than elegance from the constructors of Pavlovsk. Vincenco Brenna (1740–1820; adopted the Russian name of Vikenty Frantsevich) was the architect who managed to fulfil these new requirements as completely as possible. For construction of monumental as well as garden and park structures, Brenna adhered to the principles of classical architecture, but his interpretation of them was different than that of Cameron whose buildings were of rare harmony and elegance. Brenna's style was characterised by a much higher degree of state, solemnity and even by some massiveness: Brenna's model was not the noble restraint of the Doric order, but the pompousness of the imperial Rome. Unsurprisingly, it was this architect that was singled out and brought closer by Paul I who was far from being indifferent to external symbols of grandeur and might. During the last years of the 18th century, the works were being done at the full speed in Pavlovsk: the Palace was being refurbished; new pavilions were being constructed; the ponds were being deepened and cleaned; bridges were being erected; flowers, bushes and trees, which were brought from far away, were being planted; and lots that had recently been empty were being developed. The Palace itself, the central structure of the entire complex, underwent major reconstructions. Brenna added new storeys to the side blocks and also significantly extended the blocks; he also added the Church Wing to the southern side block. He completely redesigned the configuration of galleries between the central block and the side blocks. These connecting one-storey galleries were extended, a new storey was added to them, and finally two new curved wings were constructed. These wings continued the semicircle of the old galleries almost encircling the state square in front of the Palace, which immediately changed the appearance of the square, from a ground that was amiably open towards the park to an almost forgotten, isolated space. There even existed plans for construction of a moat in front of the square, which would make it similar to the St. Michael's Castle in Saint Petersburg or the Pavlovsk Bip Fortress and would further isolate the Palace (or securely protect it, according to the authors of the plan). Naturally, all these works significantly altered the appearance of the Cameron's building, even though the general principles of architectural solutions remained the same.

The interior underwent even greater changes. Here, Brenna completed the art decorations of the most important rooms of the Palace, the Italian Room and the Greek Room (which had been conceived by Cameron earlier) and created many new rooms. Among them are the Kavalersky Room and the Grand (or the Throne) Room, the Picture Gallery, the Palace Church, several studies (the Small Study, the Common Study, the Raspberry Study and three interconnecting studies), the Valet de Chambre Room, the Maid-of-Honour's Room, the Orchestral Room and other rooms. The spirit of the interiors changed a lot: the restrained amiability of Cameron yielded to lavish decorativeness, which sometimes resembled the mature Baroque. The main state rooms of the first floor of the central block are among those rooms that are obliged to Brenna's mastery for their appearance.

What Brenna did in the Palace is not limited to the works in the central part of the building. In 1797, the curved wing between the central block and the southern block was occupied by the first-floor Picture Gallery created by Brenna. The architect remarkably well chose the proportions of the Picture Gallery, which stretched in a semicircle: it catched the eye and looked smart despite the restrained architectural decorations. This impression was reinforced with plafond paintings by Johann Jacob Mettenleiter restored in our times by Anatoly Treskin. The most remarkable of them is the central painting, The Triumph of Appolo, based on the composition by Guido Reni, a famous Italian painter. The works of painting contained in the Picture Gallery are an integral part of the gallery's appearance. Many of the paintings are of great artistic value.

After Paul I was murdered by his entourage at a night in March of 1801, the dowager empress Maria Fyodorovna became the sole master of his summer residence. Having enormous funds and practical means to further expand and furnish the palace and park complex, Maria Fyodorovna strived to attract the best architects, sculptors and painters to Pavlovsk. Famous architects worked here, and their genius created grand ensembles of the Saint Petersburg's centre, in the early 19th century turning the Russia's capital into one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Giacomo Quarenghi (1744–1817) is one of the greatest representatives of the Russian Neoclassicism, was among these architects. In 1800–1801, Quarenghi actively participated in finishing interior rooms of the Palace. The enfilade of the private rooms of Paul I started from the New Study, which was built in the ground floor of the central block to the design of Quarenghi. Walls faced with artificial marble, mirrors, mould covered with gilt, coloured engravings reproducing Vatican frescoes by Raphael endow the study with smartness, though in general one may feel restraint in the appearance of the study, which was typical of the master's style.

Together with Andrey Voronikhin, Quarenghi was one of the creators of an enfilade of habitable rooms in the ground floor of the wing connecting the central block and the southern block. The Dressing Room of the enfilade was finished to his design and under his supervision: here white and coloured artificial marble of the walls was remarkably well combined with the frieze painting and the plafond painting by Giovanni Batista Scotti and with the objects of decoration made in accordance with drawings by Voronikhin. Finally, the Pilaster Study is a part of the same enfilade. Its interior is the best work by Quarenghi in Pavlovsk. The work of Quarenghi in the Palace was not limited to finishing interiors of several rooms. Outside, by the entrance to the Own Little Garden, he added two terraces decorated with marble balustrades and sculptures of a lion and a lioness. They added to the appearance of the building, emphasising its organic relation to the park surroundings.

The remarkable architect Andrey Voronikhin was involved in the works in Pavlovsk even more than Quarenghi. For a relatively long time, Voronikhin was the chief architect of Pavlovsk, and the highest point of his activities here fell within the very beginning of the 19th century. One of the main tasks that he faced at the summer residence of Maria Fyodorovna came up unexpectedly: he had to repair the building of the Palace after the terrible fire of 1803.

The architect got to work with vigour and enthusiasm. In a very short time, he did a really enormous amount of work and in fact created new decorations for most of the Palace's rooms. A large number of drawings provide a visual presentation on the richness of his imagination, the nobleness of his taste and his professional mastery. Striving not to spoil the ideas of his predecessors, he at the same time added something of his own into the solutions for the interior of almost every room, thereby complementing and enriching the decorations: the Italian Room was decorated with figures of eagles on the cornice, caryatids between the arcs, balustrades in the galleries; the Greek Room — with lamps; the Small Study and the Library — with a furniture suite; and the War Room — with a plafond with moulding. This list may be continued, with at least one item for almost every room.

Carlo de Rossi (1775–1849) was the last of the great architects of the past who worked in Pavlovsk. In the Palace, on the location of the bedroom of Paul I, the Corner Drawing Room was finished to his design in 1816; this was the first interior decoration project done by him in Saint Petersburg and its suburbs. Rossi strived to organically combine the lilac walls (enriched with a painting that imitated bronze) with the furniture, the chandelier, the window drapery and the guild-carved high doors. The sketches of all the decorative elements (the furniture suite, the chandelier out of bronze and coloured crystal as well as the rest) were made by the architect himself. Rossi's mastery may be appreciated even in our days: lost as early as in the last century, the finish of the rooms has been restored to its original state by the team of Anatoly Treskin.

After a couple of years, in 1822, Rossi created one of the best rooms of the Palace: the Library, which occupied the first floor of the connecting block between the central part of the building and the northern side wing. Like with other interior designs, here he achieved a complete unity of the architectural solution to the room itself and to the room's decoration. Everything here is in harmony with the finish of the room: the cases of curly birch, semicircular-shaped to follow the configuration of the room and decorated with a carving imitating dark bronze; the tables, the chandeliers and the candelabra. The Library by Rossi has a solemn appearance; the architect managed to achieve this impression using only modest means, without resorting to lavish decorations.

In 1828, Maria Fyodorovna died; first, Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, a brother of Nicholas I, became the new owner of Pavlovsk; he was followed by another grand duke, Konstantin Nikolayevich. These owners as well as other owners from the Imperial family did not take proper care neither of further improvement nor of preservation of what had been already created.

After the 1917 February Revolution, the Provisional Government adopted a decision about nationalisation of palace property and establishment of museums. A large group of famous people of art led by Count Valentin Zubov, the founder and the first director of the All-Russia Institute of Art History, addressed the Government and demanded to create special committees for inventories of the art collections at the palaces of the Romanovs, in Saint Petersburg as well as in its suburbs. In Pavlovsk, a committee of this kind was headed by Aleksandr Polovtsev, a famous expert in applied art. Polovtsev was amazed by the exceptional artistic integrity of the Palace (earlier the imperial palaces were virtually not accessible for art historians). In the early 20th century, there was no other such ensemble in the world, so quickly built and decorated (the turn of the 19th century). The atmosphere of the Palace made a great impression on its visitors: they felt as if having been brought from the turbulent 20th century into the peaceful 18th century. At that time, the wax candles had only recently yielded to electricity at the Palace. These were the circumstances that surrounded the inventory of the Palace's art collections.

After 25th October 1917, the power in Russia was taken over by a Bolshevik government. It adopted a special public address emphasising that the Romanovs' property had to be preserved for raising the culture of the working class. An enormous part in this matter was played by Anatoly Lunacharsky, the first People's Commissar for Education in Lenin's government. During the Revolution and the Civil War, Pavlovsk suffered relatively little damage, in contrast to Gatchina, Tsarskoye Selo and Oranienbaum that were looted as early as in 1918.

The inventory of 1940 revealed that compared to 1919 the number of art works in each suburban palace had reduced by the factor of 3 or 4. From 1926 to the early 1930s, Pavlovsk was closed and served as an enormous auction warehouse. Only starting from the late 1930s, when Stalin understood that Russia would not survive without culture, including museum culture, this policy was being gradually abandoned. In the summer of 1941, Russia entered the Second World War; Russia's museums had been preparing for this since 1936. There existed a so-called "unloading plan" that would relocate one thousand items of art from each suburban palace to Nizhny Novgorod (then called Gorky). All the evacuation works were poorly organised. The salvation of the museum valuables became a burden of small teams of museum employees. However, despite the chaos and thanks to the heroic labour of the employees, by September of 1941, the time when German troops reached the vicinity of Leningrad, the main part of the collection (the items that could be packed, loaded and moved) had been saved. Heavy items such as sculptures were hidden in hiding places in the park or in the cellar of the Palace using false brick walls.

The dresser set of Maria Fyodorovna was considered the most valuable item of Pavlovsk. It was evacuated first. The military and party leaders that visited the Palace were constantly making proposals to burn the items and the Palace. Fortunately, all the work on the salvation of the Palace's collection was supervised by Anna Zelyonova, the newly appointed director, who took all the burden related to the salvation of the Palace and its works of art. Zelyonova (and the few employees that had remained) left Pavlovsk only on 16th September 1941, after the Leningrade Blockade had already started. That day German motorcyclists were less than one and a half kilometre (1 mile) from the Palace. The German troops near Leningrad included sonderkommandos responsible for searching works of arts and dispatching them to Germany; these sonderkommandos headed to Pavlovsk in the first place. Like from other palaces, everything valuable was taken from the Pavlovsk Palace. Currently, the museum employees of the Palace are in search of over 30,000 missing works of painting and decorative and applied art. However, there is little hope of finding these works.

In January of 1944, Pavlovsk was liberated; however, it was a terrible sight. The 600 ha (1,500 acres) park had been almost completely deforested. The German troops used the trees for defence fortifications near Leningrad. The Palace had burned completely, only the brick walls had remained. The initial decision of the Leningrad authorities was: "Impossible to restore, which is anyway not needed so far." The central government had to interfere to change this opinion. It was exactly in Pavlovsk that restoration of the museum palaces and parks of Leningrad's suburbs started (this would be later called "one of the most significant deeds of the age"). The works started in the spring of 1944 and continued (supervised by Zelyonava) up to 1978 when Pavlovsk became the first palace that had been completely restored from ruin. The restoration of Pavlovsk provided training for many restorers and museum employees of the post-war Leningrad. At present, the palace and park ensemble of Pavlovsk occupies worthy place in the famous so-called "diamond necklace" of Saint Petersburg.

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Pavlovsk Palace



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