The collection of magnificent architecture of St. Petersburg has many outstanding buildings. Among them stands Mikhailovsky Castle, which has an interesting history shrouded in numerous secrets and legends.
Unusual castle
On the Fontanka embankment rises a majestic and unusual palace. Its silhouette is somewhat reminiscent of gloomy medieval buildings. Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg is the creation of Tsar Paul I, who is considered a very controversial figure in the history of Russia. For historians, the king is still the most mysterious and strange figure among all the rulers of the country.
The history of the palace, like the life of Paul I himself, is shrouded in myths, legends, secrets, the contents of which are more reminiscent of a mystical medieval novel.
Mikhailovsky Castle was laid in 1797. Two famous architects officially worked on the project: this is Vicenzo Brenna and Vasily Bazhenov. However, historians argue that there was a third participant - this is Pavel I. He personally made several sketches. The castle was built as soon as possible. Its construction took only three years. And the palace received its name in honor of the church, which was consecrated on the day of St. Michael.
Choosing a place to build
The place for the construction of the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg was not chosen by chance. In general, the palace is the most prominent representative of the era of Paul the First. Legend has it that the archangel Michael appeared to one of the guards here. It is for this reason that the house church was first named after the saint, and later the new palace.
By the way, the building was not built from scratch. Earlier in the same place was the summer palace, built by Rastrelli himself at the behest of Empress Catherine II. In 1754, in the summer residence, an heir was born - Pavel Petrovich. Catherine II herself soon preferred Tsarskoye Selo to live. The Summer Palace began to deteriorate gradually and was transferred for temporary use to Grigory Orlov, and later to Grigory Potemkin. In 1796, it was decided to break the residence.
One legend says that the guard saw a man appearing out of nowhere at the Summer Palace. The figure was illuminated by radiance. The man ordered to build a palace in honor of the Archangel Michael on the site of the summer residence. They say that the sentry told the story to the emperor, who decided to fulfill the command of the saint. At the behest of Paul the First, the building was supposed to be impregnable and comfortable for the entire imperial family to live. In memory of the appearance of the saint, a monument was erected at the Mikhailovsky Castle in the form of a figure of a soldier in a niche.
A bit of history ...
The history of Mikhailovsky Castle is inextricably linked with the fate of Paul the First, who was not destined to rule for long. The life of the future emperor was filled with mystical events and riddles. According to one version of historians, it was in this castle that his life was cut short. Paul was the heir to Catherine the Great, who bore him from her husband, Peter III. Paul has always had a difficult relationship with his mother. He could not forgive her for killing her father during her ascension to the throne.
Paul received an excellent education and upbringing. He excelled in many sciences. However, he did not take part in the government of the country, since he had completely opposite views on the future of Russia, unlike his mother. Paul was longing for the dream that after the death of his mother he would take her place. And so it happened. After the death of Catherine the Great, Paul ascended the throne at the age of 42. But his rule was short-lived. In total, he reigned a little over four years.
Prediction
Paul the First himself proposed to architects sketches of the future castle. The future ruler wanted to pay particular attention to the safety and inaccessibility of the building. There is a legend that the clairvoyant predicted the emperor is not the best fate. And she told about the future of the whole Romanov family. The prediction greatly shocked Paul, and he decided to protect not only himself, but also his descendants. Therefore, he decided to build an impregnable castle in which the whole family could take refuge. According to Paul, the fortress should not only be guarded by soldiers, but also by higher forces. As a result, in the Mikhailovsky castle in the interiors there are many magical symbols originating in Freemasonry. To get to the palace was possible only on one of the three drawbridges, which were guarded by soldiers. In order to be able to get away from the killers and conspirators, the building was specially equipped with many secret rooms and underground passages.
Castle construction
As we already mentioned, the palace was founded in 1797. The emperor personally laid a stone with a commemorative inscription about the beginning of construction. The entire imperial family attended the ceremony. They say that Paul was in a hurry to build work, knowing about his tragic fate. Perhaps in this way he wanted to get away from the predicted fate. By the end of the year, the building was already ready in draft form, but its grand opening took place in 1800.
Palace Description
Mikhailovsky Castle is a magnificent creation of architects. The palace is very reminiscent of European Renaissance buildings. It was possible to get to the castle only through folding bridges. In fact, the building was cut off from the ground by moats with water. All the facades of the palace were made in different ways, they were decorated with marble statues. But there was one feature that united all the facades - this is the unusual color of the building - red-orange.
During the construction of the castle, the front square was simultaneously formed. Stables and playpen were also built, the canals that surrounded the palace were faced. Since the castle was on the island, Paul the First was sure of its impregnability. A monument to Peter the Great was erected in the center of the front square.
Initially, architects proposed to put on the area significantly reduced copies of antique statues. However, Paul ordered a monument to Peter I to be erected. The statue had already been made long ago, but was never installed. She was ordered by Elizabeth Petrovna. But after her death, everyone lost interest in the equestrian statue. But Catherine the Second did not like the monument at all, so they forgot about it for many years. And only Paul the First remembered him and ordered to be installed on the palace square. Contemporaries believe that it was the monument that gave special weight to the entire ensemble.
One of the main buildings of the castle is considered the church of St. Michael. It was built under a castle spire from Sadovaya Street. The church is very small and was designed for family services of the royal family. By the way, the all-seeing eye, which is a symbol of Masons, is still preserved on the ceiling of the temple.
Interior decoration
Mikhailovsky Palace was beautiful not only outside but also inside. His magnificent chambers were made for the residence of the royal family. In addition, the palace had many works by the best artists of that era. Stunning frescoes shone in the interiors of the castle. In the throne and front rooms, the stucco was covered in gold. For the decoration of walls and furniture, the most sophisticated fabrics were chosen. Also, the interiors were complemented by marble stairs, fireplaces, all kinds of bas-reliefs, sculptures.
The assassination of the emperor
And yet such a guarded and safe castle could not save the emperor from a sad fate. Afraid of fulfilling the prediction, Pavel ordered the construction of a secret staircase in his bedroom, which led through a three-kilometer underground tunnel to the Vorontsov Castle. However, this did not help either.
During his short reign, Paul the First introduced many social changes with which the people were dissatisfied. And not only ordinary residents were indignant, but also nobles, for whom the new emperor became a tyrant. This is precisely what led to the emergence of a conspiracy. The emperor was killed in his own bedroom on the night of March 11-12. Moreover, the murderers came to the imperial bedroom precisely along the very back door, which was built just to save Paul in case of danger. But everything turned out differently. It is interesting that Pavel was born in this palace (in the Summer Palace), he updated it himself and died there. Despite the fact that the castle was built to protect the royal family, it did not serve as a shelter even for the emperor himself. The anointed of God died at the age of 47, as the elder had predicted for him. In the Mikhailovsky Palace, Paul managed to live only forty days. After the murder, the Romanov family immediately left the ill-fated place. It was announced to the people that the emperor died of an apoplexy strike. Historians believe that, as usual, high-ranking aristocrats participated in the conspiracy. The shadow of suspicion in those days even fell on Paul's son, Alexander I, who allegedly knew about the impending murder, but did not warn his father.
Omens
People close to the emperor spoke of the many signs that preceded the reprisal against Paul. A few days before his death, the emperor dreamed of Peter I, who warned him of danger. And on the day of death, Paul saw his reflection in the mirror, but he was dead. All these signs in no way frightened the emperor. He didn’t even suspect anything.
Historians note that for Paul, the number four became fatal. She is present in many key dates: the age of the emperor, the number of days spent in the palace, and more.
Immediately after the death of Paul the First, the palace was empty. And rumors spread around the city that the ghost of the murdered master had settled in the building. People claimed that strange things began to happen in the palace. Passers-by noticed in the windows the light of a lonely candle that hung in the dark windows. From the castle came groans, steps, music from the emperor's favorite instrument. People began to avoid appearing in the castle area. In order for conversations to subside, the underground passage was boarded up. However, notoriety was already firmly entrenched in the palace. For eighteen years the castle stood closed.
To cleanse the energy of the scene of the tragedy, Alexander II ordered a temple to be built in the bedroom. But this did not help either.
Further history of the castle
Numerous clashes with the spirit of the murdered emperor forever fixed the notoriety of the palace. They say that even the military, who decided to spend the night in the castle due to bad weather, witnessed strange visions. To a little calmed down rumors about the restless soul of the emperor, the royal family decided to give the building to the Main Engineering School. So the castle acquired another name - Engineering Castle. However, mystical phenomena did not cease to occur in the palace. At least that was what their eyewitnesses said. The legends of the Mikhailovsky Castle to this day excite the minds of citizens and visitors.
Castle now
For two hundred years, a variety of educational institutions were located within the walls of the castle, and then departmental institutions and simple residential apartments were even located. All artistic values were exported. After the war, the castle was looking for Christian relics of the Order of Malta. But nothing could be found. The fact is that there were no blueprints for the mysterious dungeons of the castle. The architects involved in its construction left Russia after the death of the emperor, destroying all available documents. By the way, a group of scientists working in the castle also recorded numerous anomalous phenomena.
And who knows what would have happened with the building if in 1991 part of the palace had not been given to the Russian Museum. And in 1995, the museum’s expositions already occupied the entire building. After this, regular excursions began in the Mikhailovsky Castle. Restoration work was carried out in the building, during which authentic historical interiors, marble statues and a prophetic inscription on the facade of forty-seven letters were revived, which became fatal for Paul the First.
The grand opening of the complex took place in 2003. Since then, there are regular excursions. The Mikhailovsky Castle houses the funds of the most popular and mysterious museum in the city. Among the permanent exhibitions are: "Antique plots of Russian art", "History of the Mikhailovsky castle and its inhabitants", "Creations of Russian artists." And on the eve of the New Year, young guests can visit the Christmas tree in Mikhailovsky Castle. Children are satisfied with visiting holiday mornings. Indeed, at a real ball you can feel like a princess or a prince, especially when it takes place in such an unusual and mysterious place.
Museum Schedule
In addition to the regular exhibition, temporary exhibitions are also organized in the Mikhailovsky Castle. The castle ensemble includes a number of buildings. For example, including pavilions on Engineering Street. They also have expositions of museum departments.
The address of Mikhailovsky Castle: Sadovaya Street, 2. The complex is located in the very center of the city, so it is easy to find. You can get to the palace by metro, leaving at the Gostiny Dvor station and walking along Sadovaya Street.
The cost of tickets to the Mikhailovsky Castle is 450 rubles. If you want to book an excursion, then the price of a visit rises to 600 rubles. You can visit the palace complex on any day except Tuesday. Opening hours of the Mikhailovsky Castle:
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday - from 10:00 to 18:00;
- Thursday - from 13:00 to 21:00.
If you plan to visit St. Petersburg and see its sights, then include the palace in the list of must-see sites. An amazing place worthy of the attention of visitors. The museum exposition will allow you to learn a lot of interesting things from the history and life of royalty. And the castle itself is incredibly beautiful inside and out. And its unusual and mysterious story further fuels the interest of visitors. By the way, museum employees claim that now they are facing unusual phenomena, like eyewitnesses of past centuries.