Arsenal (Tsarskoye Selo)

Before the construction of the Arsenal, Montbijou (in French - “my jewel”) was located at this place - a hunting pavilion built in the middle of the 18th century by the architect Francesco Rastrelli by order of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna . An intricate baroque building with intricate decoration, zigzag staircases and a high dome crowned with an onion with the figure of the trumpeting “Glory”, towered in the center of the Menagerie , which was set up in Tsarskoye Selo for hunting back in the beginning of the 18th century and in the middle of the century was surrounded by a stone wall with bastions in the corners ^{[ 1]} .

After the construction of the Alexander Palace at the end of the 18th century, the area around it began to undergo changes: the Alexander Park was planned, the White Tower (1821–1826) and Chapelle (1825–1828) arose on the site of the Zverinets bastions ^[1] . The architectural masterpiece of Montbijou, dilapidated by the beginning of the 19th century, underwent a complete overhaul. Baroque quirkiness was replaced by simple strict lines: the author of the project, Adam Menelas, conceived a new park building in the form of an English Gothic castle with elements of Romanesque style .

Having died in August 1831, Menelas did not finish the construction. In 1832, the project passed under the leadership of the architect Alexander Ton , who completed it in 1834.

Inside, the Arsenal was decorated in a Gothic style. In the high windows, complemented by lush wooden platbands, precious stained - glass windows of the 15th – 17th centuries by German and Swiss craftsmen were inserted ^[2] .

The internal space included on the 1st floor - a grand staircase, an entrance hall, a dining room, an office, the empress’s room, a library, a picture and an Albanian room. On the 2nd floor there are three corner rooms (Turkish, Indo-Persian, Indo-Muslim) and in the center of the building is the octagonal Hall of the Knights, in the center of which a round table was installed.

Until 1827, the collection of Nicholas I was stored in the Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg, then it was transported to Tsarskoye Selo and for several years was in the front dining room of the Alexander Palace - a large two- room hall that closed the enfilade (in 1843, the architect Karl Rossi made an overlap between 1st and 2nd floors to create maid of honor ). In 1834, after the construction of the building intended for it was completed, the collection was moved to the Arsenal.

The exhibits were located on the 1st and 2nd floors in the central halls and in the side rooms. In the hallway, creating the illusion of a guard, there were mannequins in armor. In the Albanian room, an oriental collection was presented, which included the works of Japanese, Chinese, Persian and Turkish masters, in the office were Spanish, Italian and German swords, and firearms were in the next room. On the second floor in the central Hall of the Knights were exposed knightly armor : mannequins intended for their demonstration were mounted on "stuffed horses", equipped for battle and mounted on high pedestals.

The collection, which totaled more than five thousand items, was repeatedly replenished with products of famous masters and the best European weapons workshops. However, in 1885, the grandson of Nicholas I, Emperor Alexander III decided to transfer the meeting to the Imperial Hermitage (currently several exhibits are exhibited in the Knights' Hall ). Unused porcelain and glassware was left in the Arsenal, as well as a collection of small equestrian models of officers and lower ranks, showing examples of forms of Russian regiments of the times of Nicholas I (sculptor V. Gazenberger). The positions of caretaker and ministers were abolished.

During the Great Patriotic War, the Arsenal was significantly damaged. At the beginning of the XXI century, the building came into disrepair. In 2012, restoration began, the first stage of which included the installation of scaffolding, sewing up door and window openings, strengthening the arch and restoring brickwork ^[3] . In August 2016, the permanent exhibition Tsarskoye Selo Arsenal was opened in the restored pavilion. Imperial weapons collection. " The museum exhibits memorial items of Russian emperors and part of the weapons collection, preserved in the funds of the Tsarskoye Selo Museum-Reserve .

• Mainsail spring