The history of the grotto in Alexander Garden

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

In the Tverskoy district of Moscow there is a park called the Alexander Garden. The Italian grotto located in it, also called "The Ruins", was created at the beginning of the 19th century. This architectural structure is decorative and decorates the park. About the grotto in the Alexander Garden, the history of its creation and features in detail in this article.

A few words about creation

The history of the grotto in Alexander Garden (Moscow), located next to the Arsenal Kremlin Tower, began at the dawn of the 19th century. In the period from 1820 to 1823, work was carried out to improve the memorial park next to the Moscow Kremlin. In 1821, a grotto was created in the Alexander Garden next to the Middle Arsenal Tower. As mentioned earlier, it was called "Italian" or "Ruins". An interesting fact is that the second of these names was given to the grotto due to the fact that during its construction the remains of buildings destroyed in 1812 by Napoleon's troops were used.

AuthorThe most famous architect of that time, O. I. Bove, who made a huge contribution to the restoration of Moscow after the destruction of the Patriotic War of 1812, became the project. It should be noted that he was the creator of many buildings built in the style of classicism in St. Petersburg, some of which have survived to this day.

Description

Grotto in Moscow, in the Alexander Garden, as planned by O. I. Bove, has become a symbol of the revival of the destroyed city. That is why the remains of Moscow buildings were used in its construction. In order to build the grotto itself, an artificial hill (bolwerk, bastion) was created, in part of which the grotto was “embedded”. An interesting fact is that the bolverk was created a century before, when preparations were made for the defense of the Kremlin during the Great Northern War. It was then expected that the Swedish army would attack Moscow, but this never happened. The bastion remained and a century later served as the basis for creating an architectural composition.

Man-made structures such as a bolwerk or a cave were a fairly common decorative element in gardens and parks in the 19th century. The grotto in the Alexander Garden, in addition to being a memorial, also served as a wonderful decoration of the park.

According to historians, based on documents, a special covered pavilion was built over it in the 19th century. On holidays, an orchestra was located here and played various pieces of music, entertaining vacationers.

Architecture and design

The grotto in the Alexander Garden representsan artificially created cave, the entrance to which is crowned with a stone vault. Near the entrance are four white columns with a Doric order. On the architrave (a panel horizontally located above the columns) there are bas-reliefs with various symbols of military glory, as well as images of mythological creatures, such as hippocampus (horses with fish tails).

The structure has a semicircular arch shape and is made of black granite and red bricks. For the design of the grotto, fragments from the pedestals of destroyed monuments and decorative structures were used. Above the cave itself, there are two special scaffolds, on which figures of lions are installed.

Visually, the silhouette of the structure seems to break the line of the Kremlin wall, while maintaining architectural harmony. According to scientists, the grotto, stylized as antique antiquity, symbolizes the image of the transience of time. At the same time, giving an unusual beauty to the whole composition.

An interesting fact is that during the events held during the coronation of monarchs, the grotto in the Alexander Garden was decorated in the same way as the walls with the towers of the Moscow Kremlin. For example, during the coronation of Alexander III, he was specially illuminated with sparklers and other illuminations. Also, a fountain worked next to the building, which was not only beautiful, but also gave coolness during the summer heat.

One Ensemble

In 2004 the grotto was being restored. According to official sources, the repair was caused by the extremely poor condition of the structure. During theworks, archaeologists examined the filling of the grotto's supporting structures, as well as the section separating it from the Kremlin wall.

Human remains, pottery and other artifacts have been found. The finds belong to different periods - from the 13th to the 18th century. Currently, all this has been transferred to the Moscow Kremlin Museum.

Today, everyone can see the grotto in the Alexander Garden and admire its outstanding architecture. However, despite the fact that it was created in a different style than the Kremlin walls, together they form a magnificent ensemble.