The Vorontsov Palace is one of the main attractions of St. Petersburg. The palace is located on the territory of the estate belonging to Count Vorontsov Mikhail Illarionovich. The palace coup of 1741 (in which Vorontsov took an active part) elevates Empress Elizabeth to the Russian throne. Elizaveta Petrovna did not fail to thank Mikhail Illarionovich for his services, conferring on him the rank of general.

The design and construction of the palace was carried out by F.B. Rastrelli - Russian architect, Italian by birth. The estate is located between the Fontanka and Sadovaya Streets in a southwestern direction and occupies a significant area. The facade of the palace is separated from the street by a fence, which is an example of artistic casting. Behind the fence lies a vast palace with the main building and symmetrical two-story outbuildings placed forward. In the depths of the courtyard is a three-story main building, away from the noise of the city. To decorate the main facade, Rastrelli uses double rusticated columns, above which there is a balcony. The arched windows on the ground floor are framed with decorative architraves. The main hall is located on the second floor.

The impression of the solemnity and splendor of the palace, inherent in the Baroque style, is created at the first moment, as soon as one enters the estate. According to contemporaries, the interior of fifty ceremonial halls located along the main facade was distinguished by dazzling luxury. Unfortunately, the interior of the buildings has not survived to this day. The garden, which was located behind the main building, was decorated with numerous fountains, well-groomed alleys, pools and other "whims". In the garden, which stretched to the Fontanka, one could watch fireworks, which certainly accompanied the festivities in the Anichkov Garden.

In 1817, according to the project of Carl Rossi, the garden was shortened. An open terrace, located above the one-story building, opened a beautiful view of the river. In the central part of the palace there was a large double-height hall. One of the halls housed the library of M.I. Vorontsova, rightfully considered the best in St. Petersburg. The construction of the palace required no small investment. And the holding of regular balls and receptions led to the fact that the financial situation of M.I. Vorontsov no longer allowed to spend money on its maintenance.

In 1763 the palace was transferred to the treasury for debts. During the reign of Paul I, the palace was renamed the castle of the Knights of Malta and was transferred to the Order of Malta. This is due to the fact that in 1798 Emperor Paul was elected Master of the Order of Malta, and the former Vorontsov Palace became his residence. The coat of arms of the order - a white Maltese cross - was installed above the gate. According to the project of D. Quarenghi, in 1798, the construction of the Catholic chapel of the Order began, in which meetings of the Order of the Knights of Malta were held. An Orthodox church was built in the left wing.

Under Alexander I, the estate with all its property was transferred to the disposal of the state, and soon it housed the Corps of Pages. The Corps of Pages trained guard officers, and the bedrooms of the cadets were located on the second floor.

The October Revolution led to the closure of the Corps of Pages. In the early 1920s, military educational institutions were located on the territory of the Vorontsov Palace. In 1928, some of the items were given to the museums of Leningrad. Since 1958, the building has been given to the Suvorov Military School.

In 2003, in honor of the anniversary of St. Petersburg, the interior of the Maltese Chapel was restored. Today, excursions, organ music evenings are held in the chapel, a museum on the history of the Kadets has been opened.

One of the most interesting buildings in St. Petersburg is the Maltese Catholic Chapel, hidden from the eyes of citizens and tourists behind the facade of the Suvorov Military School.

How the Maltese Chapel appeared in St. Petersburg

By the end of the eighteenth century, the Russian fleet had become the main threat to the fleet of the Ottoman Empire. This led to the rapprochement of the Order of Malta with the Russian Tsar. In 1797, Paul I organized a new main priory of the order on the territory of the Russian Empire. The Hospitallers needed a patron, as they were expelled from Malta by Napoleon.

Emperor Paul was very fond of the Maltese. On the territory of Russia, he granted the members of the Order "all those distinctions, advantages and honors that the famous Order enjoys in other places." Three commanderships were organized, the head of the Main Priory in Russia was introduced to the State Council. In every possible way, the entry of Russian nobles into it was encouraged.

In 1799 Emperor Pavel granted commander Alexander Suvorov the Commander's Cross. The Hospitallers open the Corps of Pages in St. Petersburg, which has released many military leaders. The Corps of Pages later became the Suvorov School. It was then that a Catholic (Maltese) chapel appeared on the territory of the military school.

However, Paul's flirtation with the Catholic Church, his rapprochement with Rome did not please the ROC (Russian Orthodox Church) and the whole policy of the emperor in relation to a foreign religious order was another, among many others, the reason for his murder in the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg on the night of March 13 1801.

The new Emperor Alexander I in the very first months of his reign (August 1, 1801) renounced the title of Grand Master of the Order and ordered the removal of the Maltese cross from the state emblem.

However, the Corps of Pages (now the building is based at the Suvorov School) and the Maltese Chapel remained in St. Petersburg. Recently, it served as a concert hall. So in order to look at this building, unusual for our latitudes, you need to buy a concert ticket.

p.s. Unfortunately, the chapel is currently under renovation and there are no concerts. But there are tours. Chapel official website:

Under Paul I, the Order of Malta was granted a palace, after which the Russian Emperor naturally became Grand Master of the Order of Malta. Chapel of Malta - the Catholic Church of the Order of the Knights of Malta, built by order of Emperor Paul I in 1800 by the architect Giacomo Quarenghi. The chapel is part of the Vorontsov Palace. The extension on the eastern side of the building of the palace of the Catholic chapel for the Chapter of the Order of Malta dates back to 1798-1800.
The chapel was built by a worthy colleague and unwitting rival Francesco Rastrelli, one of the exponents of new architectural ideas - Giacomo Quarenghi.
The interior decoration of the chapel is a colonnade of the Corinthian order, the walls are lined with artificial marble.
The interior of the Maltese Chapel was restored for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg.

By creating this small building next to the Rastrelli Palace, Quarenghi slightly violated his usual classical austerity. He made an attempt to soften the line of the facade by introducing rounded profiles at the junction of the new building with the old building. Without deliberate emphasis, only with these seemingly insignificant details, he sought to connect the artistic appearance of the chapel with the architecture of the Rastrelli building.
Until now, the interior decoration of the chapel has been well preserved - a colonnade of the Corinthian order, paintings, stucco decoration of walls lined with artificial marble. A thorough restoration of the chapel was carried out in 1927 by the architect N. P. Nikitin.

The hall of the Maltese chapel, as well as the church hall in the palace, acquired special value as the interiors of Quarenghi, because almost all the others of this palace complex on Sadovaya subsequently underwent significant alterations or even died.
The organ "Walker" was restored in the Chapel for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, it was not possible to get to it - the organist had the key to the door, which was naturally absent, since the chapel no longer accepts people since 2012 - that is, it is completely closed.

The Vorontsov Palace is a palace in the central part of St. Petersburg, located on Sadovaya Street opposite Gostiny Dvor. It was built by the architect Count Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli in 1749-1757 for Chancellor Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov. The palace is distinguished by rich, elegant decoration of facades and lavish interior decoration. There are more than 50 ceremonial halls and rooms in the palace. The palace is decorated with stucco, gilded carvings and other elements typical of the Baroque style.

The Vorontsov Palace is the main building on the estate of Count Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov, a noble nobleman, state chancellor, participant in the palace coup of 1741, which brought Empress Elizaveta Petrovna to power.

The construction of the palace was carried out according to the project of the court architect Elizabeth Petrovna - Federico Bartolomeo Rastrelli in the period from 1749 to 1757.

The estate occupied a vast territory between Sadovaya Street and the Fontanka River. Violating the traditions of urban estate building, Rastrelli placed the palace not by the river, but closer to Sadovaya, separating the building from it with a fence of artistic work.

The border of the vast courtyard-garden, spread out behind the fence, is formed by the main building of the palace and its side wings. Such a layout with the letter "P" has long been called "peace" in Russia.

The main three-story building with a quadrangular courtyard is located in the depths of the estate. Two symmetrical two-story outbuildings are brought forward and placed along the red line of the street. The central part of the main facade is decorated with double columns and pilasters, the windows are decorated with decorative architraves.

The palace was built in the opulent and ornate Baroque style. As you know, Rastrelli was a master of this style, which reached its peak in Russian architecture during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna. This is evidenced by such names of this style of the middle of the 18th century as "Rastrelli baroque" and "Elizabeth baroque".

Behind the main building, a regular garden was laid out, stretching to the Fontanka, with numerous pools, fountains, alleys of trimmed trees, and other "futures".

Above the one-story building overlooking the park, an open terrace overlooking the river was arranged. From here there was a beautiful view of the fireworks set in the Anichkov Garden. The interiors, decorated in the same way in the traditions of the Baroque, were also distinguished by luxury. Fifty ceremonial halls were located on the enfilade principle along the main facade and in the side buildings. In the central part of the Vorontsov Palace there was a large double-height hall, in another spacious hall there was the Vorontsov library, then one of the best in St. Petersburg.

In 1763, M. I. Vorontsov was forced to cede the palace to the treasury on account of debts for 217,600 rubles, since the construction required huge investments.

After the accession to the throne of Emperor Paul I in the late 1790s, the palace was transferred to the Order of Malta, and the chapter of Russian orders was also located here. The former Vorontsov Palace was ordered to be called the "Castle of the Knights of Malta". Above the lattice gates of the palace, the order coat of arms was strengthened: on a red background, a white Maltese cross with four bifurcated rays.

Two churches were built on the estate - an Orthodox church and a Catholic chapel of the Order of the Knights of Malta (architect Giacomo Quarenghi).

Later, the Corps of Pages was located in the palace. For the needs of this educational institution, which was located in the palace from 1810 to 1918, in 1827 the premises were rebuilt according to the project of the architect Alexander Yegorovich Shtaubert; at the same time, the former baroque interior decoration was lost.

Today, organ music concerts are held in the Maltese Chapel. The decoration of the interiors of the chapel is well preserved - the colonnade of the Corinthian order, painting, stucco decoration of the walls, lined with artificial marble. The restoration of the chapel was carried out in 1927 by the architect N. P. Nikitin.

After the revolution, the First Petrograd Infantry School of the Red Army Command Staff was located here, on the basis of which in 1937 the Leningrad Infantry School named after. S. M. Kirov. In 1958, the building was completely given to the Suvorov Military School.

Address: Russia, Republic of Crimea, Alupka, sh. Palace, 18
Date of construction: 1840
Architect: Furasov P.I.
Coordinates: 57°19"07.5"N 43°06"40.4"E

Short story

The chic palace, named Vorontsov in honor of Count Vorontsov M.S., is a unique building that has become the epitome of the era of Romanticism. It is located on the Crimean peninsula in the city of Alupka.

The beginning of its construction dates back to 1828, when Governor-General Vorontsov, responsible for the Novorossiysk Territory, chose the site for the future main building and drove pegs on it. However, the palace did not appear quickly - it took 20 years to build it.

Initially, the project of the future Vorontsov Palace was developed in the style of strict classics, and a well-known Italian architect named Francesco Boffo and his colleague from England, Thomas Harrison, worked on it.

1829 was the beginning of the implementation of their joint project, and as all the preparatory work was completed, the foundation was immediately laid and the first masonry was made. However, an unpleasant surprise soon happened - in the midst of the preparation of working drawings, the architect Harrison died.

In order for the construction to go on as usual, Boffo needed a new partner. It was Edward Blore, a young architect working in the romantic direction of English architecture.

Stone staircase with white marble sculptures of lions

Why did Count Vorontsov choose him and decide to make changes to the project of the future palace in the Crimean Alupka? The fact is that in those years he was in England, and he was impressed by the local architecture and new fashion trends for the construction of buildings. Therefore, the count revised the already developed project and entrusted the new architect to adjust it so that the result of the work was a real castle, combining the rigor of English architecture and the luxury inherent in Indian palaces.

And since 1832, construction work on the construction of the Vorontsov Palace in the Crimea has already been carried out according to an updated project, but without distorting the previously completed stages. The execution of all work was entrusted to the best craftsmen - masons, sculptors, stone and wood carvers, artists, furniture makers and other workers, who approached the orders entrusted to them with all responsibility. As a result, the construction of the palace cost Vorontsov 9 million rubles..

Left to right: front dining room, winter garden

The layout of the Vorontsov Palace

The entire palace complex, commissioned by Vorontsov, is represented by several solid buildings, designated as:

• central;
• canteen;
• guest;
• library;
• economic.

The building intended for receiving guests was later called Shuvalovsky, since on its right side was the room of Vorontsov's daughter, who became Countess Shuvalova after marriage.

North facade of the main building

Oddly enough, the construction of the palace began with the construction of a dining building, and this work took 4 years (from 1830 to 1834). The construction of the central building took 6 years - 1831 - 1837. From 1841 to 1842, work was underway on the construction of a billiard room, which supplemented the dining room building. It also took a lot of time to build the guest building, all the towers, outbuildings, outbuildings and the decoration of the Front Courtyard (these were 1838-1844). And finally, the library building, built from 1842 to 1846, joined the palace complex.

The sculptures of lions, the production of which was entrusted to the Italian master Giovanni Bonnani, became the decoration of the central staircase. And the whole luxurious palace ensemble ended with a lion's terrace, that is, with many figures of lions.

Right - Clock Tower

Features of the architecture of the Vorontsov Palace

The Vorontsov Palace, which in the middle of the 19th century became the decoration of Alupka in the Crimea, was a kind of innovation that violated some architectural and construction principles. In those days, it was customary to arrange the buildings of palace ensembles in a strict geometric grouping, however, the architect Blor deviated from this rule and distributed all the structures that make up the Vorontsov Palace on the ground so that they stood in the direction from west to east, as if in accordance with with the movement of the mountains. This approach allowed all the buildings to harmoniously fit into the local landscape - the Vorontsov Palace Complex found its place in the Crimean expanses.

Moving from building to building, one can clearly trace the stages of development of medieval architecture, starting from its earliest forms and ending with the traditions of the 16th century.

Shuvalov Corps

However, the emphasis in the development of projects for all structures was nevertheless placed on the English style. Why is the Vorontsov Castle in Crimea so attractive? Its peculiarity is its appearance, reminiscent of a castle-fortress from the ancient VIII - XI centuries.. When you get to the courtyard of the utility buildings, you involuntarily stumble upon blank walls and find yourself in closed spaces, and when you try to get to the central building, you find yourself surrounded by round watchtowers. Further, the general impression of impregnability is complemented by narrow loophole windows and high walls of rough masonry. But suddenly an openwork suspension bridge made of cast iron appears and brings a festive touch to this harsh composition. And so, as you move away from the arch of the western entrance, signs of architecture of the following eras become more and more apparent.

West entrance towers

Having crossed the openwork bridge and getting rid of the feeling of isolation, you can find yourself in the Front Courtyard, from which you can see Mount Ai-Petri. But this is not just a view - it is a kind of picture, because the landscape is, as it were, limited by an architectural frame, represented by a clock tower, an eastern wing and a retaining wall with a fountain.

The architecture of the main building of the Vorontsov Palace in Crimea is also interesting. Its walls are pushed out of the plane at different levels, as required by the English Tudor style. The central part is decorated with the main entrance and is decorated with projections of bay windows and side projections. The roofs of the towers are onion domes. The northern facade of the building is decorated with narrow semi-columns-polyhedrons, the crowns of which are pinnacles (decorative tops).

Chapel

Graceful pinnacles and battlements, domes and chimneys, decorated with flower-shaped tops, smooth out the roughness of the stone texture of the walls and their massive luggage.

Considering the carved stone decorations that decorate the Vorontsov Palace, it is worth noting their pronounced similarity with some elements of Western and Eastern architecture. Thus, real connoisseurs of architecture immediately notice the Gothic chimneys and minarets of the mosque, and it is this compatible incompatibility that makes the palace complex special. This similarity is especially sharply felt as you move to the southern facade of the building, called the main one. In the rays of the sun, its outlines seem unusual, bizarre.

From left to right: front dining room, winter garden, main building

But the main motive for the design of the palace are the arches of the most diverse forms - they are gentle, and keeled, and horseshoe-shaped, and lancet. And you can see them everywhere, from the balustrade of the balconies to the decoration of the portal of the southern entrance to the Vorontsov Palace. In addition, the architectural ensemble, erected by order of the Governor General, has its own "zest" - these are 6 identical lines in Arabic, indicating that only Allah is the winner. You can see the inscription in a niche decorated with a Tudor flower and an Indian lotus.

Description of the park surrounding the Vorontsov Palace

During the construction of the palace, work was also carried out on laying the adjacent park. But if the construction of the Vorontsov Palace took two decades, then work on the creation of the park does not stop to this day. On an area of ​​40 hectares, a wide variety of plants brought from all over the world harmoniously coexist.

Shuvalovsky passage overlooking the openwork bridge

In general, the palace park is divided into Upper and Lower. The upper park is decorated with several glades - Chestnut, Contrasting, Solnechnaya. And each of them is remarkable for its trees (Italian pine, oriental plane tree, yew berry, Himalayan cedar, Chilean araucaria, or monkey tree, etc.). In addition, on the territory of the Upper Park there is Swan Lake, where these beautiful birds really live, the Upper and Mirror Lakes and a waterfall.

In the Lower Park, surrounded by the most beautiful and rare representatives of the flora, there is a small tea house, which at one time was used by the Vorontsov family for holidays on the seashore. Then this place was often illuminated by fireworks and fireworks.

Shuvalovsky passage overlooking the western gate

Being here, you can really feel the atmosphere of the holiday, because it was not without reason that the architect chose a place to build a house here. Surrounded by many unique plants, it creates the feeling of being in a fairy tale, since the entire territory of the Lower Park is conducive to creating an enchanting mood. And the lower part of the Vorontsovsky Park in Crimea is decorated in the Italian style of a regular park.

Use of the Vorontsov Palace complex in different years

Since 1990, the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka has become a palace and park museum-reserve. Several interesting expositions are located in nine main halls. Thanks to their content, everyone can get acquainted with the way of life of the count family, who lived in the palace before the October Revolution, and the character of the interiors of the palace.

Exit from the yard

But in 1990, the opening of the Vorontsov Palace as a museum was secondary - for the first time its building was used as a museum in 1921.

But with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War in 1941, valuable museum exhibits could not be saved, and the building itself was repeatedly threatened with destruction. However, thanks to the efforts of one of the employees of the museum Shchekoldin S.G. The Vorontsov Palace Museum still survived. Of course, many art treasures were lost during the war years, but after it ended, some paintings were still found and returned to the museum.