While studying Valerian Kiprianov's book "The Picturesque History of Russian Architecture", I noticed that he did not mention Russian architects, or rather architects, as they used to be called. That is, architects from the words "create", "create" "buildings", were, and were foreigners invited for construction?
The word "architect", which we now use, and which is used to designate architects in all European countries, comes from the Greek "architect" - chief, senior carpenter, builder. It turns out that the Greeks were the very first builders in Europe. If we start to delve into the topic, it turns out that Greece is not such an ancient formation. In any case, there is no such name on the old maps. For example, on the Fra Mauro map:
Fragment of the Fra Mauro map, 1459.
The map reads: Italy, Macedonia (attributed by Mavro Orbini, i.e. Mavar Orbin to the Slavic countries), Albania, Rasia, Bulgaria, Croatsia, Ungaria (Hungary), inhabited in his time by the Slavs. But what is the 15th (Fra Mauro) or 16th (Mavro Orbini) centuries, even in the 19th century they remembered the Illyrians living in the territory of modern Greece and the Etruscans - in the territory of modern Italy, who, according to information from European sources, the Romans and adopted the art of engineering and construction.
And it would not be surprising that the West European Slavs help their eastern brothers with construction. But in reality it turns out that, most likely, if not all, then most of these foreign architects were local in fact, at least in their "homeland" for some reason nothing is known about them. But everything is in order.
Foreign architects 11-14 centuries
The first mention of foreign architects dates back to the 11th century. It is believed that the Church of St. Sophia in Kiev was built by Greek architects and decorated by Greek artists:
Promotional video:
Reconstruction of the original appearance of St. Sophia of Kiev.
View of the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Novgorod.
Italian architect Aristotle Fioraventi, 15th century
But since the names of these architects have not survived, it is difficult to verify now. Starting from the 15th century, surnames appear:
It seems that Aristotle Fioraventi (1415-1486) was really famous in his homeland before arriving in Russia, though not as an architect, but more as an engineer. He was able to move a 25-meter tower, with a 5-meter foundation, weighing about 400 tons, more than 13 meters to the side. There is information about this in Russian and Italian. At the age of 60, he arrived in Russia and lived there for another 20 years. He took part in the construction of the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow, and in general in the reconstruction and construction of the Kremlin, and possibly even the arrangement of the storage for the library of Ivan the Terrible.
Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
Foreign architects Fryaziny, 15-16 centuries
Next comes a whole galaxy of Fryazin architects: Aleviz Fryazin Stary, Aleviz Fryazin Novy, Anton Fryazin, Bon Fryazin, Ivan Fryazin, Mark Fryazin and Petr Fryazin (several people are known under this name). Sources claim. That the old Russian "fryaz" means "foreigner", "stranger", therefore, apparently, these foreigners received one surname for all. All of them worked at about the same time under Tsars Ivan III and Basil III, from 1485 to 1536. These were mainly churches, temples and cathedrals. In addition, the architect Mark Fryazin built the Faceted Chamber, Aleviz Fryazin - the Kremlin palace (tower)
Aleviz Fryazin Old
Trinity Tower of the Moscow Kremlin.
In Italy, nothing is known about Aleviz Fryazin the Old, except that he was an active Italian architect during the Renaissance in the Russian state. In other European countries it is the same. The same applies to Aleviz Fryazin Novy.
Aleviz Fryazin New
Archangel Cathedral in Moscow.
Italian side information:
Nothing is known about Anton Fryazin, except that he worked in Russia. Italian and French sources report about him, referring to the Russian-language source - Zemtsov S. M.., Architect of Moscow, M., Moskovsky Rabochy, 1981, 44-46 p. Architects of Moscow in the second half of the 15th and first half of the 16th century:
Italian sources do not report anything about Bon Fryazin. A French source, referring to the "Complete collection of Russian chronicles", reports:
Ivan the Great Bell Tower, Moscow Kremlin.
Mark Fryazin is famous in Italy:
True, this information is also taken from a Russian source: "Accademia moscovita di architettura", RUSSIAN CITY PLANNING ARTS, Storijzdat, 1993
There is information about him in French, the source is again Russian: SM Zemtsov / Zemtsov S. M., architectes de Moscou / Architect of Moscow (book), Moscou, Moskovsky Rabochiy, 1981, 59-68 p. "Architects of Moscow of the second half of the 15th and the first half of the 16th century."
Peter Antonin Fryazin was known in Italy not only from Russian-language sources. The years of his life and other details of his biography are known:
Those. he was a sculptor in Italy. And he participated in the reconstruction, but he did not create anything, in the sense from scratch. In the Kremlin, he is credited with the construction of six towers: Borovitskaya, Konstantino-Eleninskaya, Spasskaya, Nikolskaya, Senatskaya and Uglova Arsenalnaya.
Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin.
About the second Petr Fryazin, unlike the first, practically nothing is known:
The information from this Italian source is again a translation of a Russian-language source. Here I mean this entry in the annals:
Dmitrievskaya tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin.
It is true that the chronicle speaks of the ditch, and not of the tower itself … But these are already insignificant details?
The Italians do not mention the third Pyotr Fryazin at all (probably, they are tired of translating Russian-language sources). The French mention it, referring to the Russian-language source Les fortifications moyenageuses de type bastion en Russie / Kirpichnikov A. N. “Bastion-type fortresses in medieval Russia”. - Monuments of culture. New discoveries. Yearbook. 1978:
Kitaygorodskaya wall, Moscow.
Kiprianov mentions other foreign architects in his book, without naming their names:
Retreat: Dutch ovens
Still, it is very surprising that there were no chimneys in Russia until the end of the 16th century. And that Italians and Germans came to Russia to build stoves with chimneys? I met this information in various sources, but it is still hard to believe. The climate in Germany, and especially in Italy, is much milder than in Russia. And there fireplaces are better known than stoves. This is what cooking food looked like in Europe in the 18th century:
Kitchen interior with two women at work, Hendrik Numann.
It is an open hearth, essentially a fireplace, with a straight chimney. Later, cooking ovens appeared attached to fireplaces:
Openluchtmuseum Het Hoogeland.
This is a 19th century Dutch kitchen interior. Apparently, such metal furnaces were called "Dutch" in Russia. An excerpt from the book about "Stove Skill", written by the architect Vasily Sobolshchikov in 1865:
Or was the climate so different that it was colder in Europe than in Russia? Or did you heat the premises in another way? In the 19th century, it was not even customary to make vestibules in wealthy houses and public buildings; they were added later, already in the 20th century. Although even earlier there were hallways in the houses:
Those. it turns out that at first they built vestibules, then stopped, and then started again? In Europe, houses are also being built with vestibules. Although the heating process has become much easier compared to previous centuries. And the average January temperature, for example, in the Netherlands remains above zero.
Foreign architects of St. Petersburg
Domenico Trezzini
Back to our foreign architects. The first architect who worked in St. Petersburg was Domenico Trezzini, or in other words Andrei Yakimovich Trezin (1670-1734), an Italian architect and engineer, born in Switzerland. This architect is not known in Italy. The Italian Wikipedia's information about him fits into three lines: that he was a Swiss architect and urban planner. He studied in Rome, then was summoned by Peter I to St. Petersburg in 1703. to develop a general plan for the new capital of the Russian Empire.
The Swiss Wikipedia does not report anything about him at all. The German Wikipedia reports that he probably studied in Rome. And further, that Peter I invited him to St. Petersburg. There is not a word about labor activity before immigration to Russia. The English Wikipedia also reports that he probably studied in Rome. And subsequently, when he worked in Denmark, he was invited to Peter I, among other architects, to design buildings in the new Russian capital, St. Petersburg. Who he worked in Denmark and what he designed there - not a word. Danish Wikipedia does not mention such a person at all.
Peter and Paul Cathedral - one of the most famous works by Domenico Trezzini.
Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli
Everything seems to be clear and understandable with the architect Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli (1700-1771). Except for one nuance. It is believed that at the age of 15 he came to Russia from Italy together with his father, a sculptor who was invited by Peter 1. But his father, who, by the way, was also called Bartolomeo Rastrelli, was not better known in his homeland. Italian sources do not report anything about him. It is reported by the English Wikipedia, citing Russian-language sources:
He also made a wax figure of Peter 1, which is now on display in the Hermitage. But the lack of information about him in other sources, with the exception of Russian-speaking, casts doubt on his Italian origin. And, accordingly, his son too. An article about Bartolomeo Rastrelli (son) for Encyclopedia Britannica was written by Andrei Sarabyanov (again, Russian, judging by his last name). He indicated Paris as the birthplace of Rastrelli, while an Italian source indicated Florence. About Rastrelli's labor activity:
Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.
Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Leblond
Mentioned here Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond (French Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond; Le Blond; 1679, France -1719, St. Petersburg) according to Russian-speaking sources is a French architect and even a royal architect, and a master of landscape architecture. But there is no information about Leblond in French. Rather, it exists, but, judging by the surnames, it was written by Russian authors: Olga Medvedkova, “Au-dessus de Saint-Pétersbourg, dialogue”, “Jean-Baptiste Alexander Le Blond, architect 1679-1719 - Paris, St. Petersburg” au royaume des morts entre Pierre le Grand et Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond, pièce en deux tableaux, Paris, TriArtis, 2013). Quotes from there:
In St. Petersburg, Leblon develops the General Plan of the city, which, however, is rejected by Peter in view of his insolvency (more about this in the article about "Impossible St. Petersburg" through the eyes of a European ")
Probably, I mean the house of Apraksin, which has not survived to this day:
Alexander Leblon. Apraksin Palace, project, 1716
But Leblond did not build this house, as it was loaded with orders from the tsar, as reportedly, because the construction was supervised by the architect Fyodor Vasiliev. He also made adjustments to the project. And also Admiral Apraksin himself made adjustments. As a result, the house turned out to be 3-storey and looked completely different. Those. this "royal" architect, unknown in France, being the chief architect of St. Petersburg, built practically nothing in Russia. True, he lived in Russia for only 2 years, suddenly dying. I found another article about Le Blond in French: "Foreigners in Russia: Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond", but its author is Adam Miskin, also Russian, most likely.
Karl Ivanovich Rossi
A really real architect who lived and worked in St. Petersburg (even his grave has survived) was Karl Ivanovich Rossi. True, there is one big BUT: his mother was Russian, his father is unknown. It is only known that at the age of 12 he came with his mother to Russia. And then he lived, studied and worked there. Italian Wikipedia reports a couple of lines about him, based on Russian-language sources:
"Karl Ivanovich Rossi, née Carlo di Giovanni Rossi (1775, Naples - 1849, St. Petersburg) - Russian architect of Italian origin, author of many buildings and architectural ensembles in St. Petersburg and its environs."
Mikhailovsky Palace, St. Petersburg.
The objects he built:
- Wooden Theater (1806, Moscow, Arbat Square), burned down in 1812 [3]
- Catherine's Church in the Kremlin (1808)
- Reconstruction of the Traveling Palace of Catherine II in Tver (1809)
- Reconstruction of the Anichkov Palace (1816)
- A row of pavilions and a library above the Gonzago Gallery in the Pavlovsk Palace (1815-1822)
- Elagin palace with a greenhouse and pavilions (1816-1818)
- The ensemble of the Mikhailovsky Palace with adjoining garden and square (1819-1825)
- The Palace Square ensemble with the General Staff Building and the Triumphal Arch (1819-1829)
- Ensemble of the Senate Square with the buildings of the Senate and Synod (1829-1834)
- The ensemble of Alexandrinskaya Square with the buildings of the Alexandrinsky Theater, the new building of the Imperial Public Library and two homogeneous extended buildings of Teatralnaya Street (now the street of the Architect Rossi) (1827-1832)
- Bell tower of the St. George Monastery (1841)
Giacomo Quarenghi and Giacomo Trombara
Indeed, an Italian architect can be considered Giacomo Quarenghi (1744, Bergamo - 1817, St. Petersburg), since he was not only born in Italy, but also lived there, studied and worked for some time before his trip to Russia, though not an architect, and by the artist, his only architectural object, an Italian source mentions the rebuilding of the Church of St. Scholastica in Sabiaco.
Interior of the Church of Santa Scholastica.
Quarenghi received an art education and was engaged in painting, and then became interested in architecture, studied it through books, communicating with artists and architects in Rome, then he traveled around Italy, studying architecture already alive.
Giacomo Quarenghi. Smolny Institute in St. Petersburg. The central part of the main facade and the outline of the outer wall. 1806 Pen, brush, ink, watercolor on paper.
This list is far from complete. For 37 years of his work in Russia, Quarenghi managed to design a lot. It's amazing what criteria Baron von Grimm used to choose him, how could he determine his abilities without having work? But he was not mistaken. Quarenghi did a great job, unlike the second Giacomo, about whom practically nothing is known. A very brief article about him is written in the article by S. Frank “Roman art and architecture in the correspondence of Catherine II (with a documentary supplement about the journey to Russia of Giacomo Quarenghi and Giacomo Trombar in 1779). From myth to project: Architectural culture of Italian and Ticino craftsmen in neoclassical Russia (pp. 61, 118-91; 120):
True, it says here that it was not Baron von Grimm who invited him, but Baron von Reiffenstein, if this is of great importance? But here it is at least clear by what criteria he was chosen - according to the results of the competition. Although, apart from participating in this competition, there is no more information. The only mention in the Russian-language source:
Auguste Montferrand
Perhaps one of the most famous foreign architects in Russia is Auguste Ricard de Montferrand (Paris, 1786 - 1858 St. Petersburg). He is considered a French architect, BUT, here is what a French source writes about him:
Alexander 1 really was in Paris in 1814, but the information that he saw Morferrand there remains doubtful. In France, he not only did not work as an architect, but did not even really have time to learn this profession, since soon after entering an educational institution he went into the army. The only thing he managed to do during this time was to draw watercolor drawings. His last name was Ricard, and Morferran is the name of the city where his father was from. Those. it turns out that in this city no one knew him either. Here is what the English Wikipedia writes about Morferrand (referring, however, again to a Russian-language source - the book of the Russian art critic V. Shuisky "Auguste Montferrand: The Story of Life and Work", 2005):
If Morferrand really met with Alexander 1 in 1814 or even in 1815, and he liked his drawings, why then did he go to Russia only in 1816, with a letter of recommendation, and tripled as a draftsman in Russia? But, despite the fact that he was not even the main draftsman, he is credited with the authorship of such objects:
There is a version of how it all happened:
Again an album, and again from 24 drawings that Morferrand painted in 1814, then in 1815, and then in 1816. Or perhaps it was the same album?
This, of course, is not a complete list of foreign architects who worked in Russia, but the general picture regarding their origin or their professional suitability, I think, is clear.
Author: i_mar_a