Vocabulary

1. arcade, arch, attic, frieze, garland, knight, loggia, mask, muse, necropolis, nobility, predecessor, proportion, robe, sceptre, throne; ceremonial, distinguished, permanent, severely, theatrical;

2. to be devoid, to defeat, to girdle, to guard, to originate from, to portray, to represent, to undergo reconstruction.

Notes to the text

¹ yard - ярд (= 0,914 м)

² Laura — [la:vra] лавра, название наиболее крупных и важных по положению мужских монастырей

³ necropolis — (от греч. Nekros — мертвый и polis — город) некрополь, название, применяемое для обозначения кладбищ стран Др. Востока и античного мира

Exercises

1. Practise the pronunciation of the following words:

arch, arcade, chariot, frieze, garland, knight, loggia, muse, necropolis, nobility, sceptre; ceremonial, permanent; to girdle, to guard, to portray.

2. Fill in the blanks:

1. The term Gostiny Dvor arcade.

2. Gostiny Dvor once numerous individual shops.

3. It for 303 yards along Nevsky Prospekt.

4. The shop severely during the war.

5. The main facade of the theatre with a six-column loggia.

6. The attic with a Chariot of Apollo.

7. The history of the theatre's company the time of the permanent public Russian theatre.

8) Rossi Street one by the majesty of form and nobility of proportion of its buildings.

3. Answer the questions:

1. What are the biggest shops of the city?

2. What composes the architectural ensemble of Ostrovsky Square?

3. Who is the «Father of the Russian theatre»?

4. What do the horses at Anichkov Bridge represent?

5. What does the word «lavra» mean?

6. What are the oldest cemeteries in St. Petersburg?

4. Extra work:

1. Make a list of places which you want to see in Nevsky Prospekt.

2. Draw a map of Nevsky Prospekt.

3. Write a composition about Nevsky Prospekt.

4. Describe the architectural styles and decoration of some buildings in Nevsky Prospekt.

UNIT EIGHT

THE ENVIRONS OF ST. PETERSBURG

Introduction. The picturesque environs of St. Petersburg are favourite summer attractions for many citizens. They include Peterhof (now — Petrodvorets), Tsarskoye Selo, Pavlovsk, Gatchina, Lomonosov and some other suburban places. These beautiful estates were designed as summer residences for the tsars of Russia the capital of which at that time was St. Petersburg. Between 25 and 45 km from the central part of the city lie five splendid old tsarist palaces surrounded by lovely parks, all fine outings from the city. And although their geographical positions are different — Petrodvorets and Lomonosov are on the low southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, while Tsarskoye Selo, Pavlovsk and Gatchina are on fairly high ground to the south of the city — there is one distinguishing feature that unites them all. Here Man's creative work has subdued nature and merged organically with its beauty. It is this that gives the architecture, sculpture, landscapes and fountains in the environs of the city their wonderful harmony.

During the years of the Great Patriotic War tremendous damage was caused by the fascists to the suburban palace ensembles. The palaces were plundered and burned, the pavilions were destroyed, parks laid waste, cascades of fountains were left in ruins, century-old trees in the parks were cut down. It seemed that all these were lost forever and could never be restored. It took much time and tremendous efforts of many people of this country to restore the original beauty of the suburbs which one can admire today.

Part I

Petrodvorets. The first estate to come into being at the beginning of the 18^th century was originally called Peterhof. The name was of German origin and meant «Peter's Court». Until 1944 the place bore that name and now it is called Petrodvorets (Peter's Palace). The «Russian Versailles», as it is sometimes called, is probably the most impressive of St. Petersburg's suburbs.

The town was founded by Peter the Great on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, 30 km from the city, on ancient Russian lands that from time immemorial belonged to Great (Veliky) Novgorod. The town was built to commemorate the victory of the Russians over the Swedes in the Northern War. The land on the southern shores of the Gulf of Finland was largely marsh and clay. It took great efforts to lay out parks and gardens there. The thick clay was removed in layers and replaced with soil; drainage was carried out; soil and manure were brought in barges; tens of thousands of trees and shrubs were sent from all over Russia; statues and pictures, rich fabrics and building materials arrived from Western Europe. Over 4,000 soldiers and peasants dug canals for the fountains. A number of Russian and foreign architects, sculptors and painters including Mikhail Zemtsov, Bartolomeo Rastrelli, Niccolo Michetti, Mikhail Kozlovsky worked on the building of the estate. Of no little importance was the role of Peter the Great. It was he who drafted the lay-out of the park, partly engineered the canals and fountains, a unique feature of which is the principle of their operating like communicating vessels, gave instructions on the decoration of the pavilions. The view of the sea was a particular pride of Peter the Great who wanted his palace to excel that of the French kings at Versailles.

After Peter the Great's death Peterhof belonged to the Russian royal family with its ownership passing to whoever held the crown of Russia.

Nowadays the town is a spectacular ensemble consisting of picturesque parks (the Lower Park and the Upper Park), fine palaces and pavilions (the Grand Palace, the Monplaisir Palace, the Marly Palace, the Hermitage Pavilion), and numerous fountains and sculptures (the Grand Cascade Complex, the Chess Hill («Shakhmatnaya Gora»), the Pyramid fountain, the Neptune fountain, the Danaide fountain, the Triton fountain, two Roman fountains, the Sun fountain and so on).

The compositional centre of the park ensemble is a magnificent view of the Grand Cascade which consists of 17 artificial waterfalls, linked by five arches of a grotto, 39 gilded bronze statues, 29 bas-reliefs, 142 water jets and 64 sprinklers. Almost all statues of the Great Cascade have allegorical significance.

The Great Cascade was built in the early 18^th century, but it acquired its present appearance in the midlle 19^th century. The fountains of the Great Cascade were dedicated to celebrate the glory of Russian arms and this theme can be discerned in all objects of the monumental and ornamental sculpture which adorns the Great Cascade.

Water pours out in two streams from the mouths of two heads representing Neptune, god of the sea. It flows downwards to the lower oval terraces. Here stand the figures of an old man with an oar and a young woman, personifying the Russian rivers Volkhov and Neva. From the balustrade on the upper grotto Tritons, the sons of Neptune, blow trumpet-fountains of spiralled shells in honour of Samson's victory. Each morning when the column of water from the lion's jaws reaches its maximum height the trumpet-fountains start to play. Down the seven high steps of the west and east staircases the water pours, now in a tumbling stream, now in a tiny trickle. All along the edges of these steps ethereal jets of water spout from gilded carvings of mythological heroes.

On the central terrace of the Great Cascade stands the Basket fountain which consists of 28 criss-crossed jets around the edge of a huge basin and 11 vertical columns of water which rise from the centre in imitation of a bouquet of flowers. In the allegorical language of the 18^th century a basket of flowers or fruit signified wealth and abundance. In the centre of the pool, on a pedestal of granite slabs, there is a gilded sculpture of Samson tearing open lion's jaws from which a twenty-meter jet of water spouts into the air. Around Samson's feet jets of water spurt out from the mouths of eight dolphins, symbolising the peace of the sea. In recesses on the four sides of the rock pedestal on which Samson stands are the heads of four lions, from the jaws of which stream fountains to the four points of the compass symbolising universal glory of Samson's victory. The vanquished lion is an allegorical representation of the defeat of the Swedes at Poltava which decided the outcome of the Northern War and which was fought on St. Samson's Day, June 27, 1709. The figures of Neptune, Venus, Mercury and Zeus, nymphs and mythological heroes laud the victory of Samson.

Along the canal running from the Grand Cascade to the sea stretches the Avenue of Fountains, cutting the Lower Park into two and underlying its characteristic symmetry of form. The Lower Park designed by the architect Lebland in the style of the 18^th century French parks is embellished by more than 130 fountains and many elegant pavilions. It occupies an area of more than 102 hectares. The Great Cascade is organically connected with the Great Palace as if it were its lower and highly ornamental pedestal.

The Grand Palace was built in 1714-1724 by Johann Friedrich Braunstein, Jean-Baptiste Le Blond and Niccolo Michetti. In later years considerable additions and alterations to the original design were made by a prominent Russian architect Mikhail Zemtsov and the great Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Rastrelli succeeded in combining Baroque style with the traditional motifs of Old Russian style. Being of comparatively modest dimensions, it soon ceased to satisfy the court and in the middle of the 18th century the building was reconstructed and extended for Empresses Elizabeth and later redecorated for Catherine the Great. It is now a vast museum of 200 lavish rooms and galleries, a monument to the craft of restoration. Highlights include Peter the Great's Oak Study ornamented with carved oak panels, which were the work of the French sculptor, Nicolas Pineau; the Royal Bedchamber with a carved gilded four-poster bed standing in an alcove; the Cavalier or the Crimson Room noted for its neatness of structure, elegance of line and a highly elaborate patterning; the Partridge Room called so because of the silk upholstery of its walls ornamented with representations of partridges; the Chesma Room decorated to glorify Russia's victory over Turkey in the war of 1768-1774 and to commemorate a naval battle between a Russian squadron and the Turkish fleet in June 1770 in the Chesma Bay in the Aegean Sea which resulted in an astounding victory for the Russians; the Throne Hall built for official ceremonies and receptions; the Western Chinese Chamber with the walls of rich lacquered wood.

Built at the top of a steep hill the Grand Palace was designed to connect the upper and the lower sections of the estate. The Grand Palace is a must-see, preferably with a guide.

The Monplaisir (Mon Plaisir) is small and comfortable and was Peter the Great's favourite. It is an exquisite building of the early 18^th century. It is 67 metres long, made of brick and painted in white lime (as it was traditional in Holland at that time). The central part of the palace has afour-pitch, three-tier hipped roof with oval dormer windows and a carved wooden vase on top. The interior of the palace impresses one by its refined decoration in masterly combined styles of different countries.

Peterhof Palace of Pharmacy is a peculiar tourist attraction. It is a brand-new, old-style apothecary shop with drawers full of medicinal plants. It is situated in the eastern part of the Upper Park. The Upper Park has an area of 15 hectares and is enlivened by dazzling fountains and cascades.

Part II

Tsarskoye Selo. Another residence of the royal family in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, 25 km south, was built on the lands given by Peter the Great to his wife Catherine and the district soon came to be called Tsarskoye Selo (Tsar's village). It began to develop after it had been connected with Pavlovsk by the first Russian railway line in 1836, and with St. Petersburg in 1837. In 1887, the town was one of the first in Europe to be entirely illuminated with electricity.

In 1811, a school for the nobility, then called the Lyceum, was opened in the house which architect Ilya Neyelov had built nearby in 1791. It was the only higher educational establishment in Russia for training government and army officers. Among its first and illustrious pupils was Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, genius of Russian poetry. The school days spent in Tsarskoye Selo had an everlasting influence upon his life and poems. In the school garden there is a monument to the poet erected in 1900 by sculptor R. Bakh. In 1937, on the 100^th anniversary of Pushkin's death Tsarskoye Selo was renamed after him. Now it bears its former name — Tsarskoyoe Selo.

The Egyptian Gates are the entrance to the town of Tsarskoyoe Selo. These gates were built in 1829-1830 by Adam Menelaws. They consist of two pylons completely covered with bas-reliefs depicting scenes from life of ancient Egypt.

The outstanding period in the construction of Tsarskoye Selo was the middle and the end of the 18^th century. This period was marked by the establishment of neo-classicism in Russian art and architecture. And it was in this style that between 1760 and 1790 a whole constellation of famous architects including Charles Cameron, Giacomo Quarenghi, Yuri Velten, Antonio Rinaldi and others worked at Tsarskoyoe Selo. Under Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great its sumptuous palaces were built, big and beautiful parks were improved and extended, elegant pavilions such as the Grotto, the Concert Hall on the Island, the Hermitage, the Agata Rooms, Cameron's Gallery, the Upper Bath and the Lower Bath were constructed. A number of monuments to commemorate Russia's military glory were erected. Among them one can see the obelisk in memory of Russia's victory over the Turks in 1770 on the river Kagul, a tributary of the Danube; the Chesme Column in honour of Russian successes in the Russo-Turkish War; the Triumphal Arch in honour of Russia's victory in the war of 1812.

The design of the famous Tsarskoye Selo lakes and the new parkland now covering 1,482 acres is simple and natural in style. The ensemble includes two main parks — the Catherine Park and the Alexander Park.

The Catherine Park consists of two parts, each designed in its own style. For many centuries parks have been classified according to various styles. Thus the French park, which is basically architectural, is noted for the geometrical precision of its layout with broad, straight paths down which its pavilions and statues can be seen from a distance and along which the neatly clipped trees and shrubs form decorative wings. The English park, on the other hand, which is basically landscaped, is an attempt to imitate nature. It has little or no architecture and geometrically planned paths, trees and shrubs are allowed to grow in a natural state. Finally, the Italian park is laid out in imitation of the undulating Italian gardens. All these types of the parks can be seen in the Catherine Park.

The Alexander Palace joins the north end of the Catherine Park. The area was devastated by the invaders. One of the most imposing buildings, the Alexander Palace, is located there.

For three decades talented architects such as Charles Cameron, Vasily and Ilya Neyelov, Antonio Rinaldi and Yuri Velten, went on improving the parks. A lot of Italian statues of white marble representing mythological heroes were brought from abroad to decorate the alleys of the parks. To vary the landscape of the parks G. Quarenghi made use of many elements such as the imitation of Chinese architecture in creating the Chinese village and the Chinese Summer House (the Grande Caprice), artificial ruin in the time-worn appearance of the Ruined Kitchen, pieces of landscape architecture — bridges connecting the two parks.

The centrepiece is the vast Baroque Yekaterininsky Dvorets (the Catherine Palace) which was rebuilt six times. Rastrelli who undertook the rebuilding of the palace in 1752 excelled himself on this palace. It was named after Elizabeth's mother, Peter the Great's second wife. A superb building was created to impress one by its beauty and grandeur. The palace was used by several tsars up to 1917. The building is 1,020 feet in length. It has a chapel with golden domes rising at its north end and outbuildings enclosing a courtyard on the west side. Some of its attractions to see are the White State Staircase, Kavalerskaya Stolovaya (the Gentlemen-in-Waiting's Dining Room), the Grand Hall ( with all light and glitter from its windows, mirrors and gilded woodcarvings), the State Dining Room, the Crimson and Green Pilaster Rooms, the Portrait Room, and Yantarnaya Komnata (the Amber Room). This last was decorated by Rastrelli with gilded woodcarvings, mirrors, agate and jasper mosaics, and exquisitely engraved amber panels given to Peter the Great by the King of Prussia in 1716. It looked like a miracle. Unfortunately, during 1941-1945 War the treasures of the room and the room itself were plundered by the Germans and then perished. Due to great efforts of many people the Amber Room has been restored and is open to visitors. Fortunately, some parts of the authentic Amber Room have been found and returned to the museum.

The Alexandrovsky Dvorets (Alexander Palace) was built by G. Quarenghi in 1792-1796 for the future tsar Alexander I. It is considered to be one of Quarenghi's finest creations. Though it is comparatively small, the building has an air of monumental grandeur, which is due to the great double colonnade joining the wings of the building.

Whereas the Catherine Palace reflected the prevalence of baroque in the middle 18^th century Russian architecture, the Alexander Palace showed the classical style.

One of the most impressive buildings of the town is the Hermitage, a place for court feasting and merry-making. It is one of the most valuable examples of landscape architecture of the middle 18^th century. The fantastically curved facade of the Hermitage is decorated with 64 columns and a mass of ornaments. The ingenious cross-shaped lay-out of the building fits perfectly into the surroundings.

Cameron's Gallery was built by Charles Cameron, an Englishman, in 1779-1793. Its broad steps wind gently down to a lake. The two-storey building is of strict and beautiful proportions. Above the ground floor, which is built of grey stone, rises a snow-white colonnade, from which one has a splendid view of the Catherine Park.

Part III

Pavlovsk. A few miles from Pushkin there is a town called Pavlovsk. In the 13^th century there was a wooden fortress and the place used to be called «the town on the Slavyanka». Several centuries later, when Tsarskoye Selo had sprung up about two miles away, the wooded banks became a hunting preserve of the tsar. In 1777, Catherine II gave these lands to her son Paul (the future Paul I) for his country residence and the place came to be called Pavlovskoye (Paul's village). The building of Pavlovsk began under the supervision of an English architect Charles Cameron between 1781-1786. He designed the original Grand Palace and the surrounding park. Then the palace was enlarged and decorated inside by Quarenghi, Brenna, Voronikhin and Rossi.

The Pavlovsky Park of woodland, rivers, lakes, little valleys, avenues, Classical statues and temples, is one of the most exquisite in Russia. Those architects who laid out the park showed great skill while creating delightful autumn scenes of rare beauty. The river Slavyanka that flows past the palace was dammed and a broad artificial lake reflects the western facade of the Grand Palace, its gold-tinted walls and snow — white columns.

An avenue of lime-trees (the Treble Lime Alley) stretches east from the main facade of the palace. Adjoining the palace on the south side is the tsar's Private Garden. Several areas near the palace and in the park such as the Big Star and the White Birch, situated in the western and eastern parts of the park, respectively, were laid out in a regular pattern with a ring in the centre, with avenues radiating from them. The banks of the winding river Slavyanka were designed quite differently, in a less formal manner. The winding paths seem to meander through glade and grove, quite naturally.

In those years the park began to acquire its modem appearance. The architectural sights of Pavlovsk were arranged so that they were most cleverly concealed in the depths of the park to afford a visitor a series of surprises. One of the first pavilions that Cameron built in the park was the Classical Temple of Friendship (1780-1782) on the bank of the Slavyanka River, north-east of the palace. This pavilion is in the form of a rotunda. The windowless walls are surrounded by sixteen white columns with moulded medallions between them. The edifice, with its low dome, is modest and elegant. Opposite the palace, on the left bank of the Slavyanka, is the Apollo's Colonnade, also built by Ch. Cameron in 1780-1783. It is an open colonnade and the Twelve Muses with a bronze copy of Apollo standing on a tall pedestal in the centre. In 1817, part of the colonnade collapsed in a flood. It was decided, however, not to restore it in order to give the structure a more ancient appearance. South of the palace is the Private Garden, whose avenues run under arching trees and creeper, with coloured marble vases on either side, with 16 columns supporting the roof. The pediments are decorated with bas-reliefs of Apollo and Minerva, patroness of the arts. The chief adornment of the pavilion is the sculptured group of the «Three Graces» in the centre, carved by Trisconni out of a solid block of marble.

At the end of the 18^th century the French architect Vincenza Brenna was invited to assist in the extension of the Pavlovsky Park. The Old Sylvia and New Sylvia sections were laid out to the north-east of the palace under his guidance. In the New Sylvia, which is further from the palace, is the Mausoleum of Paul, a brilliant piece of architecture. It was erected by the architect Thomas de Thomon and sculptor Martos in 1807-1808. It is not, however, the burial place of Paul and is purely decorative. The pavilion has the form of an ancient temple.

V. Brenna's decoration of the two Great Circles, the part adjoining the palace between the linden avenue and the Slavyanka valley, is particularly impressive. The place takes its name from two large circular terraces of stone. In the centre of each terrace stand marble sculptures —Justice and Peace — on granite pedestals. Both statues had been carved in Italy by order of Peter the Great, long before Pavlovsk was built. Cameron's original palace was a three — storey, domed square building with single-storeyed wings curving only halfway round the existing courtyard. The palace, a royal residence until 1917, burnt down in World War II but had completely been restored by 1970. Many halls of the Grand Palace in Pavlovsk have been restored and opened for visitors and in the north block there is an exhibition of objects d'art. The finest rooms are on the middle floor of the square central block. Among them are the round Italian Hall beneath the dome; the Grecian Hall to its west; the Hall of War and the Hall of Peace, which are decorated with musical instruments and flowers; two private suites — Paul's Hall of War designed by V. Brenna along the north side of the block and Maria Fyodorovna's (Paul's wife) Hall of Peace on the south; Cameron's Egyptian Vestibule on the ground floor, on the middle floor of the south block are Paul's Throne Room and the Hall of the Maltese Knights of St. John. There is an exhibition of the 19^th century Russian interiors in the palace.

Part IV

Gatchina. It is situated 48 km south of St. Petersburg. Its history as an estate meant for Count Grigory Orlov, a favourite of the Empress Catherine II, dates to 1767, when Antonio Rinaldi, an Italian, started the construction of a palatial building on the gently sloping bank of a crystal-clear lake. It was under construction between 1766-1782. The entire project was in the early Classical style. Its central part was a three-storey edifice with semicircular double-tier galleries joined to single-storey service wings called the Kitchen Block (House) and the Stable Block (House) known later as the Arsenal Block and rectangular inner courtyard. Ten polyhedral towers and an underground passage running to Silver Lake, elongated narrow vestibules with circular Gothic vaults made the place look mysterious and gave the palace a semblance of an English medieval castle. For facing the outer walls and ground floor passage the architect made use of a variety of local limes noted for rich and subtle tints.

In 1783 Gatchina became a residence of the future Emperor Paul I who moved there from Pavlovsk. The new owner commissioned architect Vincenzo Brenna to remodel the place. Without altering the general layout, V. Brenna introduced some architectural innovations, thus making the building look even more like a feudal castle. The architect made the side block level with the galleries, encompassed the palace parade ground with a moat spanned by four bridges, installed grilles and cannons, turned Rinaldi's chamber-like interior into ceremonial rooms integrating the new palatial halls into the existing ensemble.

Later, the palace was used as a residence of Nicolas I. Between 1854-1856 the architect Roman Kuzmin undertook further modelling of the palace. He faced the side blocks outside with Paritsy and Rotkovo stone slabs; carefully restored the late 18^th century rooms; built a new main staircase in the central part and reshaped the Bastion Wall in front of the palace; replaced the grilles with a Rotkovo stone slab parapet with bastions and ports for cannons. A bronze statue of Paul I was put up by the wall.

The Gatchina Palace was turned into a museum and opened to the public on May 19, 1918. During World War II the palace was ruined, its decor greatly suffered. Restoration work in it is still in progress.

The main attractions of the palace are as follows: the Antechamber, where court guards were relieved and courtiers waited to be received by the sovereign; the Marble Dining Room with the columns of the Corinthian order and the bas-reliefs on mythological subjects and decorative patterns done a l'antique; the Throne Hall, almost square in plan, with a glazed door leading to a small balcony which commands a wide panorama of the park, and the walls decorated with Gobelin tapestries; the White Hall with the walls adorned with antique and contemporary Italian reliefs on mythological subjects; the Picture Hall, initially called the Chinese Room since a Chinese art motif and genuine Oriental pieces dating to the 18^th century were used for its decoration; the Crimson Drawing Room remarkable for the splendour of its colour scheme; the State Bedroom noted for a dainty harmony of architecture and colour concept; the Weapon Gallery housing a unique collection of over a thousand pieces of arms which came from renowned armouries of various countries; the Chesme Gallery, glorifying the victory of the Russian Navy of Chesme in 1770; the Chintz Chambers spelling gay colour and cosiness; the Drawing Room designed with sandy tones predominant in its colour scheme and decorated with paintings in gilded frames. The palace is surrounded by a vast park with exotic plants, labyrinths of twisted canals and tiny islands. Of special charm is the Birch House which was presented by Nicholas I to his wife Maria Fyodorovna. Its appearance is modest outside looking like a stack of birch logs but rather luxurious inside revealing a suite of palatial rooms lined with mirrors and exquisite flowery decorations.

The Gatchina Palace is the focal point of the palace and park ensemble of the town.