The Stroganov Palace (

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: Строгановский дворец) is a Late Baroque

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

at the intersection of the

Moika River The Moyka (, also Romanization, latinised as Moika) is a short river in Saint Petersburg which splits from the Neva River. Along with the Neva, the Fontanka river, and canals including the Griboyedov Canal, Griboyedov and Kryukov Canal, Kryu ...

and Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg,

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. The palace was built to Bartolomeo Rastrelli's designs for Baron Sergei Grigoriyevich Stroganov in 1753–1754. The interiors were remodeled by Andrei Voronikhin at the turn of the 19th century.

History

The first house for the Stroganovs was built on the site probably in the 1720s. It was a one-storey building. Architect Mikhail Zemtsov erected a second, two-storey house on the site in the 1740s. In 1752, Baron Sergei Stroganov commissioned the palace design from Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, then at work extending the Catherine Palace and building the

Smolny Convent Smolny Convent or Smolny Convent of the Resurrection (''Voskresensky'', Russian language, Russian: Воскресенский новодевичий Смольный монастырь), located on Ploschad Rastrelli (Rastrelli Square), on the le ...

for Empress Elisabeth. Since the Stroganovs were the richest family in Russia and were related to the Empress by marriage, Rastrelli could not turn down the commission and hastily prepared a design for the

townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of Terraced house, terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type o ...

. Like the Vorontsov Palace (also designed by Rastrelli for Stroganov's in-law Mikhail Vorontsov), the Stroganov Palace was not rapidly built. In the 1790s and 1800s decades, architect Andrei Voronikhin was charged with refurbishing the interiors in

Neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

. Voronikhin's mother was the Stroganovs' serf, and it was rumored that his father was Alexander Stroganov. After Alexander Stroganov died in 1811, the palace passed to his son

Pavel Pavel ( Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian: Павел; Czech, Slovene, and (although Romanian also uses Paul); ; ; ) is a male given name. It is a Slavic cognate of the name Paul (derived from the Greek Pavlos). Pavel may refer to: People G ...

. Pavel Stroganov had four daughters, but his only son was killed in the Battle of Craonne. He then established the ''Stroganov entail'', i.e., a non-divisible estate which would pass to the oldest family member. This chain of ownership was preserved until 1919 when the last Count Sergei Stroganov sold his rights to the entail. A new apartment was decorated for Aglaida Pavlovna Stroganov by Carlo Rossi in 1820 (it later disappeared almost totally). After the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

in 1917, the remaining Stroganovs emigrated from Russia, and the palace was nationalized. The family line is now extinct. The Soviets declared the palace a national museum chronicling the lifestyle of the Russian nobility. In 1929 the museum was shut down, and much of its contents (including some priceless paintings and objets d'art) were taken to the

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and holds the large ...

. The palace was handed over to a botanical institute. The Ministry of Shipbuilding occupied the premises for half a century, starting in 1939. In 1988 the palace was given to the

Russian Museum The State Russian Museum (), formerly known as the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (), on Arts Square in Saint Petersburg, is the world's largest depository of Russian fine art. It is also one of the largest art museums in ...

and became a branch housing some of its exhibitions. The dilapidated building underwent a thorough and painstaking restoration process between 1991 and the present moment. In keeping with Rastrelli's original design, its walls are now painted light pink (rather than dark green, as they were in the mid-20th century). It is one of the few Baroque structures on Nevsky Prospect to preserve its original appearance.

Architecture

The main façade of the Stroganov palace faces Nevsky Prospect. Here, Rastrelli rejects the

cour d'honneur A court of honor ( ; ) is the principal and formal approach and forecourt of a large building. It is usually defined by two secondary wings projecting forward from the main central block ('' corps de logis''), sometimes with a fourth side, co ...

in the French manner, like the one in the design of the Vorontsov Palace, built by Rastrelli in 1744–1750. Increasing plastic expression toward the center is a favorite method of the architect's for producing strong concentration in a building. The facade carries an entrance arch supported by two Corinthian columns. The arch is crowned with a pediment bearing the Stroganov coat of arms. The spaces under the windows on the facade feature a man's profile. There are two practically anecdotal versions regarding this man's identity. According to one version, the man is the first owner of the palace, Baron Stroganov, whom Rastrelli wanted to surprise. However, many historians claim that the famous architect in fact left his own profile on the palace walls. According to this version, Rastrelli decided to do this as an unusual signature to commemorate his work.

Gallery

* Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace was built in the 19th century at the opposite end of Nevsky Prospect as an architectural mirror of Stroganov Palace Image:Sankt-Petěrburg 191.jpg,

façade Image:Строгановский дворец (25).jpg, View of the palace from the Green Bridge Image:Герб Строгановых на Строгановском дворце.jpg, Stroganov coat of arms Image:Новая передняя (1).jpg, The so-called New Vestibule File:Stroganov Palace.JPG, The palace by night File:Duccio Di Buoninsegna - Madonna col Bambino.jpg, '' Stroganoff Madonna'', by

Duccio Duccio di Buoninsegna ( , ; – ), commonly known as just Duccio, was an Italian painter active in Siena, Tuscany, in the late 13th and early 14th century. He was hired throughout his life to complete many important works in government and religi ...

File:Agnolo Bronzino - The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist (Madonna Stroganoff).jpg, ''Madonna Stroganoff'', by

Bronzino Agnolo di Cosimo (; 17 November 150323 November 1572), usually known as Bronzino ( ) or Agnolo Bronzino, was an Italians, Italian Mannerism, Mannerist painter from Florence. His sobriquet, ''Bronzino'', may refer to his relatively dark skin or r ...

File:Antoine Watteau - La Boudeuse - WGA25463.jpg, '' La Boudeuse'', by Watteau File:Rembrandt - Jeremiah lamenting.jpg, ''Jeremiah'', by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

File:Rembrandt van Rijn - Rembrandts zoon Titus in monniksdracht (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam).jpg, ''Titus in a Monk’s Habit'', by

References

{{coord, 59.935742, 30.320774, display=title, type:landmark_region:RU Houses completed in 1753 Palaces in Saint Petersburg Tourist attractions in Saint Petersburg Nevsky Prospekt Baroque architecture in Saint Petersburg Stroganov family Andrey Voronikhin buildings Bartolomeo Rastrelli buildings Historic house museums in Saint Petersburg Russian Museum Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg Baroque palaces in Russia

History

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References