The Kikin Hall (Кикины палаты) is one of the oldest buildings in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. The diminutive residence was commissioned by
Alexander Kikin in 1714. The name of the architect is unknown, but similarities to the
old Peterhof palace abound, suggesting an attribution to
Andreas Schlüter
Andreas Schlüter (1659 – c. June 1714) was a German baroque sculptor and architect, active in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Tsardom.
Biography
Andreas Schlüter was bor ...
.
The palace was incomplete at the time of
Alexander Kikin's disgrace and execution in 1718. The building was confiscated by the crown and used to house the royal library and the
cabinet of curiosities of the
Academy of Sciences
An academy of sciences is a type of learned society or academy (as special scientific institution) dedicated to sciences that may or may not be state funded. Some state funded academies are tuned into national or royal (in case of the Unite ...
(later transferred to the
Kunstkamera
The Kunstkamera (russian: Кунсткамера) or Kunstkammer (German for "Culture Room" (literally) or "Art Chamber", typically used for a " cabinet of curiosities") is a public museum located on the Universitetskaya Embankment in Saint Pete ...
building). The original two-storey residence was expanded and the third storey was added at some point in the 1720s.
After 1733 the building was occupied by the office of the
Horse Guards and their hospital. It was completely remodeled in 1829, and its
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
decor was removed.
The dilapidated building was further damaged by aerial bombs in the 1940s.
[''The Companion Guide to St Petersburg.'' . Page 218.]
It was
Irina Benois
Irina (Cyrillic: Ирина) is a feminine given name of Ancient Greek origin, commonly borne by followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is derived from Eirene (Ancient Greek: Εἰρήνη), an ancient Greek goddess, personification of pe ...
, from the famous
Benois family
The Benois family was a family of prominent 19th- and 20th-century Russian artists, musicians and architects, descended from French confectioner Louis Jules (Leonty Nikolaevich) Benois (1770/1772?-1822), cook-confectioner to the Duke of Montmorenc ...
, who restored the building to its presumed
Petrine Baroque
Petrine Baroque (Russian: Петровское барокко) is a style of 17th and 18th century Baroque architecture and decoration favoured by Peter the Great and employed to design buildings in the newly founded Russian capital, Saint Petersbu ...
appearance in a campaign lasting from 1952 to 1956. The Kikin Palace currently houses a music school.
References
External links
* {{in lang, ru}
The site of the Kikin Palace
Houses completed in 1720
Baroque architecture in Russia
Palaces in Saint Petersburg
Schools in Saint Petersburg
1720 establishments in Russia
Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg