Between St. Petersburg and Tsarskoe Selo during the reign of Catherine II, a complex was built for recreation during a long journey. In honor of the 10th anniversary of the victory of the Russian fleet, the names "Chesme Church" and "Chesme Palace" appeared, which are reminiscent of the military glory of the Russian fleet. The palace has gone through different times, but has always remained the decoration of St. Petersburg.
Location
Despite the fact that the complex was built as a track, today there is the Chesme Palace in St. Petersburg (its address: Gastello street, 15). And in the time of Catherine the Great, it was an uninhabited, swampy area. The territory went to Russia as a result of the Northern War and became the royal possessions.
The place was called in Finnish Kikerikiksen, which means "frog swamp", which is why the green frog became a symbol of the future palace.
In 1717 a road was laid to the residence in Tsarskoe Selo, and from thatthe history of the settlement of the named place began. Today, as already mentioned, the Chesme Palace is located within the boundaries of St. Petersburg.
Historical context
In order to travel comfortably to her summer residence in Tsarskoe Selo, Catherine the Great ordered a traveling estate to be built seven miles from the capital. This is how the Chesme Palace in St. Petersburg was conceived, the history of which was long and interesting.
Initially it was called a dacha. But when the construction of the palace was completed, the news came about the victory of the Russian fleet in the Battle of Chesme. It should be noted that the victory over Turkey was very important for Russia. Although during this war it was not possible to conquer Constantinople, as it was dreamed of, even the conquest of Kerch and Azov was extremely significant. Now Russian merchant ships could freely pass through the Black Sea, and this promised considerable benefits.
In Russia, it was a tradition to celebrate every great victory in the Turkish war with some kind of monument. Thus, the Turkish cascade and pavilion, the Crimean and Chesme columns appeared in Tsarskoye Selo, and buildings in the Byzantine and Oriental styles were erected on the estates of the nobility. Therefore, it was quite logical to call the new wayside palace Chesmensky, as well as the church built next to it.
Architect
Catherine the Great is known for her scope and great love for construction. During her reign, the whole country, and St. Petersburg in particular, received many luxurious buildings and palaces.
The queen found many reasons to build new houses,like, for example, the long journey from the capital to Tsarskoye Selo. She did not want to stay in inappropriate places, because she wanted to feel comfortable everywhere. When the empress decided to build a new palace - a "cottage" - she turned to Yuri Matveyevich Felten, one of the main architects of the capital.
The architect studied at the Academy of Arts, worked for several years with Rastrelli, after his death he completed the construction of the great architect. Experience and talent made Felten, along with Wallen-Delamote, the leading architect of St. Petersburg. By 1774, he already had such buildings as the Lutheran and Armenian churches of St. Catherine, the Small and Large Hermitage, the Palace Embankment and the famous fence of the Summer Garden.
The entrusted Chesme Palace became a kind of experiment for the architect. Indeed, in the capital it would be unthinkable to build a palace in the Gothic style, but outside the city such liberties were allowed.
History of construction
The Chesme Travel Palace was founded in 1774, and three years later the Empress was celebrating a housewarming party. The speed of construction was ensured by the fact that the architect Yu. M. Felten was able to correctly plan the work. And, of course, the speed of construction was greatly facilitated by the huge amount of money that Catherine spent on the construction.
The territory for the castle was not the most prosperous, so at the first stage it was necessary to drain the site, a moat was also dug around the perimeter of the site so that the swamps would not damage the palace in the future. The feeling of the castle enhances andimitation of the shaft, which was made from the earth of the moat.
The palace complex included a main building of two floors with a dome and corner towers, a stone church of the Nativity of John the Baptist and several outbuildings. A road led from the highway to the palace complex, crowned with two stone gates in the Gothic style.
Architectural features of the palace
The Chesme Palace was conceived in a pseudo-Gothic style, and the architect managed to sustain this idea. The source of inspiration for the architect was the eastern castles on the banks of the Bosphorus. Oriental elements are softly inscribed in the Gothic style, they are not striking, but are only a subtle hint.
In plan, the main palace building is an equilateral triangle with round towers with loopholes at the corners. Each tower is topped with a lantern with semicircular domes. The outer walls of the building protruded above the height of the structure in the form of an original jagged crown. The lower floor of the palace was finished with rustication, the upper floor - plastered brickwork. Beautiful lancet windows create the feeling of a medieval castle. The monumental and solid architecture of the Chesme Palace gives the impression of a reliable castle-fortress.
Interior
By the way, the Chesme Palace (Petersburg), outwardly decorated in pseudo-Gothic style, inside does not have the slightest hint of Gothic. The interiors are designed in Catherine's favorite style of early classicism.
On the walls you couldsee the panels, medallions, cornices, wreaths and flower garlands that have become the trademark of Yu. M. Felten. The main volume of the triangle of the house is occupied by the Main Hall, it is decorated with a gallery of sculptures by F. Shubin depicting the great princes and tsars of Russia.
All the halls and chambers of the palace were designed according to Felten's designs, he took a long time to select furniture and textiles that would adequately decorate the interiors of the palace. Especially for her new residence, Catherine ordered a set of 952 items from the English Wedgwood porcelain factory, each of which flaunted a frog - the symbol of the Chesme Palace. Today this service is a decoration of the Hermitage collection.
History has de alt harshly with the beautiful interior of the palace. Little has been preserved in it - portraits and sculptures were transferred to museums, the furniture was gradually lost. But in 2005 the main hall of the residence was restored, now it is called Georgievsky.
Palace and Catherine the Great
Chesme Palace in St. Petersburg has become one of the favorite places of the Empress. She visited it very often, and with her, festivities and festivities were held here.
And in 1792, Catherine gave the palace to the Chapter of the Order of St. George. Since then, here, in the round hall on the second floor, meetings of holders of this Order began to be held, at which the empress was often present. Their administration, archive and treasury were immediately located.
After the death of Catherine the Great, the palace, unfortunately, fell into disrepair.
Years of desolation
Paul, who cameto power, categorically did not want to use the palace. Under Alexander the Second, the palace was also empty, girls from the Catherine Institute rested there only twice.
Under Nicholas the First, the palace church began to be used for preparations for the burial of the great princes. Here the corpse of the brother of Tsar Alexander spent the night, here he was transferred to a luxurious coffin and from here they were taken to the funeral. The same story happened with the body of Elizaveta Alekseevna.
Almshouse
Emperor Pavel did not like everything that reminded him of his mother, so he did not visit the Chesme Palace, but preferred to spend time in Gatchina. He even wanted to give the palace for an almshouse, but the project was not implemented. The commission found it impossible to organize it, explaining the refusal by the lack of water.
This idea was remembered by Nicholas I, who in 1830 issued a decree on the establishment of a military almshouse in the Chesme Palace for the disabled and veterans of the Patriotic War of 1812. Thus ended the palace history of the building.
For convenience and increase in area, the palace underwent significant reconstruction. Architect A. Staubert received an order to convert the palace into a hotel for the disabled. He completes three identical two-story buildings, connecting them with new passages through the corner towers. The crenellated parapets were removed from the towers themselves and replaced with domes. Brick gates were replaced with new cast iron ones.
The winter church was consecrated on the 2nd floor. Instead of a forest and a meadow in front of the building, a regular park is laid out for residents to walk. Four years later the almshouse wasready, it could accommodate 400 guests. Some time later, 2 more floors were built over each wing. Gradually, additional buildings were erected around and a cemetery was laid out. Thus ended the fate of the architectural complex - the most beautiful, romantic estate of Catherine's times.
Soviet period
In 1919, the Chesme Palace faced new challenges. The almshouse was closed and a camp was set up on the estate for prisoners and enemies of the new government. The Chesme church was plundered, the cross was removed from it, and pincers and a hammer were placed in its place, as symbols of the new time.
In 1930, the building of the former Chesme Palace was transferred to the Road Institute. For the needs of the educational institution, the outbuildings were again built on. And during the Second World War, the church and the palace were badly damaged by bombing. After the war, the complex was given to the Leningrad Institute of Aircraft Instrumentation.
In 1946, the palace was renovated, though not particularly concerned about maintaining the original appearance. These works were supervised by the architect A. Koryagin.
Today
The Chesme Palace, whose photo only remotely resembles the architect's original intention, today still belongs to the University of Aerospace Instrumentation.
The estate park is open to the public. And in 1994, when the Chesme Church was returned to the Orthodox Church, the restoration of the interior and exterior of the temple began. Today, outwardly, it almost completely coincides with the construction of the 18th century.
At the beginning of the 21st century, it was decided to restore the main hallestate, and in 2005 it was inaugurated. The hall houses the university library and hosts various ceremonial events. Unfortunately, today only certain parts of the main building allow you to see the unusual design of Felten.
