Between St. Petersburg and Tsarskoye Selo during the time of Catherine II, a leisure complex was built on a long journey. In honor of the 10th anniversary of the victory of the Russian fleet, the names "Chesme Church" and "Chesme Palace" appeared, which recall the military glory of the Russian fleet. The palace went through different times, but always remained an adornment of St. Petersburg.
A place
Despite the fact that the complex was built as a track, today there is the Chesme Palace in St. Petersburg (its address: Gastello Street, 15). And during the time of Catherine the Great, it was an uninhabited, marshland. The territory went to Russia as a result of the Northern War and became tsarist possessions.
This place was called in Finnish Kikerikiksen, which means "frog swamp", which is why the green frog became the symbol of the future palace.
In 1717, a path to the residence in Tsarskoye Selo was laid, and from that began the history of the settlement of the named place. Today, as already mentioned, the Chesme Palace is located within the boundaries of St. Petersburg.
Historical context
In order to comfortably travel to her summer residence in Tsarskoye Selo, Catherine the Great ordered to build a track estate seven miles from the capital. So the Chesme Palace in St. Petersburg was conceived , the history of which was long and interesting.
Initially, it was called a summer residence. But when the construction of the palace was completed, news came of the victory of the Russian fleet in the Battle of Chesme. It should be noted that the victory over Turkey was very important for Russia. Although during this war it was not possible to conquer Constantinople, as dreamed, even the conquest of Kerch and Azov was extremely significant. Now Russian merchant ships could freely pass through the Black Sea, and this promised considerable benefits.
In Russia, it was a tradition to celebrate every major victory in the Turkish war with a monument. So in Tsarskoye Selo appeared the Turkish cascade and pavilion, Crimean and Chesmenskaya columns, and buildings in the Byzantine and Eastern styles were erected on the estates of the nobility. Therefore, it was logical to name the new traveling palace Chesmensky, as well as the church built next to it.
Architect
Catherine the Great is known for her scope and great love for construction. During her reign, the whole country, and Petersburg in particular, received many magnificent buildings and palaces.
The queen found many reasons for the construction of new houses, such as a long move from the capital to Tsarskoye Selo. She did not want to stay in inappropriate places, because she everywhere wanted to feel comfortable. When the empress decided to build a new palace - a “cottage” - she turned to Yuri Matveevich Felten, one of the main architects of the capital.
The architect studied at the Academy of Arts, worked with Rastrelli for several years, after his death he completed the construction of the great architect. Experience and talent made Felten, along with Wallen-Delamot, the leading architect of St. Petersburg. By 1774, on his account there were already such buildings as the Lutheran and Armenian churches of St. Catherine, the Small and Large Hermitage, the Palace Embankment and the famous fence of the Summer Garden.
The Chesme Palace entrusted to the architect was a kind of experiment. Indeed, in the capital it would be unthinkable to build a palace in the Gothic style, but such liberties were allowed outside the city.
History of construction
The Chesme Palace was founded in 1774, and three years later the Empress celebrated a housewarming party. The speed of construction was ensured by the fact that the architect Yu. M. Felten was able to correctly plan the work. And, of course, the construction speed was greatly facilitated by the enormous amount of money spent on the construction that Catherine spent.
The territory under the castle was not allocated the most prosperous, so at the first stage it was necessary to drain the site, a ditch was also dug along the perimeter of the site, so that in the future the swamps would not damage the palace. The feeling of the castle is enhanced by the imitation of the shaft, which was made from the land of the moat.
The palace complex included the main building of two floors with a dome and corner towers, the stone church of the Nativity of John the Baptist and several service buildings. A road led to the palace complex was crowned with two stone gates in the Gothic style.
The architectural features of the palace
The Chesme Palace was conceived in a pseudo-Gothic style, and the architect managed to withstand this plan. The inspiration for the architect was the eastern castles on the banks of the Bosphorus. Oriental elements are gently inscribed in the Gothic style, they are not striking, but are only a subtle hint.
In plan, the main palace building is an equilateral triangle with round towers with loopholes in the corners. Each tower is completed with a lantern with semicircular domes. The external walls of the building protruded above the height of the structure in the form of an original toothed crown. The lower floor of the palace was finished with rust, the upper floor - plastered brickwork. Beautiful lancet windows create the feeling of a medieval castle. The monumental and solid architecture of the Chesme Palace gives the impression of a reliable castle-fortress.
Interior
By the way, the Chesmensky Palace (Petersburg), externally decorated in a false Gothic style, inside does not have the slightest hint of Gothic. The interiors are designed in the style of early classicism beloved by Catherine.
On the walls one could see panels, medallions, cornices, wreaths and flower garlands, which became the trademark of J. M. Felten. The main volume of the house’s triangle is occupied by the Main Hall; it is decorated with a gallery of sculptures by F. Shubin depicting the great princes and tsars of Russia.
According to Felten's designs, all the halls and chambers of the palace were decorated, he took a long time to select furniture and textiles that would adequately adorn the interiors of the palace. Especially for her new residence, Catherine ordered a service from 952 items at the Wedgwood English Porcelain Factory, each of which showed a frog - a symbol of the Chesme Palace. Today this service is a decoration of the Hermitage collection.
The story is tough with the beautiful interior of the palace. Little is preserved in it - portraits and sculptures were transferred to museums, furniture was gradually lost. But in 2005 the main hall of the residence was restored, now it is called Georgievsky.
Palace and Catherine the Great
The Chesme Palace in St. Petersburg became one of the Empress's favorite places. She visited him very often, and with her festivals and festivities were held here.
And in 1792, Catherine handed over the palace to the Capitul of the Order of St. George. Since then, here, in a round hall on the second floor, meetings of gentlemen of this Order began to be held, which the empress was often present at. Immediately housed their office, archive and treasury.
After the death of Catherine the Great, the palace, unfortunately, was left in desolation.
Years of Desolation
Paul, who came to power, categorically did not want to use the palace. Under Alexander the Second, the palace was also empty; only twice did the girls from the Catherine Institute rest in it.
Under Nicholas the First, the palace church was used to prepare for the burial of the great princes. The corpse of the brother of Tsar Alexander spent the night here, here he was transferred to a luxurious coffin, and from there he was taken to a funeral. The same story happened with the body of Elizabeth Alekseevna.
Almshouse
Emperor Paul did not like everything that reminded him of his mother, so he did not visit the Chesme Palace, but preferred to spend time in Gatchina. He even wanted to give the palace to an almshouse, but the project was not implemented. The commission found it impossible to organize it, explaining the failure by water shortages.
This idea was remembered by Nicholas I, who in 1830 issued a decree on the creation in the Chesme Palace of a military almshouse for the disabled and veterans of the Patriotic War of 1812. Thus ended the palace story of construction.
For convenience and increasing the area in the palace, significant restructuring was carried out. Architect A. Staubert received an order to remake the palace into a hotel for the disabled. He completes three identical two-story buildings, connecting them with new passages through the corner towers. Toothed parapets were removed from the towers themselves and replaced with domes. Brick gates were replaced with new, cast-iron.
A winter church was consecrated on the 2nd floor. Instead of a forest and meadows in front of the building, a regular park is set up for walking residents. Four years later, the almshouse was ready; 400 guests were able to accommodate it. Some time later, 2 more floors were added over each outbuilding. Gradually, additional buildings were erected and a cemetery was built. Thus ended the fate of the architectural complex - the most beautiful, romantic estate of Catherine’s times.
Soviet period
In 1919, the Chesme Palace was waiting for new tests. The almshouse was closed and a camp was created on the estate for prisoners and enemies of the new government. The Chesme church was ransacked, the cross was removed from it, the mites and hammer being put in its place, as symbols of the new era.
In 1930, the building of the former Chesmensky Palace was transferred to the Road Institute. For the needs of the educational institution, the wings were again added. And during World War II, the church and the palace were badly damaged by bombing. After the war, the complex was given to the Leningrad Institute of Aviation Instrumentation.
In 1946, the palace was renovated, though not particularly caring about maintaining the original appearance. These works were led by architect A. Koryagin.
Today
The Chesme Palace, whose photo only remotely resembles the original plan of the architect, today still belongs to the University of Aerospace Instrumentation.
The estate park is open for public access. And in 1994, when the Chesme Church was returned to the Orthodox Church, restoration of the interiors and the appearance of the church began. Today, outwardly, it will almost completely coincide with the construction of the 18th century.
At the beginning of the 21st century, it was decided to restore the main hall of the estate, and in 2005 it was inaugurated. The university library is located in the hall and various ceremonial events are held. Unfortunately, today only certain parts of the main building allow you to see Felten’s unusual plan.