In the Tver district of Moscow is a park called the Alexander Garden. The Italian grotto located in it, also called "Ruins", was created at the beginning of the 19th century. This architectural structure is decorative and decorates the park. About the grotto in the Alexander Garden, the history of its creation and features in detail in this article.
A few words about the creation
The history of the grotto in the Alexander Garden (Moscow), located next to the Arsenal Kremlin Tower, began at the dawn of the 19th century. In the period from 1820 to 1823, work was carried out to improve the memorial park near the Moscow Kremlin. In 1821, a grotto was created in the Alexander Garden near the Middle Arsenal Tower. As mentioned earlier, it was called “Italian” or “Ruins”. It is an interesting fact that the grotto received the second of the indicated names due to the fact that during its construction the remains of buildings destroyed in 1812 by Napoleon’s troops were used.
The author of the project was the famous architect of the time O. I. Bove, who made a huge contribution to the restoration of Moscow after the destruction of the Patriotic War of 1812. It should be noted that he was the creator of many buildings built in the style of classicism in St. Petersburg, some of which have survived to the present.
Description
Grotto in Moscow, in the Alexander Garden, as conceived by O.I. Beauvais became a symbol of the rebirth of the ruined city. That is why the remains of Moscow buildings were used during its construction. In order to build the grotto itself, an artificial hill was created (a bollard, a bastion), into which a grotto was “embedded”. It is an interesting fact that the bollard was created a century before, when preparations were made for the defense of the Kremlin during the Northern War. Then it was expected that the Swedish army would attack Moscow, but this did not happen. The bastion remained and a century later served as the basis for creating an architectural composition.
Artificial structures, such as a bollards or a cave, were a fairly common decorative element in decorating gardens and parks in the 19th century. The grotto in the Alexander Garden, in addition to being a memorial, also served as a wonderful decoration of the park.
According to historians, based on documents, in the 19th century a special indoor pavilion was built above it. On holidays, an orchestra was located here and played various musical works, entertaining holidaymakers.
Architecture and Design
The grotto in the Alexander Garden is an artificially created cave, the entrance to which is crowned with a stone arch. Four white columns with a Doric order were erected near the entrance. On the architrave (a panel horizontally located above the columns) there are bas-reliefs with various symbols of military military glory, as well as images of mythological creatures, for example, hippocampuses (horses with fish tails).
The construction has a semicircular arched shape and is made of black granite and red brick. For the design of the grotto, fragments from the pedestals of the destroyed monuments and decorative structures were used. Above the cave itself there are two special stages, on which the figures of lions are installed.
Visually, the silhouette of the structure, as it were, breaks the line of the Kremlin wall, while maintaining architectural harmony. According to scientists, the grotto stylized as antique antiquity symbolizes the image of the transience of time. However, giving the unusual beauty of the whole composition.
It is an interesting fact that during events held during the coronation of the monarchs, the grotto in the Alexander Garden was decorated in the same way as the walls with the towers of the Moscow Kremlin. For example, during the coronation of Alexander III, he was specially illuminated with the help of sparklers and other illuminations. A fountain also worked near the building, which was not only beautiful, but also gave coolness during the summer heat.
Single ensemble
In 2004, the restoration of the grotto. According to official sources, the repair was caused by the extremely poor condition of the structure. During the work, archaeologists investigated the backfill of the supporting structures of the grotto, as well as the area separating it from the Kremlin wall.
Human remains, ceramics and other artifacts were discovered. The finds belong to different periods - from the 13th to the 18th century. Currently, all this is transferred to the Museum of the Moscow Kremlin.
Today, everyone can see the grotto in the Alexander Garden and admire its outstanding architecture. However, despite the fact that it was created in a different style than the Kremlin walls, together they form a magnificent ensemble.