Not in one city of the former Russian Empire was built its own Vorontsov Palace. St. Petersburg is also on this list. In addition, the Vorontsovs erected palaces for themselves in Odessa, Simferopol, Alupka and even Tbilisi. However, this article will focus on an architectural monument, which is located in North Palmyra.
Vorontsov Palace (St. Petersburg): description of the monument
The magnificent and magnificent building in the center of the Northern capital of Russia belonged to Chancellor and diplomat Mikhail Vorontsov. This man, as you know, was very ambitious and demanding. He liked only one of the many architectural projects. And the author of this project was none other than Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli.
The Vorontsov Palace (St. Petersburg) was built for nine years, from 1749 to 1757. Distinctive features of the building: pomp, richly decorated facades and generous decoration. In a word, there are absolutely all the details that usually accompany the architectural style of Baroque.
The cast-iron fence of the palace is no less chic. In addition, the building was surrounded by a huge garden, which reached right up to the Fontanka.
The construction and decoration of the palace flew Vorontsov a pretty penny. He got into debt so much that in 1763 he was forced to give the palace to the Russian treasury. In the near future, the entire complex was transferred to the Order of Malta.
M. I. Vorontsov - customer of the palace
Vorontsov Palace (St. Petersburg) was built by order of Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov. “A corrupt, but ... an honest man, after all,” was how Casimir Valishevsky described him in an unusual way. Catherine the Second, by the way, also did not like Vorontsov. True, he possessed all the qualities that are necessary for a successful diplomat. For this he was appreciated.
M.I. Vorontsov was restrained and extremely cautious in his statements; foreign ambassadors never succeeded in revealing his true intentions. He looked very respectable and ideal for diplomatic work.
Vorontsov Palace (St. Petersburg): opening hours and location
The palace complex is located in the city center at 26 Sadovaya Street. Today, the Suvorov School is located in the main building. However, access to the palace is open around the clock. That is, you can inspect the structure without problems at any time. The nearest metro station is Gostiny Dvor.
An integral part of the palace complex is the Maltese Chapel, which was built in 1800. Today, concerts are periodically arranged in it (a ticket costs 350 rubles). The Malta Chapel can be reached for purely sightseeing purposes. In this case, the entrance will cost 200 rubles.
Interesting facts about the Vorontsov Palace
It should be noted that the building is an object of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation. Finally, a few interesting facts about the Vorontsov Palace in St. Petersburg:
- 50 ceremonial halls are arranged inside the palace;
- this is one of the most luxurious buildings in St. Petersburg, and the Vorontsov Palace, in terms of interior decoration, was not inferior to the tsar's residences initially;
- the building used to be surrounded by a beautiful park with cascades and pools;
- Vorontsov spent all his savings on the construction of the palace and finishing work, so the count simply had no money left for his maintenance;
- for some time the palace bore an exotic name for Russia: "castle of the Maltese knights."
Finally...
Vorontsov Palace (St. Petersburg) is a most valuable monument of baroque architecture in Europe. It was built in the middle of the XVIII century. Today, here you can also enjoy beautiful music at one of the concerts in the Maltese Chapel.