A little less than 35 years ago, one of the most famous Russian monument restorers, architect Baranovsky, passed away. At one time he lived in a tiny apartment, located in the Novodevichy Convent, in hospital wards. And this more than modest dwelling for several decades was the headquarters where the salvation of Russian culture was organized. More details about the architect Baranovsky, whose photo is presented in the article, will be told today.
Amazing man
Architect Baranovsky Petr Dmitrievich is a very extraordinary figure in Russian history and culture. Indeed, it was thanks to him that he managed to restore in its original form the Kazan Cathedral located in Moscow, on Red Square.
He stood at the origins of the Kolomenskoye museum-reserve, and was the savior of the Spaso-Andronikov monastery from destruction. Architects call it Habakkuk of the 20th century, as well as a guardian angel who saved church architecture. There is a version that he prevented the destruction of St. Basil’s Church, which was the idea of one of the party bosses, Lazar Kaganovich.
Biography of architect Baranovsky
She was truly extraordinary and dramatic. Here are some facts.
- An architect, a restorer, who was one of the creators of new methods of restoration and conservation of objects, was born in 1892 in a Smolensk province in a peasant family. He died in Moscow in 1984.
- 1912 - graduated from the construction and technical school in Moscow.
- 1914 - served on the Western Front as the head of a construction site.
- 1918 - received a gold medal from the Moscow Archaeological Institute (Department of Art History).
- 1919-22 - was a teacher of the history of Russian architecture at the Moscow Archaeological Institute in Yaroslavl.
- 1922-23 - taught the same subject at Moscow State University.
- 1823-33 - director of the museum in Kolomenskoye.
- 1933-36 - repressed and served his sentence in exile in the Kemerovo region, in the city of Mariinsk. After his release, he was an employee of the museum in the city of Alexandrov.
- Since 1938 - a member of various state structures for the protection of monuments, one of the founders of the society for the protection of monuments of history and culture.
- 1946, 1947, 1960 - the creator of museums in Chernigov, Yuryev-Polsky, andronikov monastery in Moscow, respectively.
In the hungry years
Architect Baranovsky began restoration work in 1911. Its first object was the ensemble of the Holy Trinity Monastery, located in the Smolensk province. In the 1920s and 30s, he organized a museum of wooden sculpture here.
Everyone who spoke with him at that time was amazed at his hard work, fearlessness to his bosses, including senior officials. And also they were surprised by his selfless love for masterpieces of architecture.
Baranovsky worked almost round the clock, managing to starve to the twenties not only to give students lectures, but also to collect materials for the architects dictionary, to visit dozens of cities in which restoration work was carried out on his projects.
At the same time, he fought for each of the old houses in Moscow, if those in power thought of their elimination. Subsequently, restorer-architect Inessa Kazakevich noted that on such streets as Volkhonka and Prechistenka, all the houses that were valuable in historical and architectural terms, survived only thanks to the influence of Baranovsky.
Museum in Kolomenskoye
In order to save cultural values that were destroyed, the architect Baranovsky in 1923 organized the Museum of Russian Architecture, which was located in the Moscow Region, in the Kolomenskoye estate. By that time, the buildings on the estate were in poor condition. The park was cut down for firewood, and the collective farm called "Garden Giant" took the land.
At first, the museum had only two employees - a watchman and a supply manager. The restorer alone had to bring there many exhibits scattered throughout the country. These were ancient icons, church utensils, household items of bygone centuries. Among the objects that he managed to deliver in a disassembled form to the capital were:
- towers removed from the Nikolo-Korelsky monastery;
- angular tower of the Bratsk prison;
- House of Peter I, located in the Novodvinsk fortress.
At the same time, under the leadership of Baranovsky, work was carried out to restore the estate itself.
Main principle
The great master, he was simple in design, like all ingenious, but difficult to implement. He believed that it was necessary to recreate buildings not just in the spirit of the era, but to try to give them their original appearance.
At the same time, without regret, he destroyed all the available later stratifications and buildings. Although many accepted this principle with hostility, the architect Pyotr Baranovsky stood his ground, because in those years this method was the only way to save monuments from immediate demolition.
In 1925, Baranovsky discovered a new method by which monuments were restored. It consisted in building up the “tail parts of the brick”, which are still preserved. Today, this approach is the cornerstone of any professional restoration.
Despite the fall
In the same year, the master begins the restoration of Kazan Cathedral located in Moscow on Red Square. As eyewitnesses recall, he participated in the restoration work in the most direct way.
For example, the architect Baranovsky tied one end of a rope to a cross towering above the cathedral, and the other tied around a belt. Having secured himself in this way, he was engaged in the liberation of ancient beauties from the details of unnecessary numerous alterations.
At the same time, the architect was frustrated several times and thereby greatly damaged his health. But that never stopped him. There is evidence that even in old age, he climbed the scaffolding Krutitsky Compound in order to discuss important nuances directly at the workplace.
Attempt that was not
The pre-war time in the life of Baranovsky became for him a black stripe. In 1933 he was arrested, accusing him of allegedly withholding a number of church values from exhibits in Kolomenskoye. At the same time, the investigator also added anti-Stalinist activity to the case. As Baranovsky himself later wrote, investigator Altman attributed to him participation in the attempt on the life of Comrade Stalin.
And he was also charged with active participation in political organizations that aimed to overthrow the existing government. According to the architect, even three years of the camps faded before the horrors of interrogations, monstrous lies, moral torture, which he experienced while in prison.
Spirit is not broken
Camp life did not break this wonderful person. From the memoirs of her daughter, Olga Baranovskaya, the following is known about those years. Upon returning from the camp, he began to very hastily measure, secretly photograph and make drawings of the Kazan Cathedral, which is on Red Square.
The fact is that by order of the government they began to destroy it. However, the architect Baranovsky very seriously experienced the abuse he personally observed over the unique monument of the 17th century, which he himself restored.
In addition, he had to experience humiliation and great inconvenience due to the fact that every day at 17-00 he had to be registered at the place of residence in Alexandrov as an unreliable person who returned from exile.
It should be noted that it was possible to recreate the cathedral in its original splendor only because accurate and complete materials were created by the restorer. This was only done in 1993.
Last years
Almost until the end of his life, Baranovsky was engaged in the restoration of churches, old mansions, and opposed the demolition of monuments. He wrote the first charter of the Monument Protection Society. Surprisingly, according to the testimony of the environment, the master, who put his whole life to the preservation of church architecture, was not a believer.
In his personal life, the architect Baranovsky was happy with his wife, Maria Yuryevna, his faithful companion. She died in 1977. Towards the end of his life, Baranovsky saw very poorly, but retained clarity of mind and, as far as he could, was ordering his archive.