Paul I was and remains the most mysterious figure of all who occupied the Russian throne. Beat the emperor and his last residence - Mikhailovsky Castle.
The sentry's tale
Once upon a time, this place was the summer palace of Elizabeth Petrovna, which Paul wanted to give to the military academy. But while he was pondering, a strange story happened. Archangel Michael appeared to the sentry at the gate of the palace and said: "Go to the king and tell him to build a house in this place for the glory of Archangel Michael."
The astonished soldier asked how he could get to the emperor. "Before the one who is sent by the will of God, all doors will be opened," read the answer. Having changed from his post, the guardsman reported the incident to his superiors and soon appeared before Paul I. He listened to the story, praised the soldier and made him a non-commissioned officer.
Less than a week later, the emperor ordered the preparation of the project. In the meantime, everything of value was taken out of the Elizabethan Palace. They said that Paul so willingly ordered the demolition of the residence of Elizabeth Petrovna, because a certain wanderer predicted him "to die where he was born." And he was born in the Elizabethan Palace.
Once Pavel went to see how the work was going. Suddenly a stooped old man approached him. The imperial retinue froze motionless. The elder supposedly told Paul that the castle must be completed and named after the Archangel Michael. That is, he repeated the words of the soldier. So, the not yet built palace was named "Mikhailovsky".
The emperor personally invented the inscription on the facade of the palace. It turned out to be four times longer than it was accepted at that time: "The shrine of the Lord befits to your house in the length of days." There are 47 letters in the inscription, there is simply nowhere else to place.
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Paul insisted on this option, because Xenia the Blessed predicted that he would live exactly as long as the symbols will be in the gateway dedication of his house. Fate could not be deceived - death overtook the emperor at the 47th year of his life, although he wanted to live another 47 years after the construction of “his house”.
Night emperor
Pavel lived in the Mikhailovsky Castle for only 40 days and was killed on the night of March 11-12, 1801. But even during this short period of time, several legends managed to get circulation.
One day an officer on duty at the office heard loud voices. Curiosity overcame his fear of the royal wrath, and he risked a look inside. Pavel, sitting in an armchair, could be clearly seen, but his interlocutor was not visible. But the shadow of a guest was visible on the wall. The officer swore that the emperor spoke with Peter I.
It was said that the late Emperor Paul not only knew how to summon ghosts, but he himself remained in the palace after his death as a spirit. Museum workers say that Paul's shadow wanders at night along the corridors of the Mikhailovsky Castle with a candle in his hand. Even entering the office that once belonged to the king, employees always greet the ghostly owner: "Sorry to disturb you, your majesty."
According to another legend, at night on the anniversary of his death, the emperor goes out to the window and waits for forty-seven passers-by to pass by. Having counted the last, Paul sighs and retreats into the depths of the chambers.
In 1819, Alexander I, who hated the Mikhailovsky Castle, gave it to his brother Nikolai. He set up an engineering and artillery school in the palace. Since then, the legends of ghosts and spirits within its walls began to multiply with incredible speed.
Older pupils loved to frighten the young. Some dressed up as a ghost, some as a deceased, who made a dummy of a hanged man. The most popular was the legend according to which the spirit of Paul still lives in a secret room, but every night he leaves there and inspects his beloved castle. Most likely, the caretakers invented it so that the pupils would not be naughty after lights out.
Once the cadets played a trick so that the head of the school's patience ran out. The two ringleaders were placed in rooms on the upper floor with bars on the windows and secure locks on the doors, awaiting their fate to be decided.
After the first night, they begged to be transferred to any other place, "even to the city prison." On the second morning, the young men stopped eating and answering questions. And on the third night they simply disappeared, as if they had never existed. The bars and locks, as you might guess, remained intact …
Alexander GAVRILUTSE