- Part 1 - Part 2 -
One of the readers sent me an interesting photo of the renovation of the facade of one of the houses in St. Petersburg:
Address: Mendeleevskaya Line 1/1 lit. 0.
An ordinary building in St. Petersburg, of which there are many. Several years ago, a carved arch began to be seen under the fallen plaster.
Several years ago, a carved arch began to be seen under the fallen plaster. The building stands on limestone blocks. Maybe this is a complete reconstruction of the building with bricks, but originally it was made of limestone blocks. But why did they become unusable? Temples made of limestone blocks are according to the official history from the 13th century. yes, they were also repaired, but the walls were made of blocks. And only the foundations and this arch remained here.
Question: if they reconstructed, then why did they not keep this carved ornament? Turned into a faceless facade? Did this architectural style no longer fit into the style of the building's reconstruction? Or was this building rebuilt as well as part of the city, rather than being built?
Promotional video:
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Photos suggesting that some buildings stand (or were built) on rubble from something older:
It is difficult to call it a rubble stone. It was usually used in the foundation, and brick walls were erected above. Here, this stonework rises above the ground.
Debris close-up. In the previous part, I gave a similar example with views of another building. This is not an isolated example.
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There is an album with the Axonometric plan of St. Petersburg (1765-1773)
Scans from the plan.
Scans from the plan.
The image on the left shows that the buildings lack chimneys. Did the artist overlook this, or did such large buildings really have no heating? Were they summer?
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Polygonal cladding in Kronstadt.
Why was it necessary to cut out blocks in such forms? Why didn't they just make them rectangular? The builders were clearly not looking for easy options.
Corner granite parapet block on the canal embankment (left) and radial parapet blocks on the right. Such a difficult decision is also incomprehensible. It would be possible to dock the corner block in two parts. There is a principle of optimality in work. It is clear that in this form the block is more stable than a structure made of separate parts.
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In Peterhof, in the Sergievsky Garden, there is a well-known "Stone Head":
Why is there a hole in the bridge of the head of the stone? Was there something attached? Maybe a helmet? Was it a sculpture of a knight? The back of the stone is not processed, which just implies some kind of headdress on this head. Or was it not completed and abandoned?
There are other quality stone objects in the park:
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This is an enlarged inscription on a pedestal near one of the Atlanteans near the Hermitage. Crafted letters and numbers. Does not fit with the level of manufacture of the Atlanteans themselves. In a hurry? Or was it performed by a master of another level?
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Kazan Cathedral. Broken plaster that looks like an imitation of granite:
Continued: Part 4
Author: sibved