Cossack architect works cathedrals and churches. Kazakov, Matvey Fedorovich. Gothic castle on Khodynka

Kazakov is the first major Russian architect who did not receive foreign education; his work indicates that at the end of the 18th century Russian architecture had become strong enough to make its own contribution to world art. Kazakov’s contribution to the construction of Moscow was enormous: he connected a “gathering of cities”, a collection of motley buildings, with buildings that later set the style of urban development. Even the architecture of the 30-50s of the twentieth century included many references to the Cossack city buildings. Kazakov combined great ability to work and passion for all the details of the construction business. In particular, he introduced a number of improvements even in the production and use of new building materials. Brick, the main material for masonry walls, received more standard sizes from him, and on his initiative new factories with improved furnaces were built (Kalitnikovsky and in the village of Voronovo). Kazakov examined stone deposits in the vicinity of Moscow and began to use it in his works, including for decorative elements. Thus, he made a significant and diverse contribution to the construction of Moscow.

Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov was born in 1738 in Moscow, in the family of a minor official. Unlike other famous Russian architects of this era, such as V. Bazhenov and I. Starov, Matvey Kazakov did not receive his education abroad. He studied only in Moscow, under the guidance of R. Nikitin. In the year Kazakov began working independently, Tver, which played a large role in the economy of the Volga region and was a major intermediate point along the St. Petersburg-Moscow highway, burned down. Nikitin was sent to work on the restoration of Tver. He organized a special team, putting Kazakov at its head. The opportunity opened up for Kazakov to demonstrate his talents to the fullest.
A city plan was drawn up with a center and a series of radial streets converging to the Volga. The city center - a round square with surrounding buildings - has been preserved to this day. On the scale of that era, these were large buildings, with strict facades, the planes of which were broken up by pilasters and clear rustications. Perestroika of Tver in short term(two and a half years) immediately promoted Kazakov to the ranks of the first architects, and attention was paid to him as a talented master who knew how to build in a “new taste.”

A surviving fragment of the Tver Travel Palace

In 1768, the “Expedition to build the Kremlin Palace” was formed according to the ingenious project of Kazakov’s school friend, Bazhenov, who conceived the idea of ​​creating a palace “worthy of glorifying the Russian state.” Bazhenov immediately appreciated the magnitude of the talent of his comrade, whose great experience and hard work he considered a sure guarantee of the success of the architectural enterprise. After the Russian-Turkish War, Catherine stopped construction work Kremlin Palace. Meanwhile, working with Bazhenov significantly influenced Kazakov, and following the famous architect, Kazakov began to become interested in the pseudo-Russian style (which he called “Gothic”), Palladianism and Baroque, and linked these styles in the buildings he was designing.

In honor of the victory in the same Russian-Turkish war, Catherine instructed Kazakov to build the Petrovsky Travel Palace (1776-1780). The southernmost travel palace on the road connecting the two capitals was originally conceived as a residence for the most important persons who could rest there after a long journey from St. Petersburg and proceed to the Moscow Kremlin with special pomp. Catherine II stayed in the palace for the first time only in 1787. According to surviving legend, the empress sent away her personal retinue and guard and remained in the palace “under the protection of her people,” which led to a massive gathering of people and almost caused a stampede.

In 1797, before his coronation, Emperor Paul I, the son of Catherine II, visited the Travel Palace. Since then, the palace has become a constant witness to official coronation ceremonies: on the way from St. Petersburg, Russian sovereigns stopped here before being crowned kings.

The Senate Palace of the Kremlin became Kazakov's largest implemented project. According to the architect's idea, the building was supposed to symbolize civil ideals, legality and justice, and the architects found the embodiment of these ideals in the classical forms of antiquity. This explains the strict and restrained laconicism of the building, topped with a dome, the classical form of which Kazakov wanted to enhance the architectural expressiveness of Red Square as the main square of the capital.

The palace has triangular shape, thus fitting into the space limited by the Kremlin wall, the Arsenal and the former Chudov Monastery. The cavity enclosed inside the structure is divided into three parts by two transverse buildings. A triumphal entrance arch with an Ionic four-column portico and pediment, above which is located the dome of the oval hall, leads into the courtyard of the building from the Senate Square. In the recess of the courtyard is the main compositional center of the structure - the domed hall of the Senate (Catherine or White Hall).

The buildings of the Moscow University on Mokhovaya were also originally built by Kazakov, but after the fire of 1812 they were rebuilt by Domenico Gilardi. Now these buildings house the Faculty of Journalism and the Institute of Asian and African Countries.

The house of the commander-in-chief (now the Moscow City Hall), for which there was already a design and the ground floor had been laid out, was beautifully furnished by Kazakov with buildings (1782). In the explanation of the plan, Kazakov writes: “This structure of the main building was built by me, but it is unknown who designed it.” This is the only case when he built according to someone else’s design, which was reflected in the heaviness of the entire façade, which was unusual for Kazakov. But the interiors and the main staircase are the work of Kazakov, as is the entrance from the street, previously decorated with four large figures of Roman soldiers.

Kazakov’s next major project was the Golitsinskaya Hospital (now First Gradskaya). The construction of the Golitsyn hospital went beyond the boundaries of an ordinary hospital building. The huge court d'honneur is closed by the main hospital building with side wings. The building is located taking into account street development and ground level access to the Moscow River. This descent was treated with artistically arranged landscaping in the form of tree and flower plantings, garden greenhouses and gazebos, of which two round ones completed the treatment of the Moscow River embankment, closing the space of the garden. The architecture of the building is exquisitely simple: planes of smooth walls, their horizontal division is emphasized by rods, the growth goes from two-story side parts to a three-story central building, with a richly shaped portico and a crowning dome, balanced by two stands that play a purely decorative role.

The architect's special attention was focused on the central part, where a large round hall for the church was built. The shape of the hall is decided by a colonnade of the Ionic order, supporting a richly coffered spherical dome, illuminated by lucarnes. The repeated range of the colonnade in the form of a second row of smaller columns of the Corinthian order is very impressive. The arched design of the surrounding planes perfectly completes the architecture of the rotunda.

Unusual for Moscow was the building of the “Public Hall”, built in the hospital park. Prince Golitsyn, on whose instructions the hospital was built, had a significant collection of paintings and sculptures, for which a two-story gallery was built in the hospital park. This one is the first in Moscow private museum existed only during Golitsyn’s life; after his death, the hospital authorities sold the entire collection and rebuilt the gallery into hospital premises.

Estate "Tsaritsyno"

After the construction of the Petrovsky Palace, Kazakov more than once returned to the idea of ​​​​creating “picturesque architecture” that interested him, which he called “Gothic”, but in which there was a lot of borrowing and processing of ancient Russian architecture. The peak of this style in Kazakov’s work was the Tsaritsyno estate.

The sad fate of the palace in Tsaritsyn, almost completed by Bazhenov, is known. At the whim of Catherine, this building was destroyed. Bazhenov, the great Russian architect, fell into disgrace. After the demolition of the palace, Catherine had no new construction: war with Sweden was brewing. But Prince Potemkin seeks to continue Tsaritsyn construction. Kazakov is entrusted with re-building the palace - a difficult task, creating awkwardness in relation to his offended friend and threatening the prospect of falling under a new royal whim.

Kazakov understood the vileness of vandalism, expressed in the order to tear down to the base a building built with passion and love by a great artist. The walls were dismantled to the ground, but Bazhenov’s main idea was not broken. The picturesque buildings surrounding the palace remained intact, among which it was necessary to create a building that would not disturb the harmony of the surroundings. In Western European architecture it is difficult to find a resemblance to the Tsaritsyn Palace, enriched with fresh forms of Cossack “Gothicism”. Despite all the apparent exoticism of the palace, its architecture is strict, and the execution of all the details of the structure is excellent.

City planning as the basis of urban construction in the 18th century. just planned. Ekaterinina created the “Commission for the Construction of the Capital Cities of St. Petersburg and Moscow.” Kazakov had little interest in the work of this commission; he knew its bureaucratic essence and the helplessness of its representatives. But, observing the planned construction in St. Petersburg, the great architect dreamed of creating good streets in Moscow with beautiful buildings, decorating the surrounding unsightly background. General landscape of Moscow in the second half of the 18th century. was extremely diverse and original in its contradictions.

In the notes foreign travelers and memoirs domestic writers where the pictures are given appearance“first throne”, the picturesqueness of the city was noted, but at the same time, excessive lack of culture and dirt.

“Moscow,” writes V. Volkonsky in his notes, “is more a collection of cities than one city; it represents a huge variety of buildings of the most varied styles, magnificent palaces, wooden houses surrounded by very extensive gardens, many shops, sheds, storehouses... Sometimes large elegant houses rise, and next to them are huts of poverty with their poverty and dirt.”

Against the backdrop of the picturesque chaos of the city, with its medieval network of undeveloped streets, Kazakov over the course of fifteen years created a number of beautiful mansion houses, thereby giving a different character to urban development, which received complete architectural ensembles. Before Kazakov, the Moscow street was an almost rural landscape, where stone buildings were rare, and architecturally processed houses were exceptions.

After an extremely intense fifty years of activity, Kazakov in 1801 submitted a petition to be relieved of his official duties. In this petition, he writes: “Having learned the art of construction here in Moscow to the best of my ability, during my life, which is approaching the end, I made the following number of government buildings alone”; further, having listed the buildings and mentioning that their drawings are collected in the presented books (“Albums”), he ends: “due to the depressing old age in my life, finding myself unable to continue my sacred service, I dare to ask for dismissal from service and a merciful view of this and my poor fortune, surrounded by a large family, and especially by three girl daughters.” Having retired with a pension, Kazakov devoted himself exclusively to teaching. During the War of 1812, his relatives transported him to Ryazan; The news of the Moscow fire worsened his condition, as a result of which he did not live to see the end of the war.

There is a legend that the great Russian architect Matvey Kazakov died at the age of 73 from a heart attack when he learned about the fire of 1812 in Moscow - he himself was forcibly taken by his children to Ryazan. Whether this is true or not, we will probably never know. But the life and work of the architect, who spent his whole life decorating the Mother See, have been studied perfectly, and MOSLENTA invites you to read about the master. Moreover, the story is extremely fascinating. But first, let us recall what Kazakov did for Moscow.

First city planner

A significant part of the buildings built by Kazakov nevertheless survived the invasion of Napoleon. The master always paid great attention to the quality of construction, he himself checked the materials and the accuracy of the work, therefore his houses can be considered exemplary in strength and durability. They withstood not only the fire of 1812, but also numerous adversities of subsequent centuries. Perhaps his main and most iconic works are the Traveling Palace and the Kremlin Senate, which delighted Catherine the Great.

Moscow fire of 1812.

In addition, Kazakov was the first architect of Moscow who began to deal with issues of urban planning. At a certain stage, he realized that the development of the city cannot be based on the creation of individual houses; a unified system for designing streets, squares, blocks, etc. is needed. Development must obey a single idea, otherwise architectural cacophony is inevitable.

The master also trained many talented students, for example, Osip Bove and Ivan Egotov, who not only worked on the restoration of Moscow after the fire, but also continued his work. We may return to them, but later.

Grandson of a serf

The origin of Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov, even if one wants to, cannot be called noble. His grandfather was a serf peasant, his father grew up in the village and, according to the recruitment quota, was commissioned as a soldier, or more precisely, as a sailor. Fortunately, he was literate and had beautiful handwriting, thanks to which he was sent to serve not on a ship, but at the Moscow Admiralty Commissariat, where he was instructed to make copies of documents.

Over time, Fyodor Mikhailovich advanced in service and took the position of sub-office clerk, which freed him from serfdom. He started a family, children and settled somewhere near the Borovitsky Bridge over the Neglinka. This is approximately where the monument to Prince Vladimir was recently erected.

When Matvey was only twelve, his father died. The family retained their freedom, but their livelihood was tight. And yet, Matvey’s mother Fedosya Semyonovna, seeing her son’s talent for drawing, was able to enroll him in the only architectural school of Dmitry Ukhtomsky in Moscow at that time. She had no opportunity to pay, but Ukhtomsky met the widow halfway. A very interesting letter written by him in his own hand has reached us:

Kazakov Matvey Fedorovich.

“...and I have identified the chief kriks of the commissariat of the deceased sub-office clerk Fyodor Kazakov as the son Matvey Kazakov (who has not yet been assigned to work anywhere), who, in my position, is capable of writing correction and, by his natural desire, is inclined to teach architecture, who, by his fascination with arithmetic in a short time almost everyone was trained; For the sake of the government senate office, I humbly ask that the aforementioned Matvey Kazakov be ordered to be assigned to my team as a student for teaching architectural science with a reward against junior architecture students of a ruble per month of salary, who, meanwhile, can also correct written matters related to my position.”. (original spelling preserved)

Thus, thanks to his talent and diligence, already at the age of twelve, Matvey Kazakov began to earn money and feed not only himself, but also his large family. Here it is necessary to talk in more detail about the person who played such an important role in the life of the future architect Kazakov - Prince Dmitry Vasilyevich Ukhtomsky.

Teacher and benefactor

Prince Ukhtomsky (by the way, the real prince, Rurikovich, a direct descendant of Yuri Dolgoruky) undoubtedly played an outstanding role in history domestic architecture. Unfortunately, little of his creations has reached us - except perhaps the gate church of the Donskoy Monastery and the bell tower in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra - but he trained a whole galaxy of great architects.

The “Palace School” he created, located in the house of the Senate Printing House in Okhotny Ryad, became the first special architectural educational institution in the country, all our MARCHI, Stroganov, etc. begin with it. Ukhtomsky played a huge role in the life and creative development of Pyotr Nikitin, Vasily Bazhenov, Ivan Stary, Alexander Kokorinov and, of course, Matvey Kazakov. Regarding the latter, we can say not only that Ukhtomsky was a teacher - he became a second father for a poor orphan.

For ten years - from approximately 1750 to 1760 - Kazakov studied at the Ukhtomsky school. In it he learned general sciences, painting, mathematics, and the ability to behave in polite society. And, of course, architecture, both theory and practice. Of course, Matvey was given outstanding talent by nature, but such professional skills as the ability to understand the customer’s wishes, draw up a project that satisfies him and accurately calculate the estimate (which will always be business card Kazakov) were founded precisely at Ukhtomsky’s school.

Project of the architectural school of Dmitry Ukhtomsky.

After graduation, Kazakov continued to work in the prince’s workshop and began teaching in the junior courses of his school, until the moment when the school was closed and the master himself did not come under investigation. However, this is a completely different and rather tragic story.

Kazakov received his first independent practice in Tver. The city was badly burned in 1763, and a team of Moscow architects was sent to restore it, under the leadership of Pyotr Romanovich Nikitin, a student and associate of Ukhtomsky. Kazakov, who already had the title of “architecture lieutenant,” also went to Tver and attracted attention when creating the Travel Palace. Upon returning to Moscow, the architect goes to work for the Kremlin Building Expedition, which has just been headed by his old comrade Vasily Bazhenov.

Two masters

The destinies of these two outstanding masters were surprisingly intertwined. They are the same age, both are native Muscovites, coming from the very bottom of the social spectrum (which, by the way, makes one think about the supposed absence of “social elevators” in the feudal era). Thanks to their outstanding talent, both ended up at the Ukhtomsky school, but Vasily Bazhenov, under the patronage of Ivan Shuvalov, quickly moved to St. Petersburg, and Matvey Kazakov remained in Moscow.

Then Bazhenov went to Europe, became an academician of several French and Italian Academies, but Kazakov did not go further than Tver. By 1768, Bazhenov was one step ahead of his comrade both in rank in the table of ranks and in popularity in society, therefore he became the head of Kremlin construction, and Kazakov was one of his assistants. Soon everything will change - Bazhenov’s grandiose plan will not be implemented, and Kazakov will build a Senate in the Kremlin and rebuild the Arsenal, at the same time restoring the dismantled walls.

It is believed that it is all about politics - it is no secret that Bazhenov was a Freemason and was friends with Novikov. Perhaps, although the personal qualities of the masters are also important. Bazhenov was an artist, creator and romantic. For him, the artistic concept, ideology and aesthetics of the project were primary, even to the detriment of the wishes of the customer. Kazakov knew how to correlate his creative ambitions with reality. Apparently, he was more flexible than his colleague, better able to negotiate and persuade. He was more realistic, and therefore managed to build much more.

Monument to Vasily Bazhenov and Matvey Kazakov in Tsaritsyno.

Ruslan Krivobok / RIA Novosti

And Kremlin history will repeat itself in Tsaritsyno - Bazhenov will begin the construction of the palace complex, and Kazakov will finish it. During construction Grand Palace he preserved his comrade’s ideas as much as possible, bringing them into line with the customer’s requirements, that is, he kept the sheep intact and the wolves were well-fed.

There was an episode when they worked together as equals. This happened during the creation of pavilions on the Khodynka field to celebrate the victory over the Turks in 1775, and the joint experience was successful: after that, Catherine the Great instructed Kazakov to build the Peter the Great Travel Palace. But after the death of the empress, fate again changed its attitude towards the masters. Bazhenov finally gained recognition: he became vice-president of the Academy of Arts, and received an order from Pavel for the construction of the imperial palace. Kazakov remained in Moscow. But the monument in front of the Tsaritsyn palace was erected to two masters together, and this is absolutely fair.

Gothic castle on Khodynka

Petrovsky Travel Palace is one of Kazakov’s most striking creations and, perhaps, the least characteristic. Kazakov is considered an apologist for classicism, one might even say, one of the pillars of this new style for Russia at that time, and suddenly - unexpected gothic with a clear touch of original Russian traditions. It is possible that this was a consequence of the influence of Bazhenov and their joint work on the Khodynskoye field, where their first experiments with neo-Gothic took place. Then Bazhenov used this experience in Tsaritsyno, and Kazakov during the construction of the Petrovsky track.

IN scientific literature an opinion has formed that the author of the neo-Gothic style is, after all, Bazhenov, although there are no exact indications of this and, rather, this is a tribute to the tradition and image of Vasily Ivanovich as an innovator and visionary. However, in this Kazakov was little inferior to his comrade, and it is quite possible to say that the new style was the result of a creative dialogue between architects.

The masters seemed to compete with each other, coming up with completely new architectural motifs within the chosen theme. So Bazhenov in Tsaritsino emphasized Moorish motifs. And in Kazakov’s work, the Gothic arched decor is completely combined with clear classical symmetry and the “signature” rotunda with a dome over the central building of the palace.

Petrovsky Travel Palace.

V. Robinov / RIA Novosti

And here there is a mass of purely Russian details: platbands, arches with weights, patterned belts, jug-shaped pillars, which make this pseudo-Gothic castle similar to the Russian palaces of previous centuries - the Kremlin Teremny or Kolomensky. Taking a closer look at it, it is clear that the author did not intend to strictly adhere to the Gothic canon - rather, he plays with different styles, combining and interweaving elements.

By the way, the palace is called Putev because it stands on the road - the Tsar's Road from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Along it there was a chain of such palaces, Kazakovsky was the closest to Moscow, exactly one leisurely horse ride from the Kremlin. There the Empress was going to rest and spend the night on the eve of entering the Mother See. And Petrovsky - since these lands previously belonged to the VysokoPetrovsky Monastery, the one on the corner of the Boulevard Ring and Petrovka Street.

Moscow classics

The pseudo-Gothic Peter's Palace is only an experiment, a stylistic exception, and Kazakov created almost all of his other creations in the traditions of “pure” classicism, or “Palladianism” (the name of the classical style, according to established tradition, is associated with the name of the great Italian architect Andrea Palladio). In fact, he created it, at least in Moscow, although the first experiments in this style still belong to Bazhenov.

The surviving model of the Bazhenov Kremlin shows typically classical porticoes, rusticated quadra in the antique style, colonnades, pilasters and other attributes of the style. Kazakov worked with Bazhenov for six years and, apparently, was imbued with these ideas. And by the way, neither Ukhtomsky, nor Nikitin, nor any of Matvey Fedorovich’s teachers and senior colleagues worked in this direction.

Senate building.

Kremlin.ru / Wikipedia

One of the first and most famous Cossack creations in the traditions of classicism is the Senate building, founded in 1776. Ideologically, this is a continuation of Bazhenov’s work. Despite the complexity of the layout - it had to be built on a triangular site, since the Kremlin was built up - Kazakov managed to maintain the symmetry of the wings, incorporate order features and, of course, the dome with the rotunda, which would become the master's calling card. A minimum of decor, no frills, no more than two colors, but at the same time incredible structural strength. The building managed to serve the Imperial Senate, then the Moscow city services and the Soviet government. Nowadays it is the residence of the head of Russia and the presidential standard is developing above the Cossack rotunda.

There is a funny legend associated with the construction of the Senate. Kazakov designed the dome of the rotunda of the central Catherine Hall with a thickness of only one brick, which caused bewilderment and even fear among the high commission. Then the architect climbed onto the dome and did not leave it for half an hour, dancing and stamping his feet. This convinced the commission.

During the last two decades of the 18th century, the master and his students worked hard and created: they built residential buildings, palaces, estates near Moscow, hospitals, churches. There were so many orders that Kazakov began to make conventionally standard projects, on the basis of which, with minimal modifications, it was possible to quickly create a specific house.

For example, it was Kazakov who came up with the idea of ​​a city palace, with a facade directly along the so-called red line of streets. Before this, estates were made mainly U-shaped with a palace in the back; accordingly, the side wings and the front gate between them opened onto the street. Bazhenov began to make tall multi-story palaces in classic style, which stood directly on the street, and outbuildings, on the contrary, were moved inside.

(1738-1812) Russian architect

Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov never left Russia and did not study with any of the foreign masters. Nevertheless, his buildings are distinguished by their perfection and evoke admiration even now, many decades after the death of the architect. He remains in cultural history as a great Russian self-taught architect.

Matvey Kazakov was born in Moscow, where his father served as a copyist, and in modern terms, as a clerk in the Admiralty office. This circumstance played a role in the fate of Matvey, since civil servants were freed from serfdom.

In the history of architecture there is very little information left about where the future architect walked initial training. It is only known that Matvey grew up as a smart boy and from an early age was distinguished by his right eye and good handwriting. When he was twelve years old, his father unexpectedly died, and his mother got her son a job as a student in an architectural school, which was opened in Moscow by the architect D. Ukhtomsky. There, Matvey Kazakov soon became one of the best students, and Ukhtomsky appointed him as his assistant.

Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov led a group of students who were engaged in measuring Kremlin buildings intended for demolition or reconstruction. Ukhtomsky's idea was to educate people knowledgeable not only in architecture, but also in construction practice. He also studied the history of architecture with them.

Together with his comrades, Kazakov combined theoretical studies with practical work. All this helped develop not only architectural taste, but also construction skills. Under the leadership of Ukhtomsky, Matvey Kazakov also did a lot of drawing. These skills subsequently manifested themselves in Kazakov’s wonderful drawings, in which he captured each of the buildings he built.

His first independent work was the restoration of Tver, which burned down in May 1763. He was sent there together with another student of Ukhtomsky P. Nikitin. Matvey Kazakov was engaged in the development of the central part of the city in accordance with the plan drawn up by Nikitin. For the first time in Russian urban planning practice, he created the city center in the form of an octagonal square. Kazakov lived in Tver for four years, and his work was considered so successful that upon his return to Moscow he was appointed to the expedition of the Kremlin building and became the closest assistant to the famous architect Vasily Bazhenov.

Together with Kazakov, Bazhenov developed a project for the reconstruction of the Grand Kremlin Palace. However, this plan was not destined to come true, since the General Plan for the Construction of Moscow was soon approved, and Matvey Kazakov had to start designing the Senate building. It was built in full accordance with the project and became the decoration of the Kremlin. Today it houses the administration of the President of the Russian Federation.

After the Kremlin, Kazakov was entrusted with the restructuring of Moscow University. The architect created an ensemble of several buildings, which determined the architecture of the entire area. Subsequently, the Manege building was built in the style developed by Matvey Kazakov.

Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov was a typical representative of the Moscow architectural school, which developed within the framework of classicism. All of its buildings were designed around a clearly defined center. Kazakov’s favorite form was a small round hall - a rotunda. The rotunda is visible in each of his buildings. Therefore, Kazakov’s temples were different from traditional ones. They had a spacious interior, above which there was a bell tower. Therefore, the vertical axis dominated the silhouette, which is why the building seemed to rush upward.

The simplicity of the external forms of Matvey Kazakov is always compensated by the sophistication of the interior decoration. The architect worked out in detail the decorative details of each of his buildings, and even furniture was often made according to his drawings. That is why his contemporaries nicknamed him the “Russian Mansart”, comparing him with the famous French architect.

Simultaneously with the construction of university buildings, Matvey Kazakov developed a design for a building for the Assembly of the Nobility, now the House of Unions, where ceremonial meetings and concerts are held. In due time he will be described by Pushkin in the scene of Tatiana's ball.

This project by Kazakov became an example of a new type of public building, the center of which becomes a richly decorated festive hall. Large columns trimmed with artificial marble, combined with mirrors and beautiful crystal chandeliers, also made according to Kazakov’s sketches, made Hall of Columns a true pearl of Moscow. Later, the motifs of this building were repeated several times in various cities of Russia and in another capital Russian state- St. Petersburg.

The last major building of Matvey Kazakov erected in Moscow was the Golitsyn Hospital (now the First City Clinical Hospital). Money and land for its construction were donated to the city by Prince D.M. Golitsyn. Construction of the hospital was completed in 1801. In addition to designing a complex of buildings, Kazakov was involved in the construction of a vast park that stretched to the very bank of the Moscow River. In the exterior and interior decoration of hospital buildings, the architect applied his favorite style - Russian classicism. He combined the geometric rigor of lines with the sophistication of decoration. Proudly standing tall white columns gave the building lightness and solemnity. It did not suppress with its heaviness, but seemed to invite us to come inside. And now the hospital immediately attracts the attention of everyone who drives along Leninsky Prospekt.

In addition to the construction of official buildings, the main direction of Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov’s work was the construction of small estate palaces. Apparently, the reason for this turn in his work was Catherine II’s enthusiastic review of the Peter the Great’s Travel Palace that he built. After examining the construction, the Empress called Kazakov the best architect in Russia. And her entourage began vying with each other to order him various buildings.

Matvey Kazakov experienced the greatest pressure from the all-powerful Grigory Potemkin, who strongly persuaded the master to go to Yekaterinoslav and build there the “third capital” conceived by Catherine’s favorite.

However, Kazakov was in no hurry to accept this offer. First, he went to the site of future buildings and became convinced of the utopian nature of this plan. The architect returned to Moscow, where he lived until the end of his life.

Besides the actual creative work For the first time in the history of Russian architecture, Matvey Kazakov began preserving the contemporary appearance of the capital. Together with his students, he worked for many years on a grandiose enterprise for those times - the compilation of the “General Atlas of Moscow”, for which he created a kind of scenic portrait Moscow. In his drawings and drawings, he captured not only the plan, but also the facade of each house. Currently, these albums by Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov are an invaluable source for restorers.

The significance of Matvey Kazakov's work was understood immediately after 1812, when the restoration of Moscow began after the fire. But the architect himself no longer saw this. Shortly before Russian troops left Moscow, he and his family moved to Ryazan, where he died of heart disease, unable to withstand the shock of the news of the fire of Moscow and the destruction of many of its buildings.

The work of the outstanding architect of the 18th century Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov, one of the founders of Russian classicism architecture in Moscow, can rightfully be considered a remarkable phenomenon in the history of Russian culture. Its activities span more than 50 years, from the 60s of the 18th century to the first decade of the 19th century. The “hardworking genius” left his mark on the history of architecture and, as the most prolific Russian architect of the 18th century, the number of his Moscow buildings is almost unbelievably large.

The works of Kazakov and his famous contemporaries - V. I. Bazhenov, I. E. Starov and others - brought Russian classical architecture to the forefront in the history of world architecture. Their buildings and projects testify to the brilliant creative development of the techniques and principles of the world architectural heritage, the harmonious combination of new art with the artistic traditions of national architecture.

Thus, in St. Petersburg, Starov created the Tauride Palace, praised by poets, in Moscow, Bazhenov developed a project for the grandiose Kremlin Palace and built the famous Pashkov House, Kazakov in the same city erected the majestic Senate building and the unrivaled university building, as well as many other beautiful public and private houses. At the same time, he did not receive foreign education, did not study at the Academy, but was brought up in the Moscow environment under the influence of its cultural and artistic traditions. The architect had almost no contact with the architectural life of St. Petersburg, remaining aloof from the enormous construction activity of the fast-growing capital.

In addition, he left a great graphic legacy: he depicted the best examples of classical architecture of Moscow, which was almost completely destroyed in the fire of 1812. Now the name of Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov defines an entire era in Moscow architecture. Thanks to Kazakov ancient capital turned from a “big village,” as the residents of St. Petersburg called it, into a city with beautiful architecture. Although the architect’s activities far exceeded the borders of his native city, his creations are often called “Cossack Moscow” - a holistic and significant concept that reveals the features of the art of Russian classicism of the late 18th century.

Carier start

Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov was born on October 28, 1738. His father, Fyodor Kazakov, a descendant of serfs, was a minor employee of the old Moscow Commissariat. A poor family lived in Sadovniki near the Kremlin, in the area of ​​Borovitsky Bridge. The boy received his initial knowledge of literacy from the sexton of the neighboring Kosmodemyansk church. He lost his father early.

The petition submitted by Kazakov’s mother to assign her son to the service was followed by a Senate decree: “To teach the architecture of the Main Commissariat of the deceased sub-chancellor Kazakov’s son Matvey ... to determine with the award of a salary against junior students of a ruble per month.” The boy was helped by M. M. Izmailov, who was then the head of the Commissariat.

He drew attention to a teenager walking through the scaffolding of construction sites and constantly drawing. So in 1751, at the age of 13, Kazakov entered the famous first architectural school of Prince D.V. Ukhtomsky, opened two years earlier. Particular attention was paid to drawing and sketching, introduction to practical work. Training took place according to the famous treatises of Vitruvius, Palladio, Vignola, and the works of the 18th century French theorist Blondel.

In addition to the theory of architecture, these books contained excellent engravings famous buildings classical antiquity, works of the great architects of Italy and France of the 16th-18th centuries. At the same time, the students were persistently instilled with a love of ancient Russian architecture.

Kazakov’s youth was spent in persistent comprehension of theory in close connection with practice, which consisted of careful measurements of antiquities, restoration of dilapidated Kremlin buildings, drawing up drawings and estimates, and work on construction sites for teachers. This turned out to be his main school. From here characteristic feature Kazakov’s entire work is a synthesis of the foundations of the classics and traditions of ancient Russian architecture.

He soon became a junior assistant to Ukhtomsky, who during these years built the Kuznetsky Bridge across the Neglinnaya River, completed the Arsenal in the Kremlin, the “spare palace” at the Red Gate, reconstructed the building of the Main Pharmacy and adapted the buildings of former government offices for the newly opened Moscow University.

Subsequently, all theoretical principles and practical exercises were immortalized by the already established master Kazakov in the “new” classical style. In 1760, Ukhtomsky resigned. The school was headed by P.R. Nikitin, who had previously been his assistant. In his place, he nominated young Kazakov, who in the same year left school and received the rank of “architectural ensign.”

First independent work

Matvey Fedorovich was appointed to Nikitin’s team, who became the chief architect of Moscow. At this time, Kazakov was building in the city of Yablonevo, while at the same time working in the Moscow Kremlin. In one of the Kremlin churches he completed a design for an iconostasis, which was later transferred to St. Basil's Cathedral. For the first time, Kazakov’s talent manifested itself especially clearly during the restoration of Tver after the fire of 1763, when the city burned almost entirely. That event made a huge impression on the whole country: the need to carry out serious urban planning reforms in many cities became obvious, since crowded buildings, crooked streets and alleys contributed to natural disasters and fires.

A team of architects led by Nikitin was sent to Tver, who included young Kazakov in it (also included: Kvasov, Beletsky, Karin, Selekhov, Egotov, Obukhov). Nikitin in a short time thought out a project for the new Tver, which is deservedly considered one of the best in Russian urban planning of the 18th century. Kazakov was entrusted with detailing and clarifying the general plan, creating plans for facade development.

Here the architect acted as an independent master: he designed the trading office of N.A. Demidov, provision stores, facades of government buildings on the main square, “business” and residential buildings, including standard projects designed for various social strata. Catherine II, who attached great importance to Tver as a large settlement on the route between St. Petersburg and Moscow, instructed Kazakov to build, “without sparing human labor,” on the ruins of a burnt bishop’s house the empress’s traveling palace, the main building in the city.

The restoration of Tver in two and a half years, a short period at that time, immediately promoted Kazakov to the ranks of the country. He also attracted attention as a talented craftsman who knew how to build in a “new taste.” Therefore, it was to him that P.F. Nashchokin commissioned the design of a church in his Rai-Semenovskoye estate near Moscow.

Kazakov coped well with his first serious private task. And when I. I. Betsky had the idea of ​​setting up an Orphanage in Moscow, Matvey Fedorovich was invited to carry out the projects for the “facade part”. He drew up a plan for the facade and the entire huge site with a picturesque design of squares, green spaces, embankments and beautiful descents to the Moscow River.

Cooperation with Bazhenov

Of great importance for Kazakov’s creative growth was his collaboration with V.I. Bazhenov, who in 1768 invited him, as his closest assistant, to the “Expedition to build the Kremlin Palace.” Fate united the efforts and talents of two remarkable Russian architects for seven years for the construction of “the most glorious building in the world” - the Grand Kremlin Palace.

This work became the highest architectural school for Kazakov. Bazhenov studied in the largest art centers in Europe: Paris, Rome, Florence; behind him was the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. His broad architectural erudition and extraordinary creative scope complemented and polished Kazakov’s talent. In the works of Matvey Fedorovich, techniques are found that are similar to those of his boss: in the compositions of plans and volumes, in the architecture of facades.

Bazhenov’s grandiose plan was not fully realized: the construction of the palace, which began in 1773, was canceled in 1775 due to the excessive costs involved and the collapse of the Kremlin cathedrals. In the same 1775, Kazakov was approved as an independent architect, but still, until the mid-80s of the 18th century, his joint work with Bazhenov in the “Expedition” continued.

At this stage, they developed, in the forms of Russian architecture, a design project for the Khodynka field, where festivities were planned to mark the end of the Russian-Turkish War (1768-1774) with the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty. In a series of etchings, Kazakov captured “Khodynka pleasure buildings.” He worked a lot on drawing up designs for individual halls and their construction. Catherine II, noting her satisfaction with the work of the architect, entrusted Kazakov with the design of a new one, located opposite the Khodynka pavilions.

Direction “Russian Gothic”

Having built this ensemble, Matvey Fedorovich stood on a par with the largest representatives of the pseudo-Gothic movement: Russian, or false Gothic, to the forms of which he repeatedly returned in his creative activity. This is how the extensive activity of Kazakov unfolded, who by that time had grown into a fully mature architect. From then on, his enormous success did not leave him until his death. In the 1770s, Kazakov showed high skill in his first large buildings in Moscow.

While independently continuing the reconstruction of the Moscow Kremlin, he also erected the Senate building in 1776-1787 - one of his most significant creations, in which the principles of Russian architecture of the second half of the 18th century were already clearly outlined. At the same time, Kazakov was building the Petrovskoye-Alabino estate (1775-1785) on the Demidov estate near Moscow. The peculiarity of the ensemble was its unusual composition.

Senate building

In the center of the square front yard is the main building, which has a square plan with cut corners, making the volume of the building seem triangular. According to Kazakov's design, in 1776 a city estate was built for Prince S.V. Gagarin at the Petrovsky Gate; its style of early Moscow classicism, tectonics, and light decorative design were perfect. A distinctive feature of Kazakov’s creativity is its versatility.

With equal perfection, he built monumental government buildings, palaces of original architecture, and large estates. He came up with the idea of ​​a classical form of expressing temple buildings - a rotunda church, which he used during the construction of the Baryshnikov mausoleum in Nikolskoye-Pogorely (1774-1802), in Moscow - during the creation of the churches of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow (1777-1788), the Ascension on Gorokhovoy field (1788-1793), Saints Cosmas and Damian on Maroseyka (1791-1793) and others.

In the late 1770s - 1780s, large-scale palace and estate construction was carried out, especially private, or, as they were called, “particular” houses in Moscow.

Architecture of Russian classicism

From the point of view of city formation, the government and private buildings built at that time by Kazakov were of great importance and were among the highest achievements of Russian classicism. In 1782, Matvey Fedorovich began the construction of the Moscow University building, which was carried out in three stages for more than ten years.

The architect abandoned complicated elements and an abundance of sculpture, achieving simplicity and majesty of the structure. As a result, the university building organically entered into the ensemble of the center of Moscow, and its appearance resembled a large urban estate. In 1786, Kazakov led the “Kremlin Expedition”, which led the main state construction works in Moscow. In fact, he became the chief architect of the city.

At this time, his talent was most fully revealed. The architect continuously received orders for the construction of private palaces and houses, and also carried out government commissions for design in Moscow and other cities. Russian Empire(Ekaterinoslav, Istra, Kolomna and others). In those years, the old capital was experiencing a real “construction fever.”

Urban planning and architectural developments of Kazakov

Represents the arrangement of central squares and streets of Moscow. The houses he erected determined the appearance of Ilyinka, the only Moscow street in the 18th century on which the buildings stood as a “solid façade” maintaining a uniform height. Among them is the house of merchants Kalinin and Pavlov (not preserved), built in the late 1780s on the site of the dismantled old Ambassadorial Courtyard. It is famous for the fact that it was one of the first buildings in Moscow that combined residential and commercial functions and met the practical requirements of the time, that is, it was something like a residential Gostiny Dvor.

And the public-residential purpose of the building was new. This house occupied a considerable part of the street and faced it, thus creating a front entrance to the new square planned on Ilyinka. In accordance with its place and social significance, it was made in solemn monumental forms, and its leading place in the ensemble being created, “strong” was emphasized. The block next to it was occupied by Khryashchev’s house (not preserved), which had rounded corners and a gallery that ran around it; it was similar in height to the neighboring Kalinin house, but was made in different architectural forms.

Viewed mainly from the street, and not from the square, it had no major plastic changes. It was dominated by horizontal divisions, emphasized by the strongly extended and enriched cornice that completed the second floor. The most complete architectural character at that time was Tverskaya Street in the section between Okhotny Ryad and Tverskoy Boulevard.

This was the main street of the city, almost entirely occupied by the palaces of the nobility. In 1773, during a fire, the wooden houses on it burned out, and almost all the stone ones were damaged, which provided the opportunity to build up Tverskaya in a relatively unified architectural appearance. For twenty years, Kazakov erected and reconstructed almost all the most significant buildings on this site and developed a design for the layout and architectural design of Tverskaya Square.

manifested themselves here distinctive features creativity of Kazakov, who strove to maximize regularity and give balance to the sides of the street. This was especially clearly demonstrated by the buildings located on the red line, the order of architecture, and approximately the same number of storeys and heights of the buildings. Kazakov built and added buildings to the Governor General's House (now the Moscow City Hall) on Tverskaya Square in 1782. There was already a project for it and even the ground floor was laid out.

This is the only case when an architect built a building according to someone else's plan. But the entrance from the street, the interiors and the main staircase were planned by him personally. In the early 1790s, simultaneously with the completion of the construction of the university building on Mokhovaya Street, the architect also completed the University Noble Guest House on Tverskaya (a noble institute with a boarding house), decorating it with a strict Tuscan portico.

Palace houses

Kazakov’s role was also great in the creation of a new classical type of urban residential building at the end of the 18th century - a palace that extended onto the red line of the street, and wings and services were located on the sides of the house or moved behind it. Of the residential buildings erected by Kazakov in Moscow, the Golitsyn house on Lubyanka, the Prozorovsky and Kozitskaya houses on Tverskaya, the Demidov houses on Gorokhovsky Lane and the Gubin houses on Petrovka were distinguished by their common compositional scheme. Characteristic of them were the compactness of the plan and volume, as well as the proportional ratios of length, height and width (approaching the ratio of two squares and their diagonals, or three squares).

However, while the basic structures are common, their architecture is diverse in artistic techniques. Matvey Fedorovich also built estates according to the traditional scheme of Russian noble estates - with a cour d'honeur, which was often determined by the lifestyle of the customers. Kazakov was the first in Moscow to build large apartment buildings, as well as relatively small comfortable residential mansions, which were just beginning to appear in the city. These buildings are masterful examples of the unity of functional, constructive and aesthetic principles of architecture.

In them, Kazakov boldly used new techniques, introducing the achievements of science and technology of his time into architecture. The deep meaningfulness of architecture from the point of view of its vital and social purpose, the great efficiency, expediency and wit of planning and constructive techniques, the artistic perfection of the whole and every detail distinguished Kazakov’s buildings.

When designing residential buildings, Matvey Fedorovich strove for greater expressiveness architectural elements and, following the peculiarities of the development of the style, he moved away from fragmentation, more revealing the tectonics of the wall. At the end of the 1780s, a system of three-part construction of the façade with a portico of a large order in the center and a small order framed by windows or balcony doors of the side projections developed, which became characteristic of his work.

This technique achieved the expressiveness of Baryshnikov’s house on Myasnitskaya Street. The architect also paid a lot of attention to the design of interiors, the monumentality of which in most cases was emphasized by the simple volumes of the halls, covered with domes or mirrored vaults.

Columns, pilasters, and cornices were used in their decorative treatment. The architectural decoration of the walls was complemented by paintings. The surviving interiors of the “Golden Rooms” in the Demidov House, the Senate building, and the Hall of Columns of the House of the Noble Assembly allow us to judge Kazakov as an amazing master of interior decorative decoration. In one of the last and most significant works of Kazakov - the Golitsyn and Pavlovsk hospitals - the progressive features of Russian architecture of the second half of the 18th century were summarized. By the beginning of the 1800s, the architectural forms of Kazakov’s buildings became even more laconic, and techniques that were further developed in the architecture of the first quarter of the 19th century began to be traced in his work.

Architect-teacher

It should be noted that Matvey Fedorovich had great teaching talent, having organized new system training. His house in Zlatoustovsky Lane was not just the home of the Kazakov family: it was here, under the leadership of the master, that an architectural school operated for many years, from which Egotov, Bakarev, Bove, Karin, Mironovsky, Tamansky, Selekhov, Rodion Kazakov, the Polivanov brothers and others emerged. All three sons of the architect - Vasily, Matvey and Pavel - became his assistants and, guided by their father, carried out their projects.

Continuous continuity connects the “Cossack school” with the current Moscow Architectural Institute. In 1799, the Academy of Arts, at the suggestion of its vice-president Bazhenov, issued a decree on the publication of books “Russian Architecture”, including drawings with plans, facades and sections of buildings and unrealized projects for various purposes, "which, by good taste to their own and architecture, they will deserve it.”

Kazakov took an active part in the preparation of the unrealized edition of the drawings, compiling albums of “official” (10) and “private” (6) buildings in Moscow. The first album contains drawings of 19 buildings by Kazakov, of which only five have survived to this day in their original form: the Dolgorukov house (later the building of the Noble Assembly), the Gubin house on Petrovka, the Baryshnikov house on Myasnitskaya street, the Demidov house on Gorokhovsky Lane, the Gagarin house in Armenian Lane. At the same time, Kazakov was performing difficult work on drawing up a “facade”, that is, an axonometric plan of Moscow and filming a general plan of the city showing all its buildings.

They were carried out not to record the architecture of the city, but also to indicate the “situation” for its further development. One of the features of the “facade” plan was the illustration of atlas tables with large-scale views of the city’s architectural ensembles. From Kazakov's drawings one can judge the original appearance of the few buildings that have reached us, which were destroyed by the fire of 1812. When the French army approached Moscow in 1812, Kazakov’s family took the sick architect to Ryazan. Here he learned about the fire in the old capital and that almost everything he had created throughout his life had turned to ashes. He did not survive this shock, and on November 7, 1812, the great builder of Moscow died. Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov was buried in the Trinity Monastery on the outskirts of the city.

IN creative biography Kazakov’s attention is drawn to the extraordinary diversity of the master’s practical activities. Full list The work of this architect takes up many dozens of pages. For his time, he was a leading architect and major urban planner, who created a number of remarkable ensembles of Moscow at the end of the 18th century and largely determined new ways of developing the architectural appearance of the city.

Unlike the architects of St. Petersburg, who built the city essentially from scratch, the master was able to successfully integrate works of the “new” style into the ancient quarters of Moscow. IN best works Kazakova, Russian classicism appears as deeply independent architectural style, as a Russian phenomenon artistic culture, bursting with a deep and powerful stream into the general channel of world architecture.

The architecture of Russia in the 18th century is associated with the emergence of the era of classicism, which is characterized by laconicism, simplicity, adherence to traditions and lightness. The previous Baroque style, the main manifestations of which were exclusivity and splendor, required enormous costs. Therefore, it was necessary to change the direction of architecture to a more budget-friendly and democratic one.

Background

At the beginning of the 18th century, the culture of the Russian Empire continued to reach the European level. It became possible to invite foreign masters to Russia and travel outside the country to Germany, England, and Italy.

The creation of a new direction in architecture was necessary in order to emphasize the individuality of the country and its greatness. The best architects took up the task of rebuilding cities. In Moscow, one of the architects was Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov.

Biography of the architect

M. F. Kazakov was born in 1738 in Moscow. The architect's father was a serf who, by great chance, was sent to work in a branch of the Admiralty. This circumstance allowed the family to live in the center of Moscow and escape from peasant bondage.

The father of the future architect died when the boy was only eleven years old. After this, his mother decided to send Matvey to an architecture school. Nine years of study were not in vain for the boy - by the age of twenty he had good and rich experience, because most of his study time was spent repairing outdated Kremlin buildings.

Since 1768, the architect Kazakov began working with the great Russian master - Vasily Bazhenov. For more than seven years they worked together on the Kremlin Palace project. As a result of misunderstanding, the project failed, but the invaluable experience was preserved for many years.

The first independent work was the construction of the Prechistensky Palace. After the project was approved by the Empress, architect Kazakov received a heap of proposals. The architect was awarded the title of city architect, and he began working on the Travel Palace in St. Petersburg. At the same time, Matvey Fedorovich began designing the Senate building. It was the Senate building in the Moscow Kremlin that became the first monument of classicism.

The architect's favorite form of construction is the rotunda - a cylindrical building topped with a dome. A characteristic technique of the master is the bright contrast in the strict façade of the building and the lush, rich decoration of the halls inside.

Then the architect Kazakov was designing the Prechistensky Palace, which after the invasion of Napoleon's troops burned and was rebuilt. At the end of the 18th century, the architect Kazakov erected the building of the Golitsyn Hospital in Moscow.

Matvey's main project is his participation in 1782 in the construction of the first building of Moscow University, which was built over thirty years and rebuilt many times. In every district of the Russian capital there is at least one estate built under the leadership of Kazakov.

In connection with the events taking place in the country at the beginning of the 19th century, his relatives took him away from Moscow. The news of the fire dealt a severe blow to the architect. The thought of the masterpieces he created being destroyed forever was very disappointing to him. In October 1812, the great architect of Russia died in Ryazan.

Projects of an outstanding master

Many monuments were damaged during the fire of 1812 and were reconstructed. Among them:

• Prechistensky Cathedral in Moscow.
• Church of Metropolitan Phillip.
• Old building of Moscow State University.
• Noble meeting.
• Temple of the Ascension.
• Pavlovsk and Golitsyn hospitals.
• Estate houses of Gubin, Demidov and Baryshnikov.

Senate Palace

Construction of the Senate building in the Moscow Kremlin began by decree of Empress Catherine in 1776.

The palace is a triangle with a small courtyard inside, which is divided into three parts. Corridors were built along the perimeter of the courtyard, connecting all parts of the room to each other. The corners of the building are cut off and decorated with neat balconies. The palace consists of three floors standing on a high, wide base. The first floor is faced with rusticated stone, the second and third are separated by pilasters. The arch opening the entrance to the inner part of the courtyard rests on stable columns decorated with a four-wheeled marble portico.

At the top isosceles triangle The Catherine Hall with a huge dome is located. Its diameter is 24 m. There is a legend that claims that to prove the strength of such a wide round dome, the architect Kazakov had to climb to the top and stand and dance for more than thirty minutes. Inside, the hall is decorated with plaster and bas-relief portraits of the great Russian princes and rulers, sculptural panels on allegorical scenes from the life of Empress Catherine. The height of the hall to the top of the dome is about 30 m. The dome was decorated with a zinc sculpture of St. George the Victorious, which was destroyed by Napoleonic troops.

Construction of the palace lasted until 1787. Initially it was assumed that the building would be the seat of the Senate - Supreme body authorities of the Russian Empire. During the reign of V.I. Lenin, his office was located here. Currently, the palace is the working residence of V.V. Putin.

Construction of the Prechistensky Palace

It began in 1774 on the occasion of Catherine II’s arrival in Moscow to celebrate the victory over Turkey. The Empress did not like to settle in the Kremlin, considering it unsuitable for life. Having received the news in the fall that Catherine would visit Moscow with her entire retinue, Prince Golitsyn created a fuss. Architect Matvey Kazakov was commissioned to transform the house for his dear guest.

The Golitsyn house on the corner of Volkhonka was taken as the basis for Catherine’s chambers; they decided to add the houses of the Lopukhins and the Dolgoruky princes to it. Combining three buildings into one is not an easy task. Unfortunately, the cunning plan failed - the empress was dissatisfied with the construction. The cold, cramped rooms, the round-the-clock smell from the stables, and the long corridors did not delight anyone. Catherine lived in the palace for about five months.

In 1860, the Golitsyn Museum was located here, and later it was opened Folk Museum culture of the city of Moscow. The Prechistensky Palace is currently located at Znamensky Lane, building 1/14.

Temple of Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow

In 1777, Matvey Fedorovich began an extensive reconstruction of the stone building. Construction lasted for ten years. Currently the temple is located at st. Gilyarovskogo, house 35.

After the 1917 revolution, the church had to be closed; services resumed only in the early 1990s. Fortunately, appearance The church was not damaged and is currently a unique example of classicism in architecture.

University on Mokhovaya in Moscow

This is the old building of Moscow State University. It was built by decree of Empress Catherine II. The design was undertaken by the architect Kazakov in 1782; construction lasted until 1793.

The architecture of the building fits perfectly into the picture of the center of Moscow in the 18th century. Matvey Fedorovich achieved both majesty and simplicity, recreating the project in the style of classicism. Columns with porticoes were erected, huge halls with high domes were created, and rustic cladding was used.

Unfortunately, the body of the building has not retained its original appearance. Over the almost 250 years of its existence, the building was rebuilt many times. Currently, students are also studying there.

Noble Assembly

Built by order of Prince Dolgoruky in 1787 in the very center of Moscow.

A two-story building, decorated with a portico with columns resting on a plinth and connected by an elegant arch. The main attraction of the project is the Hall of Columns. Unfortunately, in 1812, the building of the Noble Assembly suffered the same fate as many buildings in the capital - it also burned. There were some restorations. The last one was carried out at the beginning of the 20th century: a third floor was added, however Big hall remained untouched. The building has remained in this form to this day.

Architect Kazakov paid special attention to interior decoration: large crystal chandeliers, monumental columns along snow-white walls. At first, the walls and ceiling were decorated with canvases famous artists, but after the fire they were not restored.

The noble assembly served not only as a meeting place for princes and court officials. Balls were also held here, which at one time attracted Pushkin, Lermontov, and Yusupov.

Temple of the Ascension

Built at the beginning of the 17th century, and in 1793 reconstructed by Matvey Fedorovich. It is one of the monuments of Russian early classicism. A voluminous round hall surrounded by columns, a wide overhanging dome with a spire - everything that is characteristic of the works of the architect Kazakov.

In the refectory two chapels are consecrated: St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and in the name of Moses the Seer of God. The latter appeared as a result of using materials from the destroyed Moiseevsky Monastery (located on the site of Manezhnaya Square).

After the revolution, the temple was closed and began work only in the early 1990s.

Golitsyn Hospital

It was opened at the beginning of the 19th century. Built at the expense of Prince Golitsyn by the outstanding Russian architect Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov.

In the 19th century it was included in the list of the best hospitals in Europe. The hospital housed the clinical base of the Moscow Medical University.

The hospital building, like the rest of the creations of the architect Matvey Kazakov, is an outstanding monument of Moscow architecture of the classical era. The portico, organized from six large columns, creates a kind of main entrance to the hospital. The wide dome with a towering belvedere allows you to see the building from afar.

Currently part of the Moscow City Hospital.

Baryshnikov Estate

It was built by Kazakov in 1802. Currently located on Myasnitskaya Street.

The owner of the mansion, Ivan Baryshnikov, was a great connoisseur of architecture and art. There was large collection paintings by famous artists. The merchant devoted time to self-education, on his initiative they built educational establishments in Russian cities. The house miraculously survived the fire, but was looted.

The estate was built by the architect Kazakov in the shape of the letter P, which allowed the owners to consider their house a real palace. The forward portico, which was widely used in the Classical era, visually increases the area of ​​the courtyard. Columns standing on a high plinth add solemnity to the façade of the building.

Nowadays the mansion houses the office of the Russian newspaper Argumenty i Fakty.