Tsaritsyn Pavilion

The Tsaritsyn Pavilion was built in 1842-1844 for Empress Alexandra Fedorovna , wife of Emperor Nicholas I , in a fashionable “Pompeian” style. The pavilion reproduced the appearance of ancient Roman houses found near Naples during excavations of the ancient city of Pompeii buried under a layer of volcanic ash.

The pavilion is located on Tsaritsyno Island, in the middle of Holguin Pond and is surrounded by a garden surrounded by flowers with fountains, statues and marble benches. Here, on a secluded island, the architect A.I. Shtakenschneider and gardener P.I. Erler tried to create a model of "paradise", an ideal world of romantic dreams, similar to the fabulous worlds of the islands of the southern seas that travelers described in their fascinating books. This is exactly what Alexandra Fedorovna dreamed about, long wanted to visit Italy.

On the plan of the pavilion are indicated: 1. Atrium; 2. Exedra (room with three niches); 3. Living room; 4. Dining room; 5. The cabinet of the empress; 6. The pantry; 7. An external staircase to the 2nd floor (to the emperor’s office); 8. Internal garden; 9. Terrace.

Atrium

The main entrance to the pavilion is located from the south, from the side of the kindergarten with the Narcissus fountain (c. K. M. Klimchenko ) and is decorated with a small loggia with marble columns. Entering the pavilion, visitors enter the atrium (1). For the ancient Romans, this was the main part of the house - a hall closed on all sides with an opening in the center of the ceiling through which daylight entered. Due to the lack of windows, the house was cool in hot weather. And during the rain, water was collected in the impulsion pool in the center of the atrium.

The atrium in the Tsaritsyno pavilion also has such a device. In the middle of it is a square pool of blue and pink marble with a vase fountain. At the corners of the pool, four columns of “blue” marble support the roof, but instead of an open opening, A. Shtakenschneider had to provide for a glass dome, which closed in cold weather and opened in hot weather. The figures of fantastic monsters attached in the corners of the opening served as drains.

The walls of the atrium are decorated with a picturesque frieze depicting sea deities ( newts and Nereids ) and Arabesque rods in imitation of Pompeii frescoes . The painting was carried out by the German artist I. Drollinger based on drawings by A. I. Shtakenschneider . The doors are painted in the color of patinated bronze . Pompeii-style banquets, originally made in the workshop of the famous furniture maker Gams , are finished with blue fabric. On the parapet of the pool are bronze sculptures - small copies from antique originals of the work of European masters of the 19th century ( Apollo Belvedere , Discobolus , Amur and Psyche , Venus Meditsitskaya , Amur , Mars , etc.). Most of these sculptures were brought by Nicholas I from his trip to Italy in 1845.

A Room with Three Niches

Various rooms adjoined the atrium of the Pompeian house from all sides, receiving light from it and communicating with it not with doors, but with open passages and arches. In the Tsaritsyno pavilion to the right of the atrium there is a room with three niches (2), corresponding to the ancient exedra (relaxation room).

The walls of the exedra are painted with soft colors. Semicircular blue sofas are installed in the niches, repeating the bending of the wall in shape, and round tables created in Russia in the first half of the 19th century. French craftsmen made floor lamps standing in exed, made in imitation of Pompeii bronze. In addition to the floor lamps, the room was illuminated by an oil lamp-chandelier, precisely reproducing the lamp found in Pompeii . On a separate pedestal is a marble sculpture "Psyche" , made in 1846 by the Italian master Cincinnato Baruzzi. On the hand of Psyche is a bronze gilded butterfly.

Living Room

From exedra through the atrium you can go to the largest hall of Tsaritsyn Pavilion - oikos or living room (3). The central opening connecting the atrium with the living room is decorated with two columns of black and white “antique” (“archaeological”) marble and a statue of a reclining woman (sk. F. Lamotte. France. XIX century). The prospect, opening from the living room to the atrium, is one of the most beautiful in the pavilion. The white marble Psyche immersed in the shadow of exedra looks especially impressive.

Two cannulated columns of blue marble divide the living room into two unequal parts. The coffered ceiling is painted with arabesque frames. The walls of the living room are decorated with bright red panels with small dark medallions, which depict griffins - winged fantastic creatures with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle, ancient symbols of power. The mosaic floor and the fireplace of black marble are made by masters of the Peterhof lapidary factory . On the fireplace there is a marble bust of the Roman woman (II – IV centuries AD) and two marble vases.

In the center of the room, in front of the double-sided sofa, are two round mosaic tables. A small collection of objects is displayed in a window display near the window, showing various types of mosaics .

The Etruscan service, made in 1844 at the Imperial Porcelain Factory specifically for the Tsaritsyn Pavilion, is presented in a separate window. It included items for breakfast and afternoon tea, designed for 48 people. All service items are painted like ancient Greek vases: black figures and ornaments on a brown background.

In addition to the Etruscan service, the Coral Service ( Imperial Porcelain Factory , 1846), exhibited in the dining room (4), was specially made for the Tsaritsyn Pavilion. Each of his items is decorated with stylized twigs made in the form of corals .

Dining Room

The walls of the dining room painted in bright blue are painted with arabesques . The central part of the floor is occupied by a genuine Pompeian mosaic of the 1st century AD. e., consisting of geometric and floral ornaments. It was acquired by Nicholas I from the Duke Maximilian Leuchtenberg specifically for the Tsaritsyn Pavilion. The framing of the mosaic, consisting of strips of porphyry and marble of various kinds, was made by the masters of the Peterhof lapidary factory according to the project of A. I. Shtakenschneider .

In the interval between the windows, on the bracket, a marble bust is installed. Console tables with gilded carved tabletops and mosaic worktops are set up on the other wall. Each console has original decorations - models of ancient structures. At the opposite wall there is a fireplace, on the shelf of which a lecithus vessel of the 4th century BC e. and a marble bust of Julia, daughter of Emperor Titus, created by an unknown sculptor in the 1st century AD e.

Before returning to the living room, you should pay attention to the beautiful view that opens from the dining room through a glass door leading to the terrace. Just behind the door, a small granite staircase descends to the water. The mirror surface of the pond and the picturesque coast create a unique atmosphere and visually increase the space of the room.

Empress Cabinet

On the other side of the living room is the cabinet of Alexandra Fedorovna (5). This is a rather narrow room, ending with a semicircular niche with a cozy sofa trimmed with raspberry cloth and a green cord. The multi-colored coffered arch of the niche is supported by two twisted mosaic columns of the 13th century Byzantine work. Animated by thin frames, the gray-green walls end with a panel of yellow artificial marble at the bottom. The cabinet floor, unlike the previous rooms, is not tiled, but parquet, with a palmette curb.

Near the northern wall - a desk and a mahogany chair of Russian work and a bust of Empress Alexandra Fedorovna from biscuit (unglazed porcelain), made according to the model of the German sculptor Christian Rauch (1824). On the table, in addition to a written “Etruscan” instrument and beautiful lapis lazuli paperweights , the complete works of the beloved writer Alexandra Fedorovna Jean Paul (German novelist Johann Paul Richter) are presented. Since the mid-19th century, a marble fireplace has been decorated with gilt bronze watches made in the St. Petersburg workshop of A. Schreiber in 1846. This clock was ordered for the interior by A.I. Stackenschneider. Here, on a separate table, there is a washing device with a Pompeian-style painting (England, mid-19th century) from the collection of the Pink Pavilion . It was presented to Alexandra Fedorovna by her daughter, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna.

Tower and Inner Garden

From the office, the door opens into a small internal garden (8), fenced off by a high wall. Walking along this courtyard past the marble bench decorated with busts and climbing the external staircase (7), you can get into the small room - the emperor’s office, from which a narrow spiral staircase leads to the top floor of the tower ( to the gazebo ), which offers a beautiful view of the pond and flower garden. Under the office, on the ground floor, there is an office room - a pantry (6).

In the inner kindergarten there are two more fountains - “Eagle and the Snake” (Sk. Marchisini) and a small mascaron fountain. To the left of the kindergarten, in front of the large windows of the living room is a terrace (9), framed by an openwork cast-iron parapet with vases. After restoration, the statue "Sleeping Venus " by the sculptor C. Baruzzi (1847), previously located at the Pink Pavilion, is installed on the terrace.

The imperial family used the Tsaritsyn Pavilion as an entertainment. Alexandra Fedorovna could come here with a retinue from Alexandria to drink tea or see the illumination.

After the revolution , a museum was opened in the pavilion, which lasted until 1933. During the years of repression, the Tsaritsyn Pavilion, like many other Peterhof museums, was closed, and museum collections were mainly transported to the pantries of the Grand Palace . During the war, the Germans set up an observation post in the pavilion. The building suffered from rough handling and leaks, but was not destroyed.

Throughout the second half of the 20th century, the pavilion was empty, but still guarded and regularly aired. Largely due to this, authentic mosaic floors, columns and partially murals have been preserved here. Significantly affected the collection. All the furniture was completely lost (most likely it was completely burnt down in the Grand Palace on the first day of the occupation). Restoration work was carried out with great interruptions and ended only in 2005, when the Tsaritsyn Pavilion reopened to visitors.

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• Izmailov M. Peterhof Pavilions of the 19th Century: A Guide to Tsaritsyn Island.- M.-L., 1931.
• Gushchin V.A. Tsaritsyn island. -SPb., 1997.
• Peterhof. Tsaritsyn and Holguin Islands./ Aut. text T. Burkova.- SPb., 2007.
• Tsaritsyn and Holgin pavilions. Museums of Peterhof / Auth. text of N. Vernov et al. - St. Petersburg, 2008.

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  Tsaritsyn Pavilion and Peterhof Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul

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  South facade of Tsaritsyn Pavilion

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  Western facade of the Tsaritsyn Pavilion

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  Northern facade of Tsaritsyn Pavilion

• Tsaritsyn Pavilion
• Panorama of the pavilion on the Yandex.Panorama service
• Colonist Park
• Islands on the Olga Pond
• Tsaritsyn island in Peterhof - island of dreams
• The objects of the palace and park ensembles of the suburbs of St. Petersburg